Former Kickstarter chief strategy officer Jon Leland and former Lucasfilm head of digital media Ivan Askwith have launched Popular Demand, a fan-driven company to champion creators, projects and communities in film, television and other content.
The company will raise money through crowdfunding, brand partnerships, pre-sales, and merchandise alongside external financing partners in a strategy it says is designed to minimise the amount of financing capital. Popular Demand is backed by TMV, a creative agency that has worked across campaigns covering sectors such as alcohol and tobacco, food and beverage, education, and healthcare.
The first release will be Annapurna Sriram’s 2025 SXSW special jury award-winning comedy drama Fucktoys, which Popular Demand boarded after it says it listened to “fans clamouring for its distribution”. The feature will get a theatrical release, although the partners said they will reveal further details in the coming weeks, as well as new projects and creative partnerships.
The company will also operate in the gaming and publishing sectors, and said it has raised tens of millions of dollars in crowdfunding for tabletop games and digital media expansions. Popular Demand has partnered with independent streamer Dropout on the Game Changer: Home Edition tabletop game, which it says drew over 49,000 backers and raised over $7m. The development pipeline includes independent gaming franchises, animated properties, and cult comedians
Leland serves as CEO and Askwith as chief strategy officer. Founding partners include Daniel Dominguez as head of creative development for the studio and Jacob Robinson, CEO of Lyrical Animation. Tuesday’s announcement said the leadership team has previously raised more than $75m in film and television crowdfunding campaigns.
The actress Kristen Bell, actor and filmmaker Alex Winter, Image Comics founder Todd McFarlane, music producer Ryan Lewis, USC professor Henry Jenkins are on the advisory board with executives from YouTube, Skybound, Artists First, and CAA.
“There are so many compelling creators, projects, and passionate communities that are being overlooked,” Leland said. “Fans are constantly expressing what they care about, what they want more of, and what they’re willing to support. Popular Demand exists to take these communities seriously, understand what is driving that passion, and work with both artists and fans to bring these projects to life,” Askwith added.
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