Now in its third season of filming, Scotty Iseri’s The Digits will turn to crowdfunding on Indiegogo for an exciting new chapter of the start-up’s adventures; Created in 2012 and funded independently since it began, The Digits has been granted 13 episodes on PBS stations. To get the ball rolling, Iseri has come up with an idea to give the public a special way to be involved with this growing production by offering all backers a live reading on stage of the pilot script of The Digits TV Show. Iseri’s crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo will launch April 23, 2014 with the goal to raise $12,000 to market and perform the live kickoff show hosted here: www.indiegogo.com
Iseri is an award-winning media creator with 10 years experience in entertainment and audience development. Star and creator of the hit viral web series “Scotty Got an Office Job”, Scotty assembled a team to design The Digits to teach children typically not fun subjects like math and science in a fun way. Drawing from Portland’s vast wellspring of local creative talent, educators and performing artists, The Digits hope to gain more national support and funding for the PBS project.
“For anyone passionate about elementary education and especially startups, this marks a rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor as we steer toward our dream of being on PBS,” said Iseri. “We are very lucky to have a commitment to air 13 episodes, and we want to make them the best they can be. This is a unique opportunity to get some sweet rewards and help put the “public” back in Public Television.”
All backers will have access to the live reading, with a special viewing code so they won’t need to be in Portland physically to view it. Here are some of the perks and reward levels Indiegogo supporters of The Digits will receive:
• $5 #1 FAN: Your name will be on The Digits website as a contributor, and you’ll receive a private link to the live stream of the event (or a VIP ticket to attend if you are in the Portland area).
• $35 ORIGINAL ARTIST: Be a part of The Digits set! You’ll get a digital download of “The Digits: Fraction Blast” and the chance to send your original artwork that The Digits will use to decorate the walls of their spaceship! YOUR art will be seen in future episodes!
• $50 DIGITAL DIGIT: Get the digital package: a download for “The Digits: Fraction Blast” as well as their CD, “Homework Hotline”!
• $250 THE WHOLE SHEBANG: Get digital downloads of “The Digits: Fraction Blast” as well as DRM-free downloads of the super-secret, not-yet-released “Digits Season 1.5”! PLUS a physical copy of “Homework Hotline,” a signed poster, stickers AND a voicemail from Gorgolax!
• $500 DOUBLE TROUBLE: Get everything in the “Whole Shebang” for you AND for a classroom of your choice. The classroom that receives the package will also get to participate in a Digits Skype Lesson!
• $1,000 DIGITS VIP: A personal hangout with The Digits on the Uncommon Denominator! This can happen through Skype, Google+ Hangout or in person if you’re in the Portland area. Plus everything in the “Whole Shebang.”
Iseri is so committed to making smart cool again that he has conducted numerous Skype chats with teachers and the cast of The Digits, and even had them chime in on comment boards to help kids with homework questions. The Digits is one of the only educational shows that’s made for older elementary kids (ages 7-11). Most educational media stops around age 5 and then pick up again when kids are cramming for their SATs. But when kids get too old for Sesame Street, it’s more important than ever to inspire them to stick with math and science.
According to Iseri, a new father himself, this is also the age when kids are deciding who they are, what they like, and most importantly, what they’re good at. It’s also when math and science start to get more difficult; Math moves from simple arithmetic and into more abstract concepts like fractions, or geometry. Iseri wants to see that students are better armed with a sense of intellectual pride when approaching math and science. “The Digits can be a rocket booster to middle school math as it lays the groundwork for higher-level mathematics,” Iseri said.