TALENT TIME NEEDS YOUR HELP
Talent Time is special. Its unique brand of irreverent humour doesn’t work so well in the world of corporate sponsorships or government grants. We don’t want to have to tone down and behave, and we know our fans don’t want us to either. This crowdfunding campaign is our best shot at making a go of it so, if you love Talent Time just the way it is and you want to show your support, please donate!
I’ve always been curious about normal people with intriguing hobbies and I’m drawn to unique personalities, ones that others might consider strange. And people expressing themselves simply for the pure pleasure of being alive! These people are often ignored by shiny mainstream entertainment.
Talent Time cuts through the boredom of people trying to be something they’re not, or trying to be fancy, and gets to the heart of what makes people want to share their passions in the first place. We dig into what makes raw expression so captivating.
Paul Anthony’s Talent Time launched 2008 in the basement of the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, BC. Canada. Within 6 months we were shooting the live show and editing it into half-hour episodes that aired on public access television. Things were going well... until last year, when Shaw TV cancelled all community programming. We are still being broadcast on Novus TV but they are a smaller company and don’t have the equipment we need.
Talent Time is a crazy undertaking...shooting for grandiose production, virtually every month for a decade without any real budget? It has only been possible because people saw what I was doing and felt passionate that Talent Time had to continue. They felt it was important to celebrate our differences with ridiculous fun.
On the surface, this show shouldn't work. There are too many contrasting elements. On any other show putting a comedian on after a marching band would be death. It's the open honesty and genuine spectacle that allow it all to come together.
The Nitty-Gritty
We are only crowd funding for the actual cost of renting all the camera gear, headsets, video mixer, sound technician, BNC cable etc for 9 episodes. We are prepared to pay for all other costs with what we collect from the door.
If we can raise $11k we can rent the gear necessary to do an 11th season. If we don't raise $11k all your donations will be returned and Talent Time throws in the towel for good.
However! If we can raise $17k we can BUY most of the gear necessary to produce the show into infinity.
If we own the gear we won't have to struggle every month... we won't have to beg, borrow, and steal to make one show happen at a time. Struggling so much has affected the quality of some episodes. If we can be self-sufficient we can put all our focus and resources into making Talent Time bigger and better, forever!
This show isn't easy to do, but my incredible crew & I are dedicated to bringing you rare and spectacular entertainment. We have the skill and passion. All we need is your support. Together we can do this!
We're not just begging for money, we have some great perks to offer you too:
- You can sit in with the house band on an instrument of your choice!
- We all know how tricky it can be to fit a hair cut into our busy schedules. Get your hair cut at the Rio while waiting for the show to begin from our hair sponsors Craft Academy Salon!
- Out-of-towners? Apart from various "endorphin rush" packages and "Talent Time Forever" shirts you can choose a theme for a show we must produce, provide the video loop for the monitor in my desk, or become a producer! All producers will have business cards made for them with the Talent Time logo, your position and name. There is no telling the value of this perk in all the free lunches you could also win!
- New gift certificates added weekly from local businesses wanting to help. This is a great option to support the show while receiving a comparable value in good & services.
- Many more perks on the perk page, with new ones added often so please check back frequently.
What Talent Time Means
I've received so many emails and phone calls over the years from people and groups whose experiences on Talent Time have enriched their life so much that they felt compelled to reach out.
Groups like Antique Gold; who were named Best Senior Citizen Barbershop Quartet in world (2006). They were nervous beforehand, worried the crowd wouldn't like them as it was a younger audience than they were used to playing for. Afterwards, they said Talent Time was the best audience they had ever experienced. The support and appreciation – standing ovation and selfies with people – was unexpected and gave them a sense of belonging that they hadn't felt in a while.
The good news is…8 episodes of Talent Time have been picked up by Amazon’s Prime Video who boast 80 million subscribers. Also a partial archive has been picked up by virtually every public library in North America through Hoopla. This is just proof that people are connecting with it and want to see more. But Amazon is not producing new episodes of our show so if we want to go further, we need to do it ourselves.
The media have also been very supportive of the show. Here are some selected quotes:
"Something of a phenomenon" - The Vancouver Sun
“There is no funner night out ” - The Georgia Straight
"Talent Time is the most innovative, raucus, totally silly and inspired show I have seen in years. Watching it is like freebasing sheer fun!" - Matthew Hays, independent journalist for the Globe & Mail/CBC Arts Online)
"I just loved it. You don't see this kind of show in Vancouver. I highly recommend it." - Jaeny Baik, CBC Radio
"The single best live event in Vancouver...an unforgettable - epic even - night of entertainment" - Bob Kronbauer, Vancouver Is Awesome
"A cult phenomenon that’s been flying under the radar...since 2008. A true comedy original. Talent Time defies genre. You have to experience it to truly appreciate it." - The Georgia Straight
We are living in very unsettling times. I think the question becomes: what do you want to see more of in the world? I think it’s important to oppose terrible things happening in our society but I believe it’s equally important to then focus your energy on things that cultivate positive momentum and connection. We cannot give into the politics of division. Community celebrations are actually a powerful political act.
We Need Your Help...
...And we'll take whatever we can get!
We've been successfully pulling off strong shows virtually every month for a decade. We've proven that we can do this. I've been putting on a version of this show my whole life. It's maybe the only thing I know how to do. We have a very talented rotating cast and crew. We have an audience for both the live show & the TV show. We have great local businesses supporting us through with goods & services. We have received nothing but glowing reviews from the media and we are just on the precipice of being noticed on a much larger scale. To throw in the towel now would be so depressing.
All we need is a lil' bit of moolah.
If you can’t help with money right now but you have some skills or energy you want to contribute, please reach out. If all you are able to do right now is share this campaign, that is still something…Please don’t let it stop here. This is our last resort for survival and we need all the help we can get.
Thanks for all your support!!
Yer pal,
Paul Anthony