We need your help! Back in August, we held a fundraiser and raised over $18,000. That money was responsibly set aside for what we projected: day-to-day operations, bills, merch production, and live event costs. What it wasn’t built for — and what we’re now facing — is emergency infrastructure failure.
One of our main computers just crashed. It held all of Cathode’s key operational files:
- Streaming and archival materials
- Merch designs and templates
- Admin documents
- Curation materials
Luckily, the computer that crashed is covered by Apple Care but it is one of our personal computers and we need to separate that.
We were told that the drive is connected to our logic board and it will need to be sent out before it can be repaired or we will lose these irreplaceable files.
Data recovery is not cheap...and this exposed a deeper issue we’ve been quietly ignoring: our entire file management system has gotten bloated and scattered. Everything is spread across multiple drives, older machines, personal computers and cloud folders with no real backup or redundancy. That has to change if we want Cathode to survive long-term.
We are seeking $8,000 to cover emergency tech needs without draining our yearly operational reserves; which would leave us in the red. This ask ensures we don’t have to cancel livestreams or delay future events to stay afloat.
What we need:
New Streaming Computer: $1,000-$1,200
- Our current master machine is too old to reliably handle stream builds or file storage. And we need a computer that is strictly just for Cathode. Not floating around for personal use.
Hard Drive Recovery: $1,000 to $2,000 (final estimate pending)
- This is to rescue the crashed drive and recover critical files.
NAS Storage System (networked archive): $2900
- A proper home for our files that allows long-term archiving.
Contingency / Backup Infrastructure: Whatever is left.
- A reserve to respond to potential emergencies in the future.
Why this is a separate fundraiser:
We know it’s only been 5 months since our last campaign. But we kept that ask modest because we didn’t want to overreach. We budgeted for survival, not crisis. We’re learning that sustainability also means planning for the unexpected. We are not a fan of asking twice in one year, but we have to realize that this is the only way we can handle this issue. There are just 3 of us running this thing, with normal jobs and lives and we are not in a situation where we can just eat this cost.
Cathode is a labor of love and a community effort. These tools are what keep the stream alive...literally. Without this recovery, we risk losing what we’ve built, archived, and planned for the years ahead.
If you’ve ever participated in a stream, come to an event, or shared our weird little corner of the internet with someone...please consider contributing. Every dollar helps us keep the light on!
Thank you for riding with us.
love,
Cathode Cinema
Organizer
