Production + Fulfillment Update
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jul 04, 2021 at 12:20:06 PM

WOW! What an amazing time for ElfQuest the Audio Movie. While we were in our final weeks of the Kickstarter campaign, we were deep into production-mode, scheduling actors from many timezones to record in live directed sessions from professional studios and professional home studios in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oakland, CA, New York City, and Vancouver, BC! Over 8 days of recording we recorded the bulk of the ~250 page Audio Movie, which will ultimately be 5 episodes with a total runtime around 4 hours (just over 45 minutes per episode).

There are more highlights than we could stuff into a single update, but here are a few!

Cree Summer (SAVAH) recording with us at the legendary Marc Grauer voiceover studio in Los Angeles.

Alejandro Saab (CUTTER), Osric Chau (SKYWISE), Ray Porter (GREYMUNG), and Bob Picardo (PICKNOSE) recording the epic "throne room of the trolls" scene:

Tim Russ joins us as Sun-Toucher!

The love (?) triangle - Alejandro Saab (CUTTER), Divinity Roxx (LEETAH), Pun Bandhu (RAYEK)

Yasha Jackson (SHEN-SHEN) and Abie Eke (AHDRI)!

And the mighty blow-out session on Thursday 6/24 -- where we assembled a mighty set of talents across many locations for a 3-hr ensemble recording of the Wolfriders. Alejandro Saab, Osric Chau, Zehra Fazal, Hugo Pierre Martin, J. Woodward, Clare Kramer, Amber Benson, Will Friedle, Aaron Douglas, Thomas Trinh, and special guests Wendy and Richard, and our casting team, Stephanie Klapper and Lacey Davies. WOWZER!

We could (and probably might) write a whole book on the epic adventures recording Volume 1 of the Audio Movie... but for now, we're hiding out in our studio to start working on molding the brilliant raw performances into a story.

Fulfillment Update

This week has been all about setting up BackerKit, building shipping tables, getting updated quotes from manufacturers, ordering test merch, and merging data. It's not glamorous, but it's all part of making sure that everything is in place when our pledge manager launches.

The two weeks after a campaign are always a little strange, since we want to get to work right away, but we don't have access to the essential data from Kickstarter. When they send that at the two-week mark, we'll be able to import all backers into BackerKit and see exactly what our status looks like. (Earlybird backers are getting imported today or Monday—we just uploaded that final report to the BackerKit team!)

Currently the surveys are built, the add-ons store is built, and our next big project is nailing down final product weights and dimensions. We had a long conversation with our warehouse manager on Wednesday and are assessing best practices to protect and preserve the minis, posters, and other potentially fragile items during shipping. Early next week we'll talk with the miniatures manufacturer to discuss revised individual packaging options at the factory itself. These conversations affect freight, shipping, and handling and are all about balancing cost with quality. As we lock in those solutions, we'll be ready to complete shipping tables.

On the VAT side, we're in good shape: we'll charge VAT on a country-by-country basis and pay those import fees upfront when we import product into Europe. It's been good to confirm that, despite new VAT rules that just kicked in this month, our plans can proceed and packages can ship domestically within the EU.

What does that mean for a launch date for BackerKit? We're still on target for this month, as planned, unless something totally unexpected happens with the sample products and shipping plan.

We know that everyone is eager to get into the pledge manager and thank you for your patience!

Thank you, everyone!
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 10:58:44 PM

There's so much more to share—and so much more to create!—but for tonight, we'll keep it simple: THANK YOU.

• 2,268 Kickstarter Backers;
• 500 Earlybird Backers;
• Over $300,000 raised to produce the most epic, deluxe, inclusive version of the ElfQuest Audio Movie that we can possibly achieve!

The success of this campaign is a gift to ElfQuest fandom, to the audio movie team, and of course to Wendy and Richard. We'll be back in a couple days with more updates, more teasers, and information about next steps.

In the meantime, thank you for helping us cross the desert: our plan this weekend is to sleep well and dream of shade and sweetwater.

A Complete Guide to Our Pledge Manager and Fulfillment Plan
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 02:21:38 PM

Hi everyone!

There's a lot of important information in here. The first section is for all backers, both earlybird and Kickstarter. The second section is for earlybird backers (pre-Kickstarter).

tl;dr

Do you need ALL the details now? This is your guide. 

