Sean Astin's Kickstarter campaign a resounding success!

Sean Astin's Kickstarter campaign to launch a second season of his political podcast "Vox Populi: The Voice of the Occasionally Interested People" was a resounding success, raising 220% of the initial funding goal of $30,000, and surpassing both stretch goals of $50,000 and $60,000. The final tally after the 30-day campaign was $66,104.

The money raised will be used to fund a second season of Vox Populi, including hiring a part-time staff including a producer, booker, social media expert and graphic artist, and to develop a mobile app for easier access to the show and its information.

With three hours to go, $62,662 had been pledged!

The increase in pledges the last few days was exponential!

For more information, visit:

• Kickstarter page
• Vox Populi web site
• Vox Populi Facebook page
• @HostVoxPopuli on Twitter

First trailer for Ribbit starring Sean Astin!

He's been a Goonie, a Hobbit, a Ninja Turtle, a stuffed panda bear, and now he's a frog! Here is the first teaser trailer for the animated film "Ribbit" starring Sean Astin in the titular role, with Tim Curry and Russell Peters! In theaters in 2014!

Sean Astin and Adam Brown panel at ACCC

Sean Astin and Adam Brown (Ori in The Hobbit) did a panel together at the Alamo City Comic Con in San Antonio this weekend. Here are some clips.

Sean Astin does parody "What Does the Vox Say?"

Joey Richter and Team Starkid join Sean Astin in a parody of the popular music video What the Fox Say to promote his Kickstarter Campaign. Check it out and then visit StartTheVox.com!

Press Release: Sean Astin Reaches Kickstarter Goal!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:

Sean Astin Personal PR

David Lust, Rogers & Cowan (310) 854-8133 davidl@rogersandcowan.com

Lana Rushing, Rushing PR (310) 428-1805 lana@rushingpr.com

SEAN ASTIN REACHES KICKSTARTER GOAL IN SUPPORT OF ONLINE POLITICAL RADIO SHOW VOX POPULI; ANNOUNCES NEW STRETCH GOALS TO INSPIRE FINAL DONATIONS

Astin Joins Other Celebrities -- Including Spike Lee and Zach Braff -- Who Have Turned to Crowdfunding for Important Projects

LOS ANGELES (October 24, 2013) – Popular film and television actor and political enthusiast Sean Astin has successfully reached his Kickstarter crowdfunding goal of $30,000 to help produce a second season of his online political radio show Vox Populi: Voice of the ‘Occasionally Interested’ People. The show first launched in May 2012 and has already streamed 31 two-hour episodes over the Internet, brilliantly matching guests with opposing viewpoints. The premise of the show is to use civil discourse to explore often hot-button topics. Astin expertly interviews notable subjects while effortlessly guiding the broader conversation, creating a unique and accessible model for political talk radio. 

Inspired by the recent buzz around crowdfunding, and having heard of other notable celebrities who have run successful campaigns, Astin turned to Kickstarter to raise funds for his passion project. “Crowdfunding is a great litmus test for any project,” Astin said. “It’s a powerful market research tool that help creators determine if there’s enough consumer interest in their project to justify moving forward -- myself included.” Astin’s campaign has raised $34,313 (and growing) from 375 backers, with an average donation of $90. 

“I’ve had to hustle from day one,” Astin commented. “I have literally contacted everyone I know to help drive awareness and donations for my campaign. I believe in it that much.” Astin recently partnered with FilmBreak, an integrated marketing and distribution platform for filmmakers and studios, to assist with strategy, branding and execution of the campaign. For instance, FilmBreak helped Astin to develop “stretch goals” – new fundraising goals beyond the original target – to incentivize new and existing backers to support the campaign. 

Now that he has exceeded his original target of $30,000 – which will be used to secure a physical infrastructure for the show, hire part-time staff and immediately produce a full second season of his show – Astin has introduced new goals. For instance, if he can reach $50,000, Astin will be able to hire a full-time producer, and if he reaches $60,000, he’ll be able to develop a Vox Populi app.   

At a recent event hosted by FilmBreak at Cross Campus in Santa Monica, Astin announced a slew of new rewards as well, including a sit-down chat over coffee for $500 (Los Angeles only), or a personal appearance at an event with a one-hour question-and-answer session and another one-hour event photo and autograph session for $10,000. “I know that experiential rewards are really compelling for my fans, and I’m willing to go to bat for my show and for them by offering these kinds of options,” Astin said. With just seven days to go in his campaign, Astin is hopeful that he can close out his campaign with complete success, and continue bringing Vox Populi to life.  

