Pagan Living TV Launch

The Critical Need for Change

Everyone is aware that the world is currently on an unsustainable path.  Between the release of toxins into the environment, climate change, the high level of violence, genetically engineered foods, unrestrained corporate greed, and a growing denial of our shared humanity, there has never been such a critical need for a change in how we relate to each other and to the world around us.  To make matters worse, the Pagan spiritual path, which teaches a much more sustainable and healthy relationship between all living beings and the planet, is actively discriminated against in American society.

Thousands of Americans each year come to the Paganism in the hopes of finding a healthy, balanced, and spiritually connected way of living.  Pagan Living TV seeks to serve this rapidly growing community by supporting a Pagan world view through visual media.

Our Dream

Pagan Living TV will be a news and lifestyle program intended for three main audiences.  The first audience is that segment of the population who already identifies as Pagan.  Members of the Pagan spiritual community will receive news, stories, commentary, and entertainment that is timely and relevant to their daily lives.  Additionally, because of the wide distribution of this program, they will also enjoy the benefit of living in a world that is more understanding and accepting of Pagan spirituality.

The second audience are who could be considered Pagan-friendly, or Pagan sympathizers.  These are individuals who share a similar world view and concern for the future of our society and planet.  Pagan Living TV will serve this group by engaging in important conversation that is difficult to find in the major media.

The third audience are those who are either misinformed or ignorant of what Pagans believe and how they live.  Through our programming, this audience will learn that the Pagan spiritual path is one of peace, responsibility, and respect for all living things.  This will serve to detoxify the word "Pagan" in public discourse and decrease the level of discrimination fostered in American society.

Our Dream Team

The team or extraordinary individuals who are involved in Pagan Living TV continues to grow.  Our team includes, among others:

Dr. Todd Berntson - Executive Director

Dr. Berntson holds doctorates in cliinical psychology (Psy.D., candidate) and chiropractic (D.C.), and a B.S. in Nutrition Biochemistry.  He is the author of more than a dozen books on health, wellness, and emotional self-help.  He has appeared in the Washington Post, Self Magazine, the Boston Globe, Edge Magazine, as well as several radio and television appearances.  He has extensive experience in teaching psychology and pagan spirituality, and serves on the Board of Directors of Cherry Hill Seminary and Summerland Spirit Festival.

Robin Mavis - Chair, Board of Directors

Robin has a degree in business from Minnesota State University—Mankato.  She is currently a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst for Target Corporation, and the founder and director of the Anoka Hennepin Gay Equity Team.

Don Kurta - Board of Directors, Director of Marketing

Don has Bachelor's and an MBA in Marketing from Wayne State University, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class.  He worked as a Marketing Director for Mars Advertising in Detroit, the Director of Account Planning for Beaumont Bennet in Minneapolis, and was the Senior Vice President for WKB Marketing in Minneapolis.  Since 1995, he has been the President for Love On The Wing and a Marketing Consultant and Voice Over Talent for Diem Design.  Don is also a musician, photographer, singer, voice over talent, and an epert on exotic parrots.

Sean Nilsen - Board of Directors

Sean studied theater and technology in New Jersey and is currently a senior technology manager for ThomsonReuters.  He has served on the boards of directors for several organizations prior to joining the board of Pagan Living TV.

Lisa Lee - Board of Directors

Lisa has an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Nonprofit Organization, she was the Executive Director for the Nonprofit Division of Capital Growth Partners, the Director of Operations for Rainwater Capital Partners, and is currently the Director of Operations at Rhode LLC.  She also produces a weekly Pagan radio program called "Sit a Spell with Lisa Lee" that has over 400,000 listeners.

Kurt Scott - Studio Director

Kurt studied Theatre, Psychology and Philosophy at UW Eau Claire. He worked for 35 years as an actor, technical consultant and in stage management in several theatres in WI and MN. He won the "Producer of the Year" award at SPNN in 2004 for his documentary work spotlighting local political and GLBT Activism. Since 1999, Kurt has worked on over 150 studio productions as a producer, director, camera operator, lighting designer, and sound technician.

These are but a few of the many highly qualified people who are a part of this project.

We Can't Do It Without You!

We need your investment to make sure this program is launched correctly.

We are giving ourselves 7 weeks to achieve our modest fundraising goal of $5,000. The campaign will end September 30th.

Can you help us? Here’s how!

Support Us - Check out our great ‘thank you’ gifts, which include .

Join Us - become part of Pagan Living TV. Connect with us online, let us know about you and what is important to you.

Forward Us – Help us by sharing Pagan Living TV with your friends to help us reach as many people as possible. Post our campaign link: http://www.indiegogo.com/PaganLivingTV, on Facebook, Twitter, or just tell your friends about us. Spreading the news will help us raise awareness about our program, catch the attention of more change-makers, and attract more money to help launch Pagan Living TV.

Follow Us - Keep in touch with the project and the campaign. Sign up for our email newsletter to stay informed about the launch and success of Pagan Living TV.

Thank you!

____________________________________________________

FAQ's:

1. Where is the money going?

Here is a breakdown of where our funds will go:

• $2,000 — Goes toward paying the cost of cast and crew during the initial launch period.
• $1,000 — Goes toward the cost of designing and constructing our studio set.
• $850 — Goes to the IRS for our 501(c)(3) charity status application.
• $800 — Goes to cover printing marketing and promotional materials.
• $350 — Goes to Indiegogo to pay for using their website.

2. How does Indiegogo work?

First, choose your donation level, and the perk you would like to receive. You may choose to remain anonymous if you like, but we'd love to know who are, and we welcome any comments. Leave us your addresses as needed. Lastly, enter your payment information into Paypal - you need not have a Paypal account to use it!

3. Is my donation tax-deductible?

Donations at this time are not tax-deductible as Pagan Living Corporation, the organization producing Pagan Living TV is currently not a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  However, as achieving 501(c)(3) charitable status is one of the objectives of this campaign, future donations to PLTV will be tax-deductible.

4. When will I be able to watch Pagan Living TV?

Our goal is to launch in January, 2013.

5. Can I donate an amount other than the specific perk amount?

Yes! For example, if you want to give $30 but receive the perks from the $25 level, just click on "contribute now" then on the main campaign page, choose the $25 level, then scroll to the very bottom of Step 1 where it reads, "Enter your TOTAL contribution amount (which can be more than the perk minimum.)" 

6. How do I pay through Paypal without using a Paypal account? It's not working for me!

We've had a few people e-mail us with this question. Once directed to this Indiegogo help page, it has usually been resolved! Remember to 'deselect' the box that says "Save this information with a Paypal account" before you finalize your payment.
If you have a Paypal account tied to your credit card that you are trying to use, you will have to use that Paypal account.
We understand that some people prefer not to use Paypal for political reasons. If you would prefer to pay via some other means, please don't hesitate to contact us at payments@paganliving.tv if you have any concerns or questions.

7. I would like to offer to be a matching donor, of $500 or more.

The generous offers of matching donors have pushed this campaign towards success! If you would like to be a matching donor please contact us before you make your donation at payments@paganliving.tv. And thank you, in advance!

More questions? Ask us in the comments, or send us an e-mail at: todd.berntson@paganliving.tv