We're 97% of the way to SIX EPISODES. PLUS... an update on Bonus Challenges & Rewards. AND... join us next Monday for a livestream surprise!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Apr 22, 2021 at 04:26:33 AM

•  Progress Report: 97% of the way to SIX EPISODES!
•  Bonus Challenge 1: DOUBLE STICKER UNLOCKED!
•  Bonus Challenge 2: 24 HOURS to GET 700 MORE BACKERS!
•  Save The Date: MST3K Livestream on MONDAY, APRIL 26! 

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey again, it's Joel. 

I know things might seem quiet around here, especially compared to our first Kickstarter, but I'm telling you: that's because behind the scenes, we're working on preparing some very interesting announcements, challenges, and special events for the rest of this month that are even more ambitious than anything we tried in 2015.

The first of those big announcements is coming tomorrow, when we'll share the big "video update" we've been working on... so yeah, be sure to check back for that. For tonight, I just have a few updates to share.

PROGRESS REPORT

It's Wednesday, April 21, which means we're two weeks into this new Kickstarter. And I've gotta tell you, even though things are still a little slow, I think we're doing good:

As of this evening, we're now 97% of the way to our second goal ($3.3M), which will let us make SIX NEW EPISODES and RELEASE GIZMOPLEX APPS for phones, tablets and TVs!

In case you missed it, Ivan also posted some more details on Kickstarter about our plans for the apps, which platforms they'll work on, and what you'll be able to do with them. (He isn't sleeping a lot right now, so if you check out that post, be sure to tell him what a great job he's doing!)

Anyway, I bet what you're really wondering is how those BONUS CHALLENGES are going, and whether we've unlocked any BONUS REWARDS... so let's talk about that!

BONUS CHALLENGE 1: UNLOCKED!

Last week, I promised that if we raised $3.11M by the end of this Monday, we would unlock our first "bonus reward" upgrade... and that's exactly what happened! So...

 If your Pledge or Add-On Rewards include a GIZMOPLEX STICKER, you'll now get two stickers, each with different designs. 

That also means that we've moved up the charts, and are now Kickstarter's Fourth Highest Funded "Film & Video Project" ever... and if that's as high as we get, I'll still be really proud of what we've pulled off... so, great work, everyone!

But also, listen... I know this ain't gonna happen right away, so just hear me out: If we're able to raise another $2.5 million to get past $5.71M, we'll pass Veronica Mars for the second time, and move into the Top 3. And then, if we raise just $250,000 more than that, we'll beat our own previous record and end up in Second Place! 

Anyway, I know it won't be easy... But yeah, I still think it's worth trying. (And Ivan tells me "the math" is there, so if he thinks it's possible, I believe him!) So, next week, I'll reveal some more bonus rewards that will unlock if we reach $5.71M and $5.77M before our Kickstarter ends. 

Also, I'm not a very competitive person normally, but for some reason, when we do these Kickstarters, the gloves just come off. (I usually only get this way when the Packers play.)

BONUS CHALLENGE 2: EXTENDED!

Last week, I also promised that if we could reach at least 18,500 backers before the end of today, we'd unlock a second "bonus reward": a free LIVESTREAM WATCH PARTY of an MST3K classic, Quest of the Delta Knights, for all backers... and a free BONUS DOWNLOAD of the episode for all backers at Level 150 and above!

Well, look: We're not there just yet, but we are really close. If we can recruit just 700 more backers, we'll finish the second challenge and unlock the epically cheesy Quest of the Delta Knights... and we'll also become Kickstarter's Seventh Most Backed "Film & Video Project" ever! 

So, to help us get there...

 I'm extending Bonus Challenge 2, and giving us until 11:59pm PDT tomorrow to recruit 700 more backers.  

And I don't wanna us to get too ahead of ourselves, but look... just between you and me, even if we can't raise enough to take back the "Most Funded" belt from our pals at Critical Role, I still think there's a chance we could finally take the other "Film & Video" record from Veronica Mars, and become the "Most Backed" project ever.

That's why next week, I'll also reveal some new bonus challenges to unlock free more rewards if we recruit a total of 25K, 50K and 100K backers before our Kickstarter ends. 

