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KICKSTARTER CHANGING THE WAY ART IS BEING FUNDED

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New York Times
The online artist fund-raising site Kickstarter, which has raised over $75 million for 10,626 “creative projects,” is undoubtedly altering the degree to which uncountable ideas grow to be a reality.  The simple desire to hold a concert in New Orleans, but held back by a fear of losing money, set the fund raising platform in motion. The chief executive, Perry Chen, was dubious in the initial stages because he lacked much experience with arts organizations, fund-raising, or technology. Nevertheless, this influential web-based money-maker has proven to be a goldmine for artists around the world.  Online “crowd funding” (as the concept has recently been coined) is a leading example of the democratization of technology today.  Where will the internet, artists, and money take us next?

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HUMPDAY EARNS NEW YORK TIMES CRITIC’S PICK AND A REVIEW ON NPR

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New York Times
Stephen Holden of the New York Times says, “Men may be from Mars and women from Venus, but some observant Venusians understand the brute fundamentals of Martian psychology. To guys everywhere: “Humpday” has your number. With X-ray vision, this serious indie comedy, written and directed by Lynn Shelton, sees through its male characters’ macho pretensions to contemplate the underlying forces hard-wired into men’s psyches in a homophobic culture. Think of it as a Judd Apatow or Kevin Smith buddy film turned inside out. The movie’s unblinking observation of a friendship put to the test is amused, queasy making, kindhearted and unfailingly truthful.” Read the NPR review here

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LYNN SHELTON PROFILED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

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New York TimesLynn Shelton
On a recent rain-slogged morning, seated against the scarlet banquette of a restaurant in the westernmost reaches of Chelsea, Lynn Shelton pondered the number of public screenings of the festival sensation “Humpday” she has attended — not graced, mind you, in the mode of many a nerve-jangled director, but sat through to the film’s talky, halting, bittersweet end. A rough count was abandoned somewhere in the double digits. “The payoff for me is to be able to watch the film with an audience,” Ms. Shelton said. “I know that a lot of directors are obsessed with the things they wish had gone differently, so they find it painful because they see all the flaws. I was in the edit room for ‘Humpday’ the whole time, and I know all of the issues and problems that we overcame, so the flaws don’t scream to me. It’s the accomplishments that scream out.”

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