Two More Hawaii Projects Kickstarted

Thanks to crowdfunding service Kickstarter, and a lot of hard work and community support, two local projects met their fundraising goals last week and took a solid step toward reality.

The delightfully simple Juicies project, which I profiled on Earth Day, blew past its $5,000 goal in only three days, and ended up with over $22,300 in backing to produce colorful gadget cables. Meanwhile, local ska band Pimpbot met its $2,500 goal to help release its third album.

The Juicies campaign offered a free cable for as little as $1, even though the retail price would be closer to $20. Nonetheless, with 1,674 backers, the average donation was over $13.

Burt Lum and I chatted with Juicies creator Laurens Laudowicz, and Pimpbot frontman Fernando Pacheco last week on Hawaii Public Radio, KIPO 89.3FM, talking about the Kickstarter service, and the challenges and rewards that come with getting a project off the ground.

Laudowicz revealed that the total cost of his project could easily hit $100,000, so the money he raised really was just a "kickstart" to get things going. Meanwhile, Pacheco noted that Pimpbot's campaign would only raise enough money to compile and duplicate the CDs, with the bandmembers personally covering all the other time and expense required in the studio and out on the street.

At the time, Pimpbot was $100 shy of its goal with only two days to go, and Pacheco was wondering if he'd have to delay the album for a year or more. Fortunately, thanks to Kickstarter and 79 devoted Pimpbot's fans, it looks like we'll get to hear it soon.

For a limited time, you can download and listen to our interview here.

It's important to note that not every project submitted to Kickstarter is accepted, and even when they're launched, not every fundraiser meets its goal. (Backers only pay if the target is reached.) The all-ages "No Suck Fest" music festival met its goal, but a proposed Cherry Blossom Cabaret production did not.

Right now, organizers of "Pow Wow Hawaii" are trying to raise $10,000 to stage a special event for a collaborative art event. Previous participants included Wu Yue, Jasper Wong, Will Barras, Pat Lee, Jahan, Suitman, Aaron de la Cruz, Jeff Hamada, 123Klan, Meggs, Prime, Ekundayo, and Kamea Hadar. As of this writing, 29 backers have raised $2,860, and there are 65 days to go.

If you want to follow the projects I'm following on Kickstarter, check out my Kickstarter profile. And if you know of another worthy local project trying to fundraise on the site, let me know!