BIG NEWS for the creators

Let’s cut to the chase: the last couple years have been brutal and we need as much good news as we can get. So that’s what we’re here to do, and you, Seed&Spark’s community of creators, made this good news happen.

We decided it’s going to be a good year and that’s that.

You all have shown profound resilience, creativity and courage in the face of the challenges of the past two years. You are making new kinds of work, pursuing new business models, diversifying in every imaginable way.

Meanwhile, the “entertainment business” has waged the greatest consolidation since the trust-busting era (we even lost the Paramount Consent Decrees). Giant media megacorps have gobbled up other megacorps to form monopolistic enterprises that own the means of both production and distribution. Major film festivals are premiering more films with already-guaranteed distribution deals. A private equity firm swooped in and rolled up several beloved brands in the independent film ecosystem. At every turn, the entertainment business is using the power of consolidation to extract billions of dollars from creators.

We looked at all of this — how creators are diversifying their work to respond to these challenges while “the system” is instead consolidating for profits — and we knew we had to match your resilience and fortitude. We want to be a countervailing force against extraction and foster faith in your creative work, not in the “system.”

So, here are some of the things you can expect from us in 2022:

1. We’re going to eliminate our platform fees for crowdfunding. When you finish your campaign, you can keep that 5%. We’re moving to a tipping model where the backers can decide if they’d like to support our mission. And don’t worry, we’re not going to start selling your data (and we never, ever will). And a heap of well-organized resources for creators at all stage of their journey went live along with this update.
2. This week, we are launching a pilot program called the Patrons Circle. We reached out to some of your favorite creators, producers and film-loving folks and asked them each to pledge $5,000 each at the top of the year to spend down against crowdfunding campaigns throughout the year. Mark Duplass (without whom none of this would be possible), Jason Reitman, Abigail Disney, and Bradley Whitford are just a few of the folks who have pledged to support campaigns on the platform. If you’re a patron at heart you can learn more here.
3. We’re opening up the platform so that storytellers of all kinds — authors, playwrights, musicians, podcasters, comic book creators, film festivals and production companies — can take advantage of our 88% crowdfunding campaign success rate (that’s the highest in the world, for anyone who’s counting, and 10% higher than before the pandemic because you creators are MADE OF MAGIC).

Many more details will come over the next few days, weeks and months (because there is more, too, but it’s too much for just one post), but we wanted you to hear it from us because you inspired it. We believe that how we continue to build and grow Seed&Spark is just as important as what we build. We’re pledging to work hand-in-hand with the creative community to make our own rules that foster sustainability in this ever-changing landscape and ensure creators remain an integral part of storytelling. Let’s take on 2022 together.