Tom Bateman

So, what happens now? I imagine there will be an important meeting at Harmony Gold in the very near future. Just as they needed permission to initiate the Kickstarter, Tommy, Steve, or Kevin didn't pull the plug on the Kickstarter on their own. They might have been prescient enough to see the futility of continuing any further, but they don't have the authority to make that call on their own. Whether it came from Team Robotech or not, the higher-ups at HG chose to end the Kickstarter immediately (this past Saturday). This Kickstarter didn't just happen... it was the result of a lot of lobbying and advocacy on the part of Team Robotech. Frank Agrama is many things, but he is no fool, especially when it comes to money (there's a reason he's a multimillionaire). I imagine a lot of assurances and brash confidence was used to convince Frank and others at HG that Robotech Academy Kickstarter was a can't miss opportunity, a slam dunk; ("just look at the Robotech RPG Tactics Kickstarter... they only asked for $70,000, but got $1.4 MILLION!!! We can't lose! The Robotech fanboys are going to just throw money at us! They'll say, SHUT UP AND TAKE OUR MONEY!") This mindset explains the smug arrogance you read in Kevin's posts in the Kickstarter thread on Robotech.com and then the addition of the "Enemy Spy" level on the Kickstarter page. I think the failure of the Kickstarter must have come as a complete shock to Kevin and Tommy. When they first started to realize that things weren't going well, there was a lot of scrambling to put the best face on things, first rolling out additional levels, and then other rewards that look like they were thought up on the fly (Robotech Academy Sweatshirts, really?) All things that were very poorly thought out, and unplanned for. Team Robotech probably assumed they would have cleared their goal in the first week, maybe two at the most. "Don't worry, Frank, just sit back and watch the money roll in..." 2,284 backers on Kickstarter is a paltry display of support. Talking about $194,574 would only matter if it was actually deposited in Harmony Gold's bank account. The end result is a project that only managed to meet 38% of its intended goal. In comparison, Star Trek: Axanar, a fan film project, has initiated its second Kickstarter and even though it is only two weeks old, it has already surpassed Robotech Academy's grand total and nearly doubled its already met goal. Star Trek: Axanar - 14 days (Active - 17 days left) 2,703 backers - $198,463 (Goal: $100,000) Robotech Academy - 29 days (Canceled) 2,284 backers - $194,574 (Goal: $500,000) I would hate to be the person whose idea this Kickstarter was... I imagine Tommy and Kevin have prepared their list of excuses for the failure of the Kickstarter. I hope HG will see their self-serving comments for what they are. There is no way to spin this as something good or positive. This Kickstarter has been a complete and utter catastrophe, and a humiliating embarrassment for everyone involved, including all of the actors involved, Carl Macek's memory, and even Frank Agrama himself. The ramifications of this disaster could be very significant. The failure of this Kickstarter is not limited to just adding Robotech Academy to the already sizable junk pile of unfinished RT projects. It shows before the entire world, that Robotech, in its current state, is no longer a viable property. Type in Robotech in Google and the fourth result is Robotech Academy. You cannot delete your failed Kickstarter, so the evidence of this failure will remain a black mark on the franchise. Any potential investor or licensee is going to see the number of backers and the amount of money pledged in this Kickstarter and will factor that into their analysis of Robotech's worth and how much they should offer to pay as a licensee. The damage here isn't just a blow for PR and marketing, it puts Robotech's very future in serious question. It's really sad that it's come to this. Yeah, there have been a few idiots who are ranting about Macross fans and critics ruining this campaign, but they are vastly overestimating that influence. This campaign failed because it failed to convince and inspire Robotech fans who chose to not support a project they simply did not believe in. This show meant a lot to a lot of people, and it was the gateway into anime and Macross for many fans here on this website. Robotech deserved better, the actors deserved better, and the fans deserved better... much better.

Tommy Yune: "When we saw how well Kickstarter was doing for a lot of potential projects – fans started bugging us as well! They said, “if you throw something like this on Kickstarter, we’ll say shut up and take our money!” (laughs)" Apparently, Robotech fans were far more discerning and cautious about what to do with their money than Tommy thought. Tommy Yune: "This is a way for fans who are aware of who Carl Macek is, as the original producer, we can ask them, “hey, can you help make Carl Macek’s vision come true?” With their direct support, instead of designing the pilot to corporate interests, we can stay true to what all the fans want in the first place. It would be to the vision of Carl Macek, which is what we intended." This isn't arthouse movie making. So, Tommy thinks they would make this Robotech project that was devoid of any corporate influence, but then expects a network to commit to a full series with him in charge creatively? Tommy has a lot to learn about how TV works.

I hope Kevin doesn't plan on bragging about raising nearly $200,000 because it is completely irrelevant because unless a project hits the goal it sets on Kickstarter (in this case, $500K) they don't get a dime... he might as well be talking about Monopoly money because HG gets nothing out of this whole experience...

