Comedy pilot turns to crowd-sourcing for funds

Is actor Robert Grubb moonlighting as a weatherman now?

Not quite.

But he is playing the role of Tony Turpinson, the most insecure weatherman on television, in The Weatherman, a new half-hour comedy Pilot that Dark Heart Productions is trying to get off the ground.

Creators Lucas Crandles and Timothy Nash are using crowd-sourcing to attract $72,500 in funds to  make a full season (very modest sum indeed!).

The comedy sees Turpinson desperately trying to find hold onto his job in an increasingly hostile TV world. A younger rival is closing in on his job, his wife has left him, his son ignores him, and the networks are losing interest.

In a last-ditched attempt to save his career, he tries to liven up his weather segments with improvised banter. Say no more…

Nash and Crandles are certainly aggressive in making their work known. They have previously won the New York Television Festival for Best Writing, and Los Angeles Independent Television Festival for Best Animation.

With three weeks to go to reach their target, so far they have raised over $19,000 in pledges -but none of the donors will have to cough up if the target isn’t reached.

This isn’t the first future project to draw upon crowd-sourcing to raise funds with comedy project Welcome to the Cosmos seeking $50,000 in funds using Kickstarter.

You can watch the Pilot and make a pledge for The Weatherman at Mobcaster.