Course

Funding Artistic Activism in Filmmaking

Stanford University
Course Lectures
  • Anand Chandrasekaran, Producer of Tapestries of Hope, tells the tale of a small soap maker who realized that the gum they were giving away as a promotional item began to outshine their core product. The company had to make a bold decision to focus on what's selling, rather than what they deemed their core competency, and the rest is entrepreneurial history. Chandrasekaran's lesson is that we should keep ourselves receptive to new ideas and new opportunities, even if they seem out of scope.

  • If the goal of the entrepreneur or the social catalyst is to catch a big fish, you've got to go into deep water, says filmmaker Anand Chandrasekaran. Live deeply and passionately and make a big splash.

  • Funding Artistic Activism
    Anand Chandrasekaran

    How do you raise awareness and still pay off investors? And how do you motivate your audience to action? These are the challenges of activists and documentary filmmakers Michealene C. Risley and Anand Chandrasekaran, and they talk about viral innovations in fundraising in the field, like IndyGoGo.com, and the appeal of offering fundraising architecture that's both non-profit and for-profit.

  • Financial Support for the Arts
    Anand Chandrasekaran

    We're living in the YouTube world, say documentary film Tapestries of Hope creators Michealene C. Risley and Anand Chandrasekaran. While the statistics are stacked against their film making money, these seasoned cinematic entrepreneurs say still possible to find investors willing to support their core mission and bolster their passion.