Arby 'n' the Chief Patreon campaign payment model now "per-video"

I've just modified my Patreon campaign to now only charge backers per video rather than per month.

What does this mean, you may ask?

Anybody who's currently pledging to support Arby 'n' the Chief via my Patreon page, or might decide to become a backer after now, will only be charged on the release of new episodes, and no longer be automatically charged at the end of each month regardless of my upload schedule.

This is because I've recently managed to open more streams of revenue to support myself in the form of freelance writing work and answering day calls to work on local studio productions as a permittee film set grip.

I feel proud of the episodes released so far and have a lot of faith in those to come, but the uploads have been embarrassingly far apart. However, I still felt justified until now in having the show supported through Patreon's per-month model as I believe this show's production is a unique case; it's not an interview show or a guy-talking-to-the-camera-intercut-with-graphics show, it's one with cinematic merit based off of carefully considered screenplays and effortful cinematography and editing. It takes time to execute properly, particularly by one person, and I've been dedicating myself to it 100%.

If I'm to get into a position to start saving money -- that includes a budget devoted to doing cool things in the live action episodes of the show to come later on -- and not just scraping by, I've gotta bring that dedication to the show down to about 70% so I can fit in some freelancing and film jobs to pay the bills.

Now that I can't devote my time entirely to the show's production, I no longer feel justified in accepting support through Patreon's per-month model.

I work on this show because I like its characters and find enjoyment in the work and the reactions once it's released that I can't find in anything else. I have no desire to take advantage of the fans' support. I think their funds should be going to the content alone and not my down-time or time spent working on other jobs.

Patreon and the other crowdfunding platforms offer very exciting opportunities for content creators like me, and I think its important for creators operating on those platforms to remain as transparent and ethical as possible to maintain the integrity of the platforms so they might thrive.

Someone on Twitter asked me if I was gonna upload a million videos a month now. No. If I was in a position to submit content that regularly, I'd revert to Patreon's per-month model.

Backers will not be charged their pledge amount for any video uploads besides full episodes of the show, not Twitch streams or commentaries.

If I somehow manage to get ahead in my production of the show later on and be in a position to upload two or more full episodes in one month, I'll either revert back to the per-month model or upload the other videos besides one as free content. I don't intend for any backers to donate to me more than once a month.

TL;DR: Backers will now either be charged less than usual -- which is likely, for now -- or roughly at the same rate as they have been, but not more. It's a good thing. The only bad thing is I'm no longer 100% dedicated to the show, for people who are impatient enough with the story unfolding already.

Anybody's welcome to contact me at jcjgraham@gmail.com with any concerns.

Having that 30% distraction from the show might very well help the production of the show along, too. Focusing on nothing but a project of this scale makes you prone to tunnel vision and see it as more daunting than it actually is. I think it'll be good for me to be able to dip out from the show occasionally, not feel so guilty about not getting them out fast enough and keep myself busy with paid and satisfying work on other projects, then keep coming back to working on my own with a fresh perspective. I do need to get out more.

I'm still in the process of finalizing the script for episode four, the title of which is still pending, but I'm very happy with it, much more so than I was last week. It's at least forty-five pages now. If you've enjoyed the first three episodes, I can confidently say you'll enjoy this one. This is the half-way point of the eighth season's Space Odyssey arc -- the point at which shit starts going off the rails.

I still intend on delivering the best show possible until the season's done, so please stay tuned and thanks again for all your support, financial or otherwise.

Cheers,
Jon

Episode Four, Freelancing, Patreon Payment Models

Hey, folks.

Let's quickly go over the videos I've released since my last written blog post:

Arby 'n' the Chief - Season 8, Episode 02: "Nervewreck"

Arby 'n' the Chief - Season 8, Episode 02: "Nervewreck" Director's Commentary

Arby 'n' the Chief: Bytes - Season 3, Episode 01: "Stars Force: The Darkness Awakened Review"

Arby 'n' the Chief: Bytes - Season 3, Episode 02: "Jams Bonk (Part 1)"

Arby 'n' the Chief - Season 8, Episode 03: "Party Time"

Arby 'n' the Chief - Season 8, Episode 03: "Party Time" Director's Commentary

Jon CJG Q&A Stream #3

Episode four, which currently doesn't have a title, is the next one in the queue.

