Paul Scanlan & Jeff Annison

#349: Crowdfunded Storytelling: Becoming a Big or Small Movie Mogul

#349: Crowdfunded Storytelling: Becoming a Big or Small Movie Mogul

Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way to raise funds for specific causes. But how do you execute an effective crowdfunding campaign that inspires, engages and attracts support organically?

It all lies in crafting a powerful story for your campaign that can move people to action and get your investors excited to be a part of your project.

With a first-of-its-kind production company built from the ground up to be owned by fans, serial entrepreneurs Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan, co-founder of Legion M know a thing or two about how to use their community as their superpower.

The duo formed the company in 2016 with the purpose of allowing fans to invest in and be part of the creation of entertainment from movies, television shows, virtual reality and now, Broadway plays. For $100, people are able to buy shares of the company – giving them the opportunity to add notes to the story, details for characters, provide props used in the projects – resulting in a built-in fan base for original IP guaranteed to bring in an audience upon release.

Legion M is revolutionizing the way entertainment is made in Hollywood by uniting a growing fan community of 130,000+ members with nearly 30k investors who have both equity and emotional stakes in the outcomes of the pictures they make. Projects in “various stages of development,” include the epic fantasy, The Emperor’s Blades; comic book and feature film Girl With No Name, and documentary Memory: The Origins of Alien. 

Their work also includes multiple original television series including Evermor, Airship Cowboys, and Malice; as well as interactive and VR-based projects, like ICONS: Face to Face, starring the late Stan Lee of Marvel Comic fame and Kevin Smith. Legion M also invests in partner productions, including Kevin Smith’s feature film Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, as well as the critically acclaimed Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.

Tune in as Paul and Jeff share how they are turning the old Hollywood business model on its head and how you can get in on the action. 

 

Discussed in this episode 

• How Legion M got started and what makes them so exceptional
• Why unity is the foundation they lead with 
• How their investors (their fans) are influencing the decision making of Legion M
• The skeptical response Paul and Jeff received from Hollywood around crowdfunding for an entertainment company
• The company’s strategy to make money and return it to investors
• Examples of the unique marketing behind the successful crowdfunding of Legion M
• What is equity crowdfunding and how it works 
• What Paul and Jeff are doing to redefine what it means to be a shareholder and why they are heavily focused on delivering on emotional ROI 

Links

• https://legionm.com/
• Connect with Legion M on LinkedIn
• Connect with Paul Scanlan on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jeff Annison on LinkedIn
• Follow Legion M on Instagram
• Follow Legion M on Facebook
• Grab your copy of The Narrative Gym for Business
• Click here for your The ABT’s of Branding™ online quick course
• Click here for your The ABT’s of Selling™ online quick course

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