For a long time now I've refused to see this project as anything more than an enjoyable hobby, I've asked for donations once and that was a specific directed case covering the majority of the costs associated with the digitisation and preservation of the Geoff Bodenham folk tapes. Other than that, the donation link has been something created quietly, and timidly hidden on the corners of my profile; I've never wanted to seem as though I was 'E-begging', 'Grifting' or 'Selling out'.
Recently I've been made to feel that such an attitude is silly.
My project costs money to run; I've done a lot of digitisation beyond the Geoff Bodenham tapes - entirely out of my own pocket, there are equipment costs, costs for reference materials (Sometimes running into the £100's!), fee's for using county archives, fee's for using online newspaper archives, society membership fees that give me access to back catalogues of publications and easy access to experts, not to mention petrol driving from one end of the county to the other on a semi-regular basis. Further than that, when I can, I commission other creators to produce art that will enhance my own projects, you've seen this with the music composed by my good friend Albert Schofield.
The sad truth is if I go on as I have thus far the project will no longer be viable.
I would either have to drastically cut back on expenses, leading to poor research and simpler video content, or stop entirely.
I have decided to go the other way and double down on creating more - and better - content than ever and officially asking those of you who enjoy what I do to consider making it possible by supporting me.
Plans
I'm going to be starting regular livestreams, either with guests or as a hangout where we can chat about local events, talk about lore from all over England, and get sneak previews of new videos I make or old Folk recordings I come across.
I also have an audio show in the works which will be dramatic retellings of a mix of Staffordshire Folk Tales and English Fairy Tales, aimed at a younger audience to help inspire a love of local heritage early on.
Ways to Support me
To make this a reality I have added a number of ways to support me here on 'Buy me a Coffee':
1. Support. One off donations for which I am incredibly grateful.
2. Wishlist. A list of materials and equipment that will enhance future projects, this is a form of targeted support so you can see what your donation went towards.
3. Commissions. For now there is just one commission; Old English Translation. For a nominal fee I will professionally translate any text you provide to or from Old English in the same way I have done for the dialogue in my video on the fairies of Stow Heath.
4. Extras. Here you can buy downloads of the original music made for my channel, the number of songs included will expand with time but you can rest assured that a purchase right now will also grant you access to all future releases, provided you email me a request for an update using the same email address listed on the original order.
There are also a limited number of art commission jobs available, I've developed an art style of my own for my videos and for a small price will draw a character of your choice using those skills. Who knows, once drawn that character might even end up n a video later?
5. Memberships. There are currently 4 tiers to membership:
- Listener
- Local Legend
- Barrow Sleeper
- Se Ealdor
All 4 tiers will unlock the posts and updates I make here on 'Buy me a coffee' as well as a discount on the extras I have on offer.
Higher tiers will gain additional benefits such as behind the scenes sneak peaks, early access to my videos, free downloads of the OST, being credited as a backer on my video itself, members only hangout livestreams and more.
Not to mention you can know your money is going to the cause of preserving regional folk knowledge in all its forms, and being used as effectively as possible in the process.
If you've taken the time to read all this, all I can say is thank you!
I hope, if you've enjoyed my content thus far, you'll consider supporting me and help me to produce much more of it for years to come!
Regards,
Jack