Do you prefer to just let the process happen? That's fine too, but please read the following "Action Item" section carefully.

ACTION ITEM

IMPORTANT: Please whitelist emails from @backerkit.com and @thefantasy.network in your email client. If you feel super fancy, make a filter to send them to your inbox. And contact us if your email address changes. If you're not receiving our emails, you'll miss out on completing your surveys and receiving your rewards. And nobody wants that!

I – HOW THE PLEDGE MANAGER WORKS

• Our pledge manager will be BackerKit.
• A pledge manager is used after a crowdfunding campaign to collect backer surveys, collect and change shipping addresses, provide add-ons and pledge upgrades, and deliver digital rewards. It will be your hub for all things related to managing your pledge!
• When the pledge manager goes live BackerKit will email you with a link to your survey. BackerKit will email again periodically until your fill out your survey. Not sure if we've sent surveys yet? Search your email for messages from @backerkit.com.
• Most reward items will be available a la carte in BackerKit. For example, if you just want the Bearclaw sterling silver amulet, you could add it on in the pledge manager.
• If you couldn't pledge to the Kickstarter for any reason, we'll make BackerKit open to the public for a limited time. (This is especially important for people who can only pledge with Paypal.)
• Some stretch goal items will also be available a la carte in BackerKit for an additional fee (like the Sending Star pin), if you want to reserve them then. Of course, if you pledged for the $50 or higher reward level, you would automatically receive that Sending Star pin stretch goal as part of your pledge, at no additional cost.
• If you pledged for a level that includes stretch goal rewards, you get those stretch goals, regardless of whether it was in our Earlybird campaign or in Kickstarter. $100 backers receive all unlocked $100 stretch goals.
• Signed items will NOT be available as add-ons in BackerKit (except to earlybird backers).
• Stretch goals that we don't reach in the Kickstarter may be unlocked as more pledges happen in BackerKit. We'll monitor those late pledges and keep you updated.
• You will be able to manage your shipping address (and change it if necessary) in BackerKit until we lock addresses. And we'll give plenty of notice when that's about to happen. Once BackerKit is ready, you can access and update your account at any time. There's no need to ask us to change an address for you—that option is available in your account!
• You will be able to choose the name that you want credited for your pledge level in BackerKit. (Yes, we reserve the right to reject submitted names with obscenities, hate speech, or registered trademarks. Yes, we read every name!)
• We will charge shipping and handling, and VAT if applicable, in BackerKit. If you reside in Washington State, we'll back state taxes out of your pledge. 
• Because international backers often request this flexibility, you will be able to opt-out of any physical reward items that you don't want to receive.
• A few backers invariably change email addresses or lose access to their BackerKit accounts. If that happens to you, send an email to [email protected] and we'll help you recover your account.

We'll communicate many times regarding filling out surveys in a timely manner, but a few backers always forget or miss them, for whatever reason. If you miss the first round of surveys and shipping, we'll hold onto your rewards for 12 months after everything ships and will keep trying to reach you. Once we're at the 12-month mark after shipping is complete, we can't guarantee that reward items associated with unfinished surveys will still be in stock. To repeat: we're providing an additional twelve months of grace after after fulfillment for backers who didn't fill out their surveys to complete the process so that we can fulfill your rewards.

Kickstarter updates are the canonical place to check the status of the audio movie and rewards fulfillment. Please check the latest updates as your first step if you're worried that you've missed something! Updates will contain action items, how-tos, and everything you need in order to get caught up.

We know that everyone is eager and we thank you for your patience while we focus on doing everything RIGHT, rather than rushing the job.

II – NOTES FOR EARLYBIRD BACKERS

For those of you who pledged to our pre-Kickstarter campaign, we've included this FAQ to help you navigate the system.

