This photographer NEEDS his camera.
Donation protected
Hello and thank you for visiting! I need your Help:
My name is Miles Maker. I'm a writer, filmmaker and freelance photographer who recently had his camera stolen from the Filmmaker Lounge during the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival. The venue was lightly-attended at the time, but a homeless woman somehow gained access, stole my camera and quickly departed while I stood only a few feet away, talking with festival staff. After filing an incident report with Ralph Rivera (Managing Director of the film festival) and a police report with Officer Bingham of the Culver City Police Department, I was informed by Mr. Rivera that Film Independent's event insurance would NOT cover my loss.
WHO STOLE YOUR CAMERA?
Although I suspected who the thief was (because she quietly disappeared along with my camera) I had no definitive proof; only a nameless face. But coincidentally, my filmmaker friend was in a nearby McDonald's for breakfast just 2 days later when the same woman walked in, pushing a baby carriage cart full of her life's possessions.
Although she looked worse for wear, she was still dressed in the very same canary yellow leather jacket she wore in the Filmmaker Lounge that night. So my friend kept an eye on her while I hurried to the restaurant to confront her by surprise. But before doing so, I snapped a few photographs of her with my iPad.
She denied stealing my camera until I told her she had been caught red-handed by security cameras (although there were none in the Filmmaker Lounge). She confessed at that point and said, “Some black guy on the street has it now.” I didn't touch her or search her carriage for fear of breaking the law and disrupting patrons in the process, and frankly, because I'm black. The last thing I wanted was to end up in jail for being too aggressive about my accusations and encountering the wrong Culver City cop.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE FILMMAKER LOUNGE?
I'm a proud 2013 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. I am also a film screener in service to the programming department of the LA Film Festival for 3 years running. After screening and scoring 100 hours of new independent movies this year, 1 of 2 films I gave my highest score was programmed and 4 of 15 films I scored high enough for consideration were also programmed. Of those 4 films, the documentary was a world premiere in competition, and all 3 feature films touted female leads; 1 was directed by a woman and 1 was in U.S. Fiction competition as a world premiere. I know movies! I watch 200+ movies and read 50+ feature-length scripts EVERY year!
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
A donation of ANY amount will be humbly accepted.
WHY DON'T YOU HAVE INSURANCE?
I should have, but it was 25% of my total purchase for the first 12 months alone. Contrary to popular belief, renters insurance (also known as homeowners insurance) won't cover the loss of 'for-profit' equipment used away from the property, so I've always been careful with my camera and gear. A mere 2 dozen people were there at the time with enough space to accommodate hundreds―yet that's absolutely NO EXCUSE. I simply felt safe and at home amongst industry colleagues and peers with my camera within arm's reach of me when it was stolen.
WHY CAN'T YOU BUY YOURSELF A NEW CAMERA?
If I could, I certainly wouldn't humble myself with this fundraising campaign. Crowdfunding is HARD WORK! But I was homelessness myself just 5 years ago; I crowdfunded my camera when I moved to LA from Harlem and upgraded to a newer model just recently. The irony is, freelancing with my camera is what got me off the street, so to have it stolen from a homeless person is :-(
WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS?
I've served as a social media manager and producer for several films you may have heard about or even seen. However, my photography has kept me going and fed my family when my wife's part-time job isn't enough to sustain us. This campaign isn't about me and my favorite toy; it's about swallowing my pride and attempting to get us back on track. Despite not taking photography seriously until just this year when my parents died, I was recently selected as a stock image contributor for Getty. This isn't my pity party! It's a temporary setback. I'm bullish about my talents as a photographer and optimistic about my films in development:
WHAT'S IN THIS FOR ME?
If you're in the Los Angeles area and donate $199 or more, I'll give you a FREE portrait session (you may gift this offer to someone local). Portrait photographs can be used for social media profiles, websites, application submissions, actor headshots, press/media and even framed on your wall. Although I'm still learning the craft, I already have an eye for the work.
YOUR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION $199!
Your photo shoot will be no longer than 2 hours at 1 location with 3 or fewer wardrobe changes (my 3-2-1 campaign offer). You'll also receive 6 or more enhanced photographs (the best pictures will be touched up for you) and ALL your raw images from the shoot.
WHAT OTHER KINDS OF PICTURES WILL YOU TAKE?
Your photography session can be used for a special event; if you're receiving an award, having a special birthday, graduating, attending a premiere or have any other similar occasion to be photographed, my offer stands―except for weddings! If you're a local filmmaker, I can shoot 2 hours of behind-the-scenes production stills while you're filming (see my website ).
Couples, kids and pets are okay too.
HOW WILL MY DONATION BE USED?
I will promptly replace what was stolen from me:
Canon EOS 70D DSLR camera body
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens
Canon BG-E14 battery grip
EOS 70D Battery (battery grip held 2 batteries)
SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro Memory Card
TOTALS
$1,892.88 (currently at B&H, no sales tax)
$150 GoFundMe Fees (7.9% + $0.30 per donation)
$500 Insurance (annual estimate) so this won't happen again!
CAMPAIGN GOAL
$2,542.88
WHY AREN'T YOU ON INDIEGOGO OR KICKSTARTER?
GoFundMe disburses your donation within days vs. IndieGogo and Kickstarter, which release the funds approximately 2 weeks after a campaign has ended. This is important to me because I plan to get back to work as soon as possible. Every day counts because every day can be a shoot day. I can't afford to risk all-or-nothing with Kickstarter either, so if I can only replace my camera body and lens, I'll start working to replace the rest of the gear.
WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Nobody special.
We all have hopes and dreams and passions and ambitions―I'm simply pursuing mine in desperate need of the tools to exist and persist and create.
THANK YOU! :-)
ALL photographs ©milesmaker All Rights reserved.
Los Angeles Film Festival screener 2014-2016
UCLA MFA Screenwriters Showcase Judge 2013-2016
One Lens Film Festival Programmer 2013-2015
Film Independent Project Involve Fellow 2013
Producers Guild of America Diversity Workshop Selection 2013
My name is Miles Maker. I'm a writer, filmmaker and freelance photographer who recently had his camera stolen from the Filmmaker Lounge during the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival. The venue was lightly-attended at the time, but a homeless woman somehow gained access, stole my camera and quickly departed while I stood only a few feet away, talking with festival staff. After filing an incident report with Ralph Rivera (Managing Director of the film festival) and a police report with Officer Bingham of the Culver City Police Department, I was informed by Mr. Rivera that Film Independent's event insurance would NOT cover my loss.
WHO STOLE YOUR CAMERA?
Although I suspected who the thief was (because she quietly disappeared along with my camera) I had no definitive proof; only a nameless face. But coincidentally, my filmmaker friend was in a nearby McDonald's for breakfast just 2 days later when the same woman walked in, pushing a baby carriage cart full of her life's possessions.
Although she looked worse for wear, she was still dressed in the very same canary yellow leather jacket she wore in the Filmmaker Lounge that night. So my friend kept an eye on her while I hurried to the restaurant to confront her by surprise. But before doing so, I snapped a few photographs of her with my iPad.
She denied stealing my camera until I told her she had been caught red-handed by security cameras (although there were none in the Filmmaker Lounge). She confessed at that point and said, “Some black guy on the street has it now.” I didn't touch her or search her carriage for fear of breaking the law and disrupting patrons in the process, and frankly, because I'm black. The last thing I wanted was to end up in jail for being too aggressive about my accusations and encountering the wrong Culver City cop.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE FILMMAKER LOUNGE?
I'm a proud 2013 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. I am also a film screener in service to the programming department of the LA Film Festival for 3 years running. After screening and scoring 100 hours of new independent movies this year, 1 of 2 films I gave my highest score was programmed and 4 of 15 films I scored high enough for consideration were also programmed. Of those 4 films, the documentary was a world premiere in competition, and all 3 feature films touted female leads; 1 was directed by a woman and 1 was in U.S. Fiction competition as a world premiere. I know movies! I watch 200+ movies and read 50+ feature-length scripts EVERY year!
