Illustration by Ian Jepson
https://www.behance.net/ianjepson
https://www.behance.net/ianjepson
After meeting Rock Legend, Dave Catching, back stage at an Eagles of Death Metal Concert, an unknown local band, Red Huxley, were invited to record at the epicenter of musical inspiration, Rancho De La Luna.
But how does a small and unknown Cape Town band with a marketing budget of R0.00 raise the support to travel halfway across the world and fulfill their dream of recording at Rancho De La Luna?
We tell South Africa who Red Huxley is, and get them to rally behind the cause. But first, they needed a platform. So they decided to put it all on the table and do what no other South African band has done before- launch a kickstarter.com campaign.
To raise $25,000, they needed to create hype around the band and their incredible opportunity. So we decided to release a series of web documentaries, called #RoadToRancho.
The web series gave fans a Gonzo-style, blow-by-blow account of their journey. These episodes were filmed, edited and released through MK (SA’s largest music portal) and seeded through a host of local blogs, starting with bangersandnash.com, as the story unfolded. The series began with episodes building up to the trip, Red Huxley’s trip to the USA, the recording process at Rancho de la Luna, culminating in the band’s performance at Oppikoppi, fresh from Joshua Tree, California.
With a budget of zero, we offered product placement to Nokia and Jagermeister, as a means to leverage funds for the trip. This allowed us to send blogger Dan Nash from Bangers and Nash, and director/DOP/editor Kim Hinrichs with the band to document Red Huxley’s experience.
With the help of social media and their quickly growing fan base, Red Huxley did it. And not only did they manage to raise the cash, they were also the first South African band to do so through Kickstarter.com.
Red Huxley's story became the centre of attention in South African music circles. Making headlines in local newspapers and taking over the front page of the Rolling Stones website, the 3 man band and their story was on the tip of everybody's tongue, and even better, everyone wanted to know more.
The campaign was a huge success. Starting with nothing, the unknown Cape Town Band, Red Huxley, managed to generate over half a million rand in earned media, release a successful web series, fly to America
to record with one of the world's most famous rock producers, arrive back in SA to a play on the main stage at Oppikoppi, to the largest crowed of their lives, and finally release a Rock album that, well, rocked.
But how does a small and unknown Cape Town band with a marketing budget of R0.00 raise the support to travel halfway across the world and fulfill their dream of recording at Rancho De La Luna?
We tell South Africa who Red Huxley is, and get them to rally behind the cause. But first, they needed a platform. So they decided to put it all on the table and do what no other South African band has done before- launch a kickstarter.com campaign.
To raise $25,000, they needed to create hype around the band and their incredible opportunity. So we decided to release a series of web documentaries, called #RoadToRancho.
The web series gave fans a Gonzo-style, blow-by-blow account of their journey. These episodes were filmed, edited and released through MK (SA’s largest music portal) and seeded through a host of local blogs, starting with bangersandnash.com, as the story unfolded. The series began with episodes building up to the trip, Red Huxley’s trip to the USA, the recording process at Rancho de la Luna, culminating in the band’s performance at Oppikoppi, fresh from Joshua Tree, California.
With a budget of zero, we offered product placement to Nokia and Jagermeister, as a means to leverage funds for the trip. This allowed us to send blogger Dan Nash from Bangers and Nash, and director/DOP/editor Kim Hinrichs with the band to document Red Huxley’s experience.
With the help of social media and their quickly growing fan base, Red Huxley did it. And not only did they manage to raise the cash, they were also the first South African band to do so through Kickstarter.com.
Red Huxley's story became the centre of attention in South African music circles. Making headlines in local newspapers and taking over the front page of the Rolling Stones website, the 3 man band and their story was on the tip of everybody's tongue, and even better, everyone wanted to know more.
The campaign was a huge success. Starting with nothing, the unknown Cape Town Band, Red Huxley, managed to generate over half a million rand in earned media, release a successful web series, fly to America
to record with one of the world's most famous rock producers, arrive back in SA to a play on the main stage at Oppikoppi, to the largest crowed of their lives, and finally release a Rock album that, well, rocked.
