Hear the Doors

Welcome back to another Kickstarter Conversation!  Today I’m yelling across the pond to two talented siblings from Cheshire, England.  Please welcome Leonora and Jonathan Moore the creative team behind the Hear the Doors project.  Thank you for joining us today!

Hey everyone! You can call us Leo and Jonny Moore. We’re excitedly drawing close to our planned set building and shooting dates and are happy to answer a few questions and give you all a greater insight into our project

Your Kickstarter describes a pretty deep concept for your film, can you give us a brief rundown of the project?  

First off, we can’t really compare our film to anything else out there, or anything we’ve ever seen before, because it’s going to be an utterly unique experience, in style and storytelling. No matter who you are or what you believe, we truly believe this film will have the potential to amaze you.

The main theme is exploration and viewing mankind as only just verging on a kind of comprehension of what it means to exist.

We view themes that have always fascinated us (consciousness, existence, reality, a belief in God) through the curious eyes of a young boy. His innocence and wide-eyed wonder reflect the relative youth of mankind in a larger picture, and a desire to realise its place in the cosmos.

We will journey down space-like corridors of infinite depth, gliding towards black abysses hinting at unknown possibilities of spirit and mind, all within an ethereal soundscape that constantly permeates our world.

Swing it! Songs of the Andrews Sisters

Welcome back to another Kickstarter Conversation!  Today I bring you a very special interview with three wonderful ladies from across the globe!  Erin, Phoebe, and Rosie are here to bring back that wonderful swing sound with Swing it! Songs of the Andrews Sisters.  Thank you ladies for joining us today!

Erin: Thanks so much for interviewing us, James!  We’re really excited to get the word out about “Swing It!”
Rosie: Absolutely we’re thrilled to chat to you.
Phoebe: Ditto! I’m always excited to talk to people who are interested in our project!


Now I have to admit when I saw the Andrews Sisters name being brought up I immediately clicked on your project.  Can you tell us more about it?  

Sure!  The three of us met working as singers on a cruise ship and at some point stumbled onto the topic of the Andrews Sisters and thought it would be fun to put some songs together with the band for a little cabaret.  We never knew that it would turn out to be such a hit!  Unfortunately it was the end of our contract and we were all headed home to our separate continents.  But we really thought we had something great, so we continued to develop it across the oceans.  :o)

It was important to us to make sure that “Swing It!” was going to appeal to all types of audiences.  We, like you, know how amazing the Andrews Sisters were, and we want to share that with younger generations who might never have heard of them.  So we threw in a lot of cheek and a bit of sass, but “Swing It!” is full of classic charm, too!  It really does have something for everyone!  I hope you’ll have a chance to see it sometime soon!

I think we all have a real passion and of course huge respect for The Andrew Sisters. Anyone can listen to them and enjoy it, they have huge mass appeal. Even 70 years on the music is still fun, interesting and fabulous!
The best way we can pay homage to them is to bring their music and talent alive again.

I love that despite how much music has changed over the last century, this genre of music still makes me want to dance! It’s also always wonderful as a performer to perform something that is challenging and fun at the same time; and the close knit  harmonies of the Andrews Sisters certainly provide that challenge, with a brilliant pay off when the sound comes out just right.

Et Tu? The Murder Mystery Evening Generator

Welcome back to another Kickstarter Conversation!  Today I am joined by a fellow James, this one from across the pond in London, who is bringing us Et Tu?  The Murder Mystery Evening Generator.  Thank you for joining us today James!

Hiya James - good to meet a another James! Hope we don’t cancel one another out.

(Laughs) There’s always room for more James.  Your project is a Murder Mystery Evening Generator, what exactly does that mean?

Literally, ‘Et Tu’ is taken from the popularised final words of Julius Caesar to his thought-to-be-BFF Brutus; I’ve used it as a term of betrayal, signifying disbelief as to the identity of a murderer within the context of a murder mystery evening.

And that’s what Et Tu does - it procedurally generates murder mystery evenings for people to print out an play. This means that it creates a unique gaming experience for everyone involved, and will be all kinds of fun!

On a literal level, it’s a piece of software where a user can set up an evening, tweak it, and generate it. Et Tu creates the characters, the mystery, the story, everything. And the unique thing is that nobody knows what’s going to happen.

Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole Interview

Welcome back to another Kickstarter Conversation!  Today I return to the scientific end of Kickstarter to bring you the inventive team behind the Vertical Harvest project at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Thank you for joining us today Nona and Penny.  

Thank you James for asking us to be on your blog! We are very excited to be on Kickstarter and to speak about our project with you.


