Watch our pitch video now:
Ten years after the zombie apocalypse was supposedly averted, a new outbreak causes 18-year-old Norm Elman to learn the frightening truth of both the zombie threat and the safe haven that has kept him and others alive.
His father Dr. Elman clearly knows something. Why else would he release his zombie test-subjects? We know the answer, but we'll never tell...
...unless our campaign is successful.
You see, we're a completely independent operation. One sunny afternoon in August, our writer, Justin, sat down for lunch with our director, Stewart, and asked:
"Are you going to eat that?" And also: "Do you want to direct the pilot for a web series idea I have?"
After reading the script for the first episode and outline for the first season, Stewart agreed. The pair brought Hannah onto the team to executive produce, and they all got to work.
Five months later, we're here with no studio backing, no distributor deal, and no investor agreement. We only have our vision, our first episode, and you.
If you're a fan of the zombie genre, web series, or high quality storytelling in general, ask yourself:
Don't you want to learn How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Completely out-of-pocket, we produced the first episode for about $7,000. Every penny went to production costs:
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Cast Payments
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Crew Payments (Camera, Sound, Lighting, Makeup, Art, etc)
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Locations
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Wardrobe
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Props
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Set Dressing
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Food
It's important to note that the cast and crew worked for discounted rates, Stewart directed for nothing at all, and Justin and Hannah took losses to produce the first episode. Why would everyone agree to those deals? Because they believe in the project. And now we have a product that vindicates their belief.
...but we can do better.
Ideally, we'd like to increase our budget for each episode by about $3,000 - $5,000 so we can:
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Include more gore
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Shoot in better and outdoor locations
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Dress the cast and set more intricately
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Pay the cast, crew, and Stewart what they're worth
That's it. We're asking for $10,000 so we can make one more episode, and the money you generously pledge won't be going anywhere else besides making the above list happen (and the 5% fee IndieGoGo collects and the cost of purchasing and shipping your rewards).
Our basic approach is to tell the best story possible in order to inspire you, the audience, to share our series with everyone you know. We have a YouTube channel setup and we'll co-release the episodes on PulpEpic.com, an awesome go-to site for Geek & Genre.
Step One was producing the first episode.
Step Two is this crowdfunding campaign.
Step Three is to produce as many episodes as we can using the money we raise.
Ten thousand is the absolute minimum we need to produce another episode. Ideally, we'd raise enough to create nine more episodes for a ten episode first season.
Step Four is to release the episodes on YouTube and PulpEpic.
What happens after Step Four? Who knows. Maybe we'll catch the eye of a production company or online distributor. Or maybe we'll be successful enough to start our own production company. Whatever the case, it will not have been successful without you.
And we'll never forget that fact.
Besides seeing the rest of the season to find out why Dr. Elman released the zombies and the rewards we're offering (bottle caps, t-shirts, the chance to be an extra, zombie, or producer, etc), by supporting our series you'll be a part of our team. For real.
With a donation at any level you'll become a member of our Survival Squad. You'll see episodes and promotional materials before anyone else, receive exclusive discounts on merchandise, and be offered opportunities to interact and meet up with our cast and crew for as long as our series is being produced.
In other words, we know we wouldn't be able to survive without you, so you'll be as much of a part of the team as any of us are.
Cast
Tyler's most recent credits include There is Many Like Us, Mule Kids, and More of Last Night. His favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Beth.
Patrick 's appearances include 7th Heaven, General Hospital, a recurring role on Just Shoot Me, and a recurring sketch player role on G4's Attack of the Show. His favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Maggie.
Xango has appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside Jerry Seinfeld, Chuck, House of Lies, and Snoop Dogg's Malice N Wonderland. He also owns a fitness program called "Diamond Fitness Training" and belongs to the Professional Kickboxing Association. His favorite zombie movie is Night of the Living Dead, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Rick.
Wyntergrace is a New-York-City-born and Connecticut-bred actress and dancer who has appeared in numerous theatrical, commercial, short, independent, television, and web productions. Her favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and her favorite The Walking Dead character is Rick.
Leah is a triple threat performer and content creator best known for her award winning musical series Destroy the Alpha Gammas, for which she became a Webby Honoree and a Streamy Award Nominee. Her favorite zombie movie is 28 Days Later, and her favorite The Walking Dead character is Daryl.
Martin appeared in the short film People from LA Aren’t From LA as well as commercials for Netflix and Famous Footwear. His favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Daryl.
Bear currently appears in Season 2 of Aim High and Black Jesus on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. He also directed the short film Cyber Mac, which was the winner of the Best Short Film at the 2014 Mockfest Film Festival in Los Angeles. His favorite zombie movie is Zombieland, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Michonne.
Crew
Justin is a writer, tutor, and podcaster working toward becoming a television creator and showrunner. His credits include Research Assistant on
Atlas Shrugged Part 2 and Second Second Assistant Director on
Such Good People. You can listen to his podcast
Welcome to The Midside on his site TheMidside.com and PulpEpic. His favorite zombie movie is
Dawn of the Dead directed by Zack Snyder, and his favorite
The Walking Dead character is Glenn.
Stewart is an award winning independent writer/director. In 2006 he was named one of Outfest's “Five in Focus” filmmakers chosen as “the next wave of hot new talent” for his feature debut Coffee Date. The film won numerous festival awards and received a theatrical release. Most recently, he directed and co-produced screwball comedy Such Good People which is currently on the festival circuit. His favorite zombie novel is Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory, and his favorite The Walking Dead character is Michonne.
Hannah is a marketing design specialist and a classically trained Filipina soprano. A combination of fresh brand design and entrepreneurial skill enable her to assist clients from a variety of industries to fulfill their marketing objectives. She has performed and competed in opera and musical theater throughout Orange County, CA and the United States, even reaching Carnegie Hall. Her favorite zombie movie is 28 Weeks Later directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and her favorite The Walking Dead character is Maggie.
Thanks for learning about How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse.
Consider helping us survive by pledging for a reward today. We'll only be successful with your help. (Yes, you!) The minute it looks like we have the funds to make the next episode, we'll start setting up the production.
And if you're unable to pledge, but like what you see, please share our first episode and this project with as many people as possible. The only way we can survive is together.
...or is it?