I've finished a first draft of it. I could shoot and edit what I have written and you'd probably think the episode was fine, but there's a few scenes in the script that I know could be better than they currently are and I'm taking some time to think about them before I go into production. I'm trying my best not to waste time. I'll keep you posted on Twitter regarding the episode's status.

In other news, I've just created a profile on the online freelancing platform UpWork. You can take a look at it here:

Freelance Work Profile (UpWork)

Why have I done this? At the risk of sounding ungrateful, while the amount of funding I've accumulated via Patreon from my backers has been truly astounding and heart-warming, month-to-month expenses aren't cheap and relying on that funding alone as I have been just isn't sustainable for me, at least not at the moment.

I've barely been leaving my house except for breakfast each day. I walk everywhere because I don't want to spend money on transit. I limit my spending to one meal a day that's under $15-20. No video games, no movies, no nights out at bars or anything like that. Very occasionally I'll buy a bottle of wine, but that's just to render myself remotely entertaining during my streams and director's commentaries. In short, life since I started my Patreon campaign for the show has been all work and no play.

If I had reached or at least come close to my first funding milestone of $2,000 per month on Patreon by now I'd be singing a different tune, but I haven't been able to get much more than halfway there. Lately, for most of the new pledges that come in, enough people who are already backers reduce the amounts they've pledged, essentially cancelling the new earnings out. I don't blame backers for reducing their pledges, either. In fact, if they feel they've been paying too much, I completely encourage them to do so.

Until I can perhaps achieve a bit more success on Patreon, I need another revenue stream. Not just to start saving money, but just to get by. Either the form that takes is working as a freelancer through this UpWork platform I've just discovered, or I submit a couple of applications I've already filled out to my local IATSE 891 dispatch office and land a Vancouver film gig working as a video editing or art department assistant.

I'd rather not do the latter if I don't have to. I have high hopes regarding this UpWork freelancing thing, it appears to be a great service with plenty of interesting job listings. If you have a budget and a writing or video editing project you think I'd be ideal for, please consider registering on UpWork as a client and submitting a proposal to me. If not you, consider recommending me to a person who does, should you be familiar with such an individual. I'd really appreciate it.

For a more detailed listing of my skills and experience for those considering to hire me, they can check out my detailed resume on LinkedIn:

Jon's LinkedIn Profile

All that said, working on Arby 'n' the Chief is still very important to me, and I'll continue to do so whenever I can. I've been developing the eighth season's full story since January last year and I'm excited to get the episodes done and let you guys see them.

For those who might be unfamiliar with Patreon's payment models, there are two: per month and per video. My campaign is currently set to "per month", meaning regardless of content that I have or haven't released during a particular month, my backers are charged the amount they've pledged at the end of that month.

If my working film or freelancing jobs takes an impactful amount of my time away from developing and producing Arby 'n' the Chief or I earn a comfortable amount of money from them, I'll be changing my Patreon payment model to "per video", meaning my backers are only ever charged on the release of new episodes of the show and not at the end of every month regardless of content.

I'm only currently on the "per month" model to stay afloat, otherwise I could definitely do without the guilt of feeling like I'm not getting episodes out fast enough to keep the fans engaged. I'd feel a lot better about myself day-to-day were I on the "per video" model and charging people fairly. If you're currently a backer supporting me monthly, know that you're really saving my ass right now amd I'm truly grateful.

To summarize: Episode four's coming along, thanks again to all my saint-like backers for their generosity and patience with me, share my videos, let other people know I'm working freelance, submit a proposal to me via UpWork if you have a budget and job for me and stay tuned as usual. If I do end up changing my Patreon payment model, I'll be sure to let you guys know beforehand.

Cheers,

Jon