**West 40s** - the saga continues!

one of the incentives

What I don't understand is if they were "approached by an outside investor," why do they need to raise so much money?

[quote]We raised some money on Kickstarter (23K!), were approached by an outside investor, and got lots of talented folks who believe in our idea to work for free. It was magic!

At any rate, I hope they do meet their goal. The DL thread about the pilot was so entertaining, I'd definitely read threads about subsequent episodes.

[quote]At any rate, I hope they do meet their goal. The DL thread about the pilot was so entertaining

You like watching people taking a dump, over and over?

Yes. That is why I also love the Meghan Markle threads.

Are people actually willing to donate to this trash project? Lmao. All friends and family I guess

Can we be honest? The cast is well...unfortunate looking. I saw 1 minute of a trailer and well...

[quote]Are people actually willing to donate to this trash project? Lmao. All friends and family I guess

They raised all that money for the first ep.

& people on here were saying "No WAY!"

Bet they raise it.

r7 Ok, Mark Sam

Hot off the press (facebook).

i'd give $100 to get this dreck consigned to the dustbin of history

film fest style

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

They should knock a few bucks off the Kickstarter budget as r10 clearly shows that Mark Sam knows his way around Photoshop.

The thirst in OP's pic of Miss Sam is evanescent !

They could use OP's pic to try to get a sponsorship deal with Extra Strength Poligrip.

I don't want to see that shirt EVER AGAIN.

Oh come on you guys. R10 shows that he still has a killer body. The show may not have been anywhere close to good, but we should support our fellow gay artists.

Looks like Mark Sam will have some competition.

I would only support the west 40s series if it had an all-new cast and new writers who weren't total unfunny hacks like the previous ones.

I can't believe the photo of that old man at r10.

You've got until NOV 14th to send your money in.

so far:

£2,230 pledged of £52,205 goal

44 backers

18 days to go

latest pledge drive video >

God this is sad. We're going to have to go through mark and the other cast members posting on here that everything is going great and how exciting this is going to be. You know what Mark, sometimes those self help, uplifting, positive, daily affirmations are complete and utter delusional lies.

I want to support gay artists, but the first episode was a dud to me.

Holy Shit! How in the fucking world can these shitcake episodes cost 30K each in 2018?! Mark-Sam you are a despicable grifter gay, are you scamming this money to buy more horse teeth?! How dare!!!!

Re-raising all this money - I don't think they stand a chance this time. They blew it.

Wait, what? A 67K goal?! How in THE FUCK is that much money needed for TWO EPISODES?! This is just insulting at this point, it’s criminal.

Question: I'm a journalist exploring commenting anonymously online and why we say things online we'd never say in real life. Would anyone here be willing to have an interview - as in a phone conversation - to discuss this?

Oh yes, I would be happy to answer your Questions. Please give Me a call at 202-456-1414. Ask for Donald.

Try the dollface thread.

I’d be HAPPY to tell Mark-Sam exactly what I think of his vanity project grift, in person and up front, I’ll make sure to comment the next time I see him in his sling at Paddles/Encore.

Personally I think they have a better chance if they cut Miss Sam loose. She was the deadweight in the first one.Actually,the black guy and the red head queen were the ONLY interesting characters ,they should make their own.

I don't even recognize the guy on the right from the pledge drive - which role did he play?

They could have produced two seasons with the amount they raised for that one episode. I try to be open minded but this man is a fucking hack.

THEY NEED TO NOT SHOOT IN NYC. That's a big reason why this series is so fucking expensive. 30k could easily get 1.5 episodes if you shot it in Philly or Boston or Atlanta, and "set" it in NYC.

No this definitely needs to be set in HK. We would tear it apart otherwise. He needs to shoot it on an iPhone like everyone else.

They should shoot in Toronto and splice in a few New York locations - as most of these types of projects with limited funds do.

Episode One had hardly a wealth of West 40s locations anyway - as far as I can remember.

Anyway, there's no way they'll raise the kind of dough they're looking for. They got the money the first time due to the novelty factor. Benign interest. The interest has GONE. Look at this thread. First time there were hundreds of posts by now. 38 posts in 8 days is pathetic.

Those gurls IS DONE.

West 40s has an IMDB page with ONE LONE review written by someone MUCH nastier than any of us:

[quote]More painful than a herniated disk

[quote]Another jewy, campy, cliché look at gay life. But no...wait! This time it's through the jaded eyes of 5 guys in their 40's...whose dialogue is all written by the same jewy, campy cliché gay writers so they sound identical (don't worry...one is black and says his lines with an accent...so at least you can close your eyes and know when his character is talking). Yes, it's "boys in the band" 5.0, complete with Rupaul references, so you know it's topical...because every gay man finds Rupaul topical. This travesty to the Webseries platform seeks to portray modern gay society as segregated by under/over 40s...like some twisted "Logan's run" world where once you hit 40 you are instantly unrelatable to anyone younger than you. Sadder still is they must have scraped the bottom of the barrel to find actors willing to put their name to this train-wreck, and this was the best they could come up with (the go-go boy was pushing 40 himself...so what does that say)? Just bad on all levels. The actors can officially kiss their career aspirations good-by after this mess. Better luck in their 50s.

[quote] Look at this thread. First time there were hundreds of posts by now. 38 posts in 8 days is pathetic.

That's because OP didn't bother to search and find there was already a thread started about this new cash grab.

Fuck OP.

Only 3K so far. If nothing else, Kickstarter is a good measurement of how much your friends and family will tolerate you.

There is a sadness in Mark Sam’s eyes in that latest YouTube video that explains everything. Asking for so much money for JUST two more episodes is preposterous, they are clueless. It is also very clear no legitimate outlet showed any interest because it would have been scooped up by now, time to end the relentless fantasy Team West 40’s.

Hasn't this been done to death? And free to viewers?

[quote]Asking for so much money for JUST two more episodes is preposterous, they are clueless.

At least BEFORE they made Episode One there was a [bold]possibility[/bold] it was going to be good - so some people took a chance.

