Season 2 and Beyond.

It’s been quite a journey but we’ve made it: the first season of Pioneer One is complete. Thank you to everyone who donated and supported us along the way. This was all possible because of you! But now, the obvious question:

What’s happening with season 2?
We’re working on securing more substantial funding for the next season so we can continue the show properly.

What was that teaser at the end of episode 6?
We wanted to make a little something to whet the audience’s appetite for more, and to show that we are most definitely going somewhere with this story. But we have not yet begun production on season 2.

What is “Back in the USSR”?
It’s the title of the next installment of the Pioneer One story, whatever form it takes.

Why can’t you just make it the same way you made the first season?

Good question. There are several reasons:

1. We were able to do the first six with our resources because people worked for free and we called in all the favors we had. Now that we’ve exhausted all that, our expenses are going to increase exponentially. (People can only give so much before the bills start to pile up.)
2. The first season had a scope that was within our means. Here on out, the scale of the show expands with every season and it will cost more to do it properly. We’re scrappy, but we’re not that scrappy.
3. We can’t have months in between episodes if we expect to build an audience. Stopping to fund-raise when we run out of money just isn’t going to cut it. If we’re going to do this, we have to know what we’re working with ahead of time and where the money is coming from.

So you’re abandoning the crowd-funded/crowd-distributed model?
Not necessarily. Whatever opportunity presents itself to allow us to continue the show is what we’re going to pursue. If we can build enough momentum with season one finished and released, maybe we’ll be able to scale the number of donors as well.

How can I help?
We have a lot of debt from season one to pay off (not sexy, we know) and the process of pitching ourselves and the show is going to cost money. So donations through VODO are still incredibly helpful. (If you are interested in a more substantial investment, please email us at contact@pioneerone.tv.) As long as we can stay alive, the show has a shot. But the absolute most important thing people can do right now is to

Spread the Word.

Tell people about Pioneer One. Get them to watch it. Write about it on Facebook and Twitter and your blog. Write an article for a website or newspaper or magazine, no matter how small. If you know anybody with connections who might be interested, send them a link.

Target people like @Netflix, @YouTube, @GoogleTV, @Syfy, @AMC_TV, @FXNetworks, @Starz_Channel, or whoever else you can think of. (@Nerdist, @wilw, @kpereira, @Wired, @EW to name a few more.)   These people do listen. They pay attention to what people are talking about. Even write an old fashioned letter. (Yes, people still do this. And yes, people do read them.)

We are determined to keep on doing Pioneer One in whatever form it takes because, simply, we care about this story. We’re going to do whatever we can to finish telling it.

How’s that for scrappy?