Wow, what a ride. The Kickstarter Campaign for WMC Fest 2012 is finally coming to a close and I want to give you a heartfelt thank you for pushing us over our $7,000 goal. In fact, you guys pushed us to almost $9,000 in just one month. To me, that shows that you really care about us making the fest better each and every year. And this year it definitely will be. This will help us afford to have two music stages, a brand new dedicated music venue with room for bands and artists to sell their merch (it's also much closer to other venues than last year), professional sound and lighting, a mobile app, and a street team platform. 

We have one day to go, and I am totally happy where we are at. I'm not going to ask for more, you did it. If you want to pledge or promote, that's cool. Just know that I'm happy that we met our goal and that's all I can ask for!

There is one thing though, since the early-bird ticket price expired on Eventbrite last week, Kickstarter remains the cheapest option to purchase your fest passes. For $50 you get the full weekend pass, Bronze Backer status on the website, $45 worth of Arsenal products from Go Media, and some WMC stickers and buttons, not to mention no Eventbrite fees! If you or your friends haven't bought a ticket yet, tell them they have ONE DAY LEFT to get them at this low price! 

Thanks again! After today, I'll start sending out the rewards and get everyone listed on the website and all that. You guys rock, seriously!!

Jeff Finley

I was away this weekend speaking at Columbus Creative Design Conference in Georgia (awesome btw) and while I was gone, our WMC Fest 2012 Kickstarter Campaign broke the $7,000 threshold!  That's awesome, and we thank you!

There are 4 days left and as long as we stay above $7,000 we'll be fully funded. We want to make sure we have enough padding just in case anyone decides to pull their pledge at the last minute. 

There is still time to pledge and get involved. Lots of projects continue to get funded even after they reach their goal. Remember, pledging on Kickstarter is still the best way to get your tickets to the festival. $50 or more gets you perks AND tickets. That's good because the early-bird price expires tonight everywhere except Kickstarter. You can still get the early bird ticket price until May 4th, a few days more.

So I just want to say thanks so much for pledging and supporting WMC Fest! 2012 is going to be an epic year and I am very excited. We're a little over one month away!

Jeff Finley  

Hello everyone! Without your help, WMC Fest 2011 wouldn't have been such an amazing three days! As both an attendee and speaker, I can honestly say that it was the most special time of my creative career. So many old friends, new friends, and inspirational people all in one place. With this special time in mind, I wanted you to be some of the first to know that the Kickstarter page for the 2012 edition of WMC Fest is now live. Check it out!

As you'll see, WMC Fest 2012 promises to be even bigger than last year's event. I've joined forces with Jeff as an organizing partner to bring in a truly national-caliber roster of speakers and can promise you that the gallery show and band lineup is just as amazing. We're expecting more than 1,000 attendees this year - up from last year's record crowds - and are planning some exciting new things for this year's fest.

This is where you come in.

Delivering a national-caliber event like WMC Fest takes funding. We've fought to keep ticket prices low and are benefitting from numerous donations, trades, and hours of volunteer work. Still, our hard expenses have grown, with the bulk of expenses come from covering the travel of our speakers and bands, as well as new developments for 2012, which include a mobile app and a social media platform for our wildly enthusiastic street team.

Your donation directly benefits the bands, speakers, and designers. Aside from paying them, there's also the cost of advertising, food, venues, and printing, to name a few. We're working hard to make WMC Fest the best creative event in the Midwest, so let's do it together!

Without your help and support, there wouldn't be a WMC Fest. If you want to support positive creative change and inspire and enable others to do the same, then you can do what helps us the most — make a pledge. Then come out to enjoy the event that you helped build! You only pay if we meet our funding goal.

Besides all the warm and fuzzy feelings you get from supporting a movement in its infancy, you can get a ton of awesome rewards. And the more you pledge, the more awesome your rewards get. So cast a vote today for an affordable, exploding movement that consistently delivers a national-caliber experience in a region full of hard-working go-getters.

Joseph Hughes
Organizing Partner, WMC Fest
WMC Fest 2011 speaker