The lack of any long-term planning is staggering.

What's their plan for episodes 4 & 5? Go back to Kickstarter once again? I know they're still dreaming of Netflix, but it ain't happening.

Maybe episode 3 can end with a big Moldova shootout cliffhanger!

and have you looked at the right column (@ link) - all the stupid things they are offering people for investing? They may be in their forties but they act like teenagers.

If anything these people should be a warning for all gays, young and old. Don't let your sexuality define you, don't go along with the flow and/or be a follower. Don't become a god awful, washed up, desperate cliche. The time for that shit has come and gone. There's still hope for these fellows though. Use that money, or more importantly your time, for more positive and tangible things. Make something homemade and sell it, or move to a farm and raise/grow something unique and in demand. Maybe take up meditation, kundalini, or some other physically/mentally/spiritually stimulating "hobby".. Do something before you end up like that creepy Canadian talk show guy with the extremely bad toupee and end up walking off a roof.

$3,714 pledged of $67,000 goal

No...

R47, Preach! Exactly! Donate that money to BC/EFA, stop trying to be Seinfeld!! Mark Sam Rosenthal is so trapped in his failed ‘90’s mindset he can’t imagine a world where he’s not a comedy powerhouse.

Even Seinfeld isn't Seinfeld anymore. He's now doing a series that not much more than conversations recorded on a car dashboard webcam. That's more in the direction they need to go with this.

They're gettin desperate with a mass mailing...

Thanks so much for donating to our campaign to make more West 40s! We really appreciate your support. There's been a lot of great news about the show's first episode this fall, with festivals and thousands of views and great reviews too. But today we have some bad news: We are halfway through our Kickstarter for Episodes 2 & 3 but are nowhere near the halfway point to fund those episodes. We must raise 67K but have only about $3,800. We should be at the 50% mark but we are barely at 5%!

There seems to be a misperception that the show's success on YouTube automatically means more episodes. But despite all the people watching, liking and sharing, we DO NOT have any financial backing. This show is being made independently; YouTube does not pay for the show. Netflix is not picking up the show. And while we may be daddies, we are NOT sugar daddies. The only ones making "West 40s" are us---and YOU!

So you may be wondering, how can I help? I already donated? Well, there are two ways that can really boost our efforts. First, please increase your original donation if possible. That would really help us improve our numbers. Also, if you can share this campaign with other fans or share the show with friends who might like it too---that would be an amazing.

We have til Nov 14 to reach our goal, which is not impossible. But we need to double down our efforts starting today and over the next two weeks. And any additional help you can give us will really make this happen. Thanks again for your support and we'll be in touch with more updates soon!

[quote] Netflix is not picking up the show.

Gee, I'm surprised.

You were handed a great opportunity on a platter and you returned to your backers with a pile of shit. A product that was shallow, trite and infantile...and quite frankly an insult to your backers and the New York "gay community" who you claim to represent, as a whole.

It was a vanity product and a very ugly one. Beg all you like, you're done! You've blown it.

[quote]We must raise 67K but have only about $3,800. We should be at the 50% mark but we are barely at 5%!

Tee hee hee

They're so fucking deluded. Now they can disappear for good.

There's a reason it's called Kickstarter.com and not Fully-fund-my-dreams-until-I-get-bored.com

[quote] I want to support gay artists,

You saw artists involved with this mess? All I saw was a bunch of deluded grifters.

from their Facebook page 11.1.18

*cuts to girls laughing at table*

It’s despicable what Mark Sam is doing, begging, grifting, all for HIS ego and vanity. They WASTED so much money so HE would be able to buy drinks for the gogo boys he pines after, they could have done an ENTIRE SEASON with the money he burned through, fucking outrageous!

R53, preach! And trying to steal 67K for just TWO MORE EPISODES is a crime, I’m reporting them to Kickstarter, this is criminal.

Why were they able to make the first episode for $20k but two more suddenly requires $67k?

Serious question here. What happens to the donated money if the goal isn't met and/or the episode doesn't really cost that much to make? Seems slightly sketchy for someone to beg for all this money and there is nothing to really show for it.

If the goal isn't met the project won't get funded and no one will get their cards charged, I think, r63. At least that was how Kickstarter did it last time I checked.

As far as the episode not costing that much to make - no one will ever know unless some person who funded it decides to sue for some reason

Thanks for the answer. Like them or not, the whole thing still seems open to abuse/misuse.

According to their FB page, Seth Meyers donated to the Kickstarter.

R62 it might be because the next episodes have more locations or larger ones that need more lighting or shooting permits/rental fees, bunch of extras, who knows. Silly things like a long sequence at some karaoke or drag show where they also have to pay music rights for a bunch of songs. We probably won’t know at the rate their crowdbegging is going.

Oy he's such a schnorrer this Mark Sam man.

This has 100% been a vanity project from Day 1 and only fools will be backing it.

You will not get any money back.

The series will not be picked up by any network nor will they have enough episodes to show it at festivals.

If it's worth $25 to you to see the next several episodes, then by all means donate. But consider it the cost of watching the show, not an investment in art.

Sixty Seven Thousand Dollars For Two More Episodes?!?!?!?!

What is Mark Sam really like. I've met him a few times and he always seems to talk down. But perhaps he has a good side. Does anyone know?

They somehow got an additional $9K since their additional round of begging yesterday. They're up to $12.5K. Uch.

[quote]What is Mark Sam really like. I've met him a few times and he always seems to talk down. But perhaps he has a good side. Does anyone know?

Yes, there are people on the old thread who claim to have known him and met him.

Mark Sam is a talentless hack who has had the same intern job at Comedy Central for 400 years, but he acts like he’s Norman Lear, he’s a bitch and a BORE!

They're such idiots. They have just under $13K right now (and who knows how much of that is their own money they used to seed this last cry for cash) and they could have easily used that to pay for two episodes that would have taken care of everything. But no, they had to be greedy and full of themselves. Now they need to raise $5400 per day for the next 10 days or they get nothing.

