KickstartING the Universe

In building the ETLE Universe, one of our goals was to reach diverse audiences by having various points of entry; having multiple distinct Kickstarters was a key strategy for accessing those audiences. Each kickstarter attempted to court potential audiences on the terrain on which they feel most comfortable, sparking their curiosity and giving them agency over the project's content, encouraging them to explore further. Moreover, each of these Kickstarter projects departed from the usual "charity-model" kickstarter common to the performing arts, and instead followed a "pre-order" or "web store" structure, providing early, exclusive, and discount access to exciting products rather than begging support for the sake of charity. The goals for each project were relatively low, but each project included a range of built in stretch goals. In this way, our multi-kickstarter strategy experimented with sustainable business by engaging new audiences, providing relief from individual donor burnout, generating earned income, and acting as a vehicle for the work's visibility and reach.

Monday August 31st, the A.O. Movement Collective launched their final kickstarter: the ETLE Universe The ETLE Universe Fall Festival. The project became a staff pick hours after its launch, and attempted to raise $6,000 in support of the AOMC's fall festival by Tuesday, September 29th. Thanks to the support of 84 backers, the campaign raised $6,010.

Tuesday, April 7th, the A.O. Movement Collective launched the first three kickstarters of the ETLE Universe - 1ND3X, Conspiracy Wearables, and ETLE ILLUS. On May 7th, 2015, all three projects successfully met or exceeded their goals. The three projects were backed by a combined total of 169 individuals, raising a total of $6,237 in support of the ETLE Universe. For a full list of backers, please click here.