About Sean Astin

Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, voice artist and producer best known for his film roles as 'Samwise Gamgee' in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, 'Mikey Walsh' in "The Goonies," and the title character of "Rudy." In television, he appeared as 'Lynn McGill' in the fifth season of "24" and currently voices 'Raphael' in the Nickelodeon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV series. Astin is currently in production for the much-anticipated series "The Strain" for FX based on Guillermo del Toro's Novel Series.

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Sean Astin on TORN Tuesdays

Sean Astin was a guest on theonering.net's TORN Tuesdays last evening, talking about politics, his Kickstarter project for his podcast Vox Populi: Voice of the Occasionally Interested People and a variety of other topics, including (of course!) The Lord of the Rings and its themes of loyalty and Christianity, Tolkien's language and more. Watch the show below.

TORN Tuesdays host Cliff Broadway and Sean Astin prepare for the broadcast.

Sean Astin at the Rudy 20th Anniversary Celebration

Sean Astin, Rudy Ruettiger and screen writer Angelo Pizzo attended the 20th Anniversary Celebration of "Rudy" in Las Vegas on October 17, 2013. There were red carpet arrivals, a VIP reception, screening of the movie and a Q&A session. Here are some photos from the event. [More photos here.]

Sean Astin at the Chicago Marathon

Sean Astin ran the Chicago Marathon on Sunday October 16. his third marathon of the year, in 4:31:05 (complete results below). Before the race, he interviewed with Stef Holt of Chicago's NBC affiliate.

Sean Astin radio interviews

Here are links to some of the radio interviews Sean Astin did recently promoting his Kickstarter campaign and the season 2 premiere of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

October 9 Kickstarter promotion:

• Stephanie Miller Show 
• KZRR 94.1 Albuquerque NM 

October 11 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle promotion:

• KQTZ 105.9 Altus OK 
• KFRR 104.1 Fresno CA 
• WBZN 107.3 Bangor ME

October 17 Kickstarter promotion:

• JAMZ 93.1 Madison WI

Updated Oct 17, 2013

Are You a Fan of Sean Astin? Please Read.

Are you a fan of Sean Astin?

Is The Goonies the memory of your childhood, with adventure around every corner and treasure in the attic? Did Rudy show you that determination and persistence can win you your dreams? Did Samwise show that size is no indication of courage when there are love and loyalty in your heart? We should thank Sean for these incredible life lessons.

Did Doug’s lisp and pec dance make you laugh? Did Mister Smith make your heart ache? Did Billy Tepper set your heart racing? Dave, Lynn McGill, Twoflower, Harrison Bergeron, Raphael, Special Agent Oso… all these memorable characters and more were created by Sean Astin and have given us countless hour of entertainment. We should thank him for that.

Did Sean’s #run3rd campaign inspire you to live a healthier lifestyle, to get off the sofa and start walking or running? To eat healthier and exercise more? Did he #run3rd for YOU, with your cause in his heart? He is owed our deepest thanks for that.

Are you tired of the partisan politics and bickering? Do you want a place to hear the issues of the day discussed without rancor and shouting? Sean has an answer for that: his podcast “Vox Populi: The Voice of the Occasionally Interested People.” You can check it out here: http://toadhopnetwork.com/f/Vox. 

Now Sean has started a Kickstarter campaign to improve his show. This is something very close to his heart; it matters to him. You can check out the details and progress of his campaign, and the assorted and very cool rewards at http://startthevox.com. Please pledge. The amount doesn’t matter. Every dollar helps, though there is no way we can really repay him.

But this is a way to thank him.

http://startthevox.com

Thank you.

Sean Astin at CIBC Run for the Cure

On Sunday, October 6, Sean Astin took a break from filming "The Strain" in Toronto to run the CIBC Run for the Cure, a 5K benefiting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Here are a few photos from before the race.

Sean Astin to run Chicago Marathon October 13

Sean Astin has run four LA Marathons and one San Francisco Marathon. On Sunday October 13, he will add Chicago to the list of cities that he has run 26.2 miles in.

Sean was interviewed via Skype on Chicago's WCIU-TV today. He talks not only about running, but his Vox Populi Kickstarter campaign as well.



He was also interviewed by the Chicago Sun Times:

Sean Astin of ‘Rudy,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ fame ready for Chicago Marathon
By Mitch Dudek

People tend to recognize actor Sean Astin (think “Goonies,” “Rudy” or “Lord of the Rings”) in starting corals before marathons.

Sean Astin's next round of radio promotion

Sean Astin will do another round of radio interviews on Friday morning, October 11, this time to promote the season 2 premiere of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which airs Saturday, October 12, 11am ET.

