About this project
A Defiant Dude
$89,700
1,976
Hey ya'll, Bo here! Welcome!
Chick-fil-A, the country's second largest fast-food chicken chain, is claiming that I'm infringing on their trademark 'Eat Mor Chikin' slogan with my 'Eat More Kale' t-shirts. Their lawyers want to confiscate my website, my t-shirt biz and art.
Chick-fil-A is also demanding that I "forever cease and desist."
Cease and desist?? Like hell. I've decided to fight.
Of course, I might not win --- the odds are against me. All over the country 'trademark bullies,' large corporations that bully small businesses over alleged claims of trademark infringement, are legally harassing small businesses and wearing them down with repeated lawsuits and appeals. In the face of overwhelming legal bills, most small businesses just give up.
This is more than just plain wrong: it's un-American.
By helping make this documentary I want to shine a light on this issue, my battle, and other trademark bullies, too. If I win, it's a great story; if I lose, it's a sad story. Either way, Jim and I think it's a story worth telling.
So whether you've been following me for years or you're new to 'Eat More Kale', I hope you'll become a backer of our documentary and part of the whole experience.
Hey, thanks for the fun! Hope you'll help us spread the word.
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Get the movie, an 'Eat More Kale' t-shirt, and other cool stuff!
Starting at just $15, you get the whole experience of following Bo's story PLUS you get the finished film, too!
And because you're a backer, you'll be part of our community; you'll get regular updates sent to your inbox that'll keep you posted on the whole drama between Bo and Chick-fil-a, along with a behind-the-scenes look at making our documentary film.
Want an 'Eat More Kale' sticker? A t-shirt? Or a special edition DVD? Pledge a little more and you get these things, too!
Most important of all? You'll be helping to make a movie about Bo's story that's been called a 'modern day David and Goliath' and featured in CNN, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.
New to Kickstarter?
No worries -- it's easy. Here's the official explanation from Kickstarter or we'll just let you know how it works here:
- PLEDGE -- for a limited time, make a pledge to our documentary project. Take a look at the far upper right corner of this page -- that's how many days we have left to accept pledges. Click the green button that says, 'Back This Project.'
- HOW MUCH? -- that's up to you. Any amount from $15 on up allows you to see the movie and become part of the experience. The more you pledge, the more rewards (t-shirts, stickers, DVD, etc) plus you'll be helping us make a better movie.
- YOUR CARD ISN'T CHARGED -- when you pledge, your credit card isn't charged. You'll make your pledge (via the green 'Back This Project' button above) through Amazon payments; you'll be authorizing a payment for your pledge and your card isn't charged.
- YOUR CARD IS CHARGED ONLY IF WE REACH OUR GOAL -- if we reach our fundraising goal by the deadline (also listed in the top right corner), then your card is charged. If we don't reach our goal by this deadline, your card is not charged and your pledge is discarded, and we can't make our documentary film.
- SO PLEASE PLEDGE EARLY -- by pledging early, you'll encourage other backers, too.
What if we exceed our goal?
That'd be great! We'd be able to make a better documentary!
Documentaries are expensive to produce; many have budgets that exceed a couple of million dollars. Our goal is the bare minimum we think it'll take to tell our story -- and even then, we're leaving out some important things.
Typical budgets of some recent documentary films:
- 'Greatest Story Ever Sold' by Morgan Spurlock: 1.5 million dollars
- 'Freakonomics': by Seth Gordon (and others): 2.9 million dollars
- 'Inside Job': by Charles Ferguson: 2 million dollars
So yes, we're hoping we exceed our goal -- and the more we exceed it by, the better our film will be. A larger budget will allow us to dig deeper into the subject, do more research, shooting, editing, and tell the story of other small businesses bullied by corporate giants.
Stories like the start-up 'Teachbook', an online community of teachers that is being sued by Facebook. Or the school group that wanted to start a fund for lung cancer called, 'Kites for the Cure' but was shut down by lawyers for the Susan G Komen Foundation, claiming ownership of the word 'cure'.
So, this is what you can do:
First, become a backer now. It's quick, it's easy, and everybody gets the movie. Plus, the sooner you become a backer, the sooner you'll start receiving updates. You'll also help inch our goal higher which, in turn, will encourage others to pledge, too.
Second, spread our Kickstarter link far and wide. Facebook it, e-mail it to friends, tweet it, then Facebook it again everyday. Really! This is how we find the 'crowd' in crowd-funding, through persistence and linking. Become part of the drama; regularly check on our progress and get your friends and family in on the drama, too. Know somebody in the press, or folks with lots of contacts? Get 'em the link.
Most important of all, know how much ALL of us on the production of this film --- from Bo, to Jim, the camera and sound guys, the editor, sound studio, still photographer, graphic designer --- appreciate and thank you for your support.
We're gonna make a great film, and we're glad to have you along for the experience.
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Funding period
- (32 days)