My first stint as an Executive Producer: Oscar and Jim

A couple of months ago, Tim at Made By Many pointed me in the direction of a then still under-production movie called Oscar and Jim. But it wasn’t just any movie. It was a crowdfunded movie. Anyone who contributed £25 could become an Executive Producer on the film, thus helping to get it made and build an audience outside the usual studio network that Hollywood films with mega-budgets are party to, and short small-budget films rarely get. 

I was immediately drawn to the idea. Why not put my money where my mouth was – after all I am always going on about crowdsourcing. Added to that, I am enthralled by the glamour of cinema. 

Today, Oscar and Jim premiered at the Curzon Shaftesbury in London and a bunch of us ‘Executive Producers’ enjoyed a film that was short, funny and sweet. As I watched my name amongst the rest rolling during the end-credits (Tim’s 19-week-old baby’s name was probably the youngest of the lot, I can only imagine his reaction when he sees the DVD 28 years from now!), I gave a satisfactory smile.  

The 30-minute movie is a charming romantic comedy based on two characters who go to a Parisian cemetery in search of the graves of – you guessed it – Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Full marks to Iain Weatherby and Paul Fenwick for their film. You should watch it.