BOISE -- Local artists and entrepreneurs are getting help to fund their projects from people all over the globe, thanks to the world's largest funding platform. It's called Kickstarter.
The idea of Kickstarter is simple. People need funding and others want to see those ideas happen.
David Day is a photographer with an idea of what he wants to see happen."For years," Day said, "I've done a Boise calendar. I've done probably thousands."
In Boise, he's captured hundreds of moments. Now he wants to expand."People keep saying you need to do the whole state,” said Day. “I'd like to do that, but it's a big state and it's expensive to do that.”
Thousands of people have used Kickstarter. It's a website meant to help people fund creative projects. "It's kind of replaced the big venture capitalist guys, but on a much smaller scale," said Day.
Here's how it works; an artist or an entrepreneur posts their idea on kickstarter.com. They provide a brief explanation and say how much money they need to make it happen. From there, it's up to the public.
On the site, Day is asking for $2,700 to make the calendar. "Most of what I'm trying to do is be able to get to those beautiful places in Idaho," said Day.
He has 30 days to get people to pledge the money. With five days to go, he still needed to raise just under $1,000."This gives the world the access to these individual artists and inventors in a way that we've never had a chance to do before," said Day.
Earlier this year, the producers of the Red Light Variety Show wanted to upgrade their production. They asked for $1,500.
"Within a 24 hour period we went from $500 to $1,600 and it was done. So the project was successful," said James Sharpe, one of the producers for the Red Light Variety Show. "It makes our company as a whole more professional so we have the talent behind now I guess we have the lipstick and the rouge so to say to make the whole production pretty," said Anne McDonald, another producer for the Red Light Variety Show. With 31 people backing their project, Kickstarter gathered the money and got it to Sharpe and McDonald with enough time to make their spring show a success.
Day hopes for the same success. If he doesn't get people to pledge the full $2,700, he doesn't get any of it. "If enough people think my idea is good enough, I get to do it," said Day.
The money people pledge to the projects does not come with a promise of a return; it's more of a donation rather than an investment. But most of the projects have an incentive to encourage people to pledge a certain amount.
In 2010,Time Magazine called Kickstarter one of the best inventions of the year.
For more information on Day’s Kickstarter project, click here.
If you want to see what the $1,500 went toward for the Red Light Variety Show, they have a show this weekend; details can be found by kicking here.
