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2 days ago
Crystal Hubbard
backed a project
For God Took Him - An Antediluvian Fantasy Novel by Steve Boshear
An antediluvian man dares to challenge the final destiny of us all.
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35% funded $1,253 pledged
- 21 backers
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on May 10, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
commented on a projectHey Nina. Not only do I love the project (and am looking forward to receiving my own copy), but I'm encouraged by your overall message. It's really refreshing to see other creators/artists taking on all the arbitrary--and often bureaucratic--legalities that hurt, rather than protect, the arts. Bravo. Something tells me that questioncopyright.org will be one of my new favorite websites.
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on May 10, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
backed a project
Mimi & Eunice's Intellectual Pooperty minibooks by Nina Paley
Full color 20-page booklets promoting Free Culture in a humorous, simple and engaging way.
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268% funded $8,058 pledged
- 305 backers
- Funded Jun 08, 2011
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on May 9, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
Posted project update #5Updates move to blog
Post CommentFriends,
I've started populating the Up the Hill blog--all updates from now on will be housed there. It's definitely still under construction, but one of my priorities for the next week is to get it looking snazzy (or, at the very least, more informational).
I will, however, still be using Kickstarter to communicate with everyone regarding their donor rewards. (Some of you should have already received emails from me regarding rewards.)
Lots of exciting stuff is happening, and I hope you all drop by the blog from time to time to see what your money is helping create!
Best,
Crystal
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on April 26, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
Posted project update #4Thank you!
Post CommentFriends,
Thanks to your generosity, "Up the Hill" has been fully funded! I'm so grateful to everyone who pledged, and for those who told others about this project. Like I said in the video, we're excited to be bringing this story to life, and we hope you get a kick out of the end-product--a product that will be so much better, thanks to your financial support.
In the coming weeks, I'll be reaching out to donors receiving donor awards, but in the meantime I'd like to introduce you to my two female leads.
(Just like the male leads and co-stars, here they are in their own words:)
Playing the candidate's diabolical fiancée (and queen bee of the high society meddlers who run his campaign) is Laura Buckles.
Laura blames her parents, both actors, for her life style choice. Her first performance was as baby Jesus in the family nativity scene at the tender age of one. Laura began her improv career very shortly there after when "Jesus" wandered off for cookies moments into the arrival of the three kings. Her pursuit of cookies, and acting, has taken her to Toronto, London, Pakistan and New York as well as places in between. You may have seen her in Television shows such as Mad Men, Swing Town, The Michael Jackson Trial Reenactment (yep, career high) and General Hospital: Night Shift. For the day time viewers out there she has been on The Bold and The Beautiful and General Hospital. Film credits include Public Enemies, Are You Scared II, Breathe and the upcoming Picture This. As always Laura gratefully accepts cookie donations and acting roles.
Playing the role of mysterious K Street lobbyist (she's named in the script, but her name is never revealed in the course of the pilot...ah! suspense!) is Katharine Brandt.
Katharine Brandt hails from New York and Connecticut, and earned her BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She is the co-founder of Tall Blonde Productions, an independent production company in Los Angeles since 2006. She has produced such notable events as Shakespeare in the Cemetery at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which gathered over 3,000 Los Angelenos to a cemetery, in the dark, to watch... you, guessed it... Shakespeare! Tall Blonde has also produced six other productions in the Los Angeles area, including the award-nominated The House of Yes, and the West Coast premiere of Paul Grellong's Manuscript, which they acquired straight from it's run Off-Broadway. She can currently be seen in Wanting Alex, which is making the festival rounds as we speak, and the up-coming The Anniversary at Shallow Creek, which is slated for a July release.
Again, many thanks to you all! I will probably post one more update, which will include information about our blog/website, so that those who wish to follow the progress of the show can do so at their own choosing.
Gratefully,
Crystal
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on April 24, 2011Funded!
"Up the Hill" (Sitcom/Political Satire) by Crystal Hubbard
"Up the Hill" is a half-hour, single-camera political satire that centers around a candidate for the United States Senate.
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106% funded $5,310 pledged
- 60 backers
- Funded Apr 24, 2011
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on April 21, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
backed a project
Sonos: The Grassroots Project by Sonos
We're hoping to raise $25,000 to fund the creation of our new album and the purchase of equipment to enhance our live show. THANK YOU!
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104% funded $26,162 pledged
- 354 backers
- Funded May 01, 2011
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on April 14, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
Posted project update #3Cast Additions
Post CommentFriends,
I hope you've had the opportunity to check out my interview with fellow comedy aspirant Evan Shaw. We spoke at length about my background, how "Up the Hill" came to be, and the intricacies of teleplay writing. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do!
Now on to business...
While casting for the male leads (see previous update), I was blessed with a bounty of talented actors to choose from. And while I couldn't keep them all, I wanted to incorporate as many of them as possible.
Two guys that stood out in particular were Tyler Cole and Paul Carganilla. Not only were they talented, but they were very, very funny, and their readings convinced me that I should figure out a way to exploit their talents for my own gain. So I have.
Without further ado, allow me to present them to you, in all their biographical glory:
Paul Carganilla is a native Southern Californian, and a five-time National Gold Medalist in Oral Interpretation (Phi Rho Pi). He studied Theatre Arts at UCLA, and has continuously worked as a performer for various corporations, including the Walt Disney Company, where he has appeared in scripted and improvisational stage productions. He is a co-creator, writer, and star of the original web series, Guess Again, which wrapped its first season in 2010. He has appeared in several independent projects, and recently starred in "Tea Ball" (short), "Liquor Day Saints" (independent feature), and an untitled pilot written and directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan.
Tyler Cole grew up in a quiet farm town of Colorado, where acting was scarce and sport was high. Theatre was his game in those days, beginning for him in the sixth grade with a little musical called ‘Ain’t Nothin’ but a Werewolf.’ What small part he played, he made up for the following summer as young Billy in a community theatre production of ‘On Golden Pond.' It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school, however, that the notion to be a filmmaker crossed his mind. From there, he would make short films like ‘Alex In Wonderland’ and ‘Essence,’ two that he says gave him reason to continue down the film path instead of stage. Moving to Southern California in 2003 was the first step, and the years to come would be filled with uphill (no pun) battles of the personal and professional nature. He managed to start a production company, succeed in film festivals with works like ‘The Broken Dawn’ and ‘The Summer Fall’ (which he also wrote and directed), re-integrate into theatre, and work on set for various productions. Suffice it to say, his enthusiasm for acting is as high now as it was when he was just kid, learning the ways of small town theatre.
Thanks for all your support! We're down to single digits, so please pass our project on to anyone you think might be willing to support "Up the Hill."
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on April 14, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
backed a project
Southern Sudan: Post-Referendum by Sarah Gerber
This project is about visual story-telling; the objective is to empower local Southern Sudanese to record the building of their school.
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104% funded $3,650 pledged
- 52 backers
- Funded Apr 17, 2011
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on April 8, 2011
Crystal Hubbard
Posted project update #2Meet the (Male) Leads
Post CommentBecause of the way I wrote "Up the Hill," the first act is one-part West Wing style walk-and talk, and nine-parts Two Guys Sitting in a Room Talking. (Hilarious!)
And because they are terrific, and because your money is, in one way or another, helping support their careers, I'd like to introduce them both to you, in their own, third-person, words (with some clutch edits from yours truly).
Playing the part of my beleaguered Senator is Aaron DuPree:
"Aaron is a Midwest boy through and through. He has been performing since he was five years old, when he was cast in the chorus of his church's performance of "Kid's Praise." Aaron earned his BA in Theatre from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), and his MFA in Acting from the University of Iowa. He has also completed improv training at "The Goundlings" (it's famous...think: Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman, Conan O'Brien and Maya Rudolph) and a DUI class in Iowa (rim-shot!).
"Aaron has been seen on stage from the UK to LA and everywhere in between. Some of his film credits include "The Greed of War" (Independent), "Almost Normal" (Independent) and the 2008 Superbowl Promos (NFL Network)."
[Ed. Note: Aaron is also very tall. It's why I picked him. But if you ever run into him, the story is: I picked him because he's very talented, and was the right guy for the job. And while he may look too young to be a Senator, he's not...]
Playing his hapless campaign manager is Tristan Wright:
"Tristan has been acting since he was in kindergarten where he landed the role of "Bluebird" in the Buffalo Community Theater production of "Animal Crackers." Since then he has performed in film, television, and theater all over the country. Recently he starred in Lionsgate's cult horror sequel "Are You Scared 2" and co-starred in the upcoming "Daliah Knights." You may have seen him in television shows such as "MadTV," "The OC," "Swingtown," and "Days of Our Lives." He is proud to have starred in the world premier of "Song of Extinction" at [Inside] The Ford theater. The production won LA Weekly's Best Production in 2008. Tristan also performs regularly with the improv comedy group Slow...Children at Play in North Hollywood."
[Ed. Note: I've had the privilege of watching Tristan perform with SCAP for over a year now, and while he's very clever--and has great timing--he's also a very mature and intelligent actor. In many ways, his character grounds the series. Not every comedic actor is versatile enough to make you both laugh, and reassure you that the series will never completely go off the rails. Luckily, Tristan is that kind of guy.]
So these guys form the backbone (or sometimes lack thereof) of "Up the Hill." Thanks for letting us all into your email in-boxes.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to press on with casting.
And as always, thank you so much for your support! Every dollar (and every person you tell about this Kickstarter campaign...hint, hint) helps. I'm proud (and grateful) to have you all on board.
Warm regards,
Crystal
Crystal Hubbard
Los Angeles, CA
Michigan native with post-collegiate layovers in Chicago, Houston and now Los Angeles. I've done numerous things to pass the time and pay the bills, including but not limited to: teaching, making coffee, counseling campers, editing the written word... view more
