Levar Burton took to Kickstarter in an effort to make Reading Rainbow available to a new generation and the public answered back in spectacular fashion. It only took the better part of a day for the $1 million goal to be met and the total is still growing with some 28,000 backers and over $1.2 million in funds. From Mashable:
The online campaign, fueled by buzz generated on social media, surpassed $1 million shortly before 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Burton, the creator and host of PBS’ series Reading Rainbow from 1983 to 2006, launched the Kickstarter project earlier in the day.
Among the big-name supporters of the campaign throughout the day were U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Burton’s fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Wil Wheaton…
Like every Kickstarter campaign, Burton’s project offered several levels of rewards to supporters based on how much they individually donated. Rewards this time included a chance to wear Burton’s Star Trek visor, Reading Rainbow app subscriptions, books, autographed memorabilia, dinner with Burton and an appearance in a video field trip.
The entire campaign seems like a triumph from top to bottom and it’s well put together. Even the video attached to the campaign is hilarious, with nods to Burton’s appearance on Community and a special appearance by a former Star Trek cast member.
I always really enjoyed Reading Rainbow as a kid, so it’s cool to see that there may be a chance that newer generations will get the same experiences I got.
(Via Mashable / Kickstarter)