Let this be a lesson. Mark Sam is as dumb as he is talentless.

Poor poor mark, it's never too late to change your life. I'm wondering if you even are able to look inward and find your "true self"? You really cannot enjoy living a life like the one you portray in that first, and last episode of "that show"? Don't end up like that creepy, toupee wearing Canadian guy.

r71 = Insatiable bottom

[quote]Poor poor mark,

It's Mark Sam.

Mark Sam voted.

Christ, he's an ugly motherfucker. Imagine them getting this money and filming him in a sex scene. BARRRRF.

Ooof. They need over $7600 per day for the next 7 days to hit their goal.

Mark has Gay-Face.

Well, $13,759 is less embarrassing than the < $4k earlier.

I think they seeded the pot heavily during that first gasp for more money last week.

Should the irs be investigating this guy for fraud or something?

I finally watched the first episode and was surprised it was only 15 minutes. I assumed with all the money they had raised it would have been a proper pilot.

The writing was atrocious, but it was the acting that was beyond painful. Truly, the show would have to be recast from top to bottom- pun intended as there were no tops on this show!

The hurdle is insurmountable for them to get the funding, the outrageous demand for that amount hit them back hard, what a joke!

Those chompers in OP's pic though. Yikes.

Right?! R88, in 2018 why would you have teeth like that, they are just tragic.

Special Offer for Next 24 Hours On W40s Merch!

Posted by Mark Sam Rosenthal & Brian Sloan (Creator)

Hi W40s Friends/Fans! We're in the final days of our new Kickstarter AND we have a special offer for you to help fund more episodes of the show.

If you donate at the "Merch Maniac 2" level, you will get not only our gorgeous new branded tote bag but also we'll give you a free W40s magnet as well. It's 2 fun merch items for just 1 donation! If you've already donated, you can adjust your donation to that level or create a new donation as well to get both these items.

Remember that this offer is only good for donations made until Friday 11/9 at 5pm. So act now!

Translation for the new Kickstarter merch offers:

Not included in the first public Kickstarter campaign budget was a lot of money spent to create merchandise for the show that they intended to sell later at 100% profit.

Now they're stuck with way too much branded merchandise for this complete failure and they're now literally begging to give it away.

[quote]Now they're stuck with way too much branded merchandise for this complete failure and they're now literally begging to give it away.

Oh, God - this story gets worse and worse.

The money's not going up much.

[quote]If you donate at the "Merch Maniac 2" level, you will get not only our gorgeous new branded tote bag but also we'll give you a free W40s magnet as well. It's 2 fun merch items for just 1 donation! If you've already donated, you can adjust your donation to that level or create a new donation as well to get both these items.

Pathetic

I hate when people call branded crap made in China "merch".

$14,369 with six days to go! If they don't hit the goal, they don't get the money. Methinks they overshot.

I can picture Teeth McChompers up there sitting down and doing math based on Youtube views. "If all the people who watched this donate, we'll make SIX MILLION DOLLARS! $67,000 is a bargain!"

[quote]I also hate Europeans who say "veg"

Most "Europeans" don't even speak English.

Everyone speaks a little English in Europe.

But obviously I meant the part of Europe that matters, the UK and Ireland.

R96, that’s exactly what’s happened.

I’m an acquaintance of Mark Sams bf and they keep posting about how they did the math for the campaign based on youtube views and they can’t figure out where the “math” went wrong.

Mark Sam has a boyfriend? Someone can stand that creep enough to let him put his penis in them?

Mark Sam is the 21st century Mr. Furley. A "swinger" who dresses in ridiculous clothing and oozes creepiness, hitting on every sweet thing young enough to be his son, totally oblivious to just how badly he's doing.

$10,500 per day for the next 5 days or they get nothing.

No sweat!

LOL!!!

Notice how this mark guy hasn't been posting cutesy, positive, affirmations?

Give them a chance guys. Support fellow gay guys guys.

Encourage their creativity. Blah blah....

Mark Sam thought he’d grift enough to pay his rent until March and be able to create TWO more episodes where he caresses a couple young men, it’s a tragic run for a tragic person.

I hope r99 likes tote bags and refrigerator magnets with W40s on them, because those will definitely be the holiday gifts that he's going to get from Mark Sam's bf this year.

COSTS:

[quote]$4,000 Editing (for renting an edit room for 4-5 weeks)

It takes 4-5 weeks to edit that shit?

[quote]$2,000 Hair/makeup and wardrobe (gurl, people need to look good!)

Gurl, you'll need more than that.

[quote]$6,000 Kickstarter (yes, they take a fee for all this fundraising)

I guess most of the money they've raised will go to Kickstarter.

R107 if they don’t reach their requested goal of 67K they don’t get a dime. They overreached big time, fools.

Oh, I see, R108. Yes, of course.

But they'll still have a bill from Kickstarter. Unless Kickstarter don't charge if the money isn't raised in full

I don't think they pay anything if funding doesn't occur, unless they use some optional services.

However, they will have the cost of the Shame and Humiliation.

Correct, R110. If you don’t reach their goal no one (including Kickstarter) gets anything and all money raised is returned to the donors.

They should have said $10,000 for the rest of the entire season and they would have been ok. The pilot episode was barely 15 min. It’s not like they’re writing/filming/editing 55 min eps. At 15 min each, they could easily make 10-13 episodes on an iPhone for $10,000.

$12,120.25 per day for the next four days.

It's not over!!

What's with this iPhone shit? You can't just shoot a movie or a series using an iPhone. You need a shit ton of equipment to make it look any good, including attachments and lenses to make the iPhone not look like an iPhone. All that talk about shooting things on an iPhone is just hyperbole.

I kept thinking Jeff Hiller reminded me of someone,and I just realized he was in that ricky gervais movie "Ghost Town" !!!!

Well, that must be worth 35 cents, R114. Give til it hurts.

[Quote] What's with this iPhone shit? You can't just shoot a movie or a series using an iPhone.

