Less than a week remains in the 20-day sprint to fund my radio series Special Relativity. You can on the chart over there on the right that we’re way behind the $2500 goal for the 20 days.

A lot of people ask why I need so much money for a project that only uses one of the five senses (and not even one of the top three). While studio time, data storage, and a parade of specially trained hippos wired to Marshall stacks all cost money, by far the biggest expense for Special Relativity is the one that sets it apart from most other indie media projects: paying the artists who work on it.

I firmly believe that all artists should be paid for their work. So all actors, composers, engineers, and everyone who’s not me that participates in Special Relativity will make a fair wage for their time. I also strongly support labor unions, so the performers will all make at least the minimum rates for sound recording projects set by their union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

That rate might be more than you think. AFTRA’s base rate for a voice actor is $160.00 an hour, with a two-hour minimum. So that’s $320 just to have the star walk in and say hi. Not to mention that AFTRA performers bill per role, and Special Relativity’s two main characters are the same women at two different ages. That means an actor’s minimum can jump to over $960. With that in mind, Special Relativity’s looking at talent costs somewhere in the range of $5000. For a series with a maximum budget of $8000, that single line item comprises almost two-thirds of the expenses.

So yes, I could massively cut the budget if I asked everyone to work for free, like most IndieGoGo or Kickstarter projects do. But I’m not going to, because artists and performers shouldn’t be robbed of a living because of their chosen profession. Someday I’ll write several long diatribes convincing you of that. But for now, if you agree with me, please donate to Special Relativity. You could be buying a taco for the next Mel Blanc.