Anyway, listen: I know it won't be easy, but we've still got a few tricks up our sleeves that might help. And remember, even a $1 donation counts as a pledge! So yeah, if we keep circulating the URL and stay focused, maybe we can make some magic happen. 

For now, though, let's just see if we can reach another 750 backers before midnight tomorrow... because I've never actually seen Quest of the Delta Knights, and I'm really looking forward to watching it with all of you!

So yeah, that's today's "Progress Report." There's still a lot more work to do before our next big announcement tomorrow, so it's time to wrap this up... but before I do, I also want to tell you one more thing. 

See, if you were part of our original Kickstarter, you might remember that we put together some fun online events, including a few "Double Feature" online watch parties, a special Turkey Day Marathon from Kickstarter HQ, and – of course – our live "Final Countdown Telethon."  

(And you know, even though some of our events ran into a few "MST3K-style" technical issues, those live hangouts were some of my favorite parts of that whole month. Also, they made me so grateful to realize that MSTies are really game for anything, and didn't get too down when things went all SNAF-phooey!)

So yeah, I'm happy to tell you that this time, we've got even more events planned... and if you're not too busy to hang out with us, the first one will happen on Monday night.

SAVE THE DATE: Join us on MONDAY, APRIL 26, at 5pm PT / 8pm ET, for our first big #MakeMoreMST3K Livestream! 

Now, I can't reveal what we'll be doing until after tomorrow's big announcement, or it'll spoil the surprise... but I promise, this one's gonna be a lot of fun. So, I hope you'll mark your calendar now and save time to join us on Monday night. 

Anyway, that's all for today. Be sure to check in tomorrow for our first "video update", and always...

We're so glad you're here with us.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

Starting Now: Our FIRST TWO BONUS CHALLENGES! Plus: Five Easy Ways to Unlock FREE REWARDS!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Apr 22, 2021 at 04:26:31 AM

• Progress Report
• Day 10 of 31: 52% Funded and 16,000 Backers
• New Bonus Challenges & Bonus Rewards!  
• $3.11M by Mon: All sticker rewards DOUBLED for free!
• 18,500 backers by Weds: Quest of the Delta Knights! 
• Want to help unlock the bonus rewards? Here's how: 
• Add $1 to your pledge!
• Check out our newest Add-On Rewards!
• Revisit the Classic Episode Rewards from our last Kickstarter!
• Check in with fellow MST3K lovers + spread the word!
• Join our "virtual street team"!

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

It's Joel again, back with an update on how we're doing, what's coming next, and a few special "bonus challenges" – and free bonus rewards! – to help us keep moving. And you know what they say: Time waits for no Joel! So yeah, let's get started.

PROGRESS REPORT

As of now, we've raised almost $2.9M. To put it in perspective, that means... 

We're already 88% of the way to our next goal ($3.3M) and almost 53% of the way to our final goal ($5.5M)! 

And remember, when we reach that next goal, we'll be able to make SIX NEW EPISODES of MST3K and we'll be able to develop new GIZMOPLEX APPS, so that you can easily watch all of our special live events – and all of your digital episode rewards from both our new and old Kickstarters – of the digital episode rewards from this Kickstarter and our first Kickstarter – on your phones, tablets and TVs.

(In case you're curious, I'll post a shorter update on Kickstarter this weekend to tell you a little more about those, and why I think they'd be so nice to have.)

Anyway, I know we're not moving as fast as we were in our first few days, and I'm here to remind you that it's pretty normal. So, while we need to stay focused, I don't want anyone to get too worried if we have a few slow days between now and May 7, when our Kickstarter ends.

(Even the current record holder – our friends at Critical Role –  had plenty of slow days in the middle of their campaign. That just seems to be how this whole Kickstarter thing works.)

Also, our producer, Ivan, always reminds us that this will happen, and jokes that he calls this slower part in the middle the "trough of despair." But it doesn’t seem to bother him – or me – because as you'll see, we’re playing "the long game."

Anyway, here's what I want you to know: Even though we need to stay focused, and keep reaching out to spread the word and circulate the URL, try not to worry too much about any of this. We're really just getting warmed up, still – today is just Day 10 of 31.

Also, one reason I haven't had time to send more updates just yet is because we're working hard to prepare a few big announcements and ideas over the next week or so. In fact, our cast is shooting a new video for you this weekend, and I think you'll be really excited to hear what we're planning to share.

That said, to keep things moving, I think maybe it's time for...

OUR FIRST TWO #MakeMoreMST3K BONUS CHALLENGES!

Now listen, like I said on Day 1: We're already Kickstarter's 5th "Highest Funded" Film & Video project... but we're getting ready to move up.  As soon as we reach $3,105,474, we'll pass Wish I Was Here and move into 4th place, and right now, that's just about $220,000 away.

At our current pace, that could take us another 4-5 days... but how about this?

BONUS CHALLENGE #1: DOUBLE STICKERS

If we can raise another $220K and pass $3.11M by Monday, April 18, we'll DOUBLE all of our "sticker" rewards. So, if your pledge level includes a GIZMOPLEX STICKER, or you got the GIZMOPLEX STICKER Add-On Reward, you'll now get two stickers – with different designs – for the same price!

Also, since I last filled you in, we've moved up to become #11 on Kickstarter's list of "Most Backed" Film & Video projects. We just passed 16,000 backers this morning... but as soon as we get to 16,851, we'll break into the Top 10. And if we can get to 18,250, we'll breeze into the Top 7.

So, to make things even more exciting, how about this?

BONUS CHALLENGE #2: QUEST OF THE DELTA KNIGHTS 

If we can recruit 2500 more backers and become the 7th Most Backed "Film & Video" project by Wednesday, April 20, we'll unlock another free bonus reward:

•  FOR ALL BACKERS, we'll hold a special "live screening" before the end of this Kickstarter, featuring an episode a lot of you have been asking for: Quest of the Delta Knights! And...
•  FOR ALL BACKERS AT LEVEL 150 & UP, we'll also upgrade your CLASSIC EPISODE REWARDS, and throw in a bonus digital download of the episode for free!

So... what do you think, sirs?

HOW TO HELP UNLOCK BONUS REWARDS 1 & 2

If you want to unlock these bonus rewards, here are 5 helpful things you can do right now:

1. Increase your pledge by $1.

For less than the cost of a coffee – or actually, one of those weird 5-hour Energy Drinks – you can move us even closer to a full 12 episodes. (But like I said when we started, we don't want anyone to put themselves in a difficult spot, so please: only pledge what you can afford!)

Also, if you're not sure how to add to your pledge, change your pledge level, or add and remove Add-On Rewards – we'll put together a quick post about that this weekend.

2. Take another look at our Add-On Rewards.

We've already got some fun exclusives in there, like the chance to join online classes where we'll teach you how to do things the "MST3K Way!" – with topics including Movie Riffing, Robot Puppeteering, and Designing Inventions with Magic!

You can also get "extras" of all of our new #MakeMoreMST3K rewards for your friends and relatives, like the Gizmoplex sticker ($7), our DIY Concession Pack ($30), and even our Musical Snowglobe ($175)!

Also, if you don't already have them – and you don't want to keep depending on Netflix either – we've just added two NEW ADD-ON REWARDS that a lot of you have been asking for:

•  DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of SEASON 11, which gets you 14 EPISODES for just $60! 
•  DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of SEASON 12, which gets you 6 EPISODES for just $30! 

And remember, that'll also help us make more new episodes for you! So, if you can afford to pledge a little bit more, I hope you'll at least look at our Add-Ons.

 3. Brush up on your classic MST3K. 

Also, if you weren't here – or didn't pledge to get them – during our first Kickstarter, we've added new Add-On Rewards to get our original CLASSIC EPISODE DOWNLOAD PACKS – digital downloads of some of my favorite episodes:

• The #BroughtBackMST3K BACKER PACK gets you 10 CLASSIC EPISODES for just $10,
• The #BroughtBackMST3K DELUXE PACK upgrades to 18 CLASSIC EPISODES for just $15!

(And, as real purists will point out, both episode packs include access to two "lost" episodes – the first two episodes of MST3K that we ever made, back at a Minneapolis station called KTMA.)