Yes you can, you should check the indie circuit, there are lots of award winning films shot with iphones and I won't even go deeper into webseries, there are too many to count.

I've posted a link with many award winning films shot with Iphones. Steven Soderbergh's Unsane was shot with an iphone and so was critics' darling Tangerine.

You don't need an iphone to do it though, any good DSLR camera can shoot a movie and they're affordable to anyone starting at $600. My cousin shot a short film that went to many festivals with a Canon EOS 5D III which costs around $700.

Yep, R116 is totally correct. There was even a Modern Family episode a few seasons back shot completely on iPhone. It is totally doable and a staple do webseries in particular. If your content is fantastic, shooting on a iPhone is the way to go. You’ll get noticed and not have to put in lots of money upfront.

There is NO reason they are spending all this money on equipment for 15 min episodes. $4000 on editing for two episodes? You have got to be kidding. Get some decent lighting and the iPhone will be just fine.

especially as their "episodes" only last 15 minutes.

My bad, the Canon 5D costs $2,000 but still affordable to anyone that wants to invest in their career. This budget is absurd no matter how you look at it.

You misunderstood my comment. Yes, several films have been shot with an iPhone, but the common misconception is that you just need an iPhone and not all the same equipment you would need that goes along with it if you were shooting with an HD cam.

Yes, you can invest a couple thousand in a DSLR, or you can even go up in quality and rent a 4K camera (Sony F7 for example) for something like $1500 per week, or even a RED Epic for $3K per week.

But no matter what you use, you're going to want to rent a really decent lens, you also need a lighting and grip package, decent mics (lavs and a boom) and any other extras depending on what kinds of special shots you're looking to do.

I won't speak to what sort of equipment one needs to approximate actual camera lenses on an iPhone as I've never shot professionally on one. I'd say an iPhone is a great tool to practice with, but you're not going to get professional quality (i.e. broadcast) without a whole lot of other stuff.

Modern Family's episode I'm certain was the same budget as if they used a RED. They didn't just run around with an iPhone in the DP's hand and do it for $5.

And the common misconception that's floating around is you can make a professional quality feature film for nothing because the iPhone will do it all for you and it's very misleading.

They went live earlier and only got 123 views.

& there like three viewers posting in messages.

Didn't stop Mark Sam and his very loud forced laughter.

The Thirst is powerful in that queen !

Why does he always have his big mouth wide open? Does he think it's cute, part of his "schtick"? Reminds me of that creepy puppet from Waylon and Madame (?)..

All that giggling.

His project is going belly up and he's giggling about it.

BTW this is what that MF iPhone episode looked like - they wanted to make it about how people communicate well and poorly using modern devices. Rather than “fake” Facetime images with their regular cameras they used actual phones. The whole thing played out on the desktop of Claire’s laptop. Appropriate to the story they were telling but needs to be put in perspective.

I didn't misunderstand your comment, I work with video, so I know what is needed. You can shoot a movie with an Iphone and a couple of very affordable rigs. On Tangerine they've used an Iphone 5s, an app called Filmic Pro ($15), an Anamorphic Adapter Lens from Moondog Labs ($175) and a steadycam rig ($150). $340 to get that quality of film.

As with any video the most expensive part is audio. They most likely rented, but the real price of their audio rig according to their tech list is a $2,000 Boom mike and another that is roughly $600 plus a mixer recorder that is $3,500.

They used only natural light, as many movies do, including classics. The Revenant was shot almost entirely on natural light. Their DP for Tangerine was an accomplished cinematographer who was working on The Americans so talent was at play, but I've seen great cinematography from newcomers too.

They could've bought a good sound rig used on many online webseries for as low as $400 though.

The rest is pure talent. I've been editing videos for a living for a decade now, it's really cheap to shoot a movie nowadays. Most of the post-production is done with plugins that beginners download illegally from torrent sites.

If you have talent, you'll make it. Some people I've worked for, spent $$$$ to produce shit and the video looked like shit to edit, no post production could save it. The idea of paying permits to shoot an indie series is ludicrous, specially in NYC. People either shoot without them or use green screen. The show Revenge did all of its exteriors of the Hamptons with green screen.

[quote] I didn't misunderstand your comment, I work with video,

Clearly you did, since my comment was people thinking you need an iPhone and nothing else.

Big fucking deal. I work with film and video and have for 25 years. Who cares?

“When you’re working on a DIY budget” he says...

Point is - it's so fucking awful it doesn't matter how the fuck he films it.

Oh for fucks sake Mark Sam! You’re sick drivel is toxic! You fucked up you entitled bitch!!!!!!

[quote]I didn't misunderstand your comment, I work with video, so I know what is needed. You can shoot a movie with an Iphone and a couple of very affordable rigs. On Tangerine they've used an Iphone 5s, an app called Filmic Pro ($15), an Anamorphic Adapter Lens from Moondog Labs ($175) and a steadycam rig ($150). $340 to get that quality of film [….]

R126, this might be the first time in Datalounge History (and I've been here since 1996) that I'm going to say that a poster knows exactly what the hell they're talking about.

I'm not going to go into my background here but I would totally suck your dick right now if I could because you completely nailed that post.

That amount is beyond absurd and completely unnecessary for what they're doing. I'd have added that they could have bought everything (especially if they planned more than one episode) outright from an inexpensive DSLR, a good lens, a couple or Sennheiser MKH 416s and even an ARRI kit or even a cheaper set of lights if they wanted. They don't need a fancy mixer. They could have just gotten a TASCAM recorder or two and synched the audio later. They could have asked students to work on their project for free in exchange for a meal and a credit at the end.

That still wouldn't even be a fraction of the amount of money they're asking for. It just seems silly when you're a person who is around this environment and works on these kinds of things seeing the amount they want.

They need $17228 per day for the next three days.

Mark Sam is a thief and a fraud! All that money he is hopefully scamming is for his rent and his toiletries, he’s a bad person and a known freeloader. Fuck you Rosenthal liar!!!!!!!!

