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: Life’s A Drag
Asking For: $9,800 on Indiegogo
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Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $2,465
Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 20
Description: What happens when a “straight(ish)” actor decides to enter the world of drag? That simple question will be answered in Life’s a Drag, an upcoming series currently searching for funds on Indiegogo.
The creator of Life’s a Drag is Ian Verdun, who also stars as Mel, the show’s frazzled protagonist. Mel, like many other leading me from web series we profile, is a struggling actor looking to find his footing. Unlike those other precocious leads, however, Mel winds up in the world of drag, where he must fit into a world filled with colorful characters. I’m not ready to call it “Magic Mike meets drag,” but the log line certainly gives off that impression.
Life’s a Drag, however, will also look to provide a coming-of-age story that resonates within the LGBT community and inspires its viewers. “There’s so many voices that aren’t heard,” says Verdun in his pitch video, “there’s so many stories that aren’t told, and I’m just sick and tired of being told that those stories don’t have value.”
Creator Bio: The cast and crew of Life’s a Drag are an experienced bunch with credits across Orange is the New Black, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, MTV’s Todrick, and several other shows. Verdun, for example, has appeared on ABC’s Last Resort and TNT’s Hawthorne.
Best Perk: As you might expect, the Life’s a Drag perk list is filled with all sorts of appropriate rewards. For $75, you can receive a digital poster that frames you as “the next drag superstar.” For bigger spenders, $1,000 gets you a full drag makeover.
Why You Should Fund It: The strongest Indiegogo campaigns are the ones that include previously-produced episodes, because if those episodes are good, we can trust the creative team to make more of the same. Life’s a Drag has already filmed its pilot, and the first nine minutes of that pilot have been included within the project’s Indiegogo page.
After watching this video, it is easy to trust the Life’s a Drag team. Despite its small budget, it looks and sounds professional, and its actors show off their chops. The script does a good job of blending personal drama with witty comedy, and the plot begins to hint at the fish-out-of-water story we have been promised. All in all, Life’s a Drag looks good–and if you check it out, you’re bound to agree. When you combine the quality of the pilot with Verdun’s appeal to under-served voices, you wind up with an intriguing crowdfunding project.
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