The post Gather’s Jeff Sheldon on Creating a Unique Brand appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview series where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

Ursa Miner is a fun new tabletop game from Room and Board Games where players represent bears working together to gather delicious honey. We recently spoke to co-creator Eli Kosminsky to learn more about his crowdfunding journey and his awesome new game which was recently funded on Kickstarter.

Why Crowdfunding?
Because we thought it would be fun! We really wanted to engage with the community where we could learn directly from our supporters. Hearing their feedback is immensely rewarding and a great way to build community. Maintaining control over Ursa Miner was also important to us. Larger publishers might have cut corners to save money, but this is a passion project for us, so we can spend all of our money on custom meeples and still deliver for a low price.

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
That’s gotta be Lazer Ryderz! It’s basically a game about racing Tron lightcycles in space, and it is VERY radical. The whole thing is packaged in what looks like a box set of VHS tapes, and everything is covered in shiny foil – it’s the most 80’s game ever. It’s also designed by the best people in the world over at Cardboard Fortress.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
The preorder store was huge for us! Whenever I tell new people about my game they ask how long before they can order it. The fact that I can say “You can order it right now!” without having to set up a store is a giant help, and has increased our reach to many fans. The add-ons are also a great way for backers to get what they want – people want to play other games like Carcassonne using bear meeples, and now we can let them!

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
I do a lot of volunteer event organization. Right now, I’m working with a nonprofit called Willpowered Woman, which provides classes and one-on-one advocacy for women affected by intimate partner abuse. Representation of gender in games is very important to me (even in a silly game about bears!), so I like to surround myself with people who can speak to these issues better than I can.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
Room and Board Games doesn’t have any projects lined up – we are hyper focused on delivering a quality game in Ursa Miner! However, we are playing with the idea of publishing games from other designers using our newfound skills. If you have a game with an educational or social justice theme, we’d love to hear about it (…especially if the title is a pun). Feel free to get in touch at info@roomandboardgames.com.

BONUS ROUND!

What’s your personal favorite tabletop game?
Pandemic Legacy! I dig the trend of games based around building a narrative.

What’s the coolest gaming Con you’ve attended?
Boston Festival of Indie Games – maybe cheating because I helped organize it, but it’s the best display of indie games the Northeast has to offer!

What’s the best bear pun you’ve ever heard?
Our reviewers came up with SO MANY it’s tough to choose, a lot of koala-ty options.

Want to help support Eli and get your very own copy of Ursa Miner? Head over to the BackerkKit pre-order store before time (and honey!) runs out!

The post Ursa Miner’s Eli Kosminsky On His Successful Tabletop Game appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview series where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

Animoodles are a unique take on stuffed animals featuring interchangeable and posable magnetic parts allowing you to create fun combinations. We recently spoke with co-creator Marissa Louie to learn more about her crowdfunding journey and these cute building toys.

Why Crowdfunding?
Community! We aspire to build our own strong community of fans so we can co-create Animoodles together in the future. For our launch collection, we wanted to reach out to an existing community of people who love supporting new, innovative projects to bring Animoodles to life. We’re using funds raised to place our 1st big factory order! Animoodles are buildable plushies that bring the best of stuffed animals and building toys together in a completely new kind of toy. Our mission is to inspire the next generation of compassionate little makers, and what a better place to get started than on Kickstarter – a place that celebrates making!

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
I absolutely love the Bears vs. Babies campaign. It’s one of the coolest I’ve seen from the product itself to how the campaign ran to involve its community. Special surprise touches make all the difference. I loved getting a personalized comic with MY NAME in it as a backer, and I loved the furry packaging box too.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
As a “Superbacker” on Kickstarter, I encountered BackerKit as a project backer first. I’ve always found it amazingly straightforward and easy to use. I love adding extra rewards I accidentally forgot to order up front or getting extras as gifts for my friends. When I asked around the community of crowdfunding campaign creators, it became super clear that BackerKit is the best choice for facilitating smooth fulfillment for your campaign.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
STUFFED ANIMALS! My passion for them came from my mother. She grew up dirt poor as a kid, with very little food to eat: most nights dinner was just a bowl of plain rice. She dreamed of the day we could have as many stuffed animals as we wanted. She really made her childhood dreams come true. Growing up, we were surrounding by stuffed animals, and we always saw them as more than just cloth and stuffing; They were our first friends, who taught us how to love, tell stories, and most of all, how to imagine.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
Our campaign ends November 29th, so there are just a few more weeks to get your Animoodles. We’re looking to roll out more stretch rewards, including the #1 most requested backer reward soon… so now is a great time to join the fun if you haven’t already! Some of the currently available characters may never be available at retail, so grab your favorites before they disappear.

BONUS ROUND!

