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Post by redjack on Aug 3, 2014 20:12:41 GMT
This springs from a conversation most recently re-started on Facebook by Mr. David Walker.
Essentially it asks this question: "How can the littler guys, the guys of color, the guys who are gals, the guys and gals who are gay who make graphic fiction compete in a marketplace dominated by publishers that are subsidiaries of massive multi-national conglomerates?"
IOW: "How do we, (we, in this particular case meaning black creators but should not be limited to that) get new readers to pick up our work?"
I have my own notions. I would love for you all to present yours. Most of us are fairly smart and this problem has persisted largely because we don't pool knowledge and resources. So?
Pool, damn it. Pool!
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Post by brandoneaston on Aug 3, 2014 20:39:01 GMT
I feel like we've had this discussion 4,000 times in the last 3 years but Mr. Walker is sincere and talented and I have a lot of respect for him. I've said this about a million times, but the only thing that will actually make a difference is money. What's killing a lot of us is lack of access to wealth. We don't have wealth on a national or global scale and therefore we cannot just make the choice to create comics on the scale we'd prefer. Kanye West (once you get past the bluster) made this point about the nature of the fashion game - which is very similar in design as the mainstream American comic book industry - and that is we don't have the wealth to make our dreams come true with the snap of our fingers. The children of the elite - like Max Landis or Max Brooks or Joe Hill - don't have to worry about "how" they just do it. WE have to worry about how we're going to get money to pay artists and/or pray that an artist will be willing to accept an ownership deal which is something most starving artists balk at. All of us have tried to do things that require little or no money: We've done guerrilla marketing. We've sold books out of our cars/backpacks/subway trains/Black expos. We've had booths at Black conventions/mainstream conventions, etc. We've begun to form collectives. We've hustled harder than the slickest pimps in the Bronx. The one key element that's missing is financial capital. We don't have it but that's all we need to get books done. We need killer art on top of a killer story. Me and Brandon Thomas attended the Image Expo that happened right before SDCC and we saw how the system works for guys that have the money to attract top flight artists. When you don't have the money, we get stalled hard. My solution is to keep grinding - because we're going to keep doing that anyway - but the truth is that some of us are going to have to attract investors and form even larger collectives that have access to money. Years ago, I called it the "$100,000 Solution." We all individually need $100,000 to produce the absolute best 96-page/128-page graphic novel possible. About $50,000 goes into direct production with the other $50,000 going into marketing and promotion. The cheapest ad for a 30-second spot on US television is about $22,000 on CWs BEAUTY AND THE BEAST which arguably carries the same demographics as our reading audience. (re: www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/2013-2014-network-tv-show-30-second-ads). The rest goes to various magazines and web hubs. So the real question is, how can we each raise $100,000 legally? I'm not kidding. Brandon |
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Post by brandoneaston on Aug 3, 2014 21:06:31 GMT
The trailer for this documentary sums up a lot of this:
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Post by redjack on Aug 3, 2014 21:29:40 GMT
on the other side of that, both GEEK & SUNDRY and THE YOUNG TURKS began as single, low-budget self-created YOUTUBE pages. They had nothing, certainly not 100K to get going. Money is a big stick,but it's not the only one. when you don't have it, you have to be smarter.
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Post by hannibaltabu on Aug 3, 2014 21:41:50 GMT
What we can do is organize. More boots on the ground makes for more results, as I noted before. Now, if this board could actually work on the tapatalk app, I might be able to use it, because this web access stuff is giving me the 1998 blues.
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Post by redjack on Aug 3, 2014 21:52:42 GMT
 . well. this seems easiest for most and certainly easiest for me but, if something starts to gel, I'm totally open to joining somebody else's hub. the point is there needs to be one. should have had one years ago. if this isn't it, let it be something and somewhere else. but let it be. |
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Post by brandoneaston on Aug 4, 2014 1:01:11 GMT
Seriously though.
I feel we've already covered this ground. We're already a loose-knit army of creators, separated by geography and a few cliques/collectives.
There has to be a way to generate money. That's really the thing holding us back.
Crowdfunding hasn't worked for everyone and is a crap-shoot at best.
I know a lot of people in the immigrant community practice something called a SUSU (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susu_(savings)) where they create a community pot with a lottery system and everyone has their "turn" at taking money from the pool.
Again, I'm trying to stay legal with this.
B.
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Post by redjack on Aug 4, 2014 5:25:34 GMT
i don't know that everyone has weighed in. the facebook convo seems to be going strong.
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Post by Michael Montague on Aug 4, 2014 19:39:55 GMT
We build from the ground up, make connections and alliances, to support and encourage each other. as I once heard, "if you don't like the news; go out and make some of your own." The independent market is the future of the industry...for diversity, creativity.
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Post by marogue on Aug 4, 2014 23:54:07 GMT
It seems to me that it's a leveraging game. You're not only leveraging your body of work (which you must invest your own hard earned cash/time into as you climb the rungs) but the solid relationships that you have.
When it comes to investors, not only do they want to know the bottom line numbers for securing their return on investment, but more importantly, they want to know that you are credible and trustworthy. When someone can vouch for your talent, skill, and trustworthiness, you are MUCH more likely to get investment capital. Having gotten investment money for several projects throughout my short career ranging from $5K to $50K, I've found that you're only as strong as your weakest link when it comes to pitching to an investor. Your management team is ultimately what it comes down to when a hedge fund or individual investor is deciding whether or not to give you a big chunk of cash.
You simply need a proven track record and someone (company/larger player in the industry/investor connection) to vouch for your ability to deliver on time and under budget. Talent and skill, more often than not come second or third on the list. If you find your self without these two things, ally with someone who believes in your ability and has both the track record and relationships.
This is why I preach about strong teams. If you don't nurture your relationships, you'll miss the boat when it comes to ever getting investor money. If you're hanging around with people that don't have money-relationships, your odds of ever getting some are slim to none.
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. well. this seems easiest for most and certainly easiest for me but, if something starts to gel, I'm totally open to joining somebody else's hub. the point is there needs to be one. should have had one years ago. if this isn't it, let it be something and somewhere else. but let it be.