• The earlybird campaign and the main campaign on Kickstarter are managed on two separate back-end systems and so are not connected administratively.
• If you pledged in the earlybird, you've already been charged and your pledge does NOT appear in the Kickstarter campaign system.
• If you pledged in the earlybird, please don't pledge in the main campaign on Kickstarter. When the Pledge Manager launches (see above) you'll be able to up your pledge level there if you want to get higher level rewards or add-ons. If you already pledged in both campaigns, it's not a problem, but we'll need to link your pledge information manually. If you do receive two BackerKit invites, let us know so that we can merge them.
• If you pledged in the earlybird, you will receive all the same rewards offered in the main campaign on Kickstarter at the level you pledged at in the earlybird, plus any of the earlybird exclusives for your pledge level.
• If you pledged in the earlybird, you will receive ALL the stretch goal rewards announced in the main campaign on Kickstarter.
• After the main campaign ends the Pledge Manager will launch (at a minimum 2 weeks after the Kickstarter closes). In the Pledge Manager BOTH earlybird backers AND main campaign backers will be able to manage their pledge details including shipping address and also add on to your original pledge.
• Shipping (and VAT, when applicable) will be charged via the Pledge Manager.
• In the Pledge Manager, anyone who pledged in either the earlybird or the main campaign can up their pledge to a higher level to get additional rewards or add-ons such as the fine art prints. You'll only be charged the difference between the new pledge level and what you already paid, plus any relevant shipping/VAT.

Joyleaf and Rain Casting Announced!
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 02:10:54 PM

One more update for you before we cross the finish line!

Lisa Coronado is an American actor known for her film and television work. She played fan-favorite Dr. Merch on Z-NATION, worked with David Lynch on the new season of TWIN PEAKS, and has traveled around the world as the immortal Pepper Jones for STROWLERS. In addition to her film and TV work, Lisa is a tabletop and videogame streamer and voiceover artist. You can find her playing horror games on her HeySmallz Twitch channel when she isn’t appearing on tabletop liveplay show VOID JUMPERS  for Zombie Orpheus.

David is a naturalist and television host with the National Wildlife Federation. He holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University and is an expert on wildlife and our environment. He’s dedicated to using his knowledge and his enthusiasm to help others understand and protect wildlife. He is an avid ElfQuest fan and has spent years helping build and support ElfQuest fandom.

David hosted and co-produced Backyard Habitat on Animal Planet, a television series airing from 2005-2008 that showed people how to transform their yards and gardens into thriving habitats for birds and other local wildlife.

How to Help ElfQuest in the Final Hours + Livestream Marathon!
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 02:10:38 PM

Welcome to the ElfQuest Audio Movie

Maybe you're an early backer, watching the number of pledges climb today, astonished and delighted by (at the time of writing) the almost 2000 fans who have signed on to fund the ElfQuest Audio Movie. Now, it's time to take all that energy and excitement for one final push to help anyone else who loves ElfQuest get in before the door closes! Can you help us by sharing this update?

Or, maybe you're an ElfQuest fan who just heard about this campaign from a friend, in which case, WELCOME! There's so much to discover!

Experience the trailer!

Rewards & Stretch Goals

The opportunity to join this Kickstarter closes in a few short hours. After that, some of the most exciting, exclusive rewards packages that we're offering won't be available any more, especially with the many stretch goals that we've unlocked:

•  At $25, you receive not only the audio movie itself (over four-and-a-half hours long!) but our team will PERSONALIZE your digital download, making each edition totally unique.
•  At $50, beyond the 12 signing cards and all prior rewards, you ALSO receive a big Madcoil mini, a Sending Star pin, a digital download of the audio movie soundtrack, and if we reach $199,000 a big King Greymung mini!
•  At $100, we've added EIGHT more minis beyond the original four, PLUS all prior rewards, PLUS other unlocked stretch goals, for a retail value over $175! 
•  At $250, you get ALL SIXTEEN minis, a movie poster print, and so much more
• And at $500, we've unlocked your choice of a 15mm sterling silver or 50mm stainless steel Bearclaw's Amulet, PLUS a signed book plate, PLUS a deluxe hardcover edition of the complete Audio Movie script.

And of course, if you want a limited edition, signed art print of Wendy's original cover art, this is the ONLY time that they have been offered.

THE LIVESTREAM

With cast members from dozens of our favorite animated and live action TV shows, recording from studios across the country, the ElfQuest Audio Movie is coming to life!

Check out the main page for the trailer that we already cut, then, tune into today's big livestream as director Fred Greenhalgh live-edits yesterday's cast recording.

We'll be announcing new cast members (including a beloved member of the ElfQuest community), sharing behind-the-scenes, chatting with Wendy and Richard, and so much more!

• Watch on Facebook
• Watch on Vimeo
• Watch on Kickstarter

And finally, THANK YOU AGAIN to everyone who has helped bring this project to life!