All times listed below are PT, please adjust for local time. Most stations can be listened to live at the links given.

6:00 - 6:10 am WUBB 106.9 Savannah GA http://tunein.com/radio/Bob-1069-s23885/

6:10 - 6:20 am WBZN 107.3 Bangor ME http://z1073.com

6:20 - 6:30 am KRBZ 96.5 Kansas City KS http://player.tritonmedia.com/entercom/KRBZFM

6:30 - 6:40 am KFMW 107.9 Waterloo/Cedar Rapids IA http://www.rock108.com

6:40 - 6:50 am KQTZ 105.9 Altus OK http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=kqtz-fm

6:50 - 7:00 am WMGM 103.7 Linwood NJ http://www.1037wmgm.com

7:00 - 7:10 am KFRR 104.1 Fresno CA http://www.newrock1041.fm

7:10 - 7:20 am KBKB 101.7 Burlington IA http://www.newrock1041.fm

7:20 - 7:30 am  WEDG 103.3 Buffalo NY http://www.wedg.com

7:30 - 7:40 am KLPX 96.1 Tuscon AZ http://player.tritondigital.com/9781

7:40 - 7:50 am KFAT 92.9 Anchorage AK http://929kfat.com

7:50 - 8:00 am KONY 99.9 St George UT http://tunein.com/radio/KONY-999-s32493/

Sean Astin stars in Hallmark's "Santa Switch"

It's a holiday takeover when Santa agrees to share the reins with Sean Astin and Ethan Erickson in "Santa Switch," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.

Ethan Erickson is a struggling dad who gets a new start when a strange encounter magically replaces his mall Santa gig with the real thing in World Premiere of Santa Switch, premiering Saturday, December 7 at 8pm ET/PT. 

Starring alongside Erickson, Academy Award Nominee Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings) plays Kris Kringle's uptight assistant Eddie who is determined to keep Christmas on schedule. Anne Dudek, Annie Thurman and Griffin Cleveland also star. 

As the Christmas season approaches, Dan Ryebeck (Erickson) is facing unemployment, and struggling to pay for the gifts he thinks will impress his two kids, Sally (Thurman) and Joe (Cleveland). Always chasing a new business idea, Dan hasn't had time for family, including his wife Linda (Dudek), who is finally fed up and filing divorce papers. Threatened by Linda's handsome and successful young boss, Trevor, Dan knows he must make this Christmas the best one yet to win his family back. But after auditioning for a mall Santa job and quickly losing his cool, Dan is frustrated and broke, blaming the holidays for his troubles. Little does he know his luck is about to turn around when the real Kris Kringle (Donovan Scott) pays him a visit from the North Pole. Deciding to take a vacation and leave Dan in charge, Kris sends his hard-working elf assistant Eddie (Astin) to guide Dan as the new Santa Claus, hoping he'll learn a lesson in Christmas spirit. With the sudden power to impress Linda and the kids by making every wild Christmas wish come true, Dan soon gets carried away. As the fate of the whole world's Christmas rests in his hands, can Dan focus on what his family really needs without flubbing his greatest gig yet?

Source

Sean Astin's radio schedule October 9

Sean Astin's Radio Call-in Schedule 

Wednesday October 9th  

6-8am PT (9-11am ET) 

Sean will be doing the round of morning drive-time radio shows talking about his Vox Populi Kickstarter campaign. All times are Pacific Time, please adjust for your local time. Schedule is subject to change without notice; not all stations may work outside the US.

6:00amPT

WOGL-FM, 98.1 Philadelphia

Morning Show: The Breakfast Club

Hosts: Ross Britton, Val Knight and Frank Lewis

Format: Classic Hits

Hotline: 610 668 0753

Listen Live Here! 

Update on Sean Astin's Animated Holiday Movies

Sean Astin voices the naughty elf Winter in the upcoming holiday movie "The Naughty List," which will premiere December 7, 6pm ET on Cartoon Network. The DVD will be released November 12 at the usual retailers.

Any guesses as to which one is Winter and which one Snowflake? Sparkle is the one in the middle. ;-)

The North pole on the eve of Christmas, and two elves get themselves in hot water. When Snowflake’s mischief-loving brother Winter goes too far with a prank, they both get stuck on the naughty list, doing a seemingly never-ending list of chores for Santa.  

Keeping them company there is a spunky young reindeer named Sparkle, who joins the boys as they try to make up for Winter’s misdeed. As they start to feel like they might never get off the naughty list, Winter’s inability to follow the rules put the North Pole in a serious jam, right before Santa’s big night. 

