Contribute $50 or more to get a "BUSK! Show me your tips" t-shirt!!!

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If we meet our funding goal, 5% will be donated to Keep A Breast Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating youth about early breast cancer detection! Donate & spread the word via the links above!

Go ahead - promote a good cause or TWO - you know you wanna!!!  :-)

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What does "busk" mean? Did you make that up?

Busk is a verb that means to perform or entertain in a public place, usually for tips or donations. The word's been around for a long time - since way back in 1857, according to ye ol' Merriam-Webster. So, no - unfortunately, I didn't make it up and will instead file it under "things I wish I'd come up with first" along with marshmallow peep art and whatever you call this thing a dude named Jean-Luc did with phones and sheep.

So what's this documentary about?

BUSK! is a character-driven documentary about how an emerging cultural center like Charlotte, NC can - (and should!) - encourage street art and performance toward its own social, cultural, and economic growth.

With an inquisitive and playful spirit, the film follows the lives of four local street performers to promote an understanding and appreciation for art that reaches beyond the walls of a gallery, theater, or concert hall. Their triumphs and struggles will lead us through an exploration of how Charlotte does or doesn't rise to the challenge of supporting grassroots arts and culture.

But to understand what's really at stake, check out this Charlotte Magazine Q&A piece (http://t.co/KRwcu5a) and this Charlotte Observer article (http://bit.ly/k6DWJt) about the film! Plus, there's lots more info on our movie website and Facebook fan page!  :-)

BUSK! is made possible by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, the Blumenthal Endowment, and the arts council of Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Rutherford, and York (SC) counties.

The project is also fiscally sponsored by Aubin Pictures, a not-for-profit (501c3) documentary media production company in New York City focused on arts, culture, and social justice issues.

When can I see it?

While the film premiere and DVD release won't be until the end of the year, BUSK! is a documentary project, which means that film shorts, ringtones, special events, and other fun goodies in support of busking culture will be rolled out on a regular basis.

In fact, our next special event - Buskapalooza - is already scheduled for Friday, May 6th from 5-11pm in Uptown Charlotte. Starting at the intersection of Trade & Tryon, over 24 buskers of various art forms music, visual, magic, dance, theatre will line the streets to perform, all in one evening. Click on the link above to check out the festival line-up. Oh, and here's a Fox News segment about it that recently aired - http://t.co/o1Wnlvr

How can I help?

First off, thanks for asking! You can help by supporting efforts in Charlotte or your own city to support grassroots creative culture. And more specifically, you can help us reach our funding goal so that we can continue our own efforts to do the same.

We've been very fortunate to receive a grant from the NC Arts Council, which covered costs to enter a few film festivals and purchase a custom-built computer that can handle film editing. But there's still much more to purchase, and funds raised through this campaign will go toward -

• equipment (camera, lenses, light kit, audio kit)
  
• software (editing, animation, dvd authoring)
  
• marketing materials (web domain/hosting, postcards, brochures, promo items)
  
• related community events (street performance festival in May)
  
• film festivals (submission fees, dv tape conversion)
  
• and the list goes on and on and on
  

Heck, there are even hefty fees associated with the fundraiser itself - 4% to fiscal sponsor, 4% (if I make the goal) or 9% (if I don't make the goal) to IndieGoGo, 3% for debit/credit processing, and 25% to Uncle Sam (the government, I mean - otherwise, I would've said Uncle Ricky - just sayin').

To help fund this $35,000 project, we're also sending in more grant applications, which will help hire additional team members to make the film the best it can be. But until then, this project continues to be a labor of love for our team members, who are working hard to help our community and its creative class.

Cool. What's in it for me?

In addition to helping your community's growth and supporting a film that will be just as fun as it is serious, your support of the film can get some darn cool rewards, if I may say so myself. Tellllllll her what she's won, Vanna...

• BUSK! t-shirt (see design and colors here - http://on.fb.me/lbygEj)
  
  
• Film premiere tickets (premiere planned for December 2011)
  
  
• Tax deduction (through our 501c3 fiscal sponsor) 
  
  
• Film shorts (screened and/or posted online - FREE!)
  
  
• DVD (with extra features... 'cause I loves me some bloopers!)
  
  
• Associate Producer credits
  
  
• Community events & social experiments - like last year's (en)Counter-Culture Lightrail Event and the upcoming Buskapalooza street festival (visit http://buskmovie.com/events for more details)
  
  
• Original artwork - Visit here to choose which piece you want: http://on.fb.me/hpzDwn. Artwork is available on a "first come, first served" basis, with new pieces added throughout the campaign. When you make your donation of $100 or more, please include in the notes field which art piece you want. Each piece is numbered for easy reference. Also, if you donate early in the campaign and see a piece later that you'd like better, I'm more than happy to accommodate your new choice.
  
  
• Custom video - Up to three minutes in length, this video will be custom-made for you by our documentary team, from pre-production to post-production. There are many ways to take advantage of this great reward - for example, a promo video for your business, fun spoof documentary that you star in, cool A&E-style documentary just for the heck of it, or cinematic biography to celebrate a loved one's milestone (graduation, marriage, new baby, 40th birthday, golden anniversary). Note: This reward is for promotional or documentary-style videos only. But we are happy to collaborate on narrative film projects outside of this fundraising campaign.

Um, aren't you forgetting something?

No, I just haven't said it yet - so there! But it's definitely time to say it now. Okay, here goes...

A warm and heartfelt THANKS to our sponsors, team, fans, friends, anyone promoting the importance of creative culture, and most importantly YOU for giving what you can to the cause this project represents!

You're very welcome. Now, who are you people, anyway?

Good question. Let's just say that, each day we grow to know ourselves a little better. And in the words of Nietzsche... oh wait, you meant bios, and here I am goin' on about philosophy... oops.

April Dene | Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer, Publicist (website)

April Dene is a filmmaker, feature writer, copywriter, and college instructor based in Charlotte, NC. Currently, she's a regular contributor to The Charlotte Observer, a copywriter and blogger for area businesses, and the leader of a monthly script and film workshop series. April also writes, directs, and performs for stage, including a recent award from the Metrolina Theatre Association. She holds an MA in English and a BA in Psychology.

Rob Hammock | Associate Producer (website)

Rob Hammock has worked with non-profit organizations for over 13 years as a grant writer and evaluator, specializing in project finance. He earned an MDiv from Princeton University and a BA from Duke University, with focus on community-based non-profits related to affordable housing and economic development.

Claire Younts | Production Assistant (website)

Claire Younts is a long-time promoter of community arts and culture initiatives, specifically related to local music. More recently, she has been focusing her support on coordination for BUSK! related community events and management for the NC-based alternative rock band Dangerous Daze. Claire earned a BA in English and Art History.

Russ Greene | Post-Production Advisor (imdb)

Russ Greene has been editing documentaries for over 10 years. He has edited 4 features and 3 short films and has served as assistant editor on 2 features and 1st assistant editor on several other films, including Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning The Betrayal and Emmy-nominated, Sundance award-winning Patti Smith: Dream of Life.

Pete Romano | Sound Advisor (website)

Pete Romano is an NYC-based sound professional with experience in audio production for film, television, radio, and advertising. Through this experience, he is not only a source of sound mixing but also for original audio content, including custom cinematic scoring, sound design, foley work, voice over, and ADR.

Brendan McKennedy | Sound Advisor (website)

Brendan McKennedy has both formal education and practical experience in sound recording and mixing, including recording techniques and artistic production values. He is also experienced in music composition and performance, with proficiency in several instruments. Brendan earned a BS in Music Recording.

Brian Oxendine | Unit Manager (imdb)

Brian Oxendine is an experienced producer, adept at managing locations and crews as well as keeping budgets low without sacrificing quality. He has helped produce many short and feature-length films - including the narrative feature Palmetto Haunting, which recently won a North Carolina Film Award.

Additional team members and sponsors are listed at http://buskmovie.com