About
CAMPAIGN UPDATE #1: New Goals!
We've passed our initial goal of 100K! That means we will definitely make 4 new episodes. If we reach 125K we will film 2 ADDITIONAL EPISODES and be able to give Douglas and Quincy the wedding of their dreams. And if we reach 135K we will release a FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY going behind the scenes of the making of the show! We’ve also unveiled an exciting new STRETCH GOAL! Many of you have been campaigning for the story to continue past season 4, and if we reach 150K Kit will write the first episode of a companion series featuring some of your favorite characters!
ABOUT THE SERIES
After 6 years, 3 seasons, 21 episodes and 8 Emmy Nominations, we need YOUR help to bring this story to a close. Season 4 promises to be the show's wildest, with tons of drama, laughter and even a drag queen wedding! Although the series is streaming on Netflix worldwide, we're still a completely independent production. We have a partner in place to help cover post production costs, but we still have to raise our production budget by October 11 or we won't be able to film this fall. $100,000 will allow us to produce a 4 episode season, and we have some exciting stretch goals planned if we pass our goal!
CATCH UP ON SEASONS 1-3 ON NETFLIX
REWARDS
We have created some incredible rewards for our backers, including digital downloads, producer credits and even the chance to appear as an extra in a giant drag wedding! We are also offering EASTSIDERS MERCH for the first time in the show's history, with your choice of a t-shirt featuring Cal and Thom or Douglas. Can't pick? No problem! Anyone donating at The EastSiders Fan Pack level or above will receive BOTH designs!
NEW REWARD ALERT: we are now offering Associate Producers a +1 to the wedding! Co-Producers get a +2 and Co-Executive Producers get a +5. Bring your friends, it's a party!
ABOUT THE SERIES
EastSiders is an Emmy-Nominated LGBT series about a gay couple and their friends trying to stay together through drunken outbursts, double standards and dirty deeds. In season 3, we set out to Make America Gay Again as Cal and Thom hit the road from New York to LA hauling a vintage camper trailer and trying to find their way back to one another. Ian and Hillary moved in together, Derrick and Jeremy started talking about having kids, and Douglas and Quincy got engaged. Season 4 picks up a year later and tackles some big questions: what does commitment really look like in a long term relationship? What does "gay marriage" really mean? And how do two human beings make love last?
“EastSiders” launched on YouTube in 2012 to a lot of love from fans and critics alike, with Entertainment Weekly calling the show “funny and heartbreaking” and Out Magazine praising it as “relatable, fresh and darkly funny." We won Best Web Drama at the 2013 LA Weekly Awards, Best Ensemble at the Indie Series Awards and were nominated for a Satellite Award from the International Press Academy. The series has even been nominated for 8 Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Digital Drama Series, Outstanding Writing and Directing for Kit Williamson, Outstanding Actor for Van Hansis and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Stephen Guarino and John Halbach. In 2016 the series found a world-wide audience on Netflix, and has now been subtitled in more than 30 languages. But the most rewarding part has been getting to interact with the fans of the show. If it wasn't for the support of amazing people like you we wouldn’t have been able to make "EastSiders" in the first place.
ABOUT THE CAST
The core cast is set to return for the third season, including series leads Van Hansis (As the World Turns), Kit Williamson (Mad Men), Willam (A Star is Born), Stephen Guarino (I'm Dying Up Here), Leith Burke (The Haves and the Have Nots), Matthew McKelligon (You're Killing Me), Brea Grant (Heroes), Brianna Brown (Dynasty) and John Halbach (Wallflowers). We’ll also be offering backers an exclusive first look at some of the amazing things we have planned for season 4, including the return of some familiar faces and some exciting new guest stars! Make sure to check your backer updates, as we'll be announcing new cast members throughout the campaign!
Risks and challenges
Making a series of this size on a low budget (as compared to most studio projects) presents many unique challenges. We learned this first hand shooting the first season, from losing locations to having actors drop out to having equipment break down, you have to be able to roll with the punches. We learned a lot of new lessons in seasons 2 and 3, including the fact that some Kickstarter pledges don't ultimately go through if they are declined by the backer's bank--so make sure to verify your payment method will go through if you're interested in one of our higher level rewards!
We don't have a studio behind us, and of course there are risks involved in any indie production, from natural disasters to navigating actor availability, but we have a proven track record of producing a quality show on a shoestring budget. We love making the series and we are confident we can make the new season even better!
A note about the perks: delivery dates are only estimates and are subject to change-- but don't worry, we'll keep you updated! Some rewards also contain multiple availability dates for digital vs. physical delivery.
The VIP Premiere, Extra Roles and EP set visits will take place in California, on a date determined solely by the production. We cannot provide transportation or accommodations, but we can promise it'll be a lot of fun!
There may be additional paperwork required to fulfill some rewards, such as producing credits or appearances on camera. This is for both your protection and ours!
The BIGGEST CHALLENGE is making sure that enough people hear about the campaign so that we can make our goal--that means the more times you share the link the better!
WE KNOW WE CAN DO THIS WITH YOUR HELP! PLEASE DONATE AND SHARE THIS PAGE WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS!
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support
- All gone!