 4. Call fellow MST3K lovers and ask if they've pledged. 

Remember, our first Kickstarter had over 48,000 backers...  And, since it looks like more than half of our current backers are new recruits who weren't part of our first Kickstarter, that means that a lot of our original backers still haven't gotten around to joining us again! And you know, I'm betting that for most of them, it's just because they haven't heard about what we're doing yet!

Now listen: I don't want you to pressure anyone, but I do hope you'll check in to make sure they've heard that we've got this new Kickstarter going. And when you do, be sure to remind them that pledging even a couple bucks will help us all reach our first two Challenge Goals and get them weekly updates all the way through production!

Also, we've seen a lot of comments from people who want to pledge, but are waiting until later in the month to get paid. Please make sure to let them know that it's actually safe to pledge right now. They'll be able to reserve their rewards and help us unlock the Bonus Challenge Rewards, but they won't be charged for their pledge until May 8, after our campaign ends!

5. Sign up to be part of our "virtual street team." 

We've seen plenty of people online asking questions and sharing theories about our plan to #MakeMoreMST3K and #BuildTheGizmoplex. And, even though we've already responded to a lot of those questions, some of those folks aren't visiting our Kickstarter to find the answers... so, some of the "facts" people are sharing on social media might be a little bit inaccurate.

Also, even though it seems like everyone who knows about MST3K would be alert to our new Kickstarter, you'd be surprised. Even though the internet feels small sometimes, we're learning that lots of our oldest supporters still haven't heard about what we're doing here. That's why we still need your help – not just to Circulate the URL, but to really get the word out. So yeah, you know what that means: 

We're gonna need to take it to the streets! 

I've put Crow and Servo in charge of organizing a "volunteer brigade," so if you've got some free time and would like to get some specific "assignments" that could help us spread the word, you can sign up now to get separate emails about that, starting next week!

Anyway, that update ended up being a lot longer than I planned, but I know a lot of you get pretty excited about this stuff – and I do too, you know?

So yeah, let's finish with a quick recap:

• Today is #MakeMoreMST3K, Day 10 of 31.
• We're over 52% of the way to funding a full season of 12 new episodes.
• We announced TWO BONUS CHALLENGES to unlock free rewards:
• Pass $3.11M by Mon: all stickers rewards get doubled for free!
• Pass 18,500 backers by Weds: Quest of the Delta Knights! 
• Want to help unlock the bonus rewards? Here's how:
• Add $1 to your pledge.
• Check out our newest Add-On Rewards.
• Revisit the Classic Episode Rewards from our last Kickstarter!
• Check in with fellow MST3K lovers + spread the word.
• Sign up for our "virtual street team." 

I think that's it for today! As always, remember...

And now, I have to go practice my lines for the video I'm shooting with our cast this weekend.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

Hey, beautiful people. Tom Servo here. You know what really lights my fire? Telling people how they can help us #MakeMoreMST3K and unlock Joel's first two Bonus Challenge Rewards to get FREE BONUS REWARDS! And now, you can do it too!

Just post ONE of these messages to your Facebooks, Instagrams or Twitters: 

• Listen up! @JoelGHodgson just revealed the BONUS CHALLENGES for the #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter. To unlock FREE BONUS REWARDS, we need to reach 18,500 backers before Weds, April 20. Pledge now – even $1 helps! – at MakeMoreMST3K.com.
• Attention, humans! @JoelGHodgson announced new BONUS CHALLENGES for the #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter. To unlock FREE BONUS REWARDS, we just need another $200,000 by Mon, April 18. So please, go to MakeMoreMST3K.com NOW... and join us, won't you?
• IMPORTANT NEWS if you're waiting to join the #BringBackMST3K Kickstarter: You can pledge RIGHT NOW to reserve the rewards you want, and you won't be charged ANYTHING until the Kickstarter ends on May 7. Why wait? Pledge anything – even $1 – RIGHT NOW at MakeMoreMST3K.com!

More About the Gizmoplex Apps
about 3 years ago – Thu, Apr 22, 2021 at 04:20:59 AM

Hey Everyone! 

Ivan here, one of a few producers behind Mystery Science Theater 3000, and the sleep-challenged individual responsible for planning and managing both of the Kickstarter campaigns for Mystery Science Theater 3000.  It's a lot like the mob: every time you think you're out...

Anyway, as Joel mentioned in his last Backer Update, we're getting really close to our next big Kickstarter goal at $3.3M, which will let us launch the Gizmoplex and – yes – make at least six new episodes! 

But it'll also let us deliver another big goal we had for this Kickstarter:

We'll be able to develop new GIZMOPLEX APPS that make it easier to watch MST3K – and live Gizmoplex events – from your phones, tablets and TVs!

We're still working out some of the details, and figuring out how much of Joel's perfect "Gizmoplex experience" we can recreate in the apps, but here are a few things you might want to know:

1. We're planning apps for six of the most-used platforms.

Right now, we're planning to offer Gizmoplex apps for iOS and Android (for phones and tablets) as well as Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon FireTV and Roku (for television viewing). 

Since the Gizmoplex will also be available on the web, we expect that you'll also be able to stream the Gizmoplex to your television through services like Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast, but we'll need to test those more once we get into development.

 2. The apps will let you watch old and new reward episodes. 

If you were part of our original #BringBackMST3K Kickstarter for Season 11, or our Pledge Drive for Season 12, you might recall that a lot of our rewards gave you digital access to stream and download all of the "new episodes" (the ones we released on Netflix) as well as a lot of "classic episodes" (the ones from our first ten seasons on Comedy Central and Sci Fi).

To make sure we could get those episodes to you without DRM, we decided to partner with a digital video service called VHX. Then, a few years ago, Vimeo bought VHX and changed their name to "Vimeo OTT", which – I'm sure you'll agree – is much catchier.

Anyway: We didn't always love the interface or user experience on VHX, but we did love having a reliable way to let you download and stream your digital episodes... and to offer them DRM-free, so that you could load them onto any device you want. 

As of now, you can still use our Vimeo OTT / VHX site to stream and download all of the digital MST3K episode rewards we offered during Season 11 and 12. You can also buy, stream and download other classic MST3K episodes, which will be added to your personal VHX collection.

Here's why I'm boring you with all of these details: When the Gizmoplex apps come out, you'll be able to log into them using the same accounts you set up on our original VHX/Vimeo site. And, if an episode is part of your personal collection on that site, you'll be able to use the upcoming apps to watch that episode on your other devices as soon as the apps are released.

3. We're not spending much on app development. We promise.

We've gotten a handful of emails from curious backers (as well as helpful "internet users") asking why we're using funds from our Kickstarter to develop apps, instead of spending everything on making new episodes.

Well, if you're wondering about that.... good news:

We're not spending much to develop these apps. In fact, the annual expense to develop these apps and keep them running should be less than $50K per year – not even enough to make half of a new episode of MST3K! We know that, for most of you, new episodes are the most important goal. 

I promise you: we feel the same way.

Obviously, there are still a lot of details left to address. Some of those won't get figured out until we start developing the apps, and others probably won't get figured out until you start using them, and give us your feedback, suggestions, and requests to make them better. 

And honestly, part of the fun of doing this on Kickstarter – at least for us – is that we'll get to work with you to figure all of these details out. We'll have more to share once the Kickstarter ends, but feel free to post your app-specific thoughts and questions as comments below, and I'll do my best to answer them where I can!

Otherwise... see you in the beta test!

Best,

Ivan

An Update About Updates. Plus: More Answers About Rewards, Pledge Levels & Add-Ons!
about 3 years ago – Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 10:58:51 PM

• Progress Report: Almost at 50 percent!
• An Update About Backer Updates
• More Answers About Rewards
• What's included in EACH PLEDGE LEVEL
• A first look at our PHYSICAL REWARDS
• How (and why) to get ADD-ON REWARDS
• A menu of AVAILABLE ADD-ON REWARDS
• What to do if a LIMITED REWARD is SOLD OUT

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey everyone, it's Joel again. I hope you had a good weekend. Now... let's get started!

PROGRESS REPORT

In case you're not following our progress too closely, I'm happy to report that our Kickstarter is still coming along nicely. We actually just reached $2.7M a few hours ago.

I'm hoping that we'll be able to pass $2.75M soon... because when we do, it means we'll be HALFWAY TO OUR FINAL GOAL of making 12 NEW EPISODES!

AN UPDATE ABOUT UPDATES

Before I get into the real information, I want to take a minute to talk about our new plan for sharing Backer Updates, because it's a little trickier than you might think.

When we ran our first Kickstarter campaign, we did our best to send new updates almost every day, all month long, because I really feel like you're our partners in this whole process. Also, we enjoyed producing them, and I know a lot of you liked getting them.

But, you know, we also learned that some backers find it stressful to get new emails every day, and decided to "unsubscribe" from them. And then, once they unsubscribed, it was a lot harder to reach those backers later, when we had really important news, or needed to get information to send their rewards. 

So yeah, it's a tricky balance. I want to share as much as I can... but I also don't want people to "tune out" before production, and miss out on the good part!

So, moving forward, here's what we're going to do:

For the rest of this month, I'll still send "important" Backer Updates to your email 1-2 times a week... but I'll also post more updates on our Kickstarter page, for folks who want to know everything as it happens.

So, if you want to know everything right away, be sure to keep checking our update page, and following our social media accounts. And if not, don't worry: when I send those "important" updates, I'll make sure to include links to all of my other posts, so you can catch yourself up.

Also, once the Kickstarter campaign ends on May 7, I'm excited to tell you that we've got a really solid plan to share production updates at least once a week, until all of the new "Season 13" episodes are done and released. I'll tell you more about that soon.

MORE ANSWERS ABOUT REWARDS

Now, I know there are still lots of questions, especially about The Gizmoplex, and I promise, I'm going to tell you more about that very soon, so I hope you'll be patient for a little bit longer.

For today, I want to give you some more answers to questions we're seeing about our Kickstarter reward levels, and how to make sure you're getting exactly what you want when you pledge. 

Now, to be honest, there are a lot of details involved here, and I don't always know the answers myself, so I've asked Ivan Askwith, our producer and the brains behind our Kickstarter campaigns, to help me answer them. So yeah, let's dig in...

That's a really good question. We thought it would be clear that each reward level, all the way up to Experiment 500, includes everything in the lower pledge levels... but it looks like Kickstarter made some changes to how the site looks, especially on their mobile site, that made it a little more confusing.

So, to make things easier, Ivan put together a handy little chart:

If you look at the list under each Experiment Level, you'll see that you're really getting a lot of stuff... especially those of you who are pledging for Experiment 500 or higher.

Sure! Today, let's focus on the PHYSICAL REWARDS we're planning to make.

I know there are lots of questions about The Gizmoplex still, and we're working on another update just to explain more about that. But if you have questions about our other digital rewards – or some of our higher level "experience rewards" – please let us know in the comments on this update, and I'll try to get to those questions right away.

Anyway, the easiest way to give you an idea of all of the new physical Kickstarter rewards we have planned is to just show you a "menu" we made. But wait, before you look at it: I want you to understand...

 THESE ARE NOT THE ACTUAL REWARD DESIGNS! 

This is just to give you a better idea of what to expect. I'll be giving you sneak peeks at actual art and designs as we get further into the month.

Anyway, here's a "teaser menu" Ivan put together to preview some of our new rewards:

So yeah, as I hope you can tell, we have a few really fun new rewards planned this time, and I'm excited to give you a closer look at some of the actual designs before the Kickstarter ends!

Yeah, this took us a little while to understand too, but here's how it works.

After you choose any reward level – even the lowest one – Kickstarter will show you a list of "Add-On Rewards", which are basically "a la carte" extras that you can choose, and "add on" to your other rewards. It' should look something like this:

So, if you really want to get the "Collector's Box Set", but don't want all of the other rewards in the $250 pledge level, you can get any level you want, and then add the "Collector's Box Set" as an Add-On Reward. Or, if you want to get "extras" of anything, like a shirt for each person in your family, or a poster for each room in your house, you can do that too.

Yeah, so the way Kickstarter is set up, it's hard to see all of the Add-On Rewards until after you choose one of the reward levels. So, Ivan made up a little "menu" for that, too:

Also, remember, these are just the Add-On Rewards available right now. We've got some other fun surprises planned for later in the month, but I'll let you know when those are ready for you.

Oh yeah, isn't it the worst when that happens? I know it can be really frustrating... but first, remember: "It's just a Kickstarter. I should really just relax." (I’m kidding, of course.) 

