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axanar_confidential [2019/01/27 21:27] – Carlos Pedrazaaxanar_confidential [2019/02/01 00:56] (current) – [Contradictions Arise in Patreon, OWC Studios' Sponsorship] adds new 'see also' link Carlos Pedraza
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-<fs x-small>JANUARY 26, 2019<wrap indent> | </wrap><wrap indent>X MINS ESTIMATED READING TIME</wrap></fs>+{{::axanar_confidential.jpg|}} 
 +<fs smaller>**CAN'T LIVESTREAM** Axanar producer Alec Peters tells supporters he can't livestream //Axanar Confidential// from Ares Studios' bridge set because the facility has no Internet. Why? No one spends enough time there to justify the cost, he says.</fs><fs x-small><wrap indent>//Image/Axanar Productions//</wrap></fs>
  
-====== Contradictions Arise Over OWC Studios' Sponsorship ======+<fs x-small>JANUARY 27, 2019<wrap indent> | </wrap><wrap indent>11 MINS ESTIMATED READING TIME</wrap></fs>
  
-**//Peters Plans for Patreon, Monetized Axanar YouTube Channel to Keep Georgia Warehouse Open//**+====== Contradictions Arise in Patreon, OWC Studios' Sponsorship ====== 
 + 
 +**//Explanation Fails to Mention CEO Axanar Supporter; Peters Monetizes Axanar YouTube Channel//**
 {{TOC}} {{TOC}}
 {{page>byline}} {{page>byline}}
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 Peters premiered his YouTube live chat, //Axanar Confidential//, on January 21, 2019, to inform fans about the progress toward finally producing the two Axanar short films they have been waiting for for more than two years, following the [[axanar_settles|settlement]] of the [[copyright infringement]] [[lawsuit]] brought against him by [[CBS]] and [[paramount_pictures|Paramount Pictures]]. Peters premiered his YouTube live chat, //Axanar Confidential//, on January 21, 2019, to inform fans about the progress toward finally producing the two Axanar short films they have been waiting for for more than two years, following the [[axanar_settles|settlement]] of the [[copyright infringement]] [[lawsuit]] brought against him by [[CBS]] and [[paramount_pictures|Paramount Pictures]].
  
-Following the premiere just three days before of his //Reel Trek// live chat on YouTube, Peters continued to promote his [[ares_patreon|Patreon campaign]] designed to keep afloat his Lawrenceville, Ga., [[new_studio|warehouse,]] now dubbed Ares Studios.+<WRAP center 90%> 
 +<fs smaller>**//Main story: [[ares_patreon|Peters Launches Patreon to Keep Georgia Studio Afloat]]//** \\ 
 +**//See also: [[reel_trek|Planning for Worst in Patreon Effort to Save Axanar's Home]] and [[patreon_progress|Patreon Progress Slows Precipitously]] and 
 +[[production_update_3|Peters Changes Story Again About Paying Warehouse Rent]]//**</fs> 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[{{ ::patreon_jan_27.jpg?direct&300|**PATREON PROCEEDS** The Ares Studios Patreon inches closer to its monthly goal of $4,000 to pay for Alec Peters' rent, utilities and insurance on the warehouse.<wrap indent><fs smaller>//Image/Patreon//</fs></wrap>}}]+Following the premiere just three days before of his //Reel Trek// live chat on YouTube, Peters continued to promote his [[ares_patreon|Patreon campaign]] designed to keep afloat his Lawrenceville, Ga., [[new_studio|warehouse,]] now dubbed Ares Studios.
  
 +[{{ :patreon_monthly_pledges.png?direct&400|**PLODDING PATREON** While the Ares Studios Patreon inches closer to its monthly goal of $4,000, its rate of growth appears to be stalling. [[patreon_progress|Read more »]]}}]
 ===== Peters' Contradictions ===== ===== Peters' Contradictions =====
  
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 >  It wasn’t just completing the bridge set that was important; it was being able to hold Axacon.  There was a long-term plan in place, even if most people didn’t know there was.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/22/ares-studios-launches-a-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-1/|"Ares Studios Launches a New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 1,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/22/19.)) >  It wasn’t just completing the bridge set that was important; it was being able to hold Axacon.  There was a long-term plan in place, even if most people didn’t know there was.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/22/ares-studios-launches-a-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-1/|"Ares Studios Launches a New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 1,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/22/19.))
- 
-That plan? Peters revealed he needed a completed bridge to attract donations: 
- 
-> Had we tried to raise private donations a year ago or even six months ago, I doubt we would have made it to $100,000.  But Axacon forced us to get that bridge set to a point where it’s nearly completed, and everyone is raving about it.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/24/ares-studios-launches-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-2/#more-11303|"Ares Studios Launches New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 2,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/24/19.)) 
- 
-Though [[Axanar Productions]] and Ares Studios are two legally separate entities, housing //Axanar//'s Ares bridge set in what he was then still calling OWC Studios even after the end of the sponsorship made the two fundraising efforts mutually reinforcing. 
  
