Roel van de Weijer is an expert in the field of marketing and crowdfunding. He is CEO of CineCrowd, the crowdfunding platform for Dutch cinema and he advises film producers on funding and promotion. He regularly gives workshops and lectures. His main message is about passion: it’s “why” you are in the business that will move your clients not “what” you sell.

In 2009, after working abroad in China, Africa and India for several multinational companies (including an NGO) he decided to try his luck as a film producer. Frustrated by the limited options to finance his film he set up CineCrowd, a platform for filmmakers to share their passion with the audience, making a start on their film through crowd funding.

Within a year, more than 18 films were produced and stars like Heddy Honigmann and Eddy Terstall successfully promoted their projects on the platform, each with their own media campaign. For Eddy Terstall’s film OneBigAgency set up a unique campaign: fans could tweet their scenarios to Eddy and he would make a mini (mini) video just for you. This campaign was voted as the number 1 crowdfunding initiative of 2011 and turned the short film into a full length feature movie shot in Barcelona.

Roel will explain why marketing, fundraising and crowdfunding are not very different. He will bring you back to the roots of marketing: customers want to be part of something bigger than themselves, and dares you to share your passion.