Benefactors, philanthropists and free money for personal use

What should I show people before I approach them for funding? Or have prepared before I make up any grant proposals? Some preliminary art? Some scripts?

I know if I were going to any comic book convention it would be a good idea to have some panels and scripts that I prepared on hand that I should show people who work in the comics industry.

I don't know. It's going to depend on the grant giving organization. Generally they are going to be looking for what is essentially a proof of concept.

This is not a 'one size fits all' situation.

It is very clear you are trying to do everything at once instead of Step 1. If you continue to do so, then you won't get any work done.

How about sticking to writing the script first then work on the art? I doubt you actually wrote a complete script, considering you have recently asked for books on writing characters.

Also, in that email I sent you months ago, one of the books was "The Everything Guide on Writing Proposals". If you are not going to even use what I send you, then I won't give any other help books.

I'll look at the books you sent PDFs for.

In the aforementioned book by Bendis (who has been writing comics since the 90s), he interviews noted editors on what advice to give to aspiring creators if they meet them at conventions:

"TOM BREVOORT (Avengers): Nothing succeeds like the work itself. I know a lot of people in and around the industry, and a lot of people who are struggling to break in, or to stay in. And there are some terrific people among that group. But none of that matters once it’s time for me to hire somebody to do a job. At that point, it all comes down to how good you are on the page, right now—not how good you were years ago or how good you might one day be. There are other factors, too, of course—reliability being the very first one. But the most reliable guy in the world won’t get called up if the work he’s producing doesn’t have that spark."

"SANA AMANAT (Captain Marvel, Ultimate Spider-Man): Research the books I’ve worked on and angle samples accordingly. Editors tend to develop a style themselves as they grow, so if you think you’d be a good fit for the writers or artists we tend to work with, say so and show examples that prove it. Further, editors generally have certain books (Spidey books versus X-Men books, etc.), so send samples that might work for a particular title we work on. We’re constantly on the lookout for new talent, but when you target our books or styles specifically that actually helps us do our job."

"DIANA SCHUTZ (Dark Horse Comics): I recommend establishing an online presence. A lot of people are doing comics online. In comics, as in any other field, getting your name out there is important: networking. Keep your proposal short and concise. As an editor reading submissions, I can tell within the first page or two whether a proposal is worth pursuing or not. And your writing another ten, or a hundred, pages is not going to convince me otherwise. You need to put your maximum punch right at the beginning and sell me on the project by page 1!"

I was figuring this guy made his money from selling books not from actually getting "free money" what with all these different versions - great scam.

?????

What "scam"?

As I said I would have some material- some panels and some scripts for original comics that I produced, stuff that I want to develop and publish- to show professionals in the comics industry- creators, writers, artists, etc.

I want to approach them and ask them about funding for my OWN comics.

According to a Google search:
"Lesko is now promoting a new book, 'Free Money to Pay Your Bills,' by claiming that the federal government has more than $350 billion in 'hidden money' that ordinary people can use to pay their credit-card bills and 'get out of debt.' That claim is simply not true," said Consumer Protection Board Chairman and Executive Director Teresa A. Santiago.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/lesko_grants.html

In an interview with Lesko by The Washington Post:
""I plagiarized the whole thing," he says proudly. "I didn't write a lick."
He took the free Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, an 1,100-page government guide to grants and loans, condensed it to 300 pages, added a few snappy introductory paragraphs and -- voila! -- he was on the New York Times bestseller list."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/14/AR2007071401118_2.html?hpid=artslot%E2%8A%82=AR&noredirect=o

He's been around 4 decades telling people where to get free money and helping them get it. How is that a "scam"?

From Lesko.com:

"WHY BECOME A MEMBER ?
- America's Largest Government Programs Database.
- Free Help For Filling Government Applications.
- Instant ALerts Of New Programs.
- Free Research Help 24/7.
- Interact Through Web Seminars.
- Video Training From Experts.
- Get Personalised Help On Live Chats.
- Free Search For Best Programs.
- Counselling Videos From Experts."

I would also ask them for advice about self-publishing and distributing my own comics.

Again, advice from Bendis, who self published his own comics and is still writing his creator owned comics:

"It’s really difficult to [self-publish] but you have to become two different people: the artist who creates the work and the advertising agent who sells it. You have to take a good hard look at what you really have, and then get out there and sell it smart. Especially with self-publishing, you have to get attention beyond what all the corporations and their bigger comics and creators get. It’s really hard, but you have to get out there and sell it, or no one will know it exists. Don’t be afraid to show what you have. Tell people what the story of your comic is, and why they should buy it or read it."

What about people looking for funding for indie animation projects? What advice was given to people approaching people in the animation industry- creators, writers, animators, voice actors, etc.- at comic book conventions about funding for their projects?

Do you think what Lesko is doing is a scam because a lot of what he helps people with is something they can research and do on their own?

Lesko is a writer and consumer advocate.

Kevin Trudeau is another writer and consumer advocate. He, like Lesko, is in the business of telling people about free money. He has a book out called Free Money "They" Don't Want You To Know About:



Which I have seen him do an infomercial for:


and two books out about debt cures:




Trudeau's books might be better resources than Lesko's. I don't know- I don't think I ever consulted them. I don't think I did- I don't know for certain.

Interestingly enough Trudeau and Lesko are friends.

What was the point of plagiarizing that book? Is that some special book the government put out that isn't/wasn't easily accessible to the general public?

I just found this:

I presume the catalog is available for free at the social security and unemployment offices. It is also available online.

At this point, I'm not going to waste time looking what grants are available to you. You asked a similar question on Yahoo Answers and once again you ignored or forgotten what I wrote.

You may have to just pay out of pocket or get loans to fund your projects, like so many artists. There is also no guarantee that your work will be a success, and honestly based on what little I have seen, I don't think it will get enough attention to be financially successful.

Yes... he is basically pulling together information that is available for free... and marketing his books and selling several volumes.

Trudeau is also a scam artist. I actually years ago asked and wrote a thread on him . My husband was going to buy one his books or series they way his marketing was done screamed of scam so I did some research and yes he is a scam artist

He doesn’t just sell books about getting free money but health stuff where he actually tells people not to take life saving medicine that doctors prescribe. Look him up he sells almost any type of “self help” books how can he know so much about the world

Trudeau also has health books out.

No one asked you to.

When did I ask a question on Yahoo! Answers about contacting benefactors and philanthropists about free money?

No one is forcing you to answer my questions on Yahoo! Answers. There are other people on there who are capable of answering them.