 <WRAP right round box 320px> <WRAP right round box 320px>
 <WRAP>//**__<wrap em><fs smaller>Confidentially Speaking</fs></wrap>__**//</WRAP> <WRAP>//**__<wrap em><fs smaller>Confidentially Speaking</fs></wrap>__**//</WRAP>
 [{{ :captain-peters-1.jpg?100|**Alec Peters**}}] [{{ :captain-peters-1.jpg?100|**Alec Peters**}}]
-<fs smaller>What we learned on the premiere of //Axanar Confidential//:</fs>+<fs smaller>What we learned from the premiere of //Axanar Confidential//:</fs>
   * <fs smaller>**The Orville** Alec Peters mused about having the main character of //Axanar//, [[mema>Garth of Izar]] appear on the Star Trek-alike FOX comedy, //The Orville//. "Can you imagine? What a slap in the face to CBS that would be!"</fs>   * <fs smaller>**The Orville** Alec Peters mused about having the main character of //Axanar//, [[mema>Garth of Izar]] appear on the Star Trek-alike FOX comedy, //The Orville//. "Can you imagine? What a slap in the face to CBS that would be!"</fs>
   * <fs smaller>**Axanar vs. Discovery** Peters boasted that if CBS had simply 'bought' //Axanar// and streamed it on startrek.com, it would've gotten better ratings than //Star Trek: Discovery//.</fs>   * <fs smaller>**Axanar vs. Discovery** Peters boasted that if CBS had simply 'bought' //Axanar// and streamed it on startrek.com, it would've gotten better ratings than //Star Trek: Discovery//.</fs>
-  * <fs smaller>**CBS All Access** Peters claimed he does not pay for CBS All Access, the streaming service on which //Discovery// is exclusively broadcast in the United States. How, then, is he watching  the show so he can talk about it on his new weekly //Reel Trek// show? He also condemned the show for not following canon. "Don't 'tell me it's the prime timeline," he said.</fs>+  * <fs smaller>**CBS All Access** Peters claimed he does not pay for CBS All Access, the streaming service on which //Discovery// is exclusively broadcast in the United States. How, then, is he watching  the show so he can talk about it on his new weekly //Reel Trek// show? He also condemned the show for not following canon. "Don't tell me it's the prime timeline," he said.</fs>
   * <fs smaller>**Idiots** Peters delighted in deleting unwanted questions from the live chat, casting questioners as "trolls with no life." He told them, "You're gone! Because you're an idiot."</fs>   * <fs smaller>**Idiots** Peters delighted in deleting unwanted questions from the live chat, casting questioners as "trolls with no life." He told them, "You're gone! Because you're an idiot."</fs>
   * <fs smaller>**2015 Funding** Peters finally admitted how much money he had on hand in 2015 to produce //Axanar// when the CBS lawsuit hit. The amount: $268,000, just 14 percent of the [[ambition_vs._achievement#budget_gap|projected budget]] for the feature.</fs>   * <fs smaller>**2015 Funding** Peters finally admitted how much money he had on hand in 2015 to produce //Axanar// when the CBS lawsuit hit. The amount: $268,000, just 14 percent of the [[ambition_vs._achievement#budget_gap|projected budget]] for the feature.</fs>
 </WRAP> </WRAP>
 +
 +That plan? Peters revealed he needed a completed bridge to attract donations:
 +
 +> Had we tried to raise private donations a year ago or even six months ago, I doubt we would have made it to $100,000.  But Axacon forced us to get that bridge set to a point where it’s nearly completed, and everyone is raving about it.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/24/ares-studios-launches-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-2/#more-11303|"Ares Studios Launches New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 2,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/24/19.))
 +
 +Though [[Axanar Productions]] and Ares Studios are two legally separate entities, housing //Axanar//'s Ares bridge set in what he was then still calling OWC Studios even after the end of the sponsorship made the two fundraising efforts mutually reinforcing.
  
 ==== When Did OWC Pull Out? ==== ==== When Did OWC Pull Out? ====
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 > The sponsorship contract was only for one year at a time (which isn’t unusual for a corporate sponsor).  During that time, the OWC marketing director, who was a big fan and supporter of Axanar, left the company. I approached the new marketing director to ask if they wanted to renew their sponsorship for another year, and he declined … politely.  It just wasn’t something he wanted to pursue, and I didn’t push him.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/22/ares-studios-launches-a-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-1/|"Ares Studio Launches a New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 1,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/22/19.)) > The sponsorship contract was only for one year at a time (which isn’t unusual for a corporate sponsor).  During that time, the OWC marketing director, who was a big fan and supporter of Axanar, left the company. I approached the new marketing director to ask if they wanted to renew their sponsorship for another year, and he declined … politely.  It just wasn’t something he wanted to pursue, and I didn’t push him.(([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2019/01/22/ares-studios-launches-a-new-patreon-interview-with-alec-peters-part-1/|"Ares Studio Launches a New Patreon: Interview with Alec Peters, Part 1,"]] Fan Film Factor blog, 1/22/19.))
 +
 +=== Sponsorship Extension ===
 +
 +However, Peters told a different story in [[yout>jj9tlGRJR2I|one version]] of his Patreon pitch video:
 +
 +> Other World Computing graciously offered to sponsor us during the first year of our time here. Now, <wrap hi>they were nice and extended that for six months</wrap> but now we have to fund the studio by other means.(([[yout>jj9tlGRJR2I|Ares Studios Patreon Promo]], Axanar YouTube channel, 1/18/19.))
 +
 +<WRAP 525px>
 +//**__<fs smaller>The 'Other' Patreon Pitch</fs>__**//
 +{{youtube>jj9tlGRJR2I?t=38&large|Ares Studios Patreon Promo}}
 +<fs smaller>**At the 40-second mark** in this alternate Patreon video, Alec Peters claims he won a six-month extension in his sponsorship from OWC, but that timing doesn't seem to match his other claims about when that arrangement ended.</fs>
 +----
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +That video remains on Axanar's YouTube channel but is not the pitch video that actually appears on the Patreon page. [[yout>QNWhMcJ2qmw|That video]] leaves out the reference to OWC's supposed six-month extension.
  
 === Disappearing CEO === === Disappearing CEO ===
  
-Missing from Peters' explanation was any mention of OWC's chief executive officer and founder, Larry O’Connor. O'Connor is the only OWC decision-maker ever named with regard to the sponsorship,(([[https://blog.macsales.com/40978-owc-announces-sponsorship-of-film-production-company-studio|"OWC Announces Sponsorship of Film Production Company and Studio,"]] MacSales.com Newsfeed, 5/11/17.)) and O'Connor has even appeared on Axanar's podcast.+Also missing from Peters' explanation was any mention of OWC's chief executive officer and founder, Larry O’Connor. O'Connor is the only OWC decision-maker ever named with regard to the sponsorship,(([[https://blog.macsales.com/40978-owc-announces-sponsorship-of-film-production-company-studio|"OWC Announces Sponsorship of Film Production Company and Studio,"]] MacSales.com Newsfeed, 5/11/17.)) and O'Connor had even appeared on Axanar's podcast and visited the warehouse.
  
-Peters has never mentioned the unnamed marketing directors before; O'Connor's absence in Peters' explanation was remarkable.+Because Peters had never mentioned the unnamed marketing directors before, O'Connor's absence from Peters' explanation was remarkable. 
 + 
 +[{{ ::oconoor_owc_studios.jpg|**LIVING THE DREAM** Other World Computing CEO Larry O'Connor poses in front of the "studios" that bore his company's name at an October 2017 open house when his support of Axanar seemed unshakeable. <fs smaller>//Image/Axanar Productions//</fs>}}]
  
 Despite the fact neither OWC nor Peters had ever indicated the sponsorship was [[ares_patreon#owc_sponsorship|time-limited]], Peters had only ever portrayed the relationship as a happy one that was bound to continue. In a September 2018 interview, Peters said: Despite the fact neither OWC nor Peters had ever indicated the sponsorship was [[ares_patreon#owc_sponsorship|time-limited]], Peters had only ever portrayed the relationship as a happy one that was bound to continue. In a September 2018 interview, Peters said:
  
 > No one is funding Axanar right now except me. <wrap hi>OWC Digital is still sponsoring the studio that bears their name, and they’re still very happy with what we’re doing both now and going forward.</wrap> (([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2018/09/24/alec-peters-talks-about-axacon-the-latest-axanar-financials-and-the-bridge-set-interview-part-1/|"Alec Peters talks about Axacon, the latest Axanar financials, and the bridge set! (interview, part 1)]]j" Fan Film Factor, 9/24/18.)) > No one is funding Axanar right now except me. <wrap hi>OWC Digital is still sponsoring the studio that bears their name, and they’re still very happy with what we’re doing both now and going forward.</wrap> (([[https://fanfilmfactor.com/2018/09/24/alec-peters-talks-about-axacon-the-latest-axanar-financials-and-the-bridge-set-interview-part-1/|"Alec Peters talks about Axacon, the latest Axanar financials, and the bridge set! (interview, part 1)]]j" Fan Film Factor, 9/24/18.))
 +
 +== The 'Dream of Axanar' ==
 +
 +O'Connor attended an October 2017 open house at OWC Studios.(([[https://axanarproductions.com/captains-log-october-21st-2017/|"Captain's Log, October 21st, 2017,"]] Axanar Productions website, 10/22/17.)) One of the Axanar fans who attended, Jon Tessler, recounted:
 +
 +> Also in attendance was Larry [O'Connor] (owner of OWC computing), and he spoke a bit about “why he donated $30,000 of computer hardware for //Prelude//,” and also <wrap hi>why he is sponsoring the new studio. It was interesting to his reasoning behind the increased support, and why he believes in the “dream of Axanar”.</wrap>((Jon Tessler, [[http://www.geekykool.com/owc-studios-holds-open-house-for-axanar-friends-donors-and-fans-on-102117/|"OWC Studios Holds Open House for Axanar Friends, Donors and Fans,"]] Geekykool.com, 10/22/17.))
  
 === Doesn't Add Up === === Doesn't Add Up ===
  
-However, according to Peters' new claim for when he started paying his own rent (either five or six months before), the sponsorship had already ended by that September interview.+Not even one year later, things appeared to have changed. According to Peters' new claim for when he started paying his own rent (either five or six months before), the sponsorship had already ended by that September 2018 interview.
  
 And just three months earlier, on June 12, 2018, Peters had also described the relationship in glowing terms with a bright future: And just three months earlier, on June 12, 2018, Peters had also described the relationship in glowing terms with a bright future:
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 If Peters' six-month claim were true, OWC had ended its sponsorship in July or August, just a few weeks after Peters' post in June. If Peters' six-month claim were true, OWC had ended its sponsorship in July or August, just a few weeks after Peters' post in June.
 +
 ===== Axanar Funding ===== ===== Axanar Funding =====
  
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 During his live chat, Peters took advantage of YouTube's "super chat" feature, which allows viewers to give him money in exchange for answering their questions or naming them. He earned at least $200 during the live chat.(([[yout>psgvV_cIY_A|Axanar Confidential, episode 1]], Axanar YouTube Channel, 1/21/19.)) During his live chat, Peters took advantage of YouTube's "super chat" feature, which allows viewers to give him money in exchange for answering their questions or naming them. He earned at least $200 during the live chat.(([[yout>psgvV_cIY_A|Axanar Confidential, episode 1]], Axanar YouTube Channel, 1/21/19.))
  
-Added to the $1,000 in monthly Patreon commitments as of this post, Peters' YouTube earnings put him 40 percent of the way to his $4,000 goal.{{page>footer}} {{tag>Axanar_Confidential}}+Added to the $1,000 in monthly Patreon commitments as of this post, Peters' YouTube earnings put him 40 percent of the way to his $4,000 goal. {{:axamonitor-ico.gif?nolink|}} 
 + 
 +<WRAP tip 75%> 
 +<wrap em>COMMENTS</wrap> \\ 
 +Discuss this article in [[face>groups/axamonitor/permalink/567373670444151/|AxaMonitor's Facebook group]]. 
 +</WRAP> 
 +---- 
 +**Keywords** {{tag>Axanar_Confidential Patreon studio}}