Thank you, ALL 505 Backers!! 

Because of your generosity + commitment, you championed License to Pimp to reach the finish line!!  

I woke up yesterday morning wondering how the hell $7,000 could be raised in ONE DAY when the maximum I'd raised in 1 day over the last 30 days was $2,000!

Many of you were right there with me glued to your computer, on pins + needles, biting nails, & on the edge of your seats as we hit the refresh button far too many times to see how this campaign was do during its final hours and minutes.  License to Pimp was like the underdog running in an election against an incumbent!!  I had no idea that you'd track the film's progress + be so invested in the outcome as I've been!  I appreciate every one of you who phoned, text'd, IM'd, + FB messaged me to show your concern, offer support, + ask if I had an angel donor waiting in the wings so that we wouldn't lose everything we raised to date!!  Trust me, I was VERY scared we'd lose it ALL.  Many of you even added more to your pledges to ensure that the film would cross over.   THANK YOU.  In the end, you guys turned out IN FULL FORCE to show that this is a film you want to see!  This is how it turned out in the end:

$30,795 pledged
102% funded
505 backers
0 seconds to go

I absolutely need to acknowledge a few people:

(1)  Hilary Brashear, my summer intern.  I could not have done this without her.  We spent weeks prepping for the launch, camping out at cafes and scrounging free wifi. We strategized about outreach, social media, + suffered through comatose donor days until we crossed over into the light. Every artist should be so lucky to have committed people on their team.

(2) Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Arts.  I was accepted into Aljira's professional artist development program "Emerge" in 2007 with a work sample from License to Pimp. They're committed to the Artist + their Art. When they came on board the film as Producer, it made a huge financial difference, but more importantly, it cemented a long-term relationship

(3) Shannon Liss-Riordan, labor attorney. She has represented strippers in class action lawsuits against strip clubs that violated their employment rights. 

Again, thank you EVERYONE.

More very soon.  With much gratitude + excitement about the work we can now do....Thanks for making it possible...

XXO Hima

9 HOURS Left to Fund

"License to Pimp" on Kickstarter! 

WE are at 83% funded !!  More then the money, I'm humbled + grateful for the community of friends, family + allies who've come on board this project and have adopted this child.  THANK YOU!!!!

The strippers featured in License to Pimp are finding ways to address illegal labor conditions in the sex industry in a variety of ways.  No one way is "right."  Some people (including sex workers themselves) have said that if the women don't like the way their rights are violated, they can just leave.  Quit or find somewhere else to work. Not everyone can quit.  Or wants to.  Or should have to.  Going to another strip club doesn't mean anything:  these violations are an industry-wide problem.  Leaving the industry doesn't change the illegal practices.  Getting the strip clubs to comply with labor, civil, criminal, health + safety codes does. Enforcement of the law is what gives workers security and rights.  Sex workers deserve the same protections offered to the average American worker.  These rights should be adopted globally. 

Below is a picture of a stripper named 'Diamond" who shared her story with me.  What you see are the countless receipts that she's issued by the club after she pays to work a shift. She + her co-workers carry boxes like this during their shift.  If a customer tips her, she's expected to put his tip into the box.  It's one insidious tactic that the strip club owners have come up with to separate the women from their tips so it appears that this money is the property of the club.  It's illegal. The clubs have lost legal cases on this issue also.

License to Pimp shows women challenging this violation + successfully recuperating their wages + the tips that the strip clubs illegally required from them. I have a feeling that the violations that the strippers face are also ones faced by women working in massage parlors, escort agencies + the legal brothel system.  They too have to pay to work.

If there's ANY STRIPPERS or other SEX WORKERs reading this: SAVE your Work Receipts! It's ILLEGAL for strip clubs or ANY employers to CHARGE YOU TO WORK. You'll need these receipts to recuperate your earnings.

deadline to get LICENSE TO PIMP fully funded: 

Wednesday July 18 before 11:59pm EST

Please spread the word about the film

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/himab/license-to-pimp-documentary

With LESS than 9 HOURS Left to fully fund this film, I gonna continue kickin' it! 

XXO Hima