Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Spike Lee Defends His Kickstarter: F*ck The Haters
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 25, 2013
Modified Jul 25, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 25, 2013
Modified Jul 25, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this week wealthy, accomplished, connected Spike Lee launched a Kickstarter aimed at raising $1.25 Million for his upcoming movie, which he says will be "sexy" and is about “human beings who are addicted to blood." This kind of celebrity panhandling through the crowdsourcing platform has been criticized before, and now the director is taking some heat for it. Because, c'mon. As Kevin Smith said,The Famous should not "suck any loot out of the crowd-funding marketplace that might otherwise go to some first-timer who can really use it." So what does Spike have to say about all this? According to what he told the Village Voice, he's thinks it's "bullshit," and FYI he's actually introducing "black folks" to Kickstarter.
"That criticism is bullshit. The founders of Kickstarter told me, 'Spike, Kickstarter is for everybody.' They did tell me there would be some flak. Zach Braff got some flak. This is not new. What people are missing is that the people who are pledging money have never been on Kickstarter before. Most hadn't even heard of it. A large percentage of that is Black folks who had never heard of Kickstarter, so that complaint that I'm hurting somebody is not true. Plus, I've always been a champion of young filmmakers. Why have I taught at NYU for the past 15 years? You know the phrase, 'haters gonna hate'? We're not worrying about that. We have a goal, and the people hating don't like my films anyway. So fuck 'em."
Maybe he has some tips for Brendan Fraser.
Tagged
kickstarter
spike lee
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .