Kickstarter co-founder defends Spike Lee and his new model for moviemaking

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Other stars have spoken out about it too.

Kerry Washington became the latest celebrity to show support of Lee with a new YouTube video released Wednesday. She describes how big names have helped the director in the past so now fans can have a chance.

Lee’s campaign currently totals around $831,000.

In an interview with Complex, Questlove states he’s supported both “the entitled” and “the struggler” on Kickstarter, and like Washington, he believes the director practically invented the concept.

“If I recall correctly, Spike Lee was actually selling white tube socks to fund She’s Gotta Have It,” the DJ remarks. “When he ran out of money for Malcolm X, he Kickstarted to Magic Johnson, Prince, Janet Jackson, Tracy Chapman, Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan. He asked all those individuals for a million dollars each. They gave it to him, no questions asked…I mostly Kickstarted films that I think are interesting, or at least documentaries that I would like to go see.”

Art for art’s sake

In a nutshell, that’s how Strickler describes Kickstarter’s purpose, and why he says the company will not be adding an equity component even when laws allow for it.

Profiting goes against the core values of the site, Strickler feels. Instead, they intend to stay focused not on what a project will earn, but more simply, that it will be.

“The goal is not to make money, the goal is to exist and say the things you want to say,” he explains. “The fact these things are looked at as a way to make money is the fact of their struggle in the first place.”

Nevertheless, the most successful campaigns do provide donors with small valuables along the way: insights into the creative process; free downloads and other merchandise; or, in Lee’s case, personalized updates on the film.

Ready to get Kickstarted?

Among other effective projects, Kickstarter lists gadgets, clothing and accessories, books and food products.

Fashion designers Flint & Tinder set out to raise $50,000 for production of their “10-Year Hoodie,” and ended up raking in over $1 million from about 9,000 backers.

Equally impressive, musician Amanda Palmer posted a goal of $100,000 for her first studio album without a major record label, and raised over $1.1 million from 24,000 backers.

Not everyone’s projects qualify, nonetheless. Kickstarter cannot be used for personal extravagance, wants or needs, or even humanitarian purposes.

Otherwise, anything and anyone goes.

“It takes a lot of work to make something that’s creative, and there are a lot of obstacles in your way,” Strickler says. “On Kickstarter, people are looking at it like, ‘Do I like this and want it to exist?’ It’s a much simpler question that allows a lot more things to happen.”

“The same is true of Spike Lee,” he continues. “He is able to go directly to his audience and say, ‘Hey do you guys want to be part of me making a new movie?’ And everyone gets to say yes or no. They’re answering that based on whether they like Spike Lee’s movies or not, not some complex business-marketing projection of how it’s going to play for audiences in Shanghai. It’s a fundamentally different way of looking at art that says art doesn’t need any justification for its existence other than people just want to enjoy it.”

Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia