Welcome to the Crowdsourcing Mornings segment! Every weekday morning, Geek Alabama talks about and features one crowdsourcing project from crowdsourcing sites such as, Indiegogo, and others. The hope with Crowdsourcing Mornings is to feature and help a project be successful and reach its fundraising goal. Please enjoy today’s featured project!
Please read our crowdsourcing guidelines at: https://geekalabama.com/media-kit-pr/geek-alabama-crowdsourcing-guidelines
My name is Tom Hudson, and I’m a photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Richmond, Virginia. You’ve likely seen my work on social media, as well as in publications like The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and Mother Jones.
If you’ve seen my recent coverage from Minneapolis — in the middle of immigration raids and protests — you know my style. No pundits, no studio lighting, no corporate agenda. Just the reality of what is happening on the ground.
Over the last 30 days, my reporting has generated 2 million views on social media. The demand for this kind of journalism is real. Now, I need your help to turn this into a sustainable operation.
The Problem
Legacy media is failing us.
They are often too slow, too sanitized, or too distant to show you what is actually happening. As we’ve seen with recent legacy media layoffs, entire visuals departments are being scrapped in favor of relying on unvetted content from social media.
Giving the full context of a story requires a professional visual journalist, not viral content from Instagram. Legacy outlets rely on press releases; I rely on being there.
But to be perfectly frank, independent reporting is expensive, and dangerous.
The Solution: Field Notes Press
To help us all meet this moment, I am launching Field Notes Press, a 100% independent media outlet dedicated to covering the stories about modern-day America that you won’t see on network news.
Where Does the Money Go?
I am not asking for a salary. Like anything worth doing, I want to launch this the right way, in a sustainable way, and I am asking for the tools to get the job done right. Here is exactly how the funds will be used:
🎥 $7,000 to Upgrade Gear: To bring you broadcast-quality 4K video and high-res photos, I need to upgrade to high-quality rigs that can handle everything from low light to high-risk environments, and upgrade my mobile editing system to get stories out faster.
✈️ $8,000 for The Travel Fund: Breaking news doesn’t happen in my backyard. This fund covers flights and logistics to get me to the front lines immediately. When big stories break, I will be there in hours, not days.
🛡️ $2,000 for Operations: The not-fun stuff: insurance, legal support, bookkeeping, and the like that are absolutely necessary for building a sustainable operation.
These funds will fully-fund all operations and travel for the next 6 months, where I project that Patreon subscriptions and licensing will be generating sufficient revenue to continue indefinitely.
As of February 10th, this project has raised $5,300 of their $17,000 goal. This project has 27 days left to raise the $17,000 or it will not be funded. For a pledge of $10, you will get one year Patreon access. For a pledge of $40, you will get one press corps kit. To learn more and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomhudson/field-notes-press?ref=section-homepage-projectcollection-7-staff-picks-
Categories: Crowdsourcing Mornings Stuff
