One in a Crowd: Ultimate World

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?

Observational surreal comedy Ultimate World.

What's the project?

Teddy (Zach Desutter) and Phoebe (Elyana Barrera) are the average Austin twentysomething couple – or rather, they were, and now they're stuck sharing a house until their lease is up. First-time feature director Nathaniel Hendricks, who wrote and directed the film with Spencer Lucas, explained that the film "captures Austin while it's undergoing massive changes, and it will never be the same again – just like the characters in our film."

Target:

$25,000 by June 6 for post-production, music rights clearance, publicity, and festival submission fees.

What are the perks?

Snag a digital copy of the finished film for only $25, but $75 gets you the film plus an original Spencer Lucas sketch. Feeling really flush? $500, and the team will shoot a special new short for you. Help support the project over at Seed&Spark.

Also Fundraising Now:

Austin's known for its music, but new documentary The Poster Boys highlights the artists who got crowds to gigs. Help make designers like Micael Priest, Kerry Awn and Gilbert Shelton as famous as the musicians they publicized by backing Robert Simmons' documentary via Indiegogo.

Speaking of artists, Devin Lawson aka Spicy Donut has melded cinematic slashers and Silly Symphony-style animation for his bloody adorable Merry Murderers enamel pin series. Grab his unique Halloween bling at Kickstarter.