How to Defeat Dudes Fundraiser Results: Mission Accomplished!

Mission Accomplished! Well...sort of ;)

On Easter Sunday this past week, we successfully reached the goal of raising $1000 to film and edit the next 4 episodes of the webshow, How to Defeat Dudes. While the $2500 goal I had set on Indiegogo was an ideal one, (it would have allowed me to do a full 8 shows as well as fund the marketing of them), the next 4 episodes are all that are essential for completing the series. With these, I will have covered all of the most important topics that I really wanted to cover for the show, and that is enough for me. Actually, given the fact that this is the first show Ive ever produced, it covers a topic most people aren't particularly interested in, and the fact that we are in the middle of a recession, Im not complaining in the least.
The fact that people were willing to give this much tells me that this show means a lot to people, and as such, even if Im gonna have to hustle to find ways to complete it, it is very much a battle worth fighting for. As these 4 episodes will be more or less publicly funded, both myself and the co-director Michael, have every intention of making sure that they are fully worth the hard-earned cash that people were willing to part with to see them get made. Beyond that, if I need to hustle a bit myself to find ways to cover any other associated expenses, I will gladly do so. After all, if there is anything in the world that Im good at, it's hustling and finding a way. ;)

Episode 9 will cover staying on your feet, defending yourself from the ground, and getting back on your feet when you fall. Episode 10 will cover how to defend yourself when someone has already mounted you, and episode 11 will discuss defending yourself in multiple opponent scenarios. Episode 12 will be a special thank you episode dedicated to everyone who helped make this show a possibility. For those donators who opted for it, there will also be a special DVD of all of the episodes of the show.

As for the success of the show itself, thus far, it has been picked up by 3 websites. The first of these is a martial arts forum called Martial Talk, that has not only decided to feature all of the shows in their online magazine, but also take me on as one of their writers.
Beyond that, it is also being featured on OXOL (a channel specially dedicated to web-shows and and short films). Lastly, (but certainly not least), it is being featured on TokyoConnectMe, a new city-by-city social networking site that is launching soon. The third of these is actually the most exciting because they want me to act as Tokyo`s guide to martial arts, and in addition to featuring How to Defeat Dudes, they want me to start another web series about places to do martial arts training in Tokyo.

As this one will start small, it won't have all the glitz that How to Defeat Dudes does, ( I will be directing and editing this one totally on my own), but the content will be really useful to people and as a related topic it should be useful for cross-trafficking as well. Beyond that, there are other projects in the works as well. Overall, the process of bringing the show this far has taught me the world, and the fact that Ive successfully created a series that the general population seems to really enjoy (thus far over 400 likes and only 4 dislikes) has given me the confidence to venture forward with the next step. Creating a short film. This is something that Ive had on the back burner for a few years now, and after completing the final 4 episodes, its time to make that happen as well.

As for the future of How to Defeat Dudes, it will continue on, but I am changing the format to a Q & A web blog. People can write in to ask me questions (either on my youtube page or on TokyoConnectMe) and I create the episodes to answer them. What would be really great would be to find a way to turn it into a full-on show. Not sure how to make that happen yet...but I have a feeling that sooner or later, something is going to come of it. ;)