Also, I have some good news for you:
 When one of our limited reward levels "sells out," we'll do our best to add more!

Sometimes, we might have to make the limited rewards a little bit more expensive when we add more, because the more we offer, the more work it takes us to manage and "fulfill" all of those promises... but if you're really excited about a sold-out reward level, we want to do everything we can to give you a chance to get it.

So, if you want a reward level that already sold out, here's what you should do:

• Keep checking back, in case we've added new chances to get them.
• Send us a message and let us know which reward you wanted. If we're able to add more, we'll send you a message just before we do, so that you have the best chance to get them before they sell out again.

And just in case you missed it, we've already added more of these sold-out rewards:

•  Personal Video from the S.O.L. ($1000)
•  Private Meet & Greet Online ($1250)
•  Voice Act with M. Waverly ($4000)
•  Associate Producer ($5500)
•  Riff A Short with Joel ($6000)
•  Adopt a Robot Friend ($7500)

We'll do our best to keep an eye on the rewards, but again, if you want a limited reward that sold out – or have other ideas for rewards you'd like us to offer – please send a message and let us know, or email us at [email protected]!

I get it, man! I promise, we're doing our best to get to everyone's questions... but, as usual, you can also take a look at our Kickstarter FAQ. And, we'll keep answering more questions in these updates all month long.

Anyway, that's a lot of new information, and there's a lot of work we need to do behind the scenes, so I think that's everything for this update.

As usual, be sure to send us a message if you have questions we haven't answered, so we know to get to them!  And, of course...

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

Want to help make sure we get all the way to 12 NEW EPISODES? Just copy this message and post it on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram:

• Our @Kickstarter to #MakeMoreMST3K and #BuildTheGizmoplex is almost 50% of the way to making 12 NEW EPISODES... but we can't get there without YOU! Pledge now to  prove that fans can keep shows alive WITHOUT networks! Go to MakeMoreMST3K.com, and join us... won't you?

How Things Are Going... And Thanks!
about 3 years ago – Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 03:38:40 AM

Dear "Day One" Backers,

It's Joel again. The last 24 hours have been so crazy that I don't know what to say. When we decided to come back and do another Kickstarter – and to do it after a year-long worldwide pandemic – we weren't really sure how things would go. 

The last time we tried this, it took us almost a week to reach our first goal, and make three episodes... so I guess I figured if we could do that again, we'd be off to a really good start.

But yeah, as you might have noticed, things went a little faster this time:

In just over 24 hours, we've already met our first goal to #MakeMoreMST3K, which means we'll be able to make at least three new episodes and launch The Gizmoplex! 

I'm also so encouraged to see that, in just our first day, more than 11,000 of you decided to jump on board and be part of Mystery Science Theater's next chapter. Also, I just talked to some folks at Kickstarter, and got some pretty exciting news:

In just one day, #MakeMoreMST3K has already become Kickstarter's 5th "Highest Funded" and 15th "Most Backed" Film & Video project ever. 

If you were here for our first Kickstarter, you might remember how during our "Final Countdown Telethon," we managed to break the all-time record and become Kickstarter's "Most Funded" Film & Video Project of All Time.  And I'm proud to say that we held onto that record for a long time, until we turned the title over to our friends at Critical Role in April 2019.

Now, I don't know if we can take that record back, since Critical Role raised over $11 million (!!), which would be enough to fund our next two seasons. But you know, we already held that title, so as long as we keep going – and maybe raise enough to make another full season – I'll still be pretty happy. 

And hey, if we do break the record, I’m gonna walk back into Critical Role’s studio and take that belt BACK!

Anyway, before things went totally cuckoo, I was hoping I could use today's update to answer some of the questions we've been getting on Kickstarter and social media... but if it's okay, I think I'm gonna need one more day to get that together for you. I’ve noticed some really good questions on our Kickstarter page and social media, and I want to answer as many as I can... So yeah, I'll have more to share with you tomorrow.

For tonight, I just want to thank each of you for getting us off to such a good start. I'm glad to have so many of you here, and really excited to start showing you more of what we have planned.

Thanks for being an important part of Mystery Science history again, and until tomorrow, remember: Keep Circulating the URL!

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel