Fund This: ‘Failing Upward’ Is A Throwback Animated Series

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: Failing Upward

Asking For: $13,200 through Kickstarter

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $11,085

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 6

Description: An animated web series with an old-school vibe (by the standards of its genre, at least) is looking to pick up the funding it needs to supply half of a first season. Gary Trimarchi and Nik Castaneda are the creative duo behind Failing Upward, a project that draws clear inspiration from the cult-hit animation touchstones of decades past.

The protagonists of Failing Upward are Cody and JC, a pair of buddies whose friendship is explored through a series of phone conversations. In talking to each other, Cody and JC lament the dullness of their lives, imagine for exciting scenarios for themselves, and talk about pop culture, all in the runtime of just a couple minutes per episode. The detached tone recalls the some of the shows Trimarchi and Castaneda have stated among their influences, including the former MTV programs Daria and Downtown.

Trimarchi and Castaneda have already created and released a pilot for Failing Upward, and now, they’re hoping to raise enough money to produce five more episodes. They offer more details in their pitch video:

Creator Bio: Trimarchi is a screenwriter who has been on the Pizza Party Podcast hosted by the RebelTaxi channel. Castaneda is an animator whose work has appeared on channels like Cartoon Hangover.

Best Perk: At the $80 level, perks include a comic that tells the origin story of Failing Upward‘s central friendship and a cassette tape filled with additional content, for that extra level of nostalgia.

Why You Should Fund It: The pilot episode of Failing Upward shows that Trimarchi and Castaneda are able to follow through on the sort of low-key comedy they are promising to potential backers. Beyond that, though, they deserve to be able to make their voices heard in the manner they seek because they are so clearly passionate about this project. They’ve been working on it together for years, and in spite of the lo-fi attitude Failing Upward possesses, it is clearly a vessel in which its creators have investment many physical and emotional resources. Here’s hoping they can continue to job.

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