About
The Indies: An Animated Short
$52,594
438
WE DID IT!!!
We successfully reached our goal and got The Indies: An Animated Short fully funded! There's still a lot of work to be done, but this is a big first step. If you want to stay up to date with us and the project, then be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also visit Bluegeekmusic.com for more info. Thank you so much for all of your support. Without you, none of this is possible. I can't wait to show you what we come up with!
--DJ Tony Drake
The Indies: An Animated Series is a project that I've been working on for the past 5-6 years. I saw that there really wasn't an animation that spoke directly to the Hip-Hop community without trying to exploit the culture. We've had Hip-Hop animations that we all love like Afro Samurai, The Boondocks, and Samurai Champloo. But we haven't had anything on that scale and that GOOD in a very long time. Fast forward to today and we're now trying to continue that legacy of dope Hip-Hop centered animation by filling that void with The Indies: An Animated Series. With a dope storyline, great art, and all original Hip-Hop score I truly believe we can accomplish that. We've been pitching the full length series and showing our work at Comic Cons which has allowed us to gain a lot of positive traction.
We wanted to take advantage of that momentum, so we decided to start a Kickstarter to raise funds to create an animated short! This action packed short will give viewers a chance to get to know all five main characters, along with hearing some of the music from our original soundtrack.
You want to know what the story is about? Well check it out below:
Set in a futuristic dystopian society, The Indies: An Animated Series follows an up and coming rapper named Slick. Born into a well-to-do family living on Earth's Moon, he longs for the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a famous recording artist. With a burning desire to make his dreams come true by any means necessary, Slick has a chance meeting with DJ Chops, one of Hip-Hop's biggest DJs and record executives. Chops offer Slick what seems to be an amazing recording contract, which Slick hastily signs without reading the fine print. Slick soon finds out that not only did he sign up to pursue his dream of being a famous artist, but he also signed up for something much more sinister. You see, what Slick failed to realize is that not only are record labels home to some of the universe’s biggest music stars; they also serve as fronts for hitmen for hire services of nefarious crime lords. In order to free himself from his contract, Slick must now work with his new label mates to release his debut album while simultaneously executing dangerous hit jobs. Through these missions, the label mates will explore morality, loyalty, human nature, and discover who they really are at their core.
Peep the five main characters from The Indies.
We have five main characters in our story, but music is arguably the sixth. It will be an integral part of moving the action forward and setting the mood in this animated short. Since the music is so important we had to call in the best! That's why we decided to record our soundtrack at the Grammy award winning House Studios DC. The producers we've worked with are amazing and have production credits that include Pimp C, Skepta, Wale, Three Six Mafia, Kodak Black, A$AP Rocky, Fabolous, and Wiz Khalifa. Take a look below at some BTS footage of us in the studio creating the music:
We wanted to create the world that was futuristic, but also very familiar to people. With that in mind, Tony sat down with our concept artist, Jonathan Powell, and was able to explore what the world would look like once people started living on the moon and neglecting the Earth. Below is a sample of what they came up with:
Why we need your help as told by the creator of The Indies: An Animated Series, DJ Tony Drake:
So far this project has been funded 100% by the money I get from my day job as an Electrical Engineer. Everything from studio time, musicians, concept art, comic con travel/setup, etc. I think I've been able to accomplish a lot, but in order for me to take The Indies: An Animated Series to the next level and get this project the attention it deserves, I need your help. We've been pitching The Indies: An Animated Series to investors and executives, and although they love the story and art, they want to know if there's an audience for this. To me, it's a no brainer. But if we can fully fund this project, not only will we get a dope short, but we can prove to the executives that all of us want to see The Indies: An Animated Series on television!
Most Kickstarters ask for you to donate and then you have to wait until the campaign is over to see if you'll receive anything. We don't want to do that. So instead we'll be releasing a free webcomic written by DJ Tony Drake and illustrated by the super talented Icky H. Each week we will release a couple of panels to tell a story that will conclude at the end of the Kickstarter campaign. This is our way of saying thank you for supporting us! You can read it here.
All the funding we receive will be going towards the animation and delivery of rewards. Everything you see here has been funded by DJ Tony Drake, but none of this money will go into his personal pockets. Outside of fees and Kickstarter reward fulfillment, the money will solely be used for artists and creatives that are contributing towards this Kickstarter. If we are able to exceed our goal, those additional funds will also go towards improving the quality of the animation.
Major Contributors
There have been many people who have contributed to this project, but I want to take the time to thank all of these people below. Without them, this project wouldn't be as dope as it is:
- Artella
- Braeonart
- Brandon Carlye
- Brands By Bry
- DK aka Wayne Watts
- House Studios DC
- Icky H.
- Ike da Kid
- Jake Vicious
- Johnathan Powell
- King Soma
- Kokayi
- Lil Awree
- Locke Kaushal
- Native
- Niko Del Yato
- PNMA
- Ra The MC
- Reggie Volume
- Stereo Champions
- The 3D Hero
Risks and challenges
Because you are entrusting us with your support and donations, we want to ensure you that we are 100% committed to bringing this project to completion. With any project, there are going to be risks and challenges, but we will always strive to make sure we're doing everything we can to deliver a high-quality product that you can enjoy. On top of being an Electrical Engineer, Tony Drake also has a Master's degree in Program Management and has a lot experience in dealing with large budgets and complex projects. He plans to use those experiences and connections in the entertainment industry to ensure that this project comes to completion.
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Funding period
- (35 days)