Need help with a new venture

[supraman]

Hi everyone

A couple of friends and I have started a new website (Crowded Reality - Community run reality tv show). We are trying to use the crowd funding model to get an online community to make a reality tv show.
We have been struggling with getting the word out there because of a tight budget.
We have got the facebook page / twitter etc etc but havnt been able to get much traction off that.
We have got an article written about us in our local newspaper (Wellington New Zealand) but the audience isnt nearly big enough to have any effect.

Do you guys have an ideas / suggestions about what we could do to get the idea out there ?

Cheers

 

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[Bond]

Write to bloggers...

 

[supraman]

could you please be more specific? Are you saying write to bloggers who blog about say reality tv and ask them to write about it?

 

[Bond]

could you please be more specific? Are you saying write to bloggers who blog about say reality tv and ask them to write about it?

Yes, write to them and introduce your story, if they like it, they'll write about it on their blogs...
This is a great way to put the word out...

 

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[Operation_OPM]

Build a forum and offer it for free.

Target producers, writers, directors,cinematographers, models and actors in their online communities. Start with the IMDB forums. You get the film-making crowd in, everyone else will follow. Then work on the boards for popular reality shows(survivor, big brother, I love..., biggest loser ect....I know for a fact the people who faithfully watch those shows want to be in one.

You need samples to show, start with your local townsfolk and get 3-5 30 minute segments(pilots) under your belt, most film/tv endeavors are limited partnerships/joint ventures where everyone is sharing resources(cameras,film/tape stock/locations/ect.ect.).

For gods sake ...GET RID OF THE LEGO'S ..LMAO...get some real people on that page. Go with a motif of stock group shots, family and class pictures to give that feel of anybody can participate.

Idea sounds cool you just have to attract your niche initially. Give the film folk some resume filler and you're in business.:fastlane:

 

[LightHouse]

Let me be blunt for a minute. if you are pitching to us the same way on facebook and twiiter... and that is the site you all are promoting, you arent going to get very far at all.

I would suggest getting together a site that doesn't look like it was made in 1995. Ditch the fancy fonts for something everyone is used to. Something that is easy to read, you want readers to get your message not spend time trying to decipher your font.

another thing. you all go straight to give is $40 a month with no proof of what we are going to get and lego people pictures up. It looks like you put something together in five minutes and want my lunch money. Just isn't going to work.

 

[supraman]

Thanks for all your feedback.

OPM - The forum suggestion is a good one. We had planned on adding a forum once the site had members but bringing that forward is easily done. Do you recommend joining these other forums and posting with the site in our sig? or something else?

Lighthouse - thanks for your comments. I know we are in need of a redesign and we have done what we could with the resources available. I will change the font to something better tonight.
Also just to clarify the charge is a once off and not a monthly fee.

 

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[biophase]

I agree with Lighthouse. I took a look at your FAQ and have no idea what you are selling. Honestly, who would sign up, even for free, if they have to pay $40 later?

It's like saying, join the Fastlane forum, its free until we get 10,000 members, then you need pay $40. Would you have joined this forum?

I too was wondering if the show was live action or if it was a lego people reality show.

Also, I'm sitting here thinking, 50,000 x 40 = $2,000,000. Why do you need $2m to make a reality tv show? Can't you start it for cheaper? Does the filming only begin once you get the money? What's on the website up until then? You say I can be in a reality tv show, I have a 1 in 50,000 chance? Is this show going to be aired on TV or only online?

How does a community of 50,000 run a reality show? It's hard enough when 2 people try to run a show. I just don't understand what benefit anyone who joins will have?

 

[supraman]

I agree with Lighthouse. I took a look at your FAQ and have no idea what you are selling. Honestly, who would sign up, even for free, if they have to pay $40 later?

It's like saying, join the Fastlane forum, its free until we get 10,000 members, then you need pay $40. Would you have joined this forum?

I too was wondering if the show was live action or if it was a lego people reality show.

Also, I'm sitting here thinking, 50,000 x 40 = $2,000,000. Why do you need $2m to make a reality tv show? Can't you start it for cheaper? Does the filming only begin once you get the money? What's on the website up until then? You say I can be in a reality tv show, I have a 1 in 50,000 chance? Is this show going to be aired on TV or only online?

How does a community of 50,000 run a reality show? It's hard enough when 2 people try to run a show. I just don't understand what benefit anyone who joins will have?

Using the fastlane example doesnt match up that well - They are getting their ideas produced into an actual show. So here on fastlane we are just sharing ideas/discussing etc where as for $40 once these people get together with their ideas we will use the money to make them into a tangible show.

The show will be live action, sounds like the lego theme is casuing some confusion. Will look into changing that ASAP.

Do we need that much money? The reason we settled on that number was that we know there will be a percentage that will not pay up once we have enough members. Plus then theres all the costs of producing the actual show. It could be done cheaper and we would look at doing it on a tighter budget if we fall short member wise.

Until the show starts there will be a forum only on the website for the community. After that there will be a full online community website go up.

Yes this will let people star in the reality tv show. Only members of the community will be eligble to be in it. Not everyone will want to be in the show, so your odds will be better. But its up to the person to put forward themselves as to why they should be in the show and the community votes on who they think is best to be in the show.

It will be aired online only to start with (thats mentioned on the site)

Why can 50,000 people do it better? Well if say only you and I started a show. We could come up with a good concept (possibly) and then hire actors and then produce it. It might be a hit or might be a flop.
People would still be like "oh if only they had done this ... or that". Thats what we are aiming to do giving everyone from the community the ability to put forward their ideas then as a whole they decide what should be in it.
Its done on a voting system. Each week community members put forward their ideas and then the best are voted on and the winners from each section are then produced into the show.
The value members are getting is the ability to help decide every aspect of the tv show.

 

[biophase]

Using the fastlane example doesnt match up that well - They are getting their ideas produced into an actual show. So here on fastlane we are just sharing ideas/discussing etc where as for $40 once these people get together with their ideas we will use the money to make them into a tangible show.

The show will be live action, sounds like the lego theme is casuing some confusion. Will look into changing that ASAP.

Do we need that much money? The reason we settled on that number was that we know there will be a percentage that will not pay up once we have enough members. Plus then theres all the costs of producing the actual show. It could be done cheaper and we would look at doing it on a tighter budget if we fall short member wise.

I'm just not sure about this payment model. I mean, I sign up for free and toss out a bunch of ideas, the only thing that would make me pay possibility would be because one of my ideas are implemented in the show and I wanted to watch the show. But then the idea of having only paid members able to watch the show goes against all the reasons for making a tv show.

If I join and I contribute 1 to 5 posts and never come back, I certainly won't be paying when the time comes. I feel like a large number of people who sign up to forums are <10 posts. I'm sure MJ could run the data on this forum.

I just can't wrap my hands around the join now and pay later. I hope it works, I just don't see it happening.

 

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[supraman]

There will be little to know offical chat before the payments are collected. So people might chat on the forums about potential ideas but once the payments are collected then the offical idea submitting under a different system will start. So people wont know if their ideas are used or not until well into show. Also the show will be shown to the public via youtube just not straight away.
Back on topic, does anyone have aany other promotion ideas?

 

[biophase]

There will be little to know offical chat before the payments are collected. So people might chat on the forums about potential ideas but once the payments are collected then the offical idea submitting under a different system will start. So people wont know if their ideas are used or not until well into show. Also the show will be shown to the public via youtube just not straight away.
Back on topic, does anyone have aany other promotion ideas?

I think we are on topic because I think you need to clarify how this works because all the promotion in the world won't help if people come to your site and don't sign up. Sure you can get a ton of visitors, but the hard part is to get someone to leave their email address, let alone make them pay $39. Your T&C isn't exactly comforting.

 

[Sparlin]

I may need to go back and read the entire thread, but from what I've seen the premise is to have paid members actively participate in the theme formation of a future reality show. Is that correct?

I agree with biophase that most people or at least I would not pay to post an opinion about a show on a website. However, if you watch other reality shows, they often have people pay to text in a vote (American Idol, Survivor, etc). This model may work on two conditions: 1.) Charge a much lower rate (such as 99 cents per posted idea) and 2.) Allow them to submit applications (such as a form to be filled out and or a picture/ video.) to be held for consideration when casting begins. This may be what you have indicated above but I wasn't clear on that point. So in summary... It's only going to work if you make cheap enough that people don't mind paying even if their opinion or application is not accepted.

 

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[supraman]

Alright so its obvious that there needs to be some clarity added to the homepage to go along with the other changes mentioned. To clarify it for everyone here, this is how it works:

You sign up - then once all members have signed up the money is collected.
Then people submit ideas on what they think should be the foundations of the show. So vote on show name, participants, number of participants, stlye of show, where its filmed etc etc. These ideas are voted on individually and the most popular becomes part of the show.
So for example if Las Vegas was voted the most popular filming location then thats where the show would take place.
Each week from then the same voting proceedure would occur but it would be on the contents of that weeks show - so what challenges contestants have to do or who gets voted off.
This process repeats until the show ends.

Hope that clears it up.

 

[Sparlin]

I could be completely wrong... but I think you are going to find that there will be too much diversity among 50 thousand people. Just try to get 10 people at a bar to agree to watch one channel. Some want football while others want news or a movie. Even if 1 in 5 are all that complain about the theme of a show, that means there will be 10,000 people upset and a large percentage of them wanting their money back.

What I would suggest is that you make it a free online survey. Blog and discuss various scenarios and plots. This will help it go viral and people will express their ideas readily. Suggest topics and have votes as you filter through their ideas. Once you have enough interest (it doesn't have to be 50,000), approach cable companies and tell them that you have tapped into a market. Ask them how much they will pay for you to produce the show. If they won’t pay for production, perhaps you could sell the information at a lower rate. They should want to know what people are interested in watching.

I know it's not fun to have your project scrutinized; especially since you are so invested in it. Consider our opinions a microcosm of what you'll get if the website reaches the momentum you are hoping for. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[supraman]

Thanks for your comments Sparlin.

I actually like ideas that you have put forward - am going to put these forward to the others working on it.

Its actually good to have this scrutinized so bluntly. Its great to have a fresh view on things. There are certainly going to be big changes to the site.

 

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