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
A donation of ANY amount will be humbly accepted.
WHY DON'T YOU HAVE INSURANCE?
I should have, but it was 25% of my total purchase for the first 12 months alone. Contrary to popular belief, renters insurance (also known as homeowners insurance) won't cover the loss of 'for-profit' equipment used away from the property, so I've always been careful with my camera and gear. A mere 2 dozen people were there at the time with enough space to accommodate hundreds―yet that's absolutely NO EXCUSE. I simply felt safe and at home amongst industry colleagues and peers with my camera within arm's reach of me when it was stolen.
WHY CAN'T YOU BUY YOURSELF A NEW CAMERA?
If I could, I certainly wouldn't humble myself with this fundraising campaign. Crowdfunding is HARD WORK! But I was homelessness myself just 5 years ago; I crowdfunded my camera when I moved to LA from Harlem and upgraded to a newer model just recently. The irony is, freelancing with my camera is what got me off the street, so to have it stolen from a homeless person is :-(
WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS?
I've served as a social media manager and producer for several films you may have heard about or even seen. However, my photography has kept me going and fed my family when my wife's part-time job isn't enough to sustain us. This campaign isn't about me and my favorite toy; it's about swallowing my pride and attempting to get us back on track. Despite not taking photography seriously until just this year when my parents died, I was recently selected as a stock image contributor for Getty. This isn't my pity party! It's a temporary setback. I'm bullish about my talents as a photographer and optimistic about my films in development:
WHAT'S IN THIS FOR ME?
If you're in the Los Angeles area and donate $199 or more, I'll give you a FREE portrait session (you may gift this offer to someone local). Portrait photographs can be used for social media profiles, websites, application submissions, actor headshots, press/media and even framed on your wall. Although I'm still learning the craft, I already have an eye for the work.
YOUR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION $199!
Your photo shoot will be no longer than 2 hours at 1 location with 3 or fewer wardrobe changes (my 3-2-1 campaign offer). You'll also receive 6 or more enhanced photographs (the best pictures will be touched up for you) and ALL your raw images from the shoot.
WHAT OTHER KINDS OF PICTURES WILL YOU TAKE?
Your photography session can be used for a special event; if you're receiving an award, having a special birthday, graduating, attending a premiere or have any other similar occasion to be photographed, my offer stands―except for weddings! If you're a local filmmaker, I can shoot 2 hours of behind-the-scenes production stills while you're filming (see my website ).
Couples, kids and pets are okay too.
HOW WILL MY DONATION BE USED?
I will promptly replace what was stolen from me:
Canon EOS 70D DSLR camera body
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens
Canon BG-E14 battery grip
EOS 70D Battery (battery grip held 2 batteries)
SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro Memory Card
TOTALS
$1,892.88 (currently at B&H, no sales tax)
$150 GoFundMe Fees (7.9% + $0.30 per donation)
$500 Insurance (annual estimate) so this won't happen again!
CAMPAIGN GOAL
$2,542.88
WHY AREN'T YOU ON INDIEGOGO OR KICKSTARTER?
GoFundMe disburses your donation within days vs. IndieGogo and Kickstarter, which release the funds approximately 2 weeks after a campaign has ended. This is important to me because I plan to get back to work as soon as possible. Every day counts because every day can be a shoot day. I can't afford to risk all-or-nothing with Kickstarter either, so if I can only replace my camera body and lens, I'll start working to replace the rest of the gear.
WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Nobody special.
We all have hopes and dreams and passions and ambitions―I'm simply pursuing mine in desperate need of the tools to exist and persist and create.
THANK YOU! :-)
ALL photographs ©milesmaker All Rights reserved.
Los Angeles Film Festival screener 2014-2016
UCLA MFA Screenwriters Showcase Judge 2013-2016
One Lens Film Festival Programmer 2013-2015
Film Independent Project Involve Fellow 2013
Producers Guild of America Diversity Workshop Selection 2013
Organizer
Miles Maker
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
