In case you haven’t already heard, we’ve finally released the trailer for the film/dvd project we’ve been working on for well over a year now!  If you haven’t already watched it, take 90 seconds to click here and watch!

The response to the trailer has been overwhelming!  People are really getting behind this project by helping us spread the word in a cool way…it’s exciting to watch.  Along the way, I’ve been asked multiple times, “So why Kickstarter? Why not take money from someone like a studio, label, distribution company, etc., just like bands do?”

It’s a valid question, and thus the purpose of this post.

If you’re new to Kickstarter, or any other form of “crowd-sourcing,” it’s basically a platform that allows an artist, performer, author, etc. to distribute the cost of a creative project to a large group of supporters, rather than take funding from a single source like, say, a musician might take from a record label in order to record and produce their album.  And thus lies the beauty of it.

I have multiple friends here in Nashville in the music business who talk of developing amazing visions for a project, only to see that vision tweaked, changed, and ultimately compromised after “getting signed,” all because of the power of the mighty dollar.  It’s also one of many reasons why an abundance of independent musicians are popping up around the world.  There’s certainly a “damn the man” mentality in the air in this season of the entertainment industry.  Things are changing, and have been for a while.  And people who are outside of industries like the music business, especially fans, are quickly becoming “insiders” thanks to independent artists and previous label executives who are openly sharing how things work via blogs and social media.

All of that said, not all record labels are bad.  And not all movie studios are bad.  I also have friends who have ministries that simply wouldn’t be the same without the support of their label, and they have teams within those record labels who operate with the utmost integrity.  But even if doing a deal with a major entity made sense for this project, it’s a hard sell. Those companies base their investments off of formulas and proven track records. There isn’t an existing formula, track record, or category for “Live Show/Film Project DVDs by Magicians who talk about deception and truth.”  We’re kind of trudging new ground here.

As we continued to work on this project independently with my management team, two things became increasingly clear:

1. We aren’t going to be able to finish and promote this project without more funding.
2. I’m not willing to risk having to compromise my message or my vision for this DVD by someone with money wanting me to water down my content for the sake of being “more marketable.”

So, I’ve turned to you guys, and I couldn’t be more confident that we’ve made the right decision!  Not only are we well on our way to securing the minimum funding we need to get this project completed, I’m realizing more and more how cool it’s going to be to release it, then look back on a group of people who are able to say, “We did that! We were a part of making this happen!” That’s so ridiculously awesome!

We still need help. So far, our KickStarter campaign is well underway, but we still have a long way to go!  Click over and watch the trailer, then jump in, back the project, and do everything you can to spread the word!  We can do this, and as a result of what we could only have done together, this message of deception and truth can go on to change far more lives that it ever could have changed without your support and backing.

Here’s the link:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harristhethird/harris-iii-master-illusionist

Thank you!!