Joel Takes Some Questions, Part I
over 3 years ago – Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 12:05:43 AM

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

It's Joel again, back with another update. 

Like I said yesterday, we've been doing our best to keep up with all of your comments and feedback on Kickstarter and social media, so I know there are a lot of questions out there.

Since there's a lot of work happening behind the scenes to keep our Kickstarter running, I'm afraid I don't have enough time to answer all of them right now.. . but before the weekend starts, I want to at least answer some of the easier ones, so you don't need to worry about them.

So yeah, let's see here...

1. Are the main cast from Season 11-12 coming back? 

Yes, I'm happy to report that ALL of our main cast members from our last two seasons have agreed to come back for another round! So, Jonah will be hosting again, and Baron and Hampton will be back to reprise Tom and Crow. Rebecca will be back as Synthia and GPC, and of course,  Felicia and Patton will return as our brilliant Mads, Kinga Forrester and Max. 

And, since I've seen a lot of you asking, I'll also tell you that we've also got some big plans to expand the world – and cast – of Mystery Science Theater 3000, so... I'll tell you more about that soon.

2. I want to own all the new episodes. How do I do that? 

Yeah, I'm sorry this wasn't clearer right away. Let me explain. If you want to own the new episodes, the options for that are pretty much the same as our original Kickstarter:

At EXPERIMENT 100 and up, your rewards will include DIGITAL DOWNLOADS for all of Season 13, which you'll be able to access starting right after our "live premiere screenings" in The Gizmoplex. 

At EXPERIMENT 250 and up, your rewards also include a COLLECTOR'S BOX SET for all of Season 13, and you'll be able to choose between DVD and Blu-Ray. You can also get the Box Set for $70 as an "Add On Reward" with any pledge level. Once you choose a pledge level, you'll get a menu of Add-On Rewards, and can choose "Collector's Box Set" there to add it to your pledge.

3. I just want to see the new episodes. How do I do that? 

If you don't care about owning all of the new episodes we make, but still want to see each one as it comes out, the Gizmoplex Pass will be your new best friend. We'll still need to work through some technical details after the Kickstarter ends, but I'll tell you how we're hoping to make it work. 

Once we have our first new episode finished, we're planning to start holding live episode premiere events in The Gizmoplex once a month, until we've shared all of the new episodes the Kickstarter lets us make.

Each month of Gizmoplex Pass access gets you a ticket for another episode premiere, until we've premiered all of our new episodes (and, if things go well, our new shorts). 

So yeah, just to spell it all out for you...

• A 3 MONTH PASS gets you tickets to the first THREE live premieres. 
• A 6 MONTH PASS gets you tickets to the first SIX live premieres.
• A 9 MONTH PASS gets you tickets to the first NINE live premieres.
• A 12 MONTH PASS gets you tickets to all TWELVE live premieres. 

Now, we can only premiere 12 new episodes if we get to make 12 new episodes... but no matter what happens, we'll make sure there's at least one event in The Gizmoplex each month for a full year.

So, if we don't have enough new episodes to premiere one each month, we'll still host other special live screening events. And don’t worry, whether we're watching new episodes or not, we'll make sure the events are a really special "MST3K" experience.

 4. What if I can't be online for a live event? Can I still see it? 

Oh yeah, of course. After each new episode has its "live premiere," both the episode and a recording of the full live premiere event will be available to watch "on demand" in The Gizmoplex until the next premiere event.

But yeah, if you can't make it to one of our live events, you will be able to watch (or rewatch) everything you missed for at least a month! You just won't be able to join the live chat, or participate in any of the interactive parts of the event, because, you know... they'll already be finished.

5. If I don't pledge for a 12 MONTH PASS now, will I be able to get event tickets – or buy and download the new episodes – when they come out?

We don't want to keep anyone from seeing the new episodes, and I know not everyone can afford to pledge for the twelve-month "Gizmoplex Season Pass" right now. So, once The Gizmoplex launches, and we start holding live events and premieres, you will be able to get event tickets, extra months of access, and buy individual episodes (once they've been released).

We don't know how much those will cost you later, but we do know they'll cost a little more than getting a Gizmoplex Pass now for all of those events. (Also, it'll be too late for your money to help us reach our Kickstarter goals, or for us to add more episodes in Season 13.)

So, if you're going to want all of them, I hope you'll consider pledging at the EXPERIMENT 100 level (or higher) now. That way, you'll have tickets to all of our new episode premieres, and you'll also get to download all of the new episodes to keep.

6. I still have a ton of other questions about The Gizmoplex, and other rewards, and the future, and my birth parents. I need answers, Joel! 

I hear you, man – and I know, it's a lot to take in all at once. I've tried to answer some of the most common questions here, to make sure everyone sees them... but if you've got more questions, take a look in our Kickstarter FAQ, since we've also started adding some more answers there. I'll also keep answering more questions in these updates all month long.

Also, if you just can't wait, you can always send us a message here on Kickstarter. We still have a really small team doing a lot of things every day, so I hope you'll be patient with us if it takes a day or two to get back to you.

Anyway, I know there are still a lot more questions, but I hope those answers will help you relax and enjoy the weekend a little bit more.

Also, now that we're a couple days into our Kickstarter, you can see that the numbers are starting to "cool off" and slow down a little.  Just so you know, in case it's your first time being part of something like this, that kind of "drop off" is actually pretty normal for big Kickstarter campaigns -- especially after a week as successful as the one we've had.

For today, we're not getting too worried about it, and you shouldn't either -- but if you want to help out over the weekend, be sure to check in with your MST-loving relatives and friends and make sure they know about the Kickstarter.

And, of course, be sure to Keep Circulating the URL!

Thanks for being here with us, backers... and have a great weekend.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel