news screen For a full list of !ilms and series in production and currently shooting, visit backstage.com “HELLO LADIES” / TV / L.A. / written by and starring Stephen Merchant / Casting: Allison Jones IN PRODUCTION | “PERSON OF INTEREST” / TV / N.Y. / with Jim Caviezel / Principals: Mark Saks good, but I think it’s going to make a started from there. Mobcaster came lot of money.’ ” to be out of a problem that we saw Until this year, equity-based in effective and ef!icient ways of crowdfunding was illegal, and only developing television.” donation- or rewards-based sites Levy envisions television could collect funds via crowdsourc- networks and production compa- ing. Thanks to the Jumpstart Our nies using Mobcaster to discover Business Startups (JOBS) Act, original content. Creators pitch their however, which President Barack concepts to the Mobcaster audience Obama signed into law in April, before shooting a single episode. anyone will soon be able to invest a If viewers think they want to see small percentage of his or her annual income in startup companies—and “I think most people !ilm projects—through online don’t know you can crowdfunding. invest in the arts.” Temes and executives from —STEPHEN TEMES, CHAIRMAN, EarlyShares and Five by Five planned EARLYSHARES to host a live educational online chat more, they can donate toward the Dec. 12 on the EarlyShares Facebook production cost. Once the pilot has page. “Most people who invest in been funded and made, the produc- !ilms can and do lose most of their ers come back to raise money for the money,” Temes warned. “It’s far rest of a six-episode season. DIGITAL from a sure thing. That’s why we EarlyShares and Mobcaster face want people to be educated.” competition in a rapidly growing on- Film and video is by far the most line marketplace. Indiegogo recently CROWDFUNDING popular category on Kickstarter, partnered with JuntoBox Films to which has helped nearly 22,000 give users access to production, projects raise more than $100 million mentorship, marketing, and distribu- GETS CROWDED to date. Yet full-length television tion services. Similar to EarlyShares pilots or series are hardly repre- is Slated, an invite-only network of NEW ONLINE SERVICES CATER TO sented on the site. Enter Mobcaster, independent !ilmmakers, accredited a new TV-centric crowdsourcing site investors, and industry players who ARTISTS IN SPECIFIC MEDIA where fundraising is only part of the collaborate to create, !inance, and equation. distribute feature !ilms. in exchange for rewards—such as “What we were thinking initially “There’s a lot of banks on BY DANIEL LEHMAN a signed DVD, backstage access, wasn’t ‘Let’s build a crowdfunding every corner,” Temes said. “It lends nline fundraising services or even IMDb credit—EarlyShares platform,’ ” Mobcaster CEO Aubrey credibility to the entire business. I Kickstarter and Indiegogo users invest in a project directly and Levy said. “It was ‘Why is there no welcome competitors. It’s a huge have revolutionized the become stakeholders who will see a independent television?’ And it market.” O entertainment industry, return on their investment, should giving artists the resources they the !inal product earn a pro!it. need to independently produce The site launched with a focus on LABOR summer 2013, but SAG-AFTRA projects. Now the two sites’ success investment in startup businesses, SAG-AFTRA Officer is asking its members to log into has spawned a growing number of not feature !ilms. But with the Five Candidates Must their online accounts and choose a competitors. These new services by Five partnership, EarlyShares Pick Categories category that will be “used to deter- may specialize in !ilm, television, co-founder and chairman Stephen mine eligibility to serve and vote as music, or other media, but they have Temes believes users will be more UNION MEMBERS WITH ELEC- a category representative.” a common purpose—connecting likely to discover new ways to invest toral ambitions need to pick their Those who haven’t done so artists with communities of fans and in entertainment. categories by the end of the month by Dec. 31 will have a category ES donors interested in investing in the “I think most people don’t know if they plan automatically G MA !inal product. you can invest in the arts or in a to run in assigned. I One of the newest is EarlyShares, movie,” Temes said. “When some- SAG-AFTRA’s Seven member an equity-based crowdfunding body’s watching a trailer, they might upcoming categories and platform that in late November say, ‘Wow, I’m going to see this leadership three national announced its partnership with Five movie. I can’t wait.’ The other side elections. vice president by Five Media. Unlike Kickstarter or is ‘I’m going to invest in this movie. Elections for the union’s na- positions are aligned to each of the Indiegogo, which collect donations Not only do I think it’s going to be tional V.P. spots aren’t slated until categories. —SEAN J. MILLER WINTER/GETTY KEVIN 10 backstage 12.13.12 UPSTAGE NEWS | ACTOR 101 | CENTER STAGE COVER STORY | FEATURES | DOWNSTAGE CASTING | REVIEWS BACKSTAGE.COM .