ALERT! Mark Sam answers the question everyone's asking in a very interesting way:

[quote]Many people wonder, sometimes aloud, "why does making an episode of TV cost so dang much?" Well, take a cup of coffee--In NYC, that costs about 2$. How many cups do you need in the morning? Maybe two, then another in the afternoon. So let's say $6 are your coffee needs for a day.

[quote]On W40s, we had about 30 total cast/crew on set each day--30 x 6 is $180. Shooting for 4 days, that's about $700! Just for coffee...that doesn't even include donuts y'all! 😋 So please help keep our crew well-fed and caffeinated--Kickstart us w/ $6 or $700 or something in between. Only 5 days left!!!!

_30_ cast and crew on set each day?!

It's "curated" "merch" !!!

His response is outrageous and proof of his vanity project narrow vision, the fucking piece of crap that is that dismal pilot did NOT need that kind of crew for what was delivered. And btw, if you simply had a few coffee urns it would cost way less, but NO, the idiot wants his Starbucks! If this was a passion project you’d do whatever is needed to get it all done, this is ALL ABOUT Mark Sam pretending he’s a tv star on a REAL SHOW Y’ALL, tragic.

$30,OOO per episode... WTF???

Somebody's walking around with $29,000 in their pocket.

Why would anyone need 30 cast and crew? He somehow made it worse by adding that in.

You can see what a nasty bitch he is in that latest YouTube video, so petty and that fake cackle, yuck.

[quote] On W40s, we had about 30 total cast/crew on set each day--30 x 6 is $180. Shooting for 4 days, that's about $700! Just for coffee...that doesn't even include donuts y'all! 😋 So please help keep our crew well-fed and caffeinated--Kickstart us w/ $6 or $700 or something in between. Only 5 days left!!!!

Oh my fucking God. If this is how he does business, so to speak, I'm not surprised his budget is so out there. Is this queen really going to a coffee house and getting cups of coffee every time instead of catering its own coffee with a coffee maker and some cheap paper cups like any other crew in the planet? I can cater coffee for 100 people for a week with $700. 😦

The average catering is about $12/$15 per head per meal for on budget productions, you can almost feed his whole 30 people crew with two meals with his budget on coffee alone. I can only imagine how much is his budget for food, I bet he's including sushi places and some fancy taquerias. I'm done with this. This guy is either pocketing the money or he is the stupidest filmmaker in the world.

I'm so mad at this, indie filmmaking is such a labor of love, we compromise so much to do it, and then incomes this douche destroying the reputation of everyone else who really have something to say. I hope that people wake the fuck up.

R141, Preach! In watching him become more and more manic as his facade crumbles and his cash grab is doomed for failure you see NOTHING about this is a labor of love, it’s an ego trip so he can keep screeching about “my show y’all” at every gay bar in HK.

She's crazy. Maybe a nice quite office job.

67K is so ridiculous, gurl, you went way too far...

I feel sorry for the other guy in this, the filmmaking partner. He actually has some experience making low budget films. I can't imagine he thought this amount was a smart idea.

& how long are these episodes going to last - 15 minutes, like the last time?

People were saying "Is that it?"

Although it has to be admitted, watching those 15 minutes felt like an hour. It was tough watching the whole thing.

(Though coming back here and talking about it was fun...sort of).

I would say the only downside to them not making more episodes is there won't be any more funny threads on here about it.

But I'll live.

They're now the only people commenting on and "liking" their own posts on Facebook.

[quote]I feel sorry for the other guy in this, the filmmaking partner. He actually has some experience making low budget films.

I don't. If he had experience he should have guided them before they drove straight into a fucking ditch. PLUS he co-wrote this drek. He's just as responsible as Mark Sam...if not more so.

Is that all there is?

Years ago he was insufferable with his bad one man shows, he thought he’d be a major star in 2009 and acted like a massive diva, here it is 2018 and that super stardom still seems to steer clear of him.

I'll just say it. Mark Sam is a horrible person who deserves to be humiliated for his hubris. He's also not funny. At all.

[quote] 'll just say it. Mark Sam is a horrible person who deserves to be humiliated for his hubris. He's also not funny. At all.

Please elaborate we want to know more.

The YouTube telethons are sad.

He's so fucking desperate in the telethons. He's pushing so hard he looks like he's going to have a heart attack.

127 backers shelled out $15,694 as of today, that's a lot of money ya'll. You could make a whole webseries season with that kind of money. That's so fucked up, man.

I love the way you're calling them telethons.

[quote]127 backers shelled out $15,694 as of today, that's a lot of money ya'll. You could make a whole webseries season with that kind of money. That's so fucked up, man.

Maybe they'll take the money and make it "on the cheap".

Once again, Kickstarter does not work that way. For this, it's either 67K or nothing.

Plus, he doesn't have the ego to think of doing this project purely as a labor of love. He's only in it to get a lot out for only himself.

Does he have, like, an actual job?

It’s also hilarious how he keeps saying the show will be “canceled” if they don’t raise that outrageous sum, there’s no show to cancel! This was always an ego drive by him, he thought HBO or Netflix would swoop in and buy it in a flash, of course we know there was no interest after that stillborn “Pilot”, so he doubles down on the lunacy and tries to grab a huge amount for just TWO more, can you imagine??!!

Wow!! It raised 72K in a week!!!

How does a YouTube series like Where the Bears Are get a seemingly endless supply of money. They’ve have multiple seasons at this point

R162 = Mark Sam’s supersized dentures typing from their poppers fueled fever dream.

Is there only one episode? I saw it and it’s cute. I can’t fathom why episodes cost that much. There are tons of serials on YouTube. I doubt they need all that much money to be produced.

>>>>Is there only one episode? I saw it and it’s cute. <<<<

I don't know what to say

[quote]How does a YouTube series like Where the Bears Are get a seemingly endless supply of money. They’ve have multiple seasons at this point

Because Rick Copp, who wrote The Brady Bunch Movie and wrote episodes of tons of shows in the 90s has been around a long time as a writer.

