CHATSWORTH, Calif. – An adult studio has taken to crowdfunding site Offbeatr with what is thought to be the first attempt to finance a hardcore film solely with fan contributions.
By Sept. 30 — 19 days after Shane’s World Studios launched the offer — 13 contributors had funded 5 percent of the budget for Shane’s World 43. The studio expects the project to cost between $25,000 and $35,000 to produce. If the Offbeatr project doesn’t meet the minimum goal by Oct. 26, the studio will have to regroup.
As the title implies, Shane’s World 43 will be the latest in the studio’s long-running series, which showcases young performers engaging in what are billed as “real sexual adventures in exotic destinations around the globe.”
“Shane’s World was the first to bring porn stars to college parties and the first studio to send a black man, a white guy and three Asians on a road trip through Mexico,” studio co-owner Brian Grant said. “We enjoy breaking new ground. We decided to try crowdsourcing because we’re not scared to try new things.
“The business model for the adult industry is changing, and we have to change with the times,” he added. “Offbeatr offers a new way to make high-quality, fun and sexy movies.”
Grant cited Hollywood’s recent success with Kickstarter campaigns as motivation for launching the Offbeatr bid.
“We have seen success on the mainstream side for crowdfunding, and we’re excited to try this for adult,” he said. “In essence, we see this as pre-selling the movie — with some added extra rewards and the ability to generate even more interest. Either way this is a fun experiment, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Offbeatr founder and Chief Executive Officer Ben Tao said he’s hoping the Shane’s World project will encourage other studios to give crowdfunding a try.
“One of the reasons we created Offbeatr was to allow content producers to get closer to their fans and audience,” he said. “With that in mind, we’re really excited to have Shane’s World as the first major adult studio to use Offbeatr as its platform of choice to crowdfund its next adult film.”
One of the keys to crowdfunding is offering affordable contribution levels coupled with enticing perks for those who take the plunge. Contribution levels for the Shane’s World project range from $5 to $5,000, each promising to commemorate contributors’ generosity with mementos of gradually escalating perceived value: T-shirts, sex toys, calls from participating performers, custom-made sex videos, invites to the movie’s premier and a chance to travel with the cast and crew.
Some contributors also will be able to help pick the movie’s location and activities in which the performers will engage.
“Shane’s World is known for being a pioneer in the industry, so it’s not surprising it is using a revolutionary way to fund and make its films by going directly to the fans,” Tao said. “Allowing consumers to be involved in the creative process, as the Shane’s World project is doing, offers fans a unique and valuable experience and demonstrates how the adult industry is keeping up with technology as both a delivery method and a business tool.”
Previous Offbeatr-based funding efforts raised $500 to $200,000 for various adult-oriented projects, Tao noted.
Offbeatr welcomes almost any kind of creative endeavor designed to appeal to straight or LGBT investors aged 18 or older. The site, which calls itself a “non-equity-based crowdfunding platform dedicated solely to sex and adult-related creative projects,” has been featured on CNBC.com, HuffingtonPost.com and Forbes.com.
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Image: Raylene makes a video pitch for Shane’s World Studios’ Offbeatr effort to raise $25,000 to produce a hardcore adult film.[/SIZE]
