Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments right here.
Project Name: Language Academy
Asking For: $6,000 through Kickstarter
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Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $1,155
Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 25
Description: The world of “English as a second language” study is getting its own web series. Philip Hoover and Jacob Farmer are the co-writers and co-directors of Language Academy, a comedy set in an ESL school that is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter.
Language Academy plans to focus on the laughs generated by its cast of characters, which will include both the students at the titular academy and the prideful, self-centered teachers who instruct them. The show will deal with “the daily shenanigans and petty politics of our school’s teachers,” its Kickstarter page says, “and their interactions with their diverse body of students, who are far from home and just trying to survive in Los Angeles.”
The first season of Language Academy, but the show is still looking to raise the post-production funds it needs to come to the screen. With a Kickstarter campaign, the show’s creators hope to ensure they will be able to share their vision with viewers.
Creator Bio: Both Hoover and Farmer have notable TV experience. Shows they have worked on include IFC’s Documentary Now!, FX’s The League, and The CW’s iZombie.
Best Perk: Backers who get in at the $25 level will receive access to the Language Academy outtakes, because who doesn’t love a good blooper reel?
Why You Should Fund It: The best web comedies are often written from experience, and sure enough, Language Academy‘s co-writer was able to draw from his own life when scripting his new show. Hoover spent five years as a teacher in an ESL classroom, and I’d like to think he has a strong and clear vision about the sort of workplace comedy he wants to share. The scenes shared in the project’s pitch video look good, and given the small goal its creators have put forth, this one is a good bet for native and non-fluent speakers alike.
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