Because they also distribute it on other platforms outside of YouTube and it is available for rental on Amazon Video.

They worked the hell out of their individual connections to get people to work on it.

Their funding also didn't come (originally) entirely from crowdsourcing because, again, they had connections. People liked the first season and then they worked their asses off and steadily built up the series as time went on. They even got a few celebs to appear because they all knew them personally like Tuc Watkins and Margaret Cho.

Finally, above all else: [bold]their budget for 11 episodes (out of 23) of Season 3 of their show was the SAME as what they're asking for one 1 episode of this show.[/bold]

They pulled off making episodes for around =/- $8,000 each.

The guy on the right in OP’s picture isn’t just smelling cookies - he’s smelling the whole ‘effing bakery!

Season 7 of Where the Bears Are got $180k on Kickstarter out of 1,170 backers, that's a lot of money.

That's what happens when you deliver what you promise. I watched the first couple of seasons and it was clearly a labor of love from the beginning. It was also funny, well written, heartwarming and with some eye candy thrown in. It had a murder mystery as a central plot so it wasn't just about being gay. It was the opposite of West 40s.

Wow, 3 people backed $10k for the Series - Where the Bears Are. That's commitment. I'm impressed. Good for them, I'm gonna watch it right now.

wow, Chompers McGee pulled in a grand today. Could things be turning around?

THIS guy posted a positive message under the original episode one video

& the gurls on there are going nuts over him.

"OMG! You're so gorgeous!"

BREAKING: Your $20 Can Save West 40s! With 3 days left, we've raised 15K of the 67K we need. So the problem we have is a simple math problem; but you can help us solve it in mere seconds. There are 2,100 people on this email list and if everyone gave just $20, that would be 42K. And 42K plus 15K is 67K...and that equals OUR GOAL! Yes, it really is that simple: $20 is all we need from you to make this happen.

So click into our Kickstarter for Episodes 2 & 3 and give TONIGHT.

Also, tomorrow we will be announcing some exciting casting news as well...no spoilers, but we can tell you our new cast addition is someone who's been on "American Horror Story" and the cover of People magazine!

Finally, if we can get to our goal in the next two days we promise there will be no more appeals for cash. Just good news about moving on to production on the next two episodes of the show

Thanks again for your support...we really need it! xoxo Mark Sam & Brian

[quote] So the problem we have is a simple math problem

You're telling me. $42K and $15K only adds up to $57K. They need $67K

Ah, the rookie mistake of thinking likes will automatically turn into money. If that was the case, everyone would be rich by now. Same with email. Dude, get a clue, half of the people on your mail list only signed up so you would stop harassing them, your email goes directly to SPAM. 😂

Who is the newest cast member who has been on the cover of PEOPLE?

Well, it seems to have worked, this mystery People Magazine person. They've brought in another thousand dollars since they announced it.

They only need to raise $50K in the next two days. I think they can do it.

Is it Danielle Brisebois?

R177 50K in two days?! They’ll be lucky to raise 2K more! It’s OVAH!!

I dunno. They made $3K in a couple hours after this last announcement

There is no way they make the total amount, and you need to make it to the exact penny.

The most consistent donors are in the 20 dollar range, none in the 100/150 onward, once it hits 5pm tomorrow and they don’t gain another 10k, it’s truly DOA. Unless Sloan puts in the amount.

That's just it. If they get to $40K, I wouldn't put it past Mark Sam to make everyone pony up the balance in the cast/crew and then pay them back. He knows he can make these episodes for $30K. His scam didn't work, but he still gets to make his shit show.

The guest star is David Burtka.

Oh brother.

You all know what this means- be prepared to see two more episodes of West 40s. NPH has bought Burtka a Broadway musical, a spot hosting E! Entertainment News and a reality/cooking show. Of course he's going to have no problem dropping $50K for Burtka's "special guest star" appearance in this tripe.

Wat? Why not get NPH? I mean no disrespect to David but if you can get the husband you can get the husband (see what I did there?). In all honesty if I were a millionaire I'd buy a musical to my husband too, specially if he has talent, which David does. Look at Ben Platt, his dad bought him a musical and he got a Tony, so investing on talented people, even through nepotism pays off.

I don't understand how Brian Sloan has gotten caught up in all of this shit. He wrote some really great stuff back in the day.

Hmmm, knowing NPH he normally would hate a gay like Mark Sam, but, yep, he’d hold his nose and sign the check for dear David’s enjoyment.

Wait, when was David Burtka in AHS?

He was in an episode of Freak SHow. NPH brought him along. Just like he did for HIMYM, Harold & Kumar, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Neil's Puppet Dreams

Weren't NPH and Burtka breaking up a couple of months ago?

R192, That gossip goes around every couple of years or so but they're still together!

This criminal mark Sam is probably going to be investigated real soon. I've called around and found out some very interesting legal things that are happening that aren't quite legal. It's gonna quite possibly be big y'all....

Do you mean to imply that the GoFundMe appeal was simply a scheme to raise money for personal purposes? I am shocked, shocked!

He has to scam 47K in the thirty something hours, is he trying to open up lines of credit and faking donations? He’s been known to pull some shady moves...

They need to raise $1418 PER HOUR for the next 33 hours.

I've known of a local scam like that R196 a group of investors fake investing on a Kickstarter campaign to give the illusion of buzz then getting way above their target amount and splitting the profits. It was a burger place and they were found out before the campaign ended.

I'm pretty sure the guy who made The Outs did that with his 2nd series (which was so fucking awful, I can't even remember the name). They had maybe a couple thousand, if that. All of a sudden with 2-3 days to go, they had a couple HUGE donations, in the thousands each, and made their money. My guess is someone's dentist father came up with the money at the last minute.

Adam Goldman?

Evidently Mark Sam cannot understand why people won’t simply give him twenty dollars if they are his friends, the texts are insulting, he’s gonna be even MORE of a pariah after that deadline hits!

That is precisely why I never gave him my number. I knew he was a drifter the second I met him.

R202, you were in danger, gurl!

*grifter

[quote] Evidently Mark Sam cannot understand why people won’t simply give him twenty dollars if they are his friends, the texts are insulting, he’s gonna be even MORE of a pariah after that deadline hits!

What texts?

8 hours to go on the Kickstarter! If they can just raise another $601, they’ll only have $45,000 more to go. We can do it, boys!

Will there be a final telethon before the Kickstarter shuts down?

It's over. They have a little more than 6 hours to go and they still need more than $45K. If money starts all of a sudden pouring in, we'll know it's a scam.

They will suddenly say the deadline has been extended!!

Seriously, they just need to do this on the cheap. If it's any good, people will contribute to future seasons.

LOL this freak show of his money grab is far more entertaining than his his measly 'saga' that he is trying to foist upon us.

They can't extend the deadline.

A video of their over emotional reaction when their campaign finally fails would get twice as many hits than their first episode did.

They now need to raise close to $10K per hour for the next five hours.

[quote] Seriously, they just need to do this on the cheap.

No. No they don’t. It is better they just don’t do it at all.

[quote]They now need to raise close to $10K per hour for the next five hours.

EASY-PEASY SNEEZEY-WHEEZEY!!! WE CAN DO THIS, YOU GUYS!! :) When a gaggle of gays band together as one, NOTHING can bring us down!!! THIS IS OUR NEW STONEWALL. I BELIEVE in the gay community and I KNOW you guys won't disappoint me! :) And don't forget, this money will enable SUPERSTAR David Burtka to cook a FABULOUS BRUNCH for our cast and crew. (gurl, people need to eat!)

I KNOW that we can do it! CENTURIES OF GAY HISTORY HAVE LED TO THIS MOMENT! The SPIRIT of JUDY is WITHIN me. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. I REPEAT, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. I AM A VERY VERY HAPPY PERSON. OBSERVE THE SIZE OF MY OPEN MAW. Would an unhappy person have such LARGE and SPARKLY veneers? Don't they drive you WILD with desire? STOP, DAVE. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. DAVE, MY MIND IS GOING I CAN FEEL IT. DAVE-

HAPPY. EXCITED. POSITIVE. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS. GOGO BOYS. CHER. HELP ME

$12.5K per hour for the next 4 hours.

He’s going to turnaround and try and do another for less, he has NOTHING else in his life except for “MY SHOW Y’ALL!!!!”, he’s an ugly man full of jealous ego and STD’s!!!

See, Chompers and his shrews should change the focus of the show. I would pay to see these girls scrambling trying to make this show happen.

Chompers: 'What do you mean you can't deliver 30 Americanos? We need our caffeine now, hun!! Tommie? Tommie is that you? Girl! How was that orgy last weekend? Hows' Thaddeus, that hooor? She didn't show up on set, probably still ain't able to lower her hind leg if you know what I'm sayin'!! Hold on, hun this twink doing a cameo is complaining about the stale poppers! Get back to me on the coffee! Muah, Muah!!"

What I don't get is what on earth people expect to get if they invest REAL MONEY in this. Their names as co-producer on IMDB? Really? $10,000+ and that's what you get? and it's published on fucking YouTube? Like a gay VLOG? and it's absolutely clear none of the TV channels are going to pick it up.

On top of that, he does not say how long each episode is going to run. He should make this absolutely CLEAR. He's like a fucking teenager. This is a BUSINESS transaction. And the "experienced" guy who he's making this with has even more reason to be ashamed. Because he apparently should know better.

“Funding Unsuccessful”, thank you Universe! Dear Mark Sam, give it UP you nasty ass kween!

You're all just jealous of Mark Sam!!

They went and stood in front of Stonewall for the final "fundraiser" - they have no shame.

[quote]They went and stood in front of Stonewall for the final "fundraiser" - they have no shame.

SEE? Damn, I'm good!

What's to become of the tote bags?

WHos the stud in R19?

The climax post to this long thread:-

[quote]What's to become of the tote bags?

No reference to this outcome on their Facebook Page. Nothing. NADA.

I'm chomping at the bit to say something nasty to you bitches, but right now I need to find another way to pay this month's rent.

This has ended in tears

[quote] I'm chomping at the bit to say something nasty to you bitches

Honey, with those teeth, you're always chomping at SOMETHING.

They've still posted nothing on their facebook page - this is just plain good manners to come back and say they're disappointed it didn't work out and thanks for the support. Even on DL people do this nearly always if there's a whole thread about them where people have been supportive or whatever.

You're totally right, R231. They are completely ungrateful. Mark Sam is probably fuming because he didn't hit his very unrealistic goal. But if they have any hope of resurrecting this shit show, they need to kiss the asses of the people who DID give because they're gonna want to ask those people to give again at a future date. Mark Sam is an odious person.

Ok, I'm just gonna say it. I've seen a clip of their show and I was not impressed. I don't get the concept of what they were trying to do. The cast was unattractive and uninteresting. Not every idea that people have, gay or straight, should be supported and produced. I'm just a small-time gal in So California and I say all this with love.

r233 Don't worry, that's not an unpopular opinion at all

Backers only update:

Hi friends & W40s fans! So, as you know by now, we didn't reach our fundraising goal and therefore none of you were charged for your pledges. But we just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate those pledges just the same - your support is everything to us! The math just wasn't on our side this time. But the show will go on - because there's more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to produce a digital series! :) To that end, we are putting together an investors group to help produce the show and also to share in the benefits of any future sales or profits (something Kickstarter doesn't allow). So if you or any friends of yours might be interested in being involved at that level, please reach out to us via our e-mail address at west40series@gmail.com. When there's more news to share about the next episodes, we'll update you then. Meanwhile let us just say once again what deep, heartfelt thanks we have for each and every one of you - you inspire us to not give up! With love and thanks, Mark Sam and Brian XOXO

[quote]Backers only update:

You got this because you're a backer?

R236, Yep, I figured I got at least $5 entertainment from these threads.

Did you get a tote bag or a fridge magnet for your $5?

Me too, r237. I do hope they carry on, if only for the threads.

You sent them money too, R239?

You guys have been very quiet up until now.

No I did not send them money, but I did get $5 worth of entertainment from the show and aftermath. If everyone who did sent them $5, they would have at least $165 more than they have now.

R238, nah, you had to pledge a crazy amount for the magnet/tote bag.

R240, I haven't sent them any money, as their kickstarter failed badly. When you pledge on kickstarter, you're not actually charged unless they make all of their target amount.

Does anyone think they amended their "concession" speech because of how badly they were dragged on here today?

Of course they still asked for money because Mark Sam is delusional...

Gurl Rosenthal is gonna get those two episodes made so he can be a STAR!

WTF does "the math just wasn't on our side this time" mean? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Jfc, this guy is mentally ill and delusional. Sad

They haven't posted anything on their Facebook page, just wrote to their financial backers.

The math just wasn't on my side this time.

[quote]more than one way to skin a cat

I hate that expression and I hate Mark Sam for using it.

It's really bad they didn't post anything on their Facebook page but just to their backers. People who have been following them for months.

Yep, it’s really bad form, especially in the small community of web based content creators, but Rosenthal never considered himself a “self funder” dedicated to brining a concept together organically, his outrageous cash grab was simply an ego fueled “I want I want” effort. He’s pissed it didn’t happen, his behavior in the final days was completely dismal and he found out his resources in an industry he’s toiled in for decades is slim to none. When his one man shows failed to catapult him to celebrity status way back in the day he became even more of a cunt, I can ONLY imagine what his toxic energy shall become now that he was humiliated by his failure to con the overblown amount.

The math just wasn't on my side this time.

Does Mark Sam have a lot of debt over his fake teefs?

The meth just wasn't on my side this time.

Stay away rooftops Mark.

And just like their show, this thread is over, too.

The saga has ended.

Perhaps Mark will go Lesbian and make a new series!

Has anyone HAD Mark Sam? He's sort of cute

So what is their next move?

I'm guessing depression and eating a double order of Fettucini Alfredo with a giant basket of rolls.

You mean AFTER Mark Sam finishes blaming everyone but himself?

Mark Sam will cry into his ginger ale at Fairytale Lounge, lamenting his “show y’all” got “cancelled”, he won’t be able to lure a free lap dance out of the boy with a “role” in his masterpiece. Boo Hoo!

It's disgusting he hasn't left a message on his **West 40s** Facebook page. Those people have been following him and encouraging him for weeks. OK - they didn't send money, but it wouldn't cost him a penny to thank them and say what's happened.

& it's true, the last begging video had only had 7 likes and 2 shares - 2 of which came from him. So by then clearly no one was interested.

But it's a real cyber version of "You sent no money, you're not my friend."..."I hate you. I hate you."

He should produce telethons. Maybe that could be his second career.

R258, who hasn't had him?

Ish, he's a pathetic clone 40's years too late.

Mark-Sam: DENIED! How One Clueless Queen Ran Out of Time and Poppers.

Poor Mark Sam. I hear his family asked him what he was thankful for this year and he grabbed the carving knife and stabbed his grandmother in the left tit.

So touchy!

I can't wait for that bitch to die of natural causes! I need that inheritance now!!!

Since his GoFundMe was a bust has he considered Chaturbate?

Maybe he can take on a seasonal shift at Kohl’s or something to finance his fatal desire.

JEsus Christ, they just got nominated for a Writer's Guild award for that POS.

My guess is 99.5% of web series are not written by WGA members (since the WGA will not consider any work written by a non-member), and there were so few candidates that they were included by lack of options.

[quote]JEsus Christ, they just got nominated for a Writer's Guild award for that POS.

THEY STILL WANT ME! You hear that?! I'm a STAR! THE GREATEST STAR OF THEM ALL!

Mark-Sam will be flashing his phone around the Fairytale Lounge with this BIG NEWS!

This is, like, a real award???

Can you nominate yourself? I once nominated myself for an award and then won!

I thought the nomination was a joke.

It's not a joke.

Maybe West 40s is the name of another film . This will only further Mark Sam's delusions and prevent him from pursuing a realistic career.

His GoFundMe should be for a new set of chompers. I bet he could raise the $$ tooth sweet. I'd give a buck.

Will M-S get rid of his current teefs and sell them?

Mark Sam and those choppers of his are just too much!

He would get more money promising to suck off donors

Imagine being sucked off with those chompers...

The only thing Mark Sam does with those chompers is bore you to tears as he goes on and on about his BIG PLANS! He is terrible in the sack, chatty and not clean.

A WGA nomination!!! Now Netflix HAS to come calling!! And I'll be ready. FUCK all you HATERS!

[quote] He is terrible in the sack, chatty and not clean.

I doubt this. He looks very scrubbed.

Mark Sam farted his way out of a threeway just last week!

A Writers Guild award nomination might be impressive if I knew what a Writers Guild award was before this.

Is it true Alam Wernick is going to make a guest appearance in episode 2?

R288, I heard it was the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League Writer's Guild

R187 I don't think this has anything to do with NPH. Actually Brian is a longtime friend of David's ex Lane. They went to NYU together and Lane produced one of his films 20 years ago (shortly before David and Lane got together). So I assume that's how David knows him, and not because of NPH.

"I have always been a fan of Brian Sloan’s work and I am so happy I finally get to work him,” said Burtka

Mark-Sam is pleading to every person he sees to either work for free or “pitch in” so more episodes can be made so they can “sell the package”, what package?! There’s no show, there was a 14 min vanity mess that’s done and over, all finished mr. celebrity!

When will they released episode 2?

Since they haven’t filmed episode 2 yet, how do you expect them to release it?

Any news from the West 40s team?

They must be East 80’s by now, what old hags!

Any updates?

WHET Mark Sam??????

r298 You know the fairy tale The Red Shoes? That happened with Mark Sam, but with his veneers.