Adviz is a content development and media integration agency that supports small or medium-sized enterprises (SME) since 2013. But it also has a frosted side, as clearly demonstrated by the “Golden Beard” project (or “Barbe d’or” in French).
It’s a comic for the 8-12 years-old, that Adviz, and especially David Paquet, the agency marketing strategist, is developing for two years now. This project already benefited from two crowdfunding campaigns. First one on Indiegogo, the second one on Kickstarter. The magazine Lien MULTIMÉDIA met David Paquet while he was pitching his project in front of distributors at the Cartoon Connection Canada event.
“Golden Beard” is an interactive comic book that takes place in a pirate world.
Right from the beginning, the captain dies by the hand of a little girl, who is actually the Death. To know what it’s like to be alive, she transforms the captain in a teddy bear before sending him back in the world she wishes to discover through his adventures.
“He’s travelling the world with a bunch of idiots,” said David Paquet. “To date, we finished the comic book, the soundtrack and the animation. We’re also developing a subdivision for younger children taking place in the same universe. As we tried to fund all parts separately, I had to make eight initial public offerings (IPO) with no luck. We’re looking for a distributor for the book and a cable broadcaster for the series, but it’s a long and challenging process.”
Therefore, the producer decided to use the platform INDIEGOGO for the first time in 2013 to create the comic book, raising $8,000. This obviously meant that the contributors appreciated the “Golden Beard” universe.
This fundraising enabled them to finish three 24-page comic books, but above all, it gave the creator an opportunity to meet people.
Then, David Paquet used Kickstarter to fund the remaining part of the project, i. e. eight episodes. Mission accomplished: the project has raised more than $25,000, while the goal was $22,000. Furthermore, the producer funded the development of this project and few marketing efforts (via Adviz) from his own pocket.
“From now on, we’re looking for a partner,” he said. “Our studio continues to improve the 2D and 3D animation experience. Currently, three people are working full time on this project, but last summer, we were eleven, depending on the tasks in hand.”
Regarding the crowdfunding, David Paquet feels like he’s seen it all, the best like the worst. He organized the first campaign on his own over one year. By its own admission, the second one was long and arduous.
But he raised $25,000, for a total budget of $32,000, not to mention that he wasn’t getting a cut and his working hours were not tallied up.
“At the beginning, I surrounded myself by the wrong team. Both the illustrator and the colourist ditched me,” he revealed. “With theses experiences, I discovered winning recipes. First, it’s easier if you rely on the English-speaking community, whether you are in Quebec, other parts of Canada or the United States, because you reach more gamers. Then, it helps a lot if you have previously been published. Finally, you must already have a fan base. You shouldn’t restrict your campaign to Montreal only, but should try to reach all the gamer community.”
For more information on Golden Beard.
