Kelowna has its first successful KickStarter campaign.
Late last week, David Nault learned his web series on local photographer Shawn Talbott had succeeded in achieving the $17,500 target set to film the last of the series 1 Stop Closer.
Where other projects from the area have tried to secure free, crowd-sourced funding with pitches on the site and failed, the producers of 1 Stop Closer were successfully able to convince this community Talbott’s adventures are worth a dollar or two of their own money to see shared.
“It is pretty cool. When we learned about that we were pretty stoked,” said Nault.
Talbott is a commercial photographer with a keen interest in nature and he’s travelled the globe shooting in wild enough spaces it caught Nault’s eye.
“I have a lot on my bucket list, but I’ve seen pretty much everywhere in North America, including the Caribbean, and I just finished my fifth Asia trip,” said Talbott, when asked about his travels.
As one of the most industrious shooters in the area, his work has earned him top contracts, but also the eye of the general public.
He was voted Best Photographer in the Best of Kelowna awards this month, without campaigning.
He doesn’t know who nominated him and he refused to let himself make public pleas for votes—save his initial acknowledgement.
The 1 Stop Closer series will be available at 1stopcloser.com come July 10 and the project is still collecting a bit of top-up funding to help finance a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest for the final episode of the series.
KickStarter only collects funds if the target goal is reached and a portion goes back to the company.
There is currently a breast cancer book also being pitched out of Kelowna intended as a coffee table book that inspires.
KickerStarter is one of several crowd-sourced funding sites, though one of only a few that target assisting upstart arts and creative projects.
Its biggest competitor is IndieGoGo, a similar site that offers up the opportunity to attract more donations by giving the project’s creator the chance to offer unique perks or tax deductions.
