BAD SIGNS - Executive Summary
Jester Street Pictures, LLC. seeks investors to produce, obtain distribution and marketing for the feature film BAD SIGNS, a comedy seen through the lens of a documentary crew as they follow a group of ragtag street-sign spinners scheming to get their jobs back from corrupt costumed rivals. A surprise twist occurs when the documentary crew starts helping the weirdly endearing protagonists. While it deals with contemporary issues like the plight of the “common person” to stay employed, and the increasingly limited options for many contemporary graduates, BAD SIGNS has the advantage of setting this struggle in a widely recognized but little-showcased setting: street-sign spinning. It will be produced in Portland, OR and will utilize production incentives offered in Oregon for up to 20% cash rebates that will go towards investor’s recoupment as well as local resources that will increase the value of the production while keeping costs low.
Jester Street will not only seek well know name talent, but fund an innovative marketing campaign that will be developed in collaboration with Danny Hewitt of AArrow Advertising - the inventor of the famous Statue of Liberty sign spinners - and Lyla Foggia of the renowned PR firm Foggia Public Relations. Danny Hewitt is a producer on BAD SIGNS and Ms. Foggia has expressed interest contingent on obtaining funding. Part of this plan currently includes a self-distributed theatrical release that will target regional markets in major hubs such as LA and New York (renting privately owned theaters to screen the film in conjunction with a marketing campaign in each city). Even if the film doesn’t achieve a wider theatrical release, the unique concept, cameos of well-known figures and celebrities, and the target PG-13 rating will support both domestic and foreign revenue streams.
BAD SIGNS is modeled after the “documentary” style popularized by award winning shows like NBC’s “The Office”, and “Parks and Recreation”. “Best In Show” (2000), which was made for $10,000,000 dollars and grossed almost $21,000,000, is a good example of this style in a feature film. It also yields opportunities for unique plot twists and comedy not seen in a traditional narrative format.
Comedy is the highest grossing genre, and also presents excellent opportunities to produce at a lower cost than other genres, often increasing margins. Several earlier successful comedies and a slew of recent hits demonstrate that stories which deal with contemporary subjects in a comedic way can reap significant rewards. “Clerks”, Kevin Smith’s 1994 film about oddball retail clerks, was produced for $27,000 and grossed over $3,000,000. A more recent comparable film – and one with a surprise twist - is “Safety Not Guaranteed” (2012), which is about a disillusioned college graduate investigating an oddball newspaper ad. It was produced for $750,000 and has to date grossed over $4,000,000. Another excellent example of unique characters scoring big in comedy is the cult hit “Napoleon Dynamite”, produced for $400,000 and grossing over $44,000,000. While we make no claim that BAD SIGNS will equal the returns of any of these examples, there is a good chance that the film’s unique subject matter - the hitherto unexplored realm of sign-spinning - and absurd situations with a “surprise twist” on the popular documentary format may interest audiences looking for something fresh and thereby earn a profit.
Learn more about our director HERE.
Jester Street will not only seek well know name talent, but fund an innovative marketing campaign that will be developed in collaboration with Danny Hewitt of AArrow Advertising - the inventor of the famous Statue of Liberty sign spinners - and Lyla Foggia of the renowned PR firm Foggia Public Relations. Danny Hewitt is a producer on BAD SIGNS and Ms. Foggia has expressed interest contingent on obtaining funding. Part of this plan currently includes a self-distributed theatrical release that will target regional markets in major hubs such as LA and New York (renting privately owned theaters to screen the film in conjunction with a marketing campaign in each city). Even if the film doesn’t achieve a wider theatrical release, the unique concept, cameos of well-known figures and celebrities, and the target PG-13 rating will support both domestic and foreign revenue streams.
BAD SIGNS is modeled after the “documentary” style popularized by award winning shows like NBC’s “The Office”, and “Parks and Recreation”. “Best In Show” (2000), which was made for $10,000,000 dollars and grossed almost $21,000,000, is a good example of this style in a feature film. It also yields opportunities for unique plot twists and comedy not seen in a traditional narrative format.
Comedy is the highest grossing genre, and also presents excellent opportunities to produce at a lower cost than other genres, often increasing margins. Several earlier successful comedies and a slew of recent hits demonstrate that stories which deal with contemporary subjects in a comedic way can reap significant rewards. “Clerks”, Kevin Smith’s 1994 film about oddball retail clerks, was produced for $27,000 and grossed over $3,000,000. A more recent comparable film – and one with a surprise twist - is “Safety Not Guaranteed” (2012), which is about a disillusioned college graduate investigating an oddball newspaper ad. It was produced for $750,000 and has to date grossed over $4,000,000. Another excellent example of unique characters scoring big in comedy is the cult hit “Napoleon Dynamite”, produced for $400,000 and grossing over $44,000,000. While we make no claim that BAD SIGNS will equal the returns of any of these examples, there is a good chance that the film’s unique subject matter - the hitherto unexplored realm of sign-spinning - and absurd situations with a “surprise twist” on the popular documentary format may interest audiences looking for something fresh and thereby earn a profit.
Learn more about our director HERE.