Bill Nye Tops Spock’s Record as Most-Funded Kickstarter Documentary

On the morning of August 10, 2015 the documentary (and former Indiewire Project of the Day) “The Bill Nye Film” became the most-funded documentary in Kickstarter’s history. The previous title holder was “For The Love of Spock,” a documentary about the late legendary actor Leonard Nimoy (which raised over $660,000).

It appears that Bill Nye’s bubbly and enthusiastic approach to teaching science paid off. Two long-time fans and filmmakers, David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg, teamed up for the documentary, which will track Nye’s recent work outside of the classroom. With the addition of the award-winning producer Seth Gordon to the team and the official confirmation that Nye is on board, the filmmakers were nearly ready to go.

Yet, they needed one more push, and the support of Kickstarter supporters gave them a shove. Over $790,000 has been pledged on the film’s Kickstarter page, surpassing the goal of $650,000 with three days remaining in the campaign. 

The filming has begun and will go into the fall of 2016. The directors intend on finishing the film to have it ready to submit for the 2017 festival season.