Seed & Spark Completes Seed Round of Funding

Launched Film Industry's First Site to Fund, Produce, and Distribute Independent Films Using Crowdsourcing

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 12, 2012

Seed&Spark, the first end-to-end solution for independent films to fund, produce, and distribute their films using the power of the crowd, closed its Seed Round of financing. Investors include Manitou Ventures, SourceN and a set of angel investors.

“Manitou Ventures believes in grassroots innovation. We support companies that make a difference. Seed&Spark is breaking new grounds for the film industry. By opening up the film production process early on, filmmakers can build and expand their audience during the entire production process, from pitch to distribution,” says Chris Wadsworth, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Manitou Ventures, the lead investor in the seed round of financing.

Unveiled on December 1, 2012, Seed&Spark features projects by what the company calls its “Founding Filmmakers,” a group of narrative, doc, and series makers whose work reflects the broad spectrum of what's possible in independent filmmaking.

Seed&Spark Cinema offers a slate of ‘ready-to-view' films available for streaming, including award-winners from Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and more. Shorts stream for $0.99 and features for $2.99. Filmmakers keep 80% of the revenue.

Seed&Spark Studio features a selection of fundraising campaigns for independent movie productions. Filmmakers can raise money using the Seed&Spark WishList; recruit for cast and crew; blog to keep the community updated; and gather all the supporters and followers together on one Community page.

The central element of each fundraising campaign page is the Seed&Spark WishList, a crowdfunding tool that works like a wedding registry. Filmmakers can list exactly what they need to make, market and distribute the film. In addition to cash donations, supporters can donate or loan equipment, services, locations, accommodations and catering, among others. This allows the audience to contribute to the movie in their own way, become part of the production process and get rewards.

By funding, following, recommending and sharing productions, Seed&Spark site users earn bonus points, called “Sparks”. The Sparks can be redeemed to watch Seed&Spark Cinema movies.

“Seed&Spark offers film enthusiasts the opportunity to support new film projects and be rewarded with watching more independent movies. We are building a new ecosystem that restores independence to independent film, fueled by both filmmakers and film lovers,” said Emily Best, Founder and CEO, Seed&Spark.

Seed&Spark Studio and Cinema projects span all genres, from narrative features, comedies, documentaries and animations to experimental shorts.

Seed&Spark Cinema's ‘ready-to-watch' films include:
Seed&Spark Studio's fundraising campaigns include:

• 140, a crowd-sourced doc feature by Frank Kelly which captures poignant and personal moments from 140 filmmakers in 23 countries in a single moment of time;
• BOMB, a narrative short about a would-be love story set on the edge of an old Air Force bombing range directed by Ian Olds with Oscar-winner Melissa Leo;
• CAFE REGULAR CAIRO, a narrative short by Ritesh Batra about a couple's relationship tested in a crowded café in Cairo. The film received a Jury Special Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival 2012;
• MANA'OLANA: PADDLE FOR HOPE a documentary feature by Eve M. Cohen which follows a group of breast cancer survivors, the Mana'olana Pink Paddlers, on their journey from Maui to another Hawaiian Island in traditional outrigger canoes.
• NRITYAGRAM: FOR THE LOVE OF DANCE, a narrative short by Nan Melville about the Odissi Dance dance village near by Bangalore, India, that was started by Protima Bedi;
• PERCIVAL'S BIG NIGHT, a screwball comedy by William Sullivan offering the idiot's guide to getting your life back on track;
• THE SOUND OF SMALL THINGS, a narrative feature by Peter McLarnan, a delicately filmed allegory about a pair of newlyweds struggling for intimacy that premiered at Slamdance 2012;
• STUMPTOWN, an experimental short by David Lawless about a man struggling to separate thought from confusion, a fog of recollection that overwhelms his assumptions about past and present.
• TICK TOCK TIME EMPORIUM, a children's fantasy short about the costs of getting enough time by Morgan Faust;
• THE BLACK BALLOON, a narrative short by Ben Safdie & Josh Safdie following a black balloon, full of life, emotion and curiosity, cruising New York for some sort of a companion. The film received a Sundance Jury Prize and is a SXSW Wolphin Award winner;
• TRUE COLOURS, an Atlantic Pictures film by Barney Elliott about a father with a propensity for violence and his struggle to earn his family's trust; and
• WITCHES IN EXILE, a beautiful documentary feature by Allison Berg on women accused of witchcraft & banished to witch villages in Ghana.

• ALIYA, JAMAL, AND THE RAT PRINCE, animated short by GB Hajim (Producer/director) and Dave Pellicciaro (music supervisor);
• DARKCOMEDY, narrative feature by Woodrow Morton (Writer/Director), Jess Magee (Producer) and Miranda Levitt (Producer);
• FOG CITY, narrative short by Liam Edward Brady (Writer/Director), Elizabeth A. O'Neal (Producer) and William Wohleb (Director of Photography);
• HOMEMADE, documentary feature by Jason Maris (Co-director/Cinematographer) and Danielle Bernstein (Co-director/Producer);
• THE JINGLE DANCER, narrative short by Michael Waterhouse (Associate Producer/1st AD, Chris Jones), Daniel Waterhouse (Writer/Director/Producer) and Dean Jacobson (Director of Photography);
• JUST ANOTHER NIGHT, narrative feature by Jason Jude Hill (Producer & Writer) and Daniel Sears (Director & Writer);
• LOVE LAND, narrative feature by Josh Tate (Director/Writer), Paul Gleason (Director/Writer), Maritte Go (Producer) and Andrew C. Richey (Producer);
• THE MASTER CLEANSE, narrative short (comedy), by Daniel Goldberg (Director/Co-writer/Co-producer), Ittai Orr (Co-writer/Co-producer), and Josh Fisher (Director of Photography);
• MOVEMENT + LOCATION, narrative feature by Alexis Boling (Director/DP/Producer), Bodine Boling (Writer/Producer) and Serena Hedison (Producer);
• PRODIGALS, episodic by Carlton Tanis (Writer/Creator) and Casey Stein (Director of Photographer);
• STORIES OF THE UNCONSCIOUS, experimental short, by Cait Davis (Writer/Director/Producer), Sara Murphy (Producer) and Nick Hendershott (Producer/Stop-Motion Co-Director/Actor);
• SUSPENSE, experimental short, by David Hodge (Filmmaker/artist), Hi-Jin Hodge (Filmmaker/artist), Francois Houle (Composer/musician) and The Turning Point Ensemble, Vancouver;
• THOR'S TWIN, narrative feature by Dennis Brucks (Writer/Director), Evan Bonifant (Producer) and Tim Ottenstein (Director of Photography); and
• TRICHSTER, documentary feature by Jillian Corsie (director), Carolyn Maher (line producer), Amanda Giordano (producer), Seun Babalola (director of photography) and Kathleen O'Loughlin (director of photography).

The Seed&Spark site also offers “Bright Ideas”, a community resource where filmmakers and audiences can find advice and experience from industry leaders.

For more information about Seed&Spark, watch a short video, shot and produced ultra indie-style by the Seed&Spark team.

About Seed&Spark
Seed&Spark is building a truly independent filmmaking community where filmmakers and audiences come together for crowd-funding, production, and streaming distribution. Every time an audience member supports the making of a moving picture project (funding, following, sharing) they earn “Sparks” which can be redeemed to watch movies on the streaming platform.
Supporting films lets you watch more films: It's the new ecosystem for filmmakers & audiences, and…that's it! For more information, go to http://www.seedandspark.com and http://www.facebook.com/seedandspark, or follow us on Twitter at @seedandspark.

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