My name is Ronald Short and I am a filmmaker, actor, and puppeteer down in Austin, TX. In my 16 years here, I have been lucky to make a few award winning films, with our latest one, Tasty Bones, currently in the midst of a fantastic worldwide film festival run. It’s my goal to make each of my films better than the last, and with this particular horror short, I am happy to say we’ve gotten into some of the biggest film festivals we’ve ever played (Dances with Films, Panic Fest, Oak Cliff Film Festival) with the potential for more on the horizon.

Festivals create major opportunities but they come with just as many costs. Some places we’ve played help with discounts on hotels and travel stipends. But for smaller independent projects, the vast majority of festival expenses come out of the filmmaker’s pocket. In general, we must cover most things, which ranges from airfare to hotel costs, meals, promotional materials printing, and transportation around the cities we play. When you’re trying to attend as many of these events as possible, and build all the connections and audiences you can, the costs can obviously stack up.

I’m also frustrated to say I’ve been without a paid gig since April, which is difficult to share. I was excited with the jobs I had in the spring and was hopeful work was picking up, but opportunities have been fewer and farther between ever since. I’m not too down about it because we’re so close to locking the funding for our next feature, which is incredibly exciting.

But there’s no way around it, I am currently in a work dry spell and need a little help to get along until this next project officially launches. On top of that, my wife Ami and I had some major plumbing issues pop up in our home, requiring thousands of dollars of work. The timing of these things are always the best, am I right? We will have to get some pipes and at least one of the toilets replaced. Obviously, these things happen to all home owners, but again…the timing ain’t great.

All of that is to say, we’re not looking for help with that particular issue. We’re getting that figured out. However, it’s really taking away from the incredible opportunities I have before me being able to travel to these upcoming festivals. With a new feature in the pipeline, attending these fests will give me the opportunity to not only network with folks who can help make it a reality, but also form relationships with the people running things to hopefully find a place to premiere our next work when it’s ready.

If you’re in a good financial place to help out a truly independent artist persist in his craft, I would appreciate your support enormously. The world right now is extra scary and chaotic so if giving isn’t an option but you can share this, that’s a huge help too.

With this GoFundMe, I am hopeful to raise at least $2,500 for assistance with festivals. With the money, I will be able to attend the upcoming FilmQuest in Provo, Utah for the very first time! It’s been a dream to play this one and your contribution would go towards airfare, hotel, and additional travel costs to make it a reality. We also have a screening of Body in New York in September, Reel East in November and several other potential screening opportunities to announce in the near future. Thank you so much for considering and if you have any questions or ideas, reach out at any time.