Writer, director, musician, editor, and all-around-auteur Justin "J" Rhodes raised $7,560 for post-production on his hip hop musical feature, It's a Wonderful Plight. The film tells the story of 400 years of Black people in America through song, and its pitch video is so clever we at Seed&Spark actively use it in feedback for other post-production campaigns!

What's the latest on It's a Wonderful Plight?

As of now it's really become a worldwide phenomenon! It is such a blessing for an indie film that was shot under a $10,000 budget! The film is available on Amazon Prime and most other video on demand outlets. We were on a crazy press run that started with us being noted as one of the films to watch in the U.S.A. Today and ended with an interview on Sway in the Morning. It is currently still doing great numbers on Amazon Prime and we're starting the process of writing the sequel.

What’s something you wish you’d known before you launched?

That COVID was going to come in and halt our momentum (laughs). It was all a blessing though because things worked out EXACTLY like they were supposed to.

What’s something during crowdfunding that surprised you? 

The surprise was the doors it opened up to so many people in the industry. I am such a DIY person that I hate to ask for anything, but you have to humble yourself and know that people want to help your project. Not just monetarily, but people want to help with resources. Mark Duplass ended up getting behind it and helping us get to the finish line initially. From there many other people in the industry have touched and blessed this film. It wouldn't be where it was today if we hadn't had run it through Seed&Spark!

What advice would you give interested crowdfunders who may be apprehensive?

Do it! Nothing but positivity will come out of it if you do it creatively and with good intentions.

What advice would you give current crowdfunders who are in the thick of it?

Keep pushing! People give the most towards the end. Don't pull out, your biggest contributions are coming!

What’s next for you and It's a Wonderful Plight?

We're continuing to Push It's a Wonderful Plight (go get it on Amazon Prime!), and I'm currently working on about 5 film ideas, one of which is the sequel to IAWP!

We can't wait to see what's next for IAWP and Justin! And if you're getting started with your own crowdfunding journey, we're here to help.