Currently Crowdfunding: ‘On Our Doorstep’, ‘The Heart is an Organ’, ‘They Reach’
Five independent films once turned to crowdfunding to finish their journeys. The campaigns have long closed, yet the stories remain worth revisiting for what they became once the cameras stopped rolling and the checks cleared.
Montana raised its target and then some, pulling in $31,400. The short premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival in 2018, collected three awards, and later landed on Amazon Prime Video. Its logline still reads as an unraveling psychological drama about hope, redemption, and the different ways we process grief. Key team member: Michael Schwartz.
Where Are They Now: Film Outcomes
Montana streamed on Amazon Prime after festival wins. They Reach reached VOD shelves in 2020. Brand New Old Love has sat on multiple platforms since 2018. On Our Doorstep toured UK cinemas with director Q&As attached. The Heart is an Organ finished its edit and moved into quieter post-release life.
They Reach hit VOD and DVD on November 3, 2020, through Uncork’d Entertainment. It remains on Amazon Prime. The logline promised an adventurous tale of horror, suspense, friendship, and what it takes to defeat evil. Key team members: Sylas Dall, writer and director; Bry Troyer, writer and producer; Jason Connelly, actor and executive producer; James Winters, director of photography.
Brand New Old Love landed in 2018 with Aya Cash and Arturo Castro in the cast. Viewers can still find it on Plex, Apple TV, and assorted other services. The logline framed a cynical look at modern love that injects reality into the classic rom-com template. Key team members: Cat Rhinehart, writer and director; Aya Cash, actor; Arturo Castro, actor; Jim Wareck, producer.
Director Career Updates
Michael Schwartz earned a Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Directing Fellowship and moved into series development after Montana. Sylas Dall saw his debut feature They Reach picked up by Uncork’d, giving the project a clear commercial path after the campaign closed.
On Our Doorstep completed post-production and began UK cinema screenings in May 2022. The logline highlighted how ordinary people stepped in when authorities ignored the Calais Jungle. Key team members: Thomas Laurance, director; Jerry Rothwell, executive producer; Jodie Taylor, producer; Safwon Suleyman, producer; Marilyn Thompson, executive producer.
The Heart is an Organ wrapped with Kickstarter money plus grant support. Its logline described a love triangle between a musical genius, a music lover, and the church organ binding them to the community. Key team members: David S. White, director; Todd Voltz, executive producer; Lily Keber, consulting producer.
Crowdfunding to Release Pipeline
They Reach moved from campaign to a 2020 VOD release. Montana traveled from campaign to 2018 festival premiere and eventual streaming. Brand New Old Love reached theatrical and VOD screens the same year its campaign closed. The pattern shows modest budgets and steady distribution deals rather than overnight breakthroughs.
These projects illustrate how small campaigns can still shepherd films through festivals, limited theatrical runs, and catalog streaming. The money raised covered finishing costs, festival prints, and basic marketing pushes that helped each title find an audience, however modest. The results also underscore the long tail of indie distribution, where availability on a platform years later often matters more than opening-weekend numbers.