What’s your approach to designing Animoodles?
Like leading animation studios, we start with developing the story and characters before jumping into sketching and prototyping. The story and characters behind of the Animoodles are what give them heart and guides their physical design. We’re proud that much of the design of Animoodles has actually been driven by kids. We’ve tested everything from which types of animals, which type of fur, to what colors appeal to kids most. The fun of Animoodles is powered by the imagination of kids, but the development of the actual product is kid-powered too.

What’s the craziest Animoodles creation you’ve seen?
So hard to pick! Kids (and adults) can get super creative with making all sorts of endless combinations with Animoodles. I love seeing new creations I’ve never seen despite having played with Animoodles the most out of anybody in the world! One of the best and most surprising was the 5 headed ring creature that one of the kids in our launch video created. That was completely unscripted, and totally amazing!

The post Animoodles’ Marissa Louie On Her First Kickstarter Project appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

Artist Shaun Keenan decided to combine his lifelong love for dinosaurs with the iconic imagery of the old Wild West. He recently crowdfunded a hardcover art book consisting of over 130 black and white illustrations and paintings depicting dinosaurs and people of the old west coexisting. We recently spent some time talking to him about his project and his love for dinosaurs.

Why Crowdfunding?
I saw other artists I follow use crowdfunding to great success. Also, I’ve spent the last few years building my follower base on Instagram, so I knew I had an established core group of people who were fans of my work that would help support the project.

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
The coolest project I’ve seen crowdfunded is called “Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor series action figures.”  It’s a series of fully articulated scientifically accurate dinosaur action figures beautifully sculpted and painted.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
BackerKit is great because it simplifies the logistics of managing backers. I really love the pre-order store option to allow people who missed out on the Kickstarter campaign to still pick up items.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
I have a modest collection of dinosaur figures and sculptures, lego sets, model air planes/jets, and various action figures. Mostly nostalgic things from my youth.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
I definitely have some ideas that I’ve been kicking around for my next project, but I don’t have anything specific to share right now.

BONUS ROUND!

Obvious question, what’s your favorite dinosaur?
I’m going to have to cheat and give you two favorite dinosaurs; Allosaurus and Styracosaurus.

Favorite Western film, and favorite Dinosaur film?
My favorite western movie is 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma, and my favorite dinosaur movie is of course Jurassic Park. I’d like to give an honorable mention to “Dinosaur” which was a TV documentary special from 1985 hosted by Christopher Reeve. It had amazing stop motion animation sequences that really inspired me as a kid.

What are some of your art influences?
The classic Disney animated films and shorts were a huge influence on me. James Gurney, who created Dinotopia, and Ray Harryhausen’s creatures and movies where also a huge inspiration growing up.

There’s still time to pre-order copies of the hardcover book and a slew of cool prints on BackerKit’s Dinosaurs of the Wild West pre-order page!

The post Dinosaurs of the Wild West’s Shaun Keenan On Crowdfunding appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

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Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

We spent some time chatting with the one man army behind Cephalofair Games responsible for Gloomhaven and the more recent Founders of Gloomhaven tabletop games. The Gloomhaven games have been hugely successful so we naturally wanted to learn more direct from the source.

Why Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding was necessary at the beginning for me because I was a new company and didn’t have the capital needed to manufacture my games up-front. It has become more than that for me now, allowing me to build a strong community around my games and then rely on that community for help with things like playtesting, proofing, and getting creative ideas for making the games better.

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
Roxley Games’ Kickstarter for the new edition of Brass was a masterclass on running a board game Kickstarter project. I think Gavan Brown is the best in the business in that regard. His projects always look immaculately beautiful, and he goes above and beyond to keep his backers engaged throughout the project.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
With the huge volume of orders I receive on my projects, it just makes sense to use a pledge manager. I tried to go without one on the first printing of Gloomhaven, and it was a nightmare of spreadsheets. The survey provided by Kickstarter is just woefully inadequate, and BackerKit’s service does all the time-consuming stuff for me, so I can focus my time elsewhere.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
My hobbies are board games and video games, though I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a collector of either. I play games to challenge myself. Nothing feels better than overcoming a difficult challenge.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
I am starting to work on the expansion to Gloomhaven in earnest now. It will be a whole new campaign in a different part of the world, and I’ve mapped out the story, created a handful of new characters, and started some in-house testing. It’s still a very long way off from seeing the light of day, though.

BONUS ROUND!

What were your main inspirations while creating the Gloomhaven universe?
My main inspiration for creating the Gloomhaven universe was playing a lot of D&D. Whenever I DM a D&D campaign, I always create my own settings and stories specifically for that campaign. So when I decided to make an epic dungeon crawl campaign board game, it made sense to build up my own world around it.

Can you give new crowdfunding creators a few pieces of advice?
I have two pieces of advice. First, read Jamey Stegmaier’s Kickstarter Lessons blog cover-to-cover. It is an overflowing wealth of useful advice. If you want more specific advice, though, I would say that crowdfunding needs two things to be successful. You need to draw people to your page, and you also need to convince people to support you once they are there. Focus on both of those things equally, because if you do only one, your project will fail.

What’s your favorite vegan cookie recipe?
It’s actually been awhile since I’ve made vegan cookies, but I’ll try to remember my recipe off the top of my head. Mix together 2 cups of unbleached sugar with 1/2 cup of vegan margarine, then add in one whole package of silken tofu and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix until not lumpy. Then add 3 cups of unbleached flour, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp baking soda. That should give you a good base, so from there, add whatever you want – chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, pumpkin pie spice – then do the whole cookie sheet thing and bake on 350 for 20 minutes. It might work out. I don’t know, I never really follow recipes when I cook. I just add stuff until it looks right.

Please take a second to check out the Founders of Gloomhaven pre-order page and visit the official Cephalofair Games website.

The post High-Five Interview w/ Isaac Childres of Gloomhaven appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

We recently spoke with Nel from Studio Agate, a creation studio based in France responsible for the recent Shadows of Esteren – A Medieval Horror RPG: Dearg Kickstarter campaign.

Why Crowdfunding?
We’ve developed a role-playing game series of our own and have translated them ourselves, along with other RPGs. In France, the market for tabletop role-playing games is quite small and it’s hard to make a living out of it. Quite simply, crowdfunding allows us to exist. Moreover, it enables us to make our creations available worldwide and to be in direct contact with our community. It is a wonderful tool for independent creators.

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
The first that comes to mind is Adam Poots’s Kingdom Death. I followed his first Kickstarter project a few years back. Between the campaign itself and its delivery, it was an amazing adventure. Kingdom Death is typically the kind of project that would be impossible to put together without crowdfunding and the community behind it.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
We can’t imagine crowdfunding without BackerKit. This is why, in France, we’ve advocated making it available for the biggest French subscription platform: Ulule. RPG crowdfunding campaigns usually include many options unlocked through the famous “stretch goals,” and the “add-ons” tool makes the management of each backer’s options much simpler and more intuitive. When you have hundreds of backers to handle, BackerKit is a lifesaver!

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
If I had to mention only one, I would say music. I always bring music with me everywhere. It colors my life and inspires me. Through your hearing, you can get in touch with an instinctive part of yourself and reach for very strong and particular emotions. Today I listened to Songs From a World Apart by Levon Minassian and Armand Amar.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
We are working on the second volume of the official Shadows of Esteren campaign: Dearg. This story, steeped in gothic and romantic tradition, has kept me busy for close to ten years. Our studio is also working on two other projects: Dragons, an epic universe of swords & sorcery, and a new edition of Vermin, one of the most mythical French RPGs taking place in a post-apocalyptic future where man is nothing more than mere prey. If you want to be informed of our next crowdfunding campaign or our next BackerKit preorder storefront, feel free to subscribe to our mailing list.

BONUS ROUND!

You were the first to use Backerkit with the French crowdfunding platform Ulule. Tell us about it.
When we started using BackerKit for our Kickstarter campaigns, it became obvious that we also needed such a tool for our Ulule campaigns. I contacted the BackerKit staff and asked them if it could be possible and, well, they went ahead and did it! Since then, other French publishers have started using BackerKit for their own Ulule campaigns, and to my knowledge, none of them has ever looked back. Such a tool is a priceless aid for the progress of crowdfunding in France, and we are happy to have had a part in bringing it to our country.

Have you ever considered making an Esteren animation?
We have! We even met a company in Los Angeles. However, the path to such a project is long and uncertain. Bringing to life a whole animated movie represents a considerable amount of work. One day, maybe? For the time being, we are working on a music video for our fourth album, Adeliane.

Please take a second to check out the recently launched Shadows of Esteren – Dearg pre-order page and visit the official Studio Agate website.

The post High-Five Interview w/ Nel of Shadows of Esteren appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

Creator Lynn Johnson is the man behind The Sea Turtle Hat Kickstarter campaign. If you’re not in the mood for guessing, The Sea Turtle Hat is a hat…in the shape of a sea turtle. It’s a brilliantly simple concept that is equal parts weird, fun, and amazing. In fact, you can often see the BackerKit team rocking the hat around the office. We naturally wanted to learn more.

Why Crowdfunding?
I don’t think there’s another viable funding option for some enterprises, especially hairbrained ideas like novelty hats. Self-funding was not an option for me. Better still, I have learned that this can effectively develop an initial client base which was helpful on both my campaigns.

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
I love the prospect of having a book about kids at Burning Man. The Dusty PlayGround campaign was the first one I supported when I began to explore Kickstarter.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
Organizing a thousand mailings with packing lists was a wonderful convenience. I had not realized how extremely helpful that would be until I began to set about the task for myself.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
I have a modest stamp collection of colonial Southern Africa, primarily south of the Zambezi River because I lived in Zimbabwe. I also read voraciously and fairly widely for a multitude of reasons. I quilt using secondhand jeans and have made over 30 quilts. I love this diversion and enjoy giving them away as well as using them.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
I’m waiting for one more hat shaped like a sand dollar to arrive (self funded), and I will begin more aggressive marketing to outlets soon. I’m also moving into a new house two blocks away from where my first grandchild is expected in March. New adventures indeed, and more quilts to be made!

BONUS ROUND!

What do you love about turtles?
Like many people, I have memories of keeping turtles rescued from the road when I was a child. I appreciate their biology, such independence! But the hat project really came out of years of enjoying an amusing and novel hat which brought smiles to many acquaintances all around the world.

Any funny/awkward stories surrounding people wanting a picture of you wearing the hat?
Not so much funny or awkward as common! But one wearer in Cuba found they are considered good luck, and many young women wanted to pet the hat. It’s such an amazing ice breaker.

Would you consider making a Turtle Hat with a turtle wearing a Turtle Hat?
This is a wonderful idea. I have a video on my blog with many Turtle Hats wearing other hats. I will watch for a turtle the right size to do this!

Take a moment to check out The Sea Turtle Hat Kickstarter page, and head to the official Turtle Hat website to order your very own Turtle Hat!

The post High-Five Interview w/ Lynn Johnson of Sea Turtle Hat appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Welcome to BackerKit’s High-Five Interview where we ask creators 5 questions revolving around their projects, inspirations, and overall crowdfunding journey.

UPDATE: The Cameo Creeps Set III Kickstarter campaign is now LIVE now through the end of October 2017. Grab a creep today to celebrate Halloween season!

Creator Chris Seaman is the man behind the Cameo Creeps Tiny Monster Paintings Kickstarter Campaign. Cameo Creeps are highly detailed miniaturized monster paintings inspired by Elizabethan-era portraits. While Seaman draws inspiration from iconic pop-culture monsters, all his Cameo Creeps are original creations featuring fun and unique names. We were impressed with these collectible pieces of art and wanted to learn a little more.

Why Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding for the Cameo Creeps wasn’t all about the money, but for the marketing and advertisement reach on social media that I just can’t achieve in my social media bubble. Having achieved the “Projects We Love” badge, the Cameo Creeps got in front of more people than what I could have done on my own.  Crowdfunding was a way to announce to the world that the Cameo Creeps exist and you can easily get one!

What’s the coolest crowdfunding project you’ve ever seen? (Besides your own of course)
Some of the high-tech Kickstarter campaigns are always interesting to watch. I remember a laser pocket engraver project that was just so cool!  I love that Kickstarter allows entrepreneurs from all walks to create something new for our world, communities, and our society as a whole.

How did BackerKit change your overall experience?
Because my campaign had multiple choices for rewards, BackerKit allowed me to organize my Kickstarter campaign in a way that was easier for me. Keeping all my Backers organized with printable checklists helped shipping rewards much easier.  But above all, my favorite feature is the Pre-orders store.  I was able to continue to sell Cameo Creeps far after the campaign had ended.

Do you have any hobbies and/or collect anything?
I collect toys and mini-busts of my favorite pop culture characters. Toys have always inspired me to be a creator.  They massage my imagination and make me feel that any idea is possible.

What’s next? Any upcoming projects you want to share?
There are a lot of things for the Cameo Creeps Tiny Monster Paintings on the horizon, but the most important thing is that I’ll be launching a new campaign for the next set of Cameo Creeps on Kickstarter. Backers will get first dibs on all new Cameo Creeps for set 3. There will be new Kickstarter exclusives, new original Cameo Creeps art, and new product lines. So feel free to go to Cameocreeps.com and sign up on my mailing list to be the first to know when this campaign launches (Hint: very soon).

BONUS ROUND!

What’s your favorite movie?
Gremlins

What’s your favorite Cameo Creep?
All of them are my favorites, but if I had to pick one, it would be the most popular Cameo Creep, Lady Miriam Lillithad.

What’s your favorite Con to attend?
My Favorite Con would have to be GenCon.  My bread and butter is in game art and I have attended that convention for the last 15 years.

Please take a second to check out the Cameo Creeps Pre-Order page to choose your favorite Creep, and head to the official Cameo Creeps website for updates and announcements!

The post High-Five Interview w/ Chris Seaman of Cameo Creeps appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.