The Power of Internet Fundraising

Since "Veronica Mars" was cancelled in 2007 after three seasons, fans have wanted more.

Last month, show creator Rob Thomas posted a campaign to Kickstarter, a company that provides medium to raise money through crowd funding, to raise money for a "Veronica Mars" movie. The goal was to raise $2 million in 30 days.

Thomas pleaded with Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. for years to give closure to the fans and to create a film version. 

Thomas and Warner Bros. reached an agreement that if he could raise the $2 million in 30 days for production costs, Warner Bros. would front the rest of the money for marketing and distribution.

"It was either going to be a Warner Bros. movie or it wasn't going to exist," Thomas said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

10 hours after the campaign was posted, fans surpassed the goal.

When the campaign closed Friday, April 12, 91,585 backers pledged $5,702,153 towards the movie.

This project is the fastest to reach $1 million and the fastest to reach $2 million. It is the all-time highest –funded project in Kickstarter’s FILM category, the third highest-funded project in Kickstarter history and had the most project backers of any project in Kickstarter history, according to the Kickstarter website.

The movie is set to film this summer and has an early 2014 release date.

"I'm excited because I was very upset the show got cancelled," Jennifer Jones, a student at the University of Georgia, said.

"I got so excited when I found out they were trying to do this. The series finale ended on a cliffhanger and I was irate about it. I want closure on what guy she is going to be with," Jones said.

The single biggest backer was Steven Dengler, a wealthy entrepreneur. He pledged $10,0000 mostly out of his love for Internet fundraising. For his donation, he will have a small speaking role in the film.

“Thanks to this campaign, I’m going to get to write and direct the thing I care most about creatively in my career. It’s well worth the effort. I still can’t believe people entered their credit-card numbers on the Internet to fund this thing,” Thomas said in the Bloomberg Businessweek interview.