James Deen's Answer to Kickstarter: Let's Party Instead

LOS ANGELES—Kicking Kickstarter to the curb, adult star James Deen is taking a different approach to crowd-funding for his next foray into mainstream. The Cowboys and Engines producer will do a little “fun”-raising with a benefit on July 31 to help bankroll an upcoming short film project, OverKill. The event will be held at 8 p.m. on July 31 at Busby’s East (5364 Wilshire Blvd; Los Angeles, CA 90036) and is open to the public. “I am sick of crowdfunding sites. I think they are annoying and have reached a point where they are tacky and just reek of desperation to me,” Deen said. “I know that technically this is crowdfunding, but the idea is to do it in a more awesome and fun way. I don’t want to harass people online to donate to something. I want to provide people with an awesome time where they will get instant gratification and hopefully the satisfaction of helping some kids make a movie.” Deen added: “Help us fund this movie, which we are doing for the sheer fun of it and probably won’t make any money off of. ... Crowdfunding sites are so 2011; let’s party!” Featuring Deen alongside friends, music, food and drinks, the party aims to raise funds for OverKill, a proposed short film project mixing comedy with horror. Presale tickets will be available for $10 until July 17. Admission at the door is a $15 minimum donation (credit cards and cash accepted). All proceeds will go toward the Deen-produced film. To RSVP to the event via Picatic.com, click here. Or visit OverKillFilm.com. The event will include raffles, a silent auction, games and activity booths. When asked about what the booths would consist of, Deen responded, “We’re still working out the details, but people on Twitter seemed to really like the idea of a booth where $20 gets you slapped in the face by me.” To read the Twitter reactions to Deen’s proposed slapping booth, click here. An adult producer/performer who has enjoyed unprecedented crossover appeal, Deen has expanded into mainstream filmmaking in the past year with the debut of the short film “Cowboys & Engines,” a steampunk-themed Western featuring actors Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) and Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5). Although Cowboys & Engines earned over $100,000 through a KickStarter.com campaign, Deen decided to do something different this time around. OverKill is the brainchild of young filmmaker Alex Montilla, writer/director/editor of the short film Cheat Day as well as an editorial assistant on “Hot Tub Time Machine” and The Muppets. The party’s location, Busby’s East, is a sports bar that is often used for corporate and private events. Multiple private rooms and lounges offer access to full bars and food catering options, in addition to a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. Twice winner of AVN's Mainstream Star of the Year award, Deen is frequently featured in mainstream media promoting his candid, sex-positive world view. His James Deen Productions—which provides a platform for his vision of respectful, safe and fun adult entertainment—is distributed by Girlfriends Films Distribution.