Academy Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg launched her own crowdfunding campaign yesterday to help fund her directorial debut “I Got Somethin’ To Tell You,” Goldberg is hoping to make her Kickstarter goal of $65,000 to finish producing her documentary on one of her role models, legendary stand-up comedian Moms Mabley (born Loretta Mary Aiken), who rose to national recognition in the 1960s.
Mabley, who passed away at the age of 81 in 1975, has over 20 comedy records to her name and performed everywhere from Harlem’s Apollo Theater to Carnegie Hall. As Goldberg says in her Kickstarter pitch, “Moms was the first and without her there probably would not have been a Totie, a Joan, a Kathy, a Wanda, or any of the others who may follow.”
I have been financing the film myself. But you know, I’m doing that, I put together the show [“Sister Act”] for Broadway. I have limited funds. I have family. I take care of a lot of people on one check. So I needed some help. We were doing it and it started to get away from me and I thought, “I need some help!” And I thought, well, the Kickstarter folks are really good, maybe I can get some help this way.
It’s a worthwhile project. This isn’t a little bullshitty project. I thought there might be enough people out there who remember Moms who’d like to see this happen. When you run out of dough you have to start saving up again, and that postpones everything. I didn’t want this to take five years to do. I thought it would be a good idea to go to Kickstarter and say “Hey, I’m doing this project.” If you want to help get it done, this is a great way to do it. And people have been really remarkable.”
