One in a Crowd

Like many artists, Austin's creative community is increasingly turning to crowdfunding platforms to cover developmental costs. For potential backers, it can be hard to navigate all the sites out there, so here's a quick guide to some noteworthy campaigns. Remember, do your own due diligence before you back anything.

Who's raising the funds? Netflix vs. the World

What's the project? Shawn Cauthen (producer of the upcoming The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story) and former Reuters reporter Gina Keating are building on Keating's book Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs. Published in 2013, it caught the company's 15-year rise from shipping DVDs to spearheading on-demand content, but the last five years have seen Netflix revolutionize and dominate entertainment. The pair has already interviewed insider figures like Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph and Blockbuster CEO John Antioco, key figures in the war between these media giants. The duo has a working cut, and now they're just looking for finishing funds to cover scoring, animation, and a poster.

Target: $25,000 by Dec. 28.

What are the perks? $25 gets you the film on DVD plus a 4K download, but for only $1 Cauthen will stand on his roof and yell your name. Back this project now at Kickstarter.

Also Fundraising Now:

Pioneering horror madman Lucky McKee just wrapped shooting on his new film Kindred Spirits last month, but he's busy as a creative producer on animated feature The Weird Kidz, a "new-wave punk, comedy/adventure creature feature," with two Austinites (Boyhood's Ellar Coltrane and May's Angela Bettis) providing voice talent. More info on Kickstarter.