Why don’t we start with a brief overview of what your project is.  You’re not trying to fund the whole project with this Kickstarter is that correct?  

Vertical Harvest is an example of how a socially conscious business and innovative design can combine to meet important community needs and the agricultural challenges of the next century. The purpose of our business is threefold – to enhance the wellbeing of local communities across the nation through an innovative model for job creation, to meet a growing demand for locally produced food, and to build an internationally recognized model for food production through social, architectural and agricultural innovation. It is in the intersection between these three points of innovation that makes Vertical Harvest and its unique mission stand out amongst many of the few current examples of vertical farm projects around the world.

Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole will be located on a Town owned, 30’ x 150’ in-fill lot located on the southern edge of a parking garage in the heart of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In total, by going ‘vertical’, the greenhouse will increase it’s 4,500 sqft. footprint to include 13,500 sqft. of growing area. Vertical Harvest of JH will sell locally grown produce to Jackson restaurants, grocery stores and residents via an on-site market that will be open 365 days a year. Currently, Jackson has only a four month growing season and imports the majority of its produce from outside of Wyoming. This important project will enable the community to become more self sufficient in the production of food, despite the difficulties posed by the harsh climate of the area.

Vertical Harvest of JH will also employ Teton county’s citizens with disabilities, providing this underemployed population with consistent, meaningful employment. Nationally the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 72%, in Wyoming it is 78%.Vertical Harvest has the potential to impact the current training models for children and adults with disabilities who want to work in and contribute to their communities. By prioritizing the employment of persons with disabilities,Vertical Harvest will do more than decrease this rate of unemployment, it will have a positive effect on an individual’s quality of life.

The cost of the greenhouse is $2.3 M. We have already raised over $800K towards the capital costs of the building. In March, we will apply for a Wyoming state grant for $1.5M. whatever we raise on Kickstarter will go directly towards constructing our unique growing systems and help make up the difference in costs.

Quick Hits: 100 Controversial Truths Book

Greetings and welcome to a new segment here at Kickstarter Conversations, something less than an interview but more than just a quick blurb.  Today I’ve gone to the recently launched section and brought you the following:  “New Book: 100 Controversial Truths About Politics & Culture by Doug Pancoast.”  Thank you for joining us today Doug.

Thanks so much for inviting me

So this is your third time launching this project, what makes you keep coming back and trying to launch this book?  

A couple of things. Firstly, I really believe in my book. I read quite a bit and most political books these days are basically partisan hackery. Having been exposed to so many different kinds of people and viewpoints, I feel like my book is unique because of the balanced approach that it takes. I think I’ve made the book both informative and interesting for people.

But I also believe in Kickstarter. I never heard of Kickstarter until about a year ago or so when one of my MBA professors told us about it. I think what Kickstarter is doing is very special. It allows many entrepreneurs to gain access to the funding they need to complete their projects, but it also allows people who are interested in helping to get something back in return.

Hegemonic Interview

Welcome back to another Kickstarter Conversation!  This time I am joined by James Mathe of Minion Games who has brought us a new board game for Kickstarter called Hegemonic.  Thank you for joining us today James!

Thanks for reaching out to us for this interview. We appreciate your support.

Well lets dive right in and point out that this is your sixth Kickstarter all of which have been delivered and can even be found on regular store shelves is that correct?

Though we’re still waiting on final delivery of the Manhattan Project expansion, that is more or less correct. The games are on store shelves and in distribution and at online stores. We have made games before this but with the use of kickstarter our risks have greatly been reduced. We no longer make any games that lose money as we have the preorders and marketing from Kickstarter. So look for our 7th and 8th to come this year at the least!.

Everblue Interview

Greetings friends and welcome to a new feature I hope to continue into the future.  This time I’m bringing you interviews from Webcomic Creators I enjoy.  This is a bit of a two for one as you get to learn about interesting creators while at the same time learning a bit about the stories I enjoy to read.

So without further grandstanding on my part I’d like to introduce Michael Sexton to you all, creator of a wonderful new webcomic called Everblue.  Thank you for joining us today on this inaugural interview.

Thanks for having me!

Would you give us a brief summary of the story of Everblue?

Luna is a young shipwright who is suddenly swept off on an adventure when strange circumstances force her to leave her home. She is eventually joined by a band of fellow outcasts and together they follow a mysterious map along a path that could lead them to uncovering the secrets of the Everblue, an endless ocean ocean that surrounds their civilization. All the while they must fend off the operatives of a government that seems intent on hunting Luna down.