Suddenly Christmas needs to be saved and there’s nobody else who’s up to the task. It’s up to the trio of mischief-makers to save the holiday and make Santa proud. Can they fix things in time? Or will they be stuck on the naughty list for good?

Meanwhile, the Halloween themed movie "A Monsterous Holiday" will premiere on the Cartoon Network Wednesday October 16, 6pm ET (check your local listings for other air times). It will be available on DVD on October 15. Watch the trailer here.

The Cartoon Network can be viewed live here.

Official HD Trailer for The Freemason

A wealthy banker lies ritualistically and brutally murdered. 

The banker's daughter and only heir, Rana (Alex McKenna), calls upon Cyrus Rothwell (Randy Wayne), a brilliant but eccentric freelance writer, to assist in the investigation. 

Teaming up with veteran homicide detective Leon Weed (Sean Astin), they suddenly find themselves thrust into the cryptic world of Freemasonry- pitted against a killer searching for a legendary relic, shrouded by hundreds of years of myth and mystery. Freemasons Sheldon Lombard (Richard Dutcher) and Jericho Beck (Joseph James) decide to help Cyrus while teaching him about Masonic history, Rothwell's troubles multiply as he deduces the killer is one of the banker's close inner circle. With an inheritance of millions hanging in the balance, everyone is a suspect and every action perceived as motive. Rothwell's path becomes even more cloudy as his relationship with the beautiful heiress dances on the edge of charm and collusion. Cyrus begins to realize that if he does not solve the case soon he might be the next victim.

Cyrus is forced to come to grips with powers beyond his natural senses as well as his own mysterious past ties to Freemasonry in order to unmask the killer before they strike again.

Sean Astin does ADR for The Freemason

Sean Astin is currently in Toronto filming Guillermo Del Toro's FX pilot The Strain, but that doesn't stop him from working on other projects. Today he did additional dialog recording at Number 9 Audio Group for The Freemason, which was filmed in Salt Lake City last April.

Press Release: Sean Astin Launches Kickstarter Crowd Sourcing Campaign

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 

WHO:	Popular film and television actor and political enthusiast, Sean Astin has just launched a crowd funding effort to raise $30,000 from Kickstarter to take his Vox Populi online political radio show to the next level. With the government shut down, average people are looking at elected officials and wondering why they aren't communicating. Astin's show is an example of how that can be effectively done.
WHAT:	The weekly show (Broadcast on the Toad­-Hop Network) brilliantly matches guests with opposing viewpoints. The premise of the show is to use civil discourse to explore often hot button topics. Sean expertly interviews notable subjects while effortlessly guiding the broader conversation, creating a unique model for political talk radio. Currently he has completed thirty-five 2 hour shows with 12,000-15,000 loyal listeners each week. The KickStarter, once funded, will help create a more fully produced listening and viewing experience, continuing the important conversations which cover politics, government and world events.
WHEN:	October 1, 2013 through October 30, 2013
WHERE:	Astin's Kickstarter fund can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1537018232/vox-populi-voice-of-the-occasionally-interested-pe
MORE:	About Sean Astin: Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer best known for his film roles as 'Samwise Gamgee' in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, 'Mikey Walsh' in "The Goonies," and the title character of "Rudy." In television, he appeared as 'Lynn McGill' in the fifth season of "24" and currently voices 'Raphael' in the Nickelodeon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV series. Astin is currently in production for the much anticipated series "The Strain" for FX based on Guillermo del Toro's Novel Series.

CONTACT: For interview requests or more information:
	David Lust	Vice President	Rogers & Cowan	davidl@rogersandcowan.com
	Sean Astin	Founder and Host	Vox Populi	seanastinvoxpopuli@gmail.com

More Exclusive Images from Ribbit

Here are some exclusive images from the upcoming animated feature film "Ribbit," starring Sean Astin as the titular frog.

Ribbit is a frog with an identity crisis. Unlike frogs, he hates hopping and has a strong aversion to water. Feeling a misfit, he is full of questions about his life… and so together with his best friend, Sandy (voiced by Cherami Leigh), he embarks on a soul-searching journey in search of the truth and his rightful place in this world. 

Ribbit (Sean Astin) and Sandy (Cherami Leigh)

Ribbit and Sandy with Terence the Toucan, voiced by Tim Curry.

Learn more about Ribbit on their Facebook page.

Images courtesy of writer/director Chuck Powers.

Sean Astin's Vox Populi Kickstarter Project

Sean Astin has opened a Kickstarter Project to help fund advancements for his popular political podcast, "Vox Populi: The Voice of the Occasionally Interested People," which airs and is archived on toadhopnetwork.com/f/Vox

Sean explains how the funds will be used:



Here is Sean's personal message about the project: