Timelines on the occasion of our Kickstarter anniversary
Oh, why hello there. Did you know that we kicked off the Revive Retronauts Kickstarter campaign a year ago today, based on what Bob tells me? It certainly doesn't seem that long ago. But that's because I'm old, and for old people, life is an ever-accelerating freight train hurtling toward death.
Though Vol. III of Retronauts didn't begin in earnest until July 1, we wanted to pause a moment today to take stock of where this whole mad campaign has been. On the whole, I feel pretty good about how things have gone – the most important element of all this, the podcast itself, hasn't missed a beat. Episode 18 Pocket goes up tomorrow, which is the... 39th episode overall, I think? Despite all the upheavals and changes we've had to deal with over the past year (including Ray finding a cool job and my being exiled to the East Coast), we've still managed to deliver a show every week since July 1. And we even produced a bonus episode for the holidays. The "third season" of Retronauts is on track to wrap up July 14, but we've actually decided to extend it slightly and produce a 27th episode and 27th Pocket episode so you get an even mix of the three different hosts filling your earholes. That means Vol. III now comes to an end on July 28th.
And then what? Well, we've decided we would in fact like to keep things going beyond that. Alas, that means we'll need to drum up additional funding; between equipment needs, travel, studio rentals, and of course taxes, the coffers will be running low by the time we wrap the show. We haven't pocketed the cash for ourselves; to be totally transparent, we agreed to set aside a very small amount for ourselves per episode, but I'm the only one who's actually taken his stipend from the bank... and I used that money to pay for an extended Tokyo stay after TGS so I could record Dan Feit's backer-requested episode. There's been no looting, profiteering, or diving in the money bin like it's a swimming pool. Basically, every cent we earned has been used for Retronauts. Thankfully, the original Kickstarter paid for all the equipment we need, so going forward any funds we source will essentially cover intangible expenses (rentals, event travel, web hosting, software licensing, etc.).
But! Before we consider how to extend the life of the show (which won't necessarily happen with another Kickstarter campaign – we have a few possibilities on the table), we still have some other things we need to sort out first. The podcast has remained on track, and we've sent out T-shirts and stickers and such. However, there are still some unfulfilled matters to take care of, and we would like to present you with our hard deadlines for completion. These are promises to you.
- DVDs and books: These will be completed and ready for production by July 1
- Art rewards: These will be completed and ready for shipment by June 1
- Charity livestreams: We're a little vague on these still as we need to sort out the logistics, but sometime in early May and early July are our targets
- Article rewards: These will be written and publishers by May 1
- Two extra episodes: These will go up July 21 and July 28
- Video commitments: These will be fulfilled by August 1
- Final live panel: We've committed to an event, but Ray will announce that in due time. It's 100% set, though!
- Next wave of funding: Whatever form it takes, we'll announce it no later than June 30
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments. And thanks for your support! Speaking for myself, it's been an interesting and often difficult year, and your feedback has helped me keep going when things get rough. So thanks again.