Harmony Gold... Sunday, August 3, 2014 01:09 AM... Kevin: "Tommy, open the f***king door!!!"

What happens if the Kickstarter fails? Good question... I think it would most depend on whose idea it was to do this Kickstarter. I can see it being an idea of doing a Kickstarter being spawned by either Kevin or Tommy. My bet is that it was Kevin, since he's been the most vocal supporter. If he was the one who convinced Frank to go with the Kickstarter, he should be would be very worried if it doesn't make its goal. The one thing you do not do is mess with Frank's money, or make him look bad. If this Kickstarter fails, then that makes Frank and HG look bad, and it makes a serious statement to everyone in the industry that Robotech is not viable property. It would be very embarrassing, especially since they convinced Frank to appear in the video. I'm pretty certain that they thought they would have been fully funded by now, to be less than 50% towards their goal has to be disconcerting. One thing is for certain, they didn't pitch Frank on the Kickstarter idea with the idea that he would come in and make up the difference if they were short. I'm sure they told him that the "fanboys" would simply fork over their money and that he wouldn't have to spend a dime. They didn't count that these Robotech "fanboys" have turned out to be a lot more selective and discerning with their money than anyone (here or at HG) has given them credit for.

I had to pass, unlike Tommy, I'm not rich; nor am I a multimillionaire, like Frank This Robotech Academy Kickstarter has become quite a debacle, hasn't it? I've been gone from HG for over seven years now, so I don't have any first-hand knowledge of what is happening right now, but given my experience working with the people involved, I think I can offer a unique perspective. I usually attend the Robotech panel at Anime Expo as an interested, albeit disillusioned fan. I'm usually not surprised by whatever news (or non-news) comes out of the panels. I find it all amusing, the same old message year after year. However, this year, there were rumblings before the panel that something was going to go down, with that weird logo they put out the day before. I had heard rumors about a Kickstarter happening before, but I never thought they'd actually do it. So, they now have a Kickstarter... well, that confirmed to me that Frank Agrama has chosen to not open his wallet to fund any future Robotech productions. Certainly not by himself. He hasn't done that since Shadow Chronicles, I don't really count Robotech: Love, Live, Alive because that was about as low cost a project that you can get; pocket change, really. Had RT:LLA been the blockbuster success that Kevin McKeever adamantly claims it was, wouldn't Frank simply bankroll this new project? Frank didn't make his millions by being stupid. You don't invest your money unless you expect a good return, and in this case, he clearly doesn't see it as a worthwhile investment. I think a hard thing for Tommy, Steve, and Kevin to do is to convince fans to fund this new Robotech project when even their multimillionaire owner will not. I think that's a very hard sell. One other thing that I noticed at the panel and through the subsequent videos is the promotion of this idea of Robotech Academy being Carl Macek's vision or dream project. I believe this is false, Carl Macek's dream was "The Sentinels", Carl was never satisfied with the video that came out, nor was he content with the novels and comics. He always felt that the story should have been properly told in an animated way. It was his grand magnum opus, he wanted to do something on the scale of DUNE. THAT was his dream, not doing some "side story" with kids. I have a hard time believing that this Robotech Academy was the project he most wanted to do. My belief is that Robotech Academy is actually Tommy Yune's idea, first and foremost. I think Carl, who really wasn't in a position to dictate what story should be done, acquiesced to Tommy's suggestion to do things like last years RT:LLA and perhaps Robotech Academy. Both of these projects happened long after Carl's death in 2010, so how much input or involvement he had, if any, we will never know. It is now four years later, and Carl is not here to tell us, so we are left with Tommy Yune's version of events. Of course, I was not part of whatever meetings Carl had with Harmony Gold, but my experience working with Tommy Yune makes me confident in my belief that he would NEVER surrender creative control of Robotech to anyone, certainly not Carl, who I feel he did not respect creatively. I also base this belief on having known Carl for nearly 25 years and in particular the last dinner he and I had together less than two months before he died where we had a long, lively, sometimes heated discussion about what he thought should be done with Robotech. I know a lot of people here give Robotech fans a hard time, but they really just want a good Robotech, something that rekindles the magic that they felt when they first saw the show. I think they are foolish to pin their hopes and dreams for one on Tommy Yune, but their intentions are altruistic, and I think you should give them a break, even if they are being naive. Kevin, Steve, and Tommy have done a lot to alienate fans for over a decade now. Silencing dissent and not listening to what the fans want and then trolling them with things like an "Enemy Spy" level on their Kickstarter page. I think that alone is highly unprofessional, rude, and just plain bad business. There are people who are working on this project who I highly respect. Ford Riley has solid credentials and a successful track record in children's programming. He was saddled, as was I, with Tommy Yune's refusal to let either of us completely do a needed "page one rewrite" of RTSC. I've known Greg Snegoff and Tony Oliver for nearly 20 years and they are both real pros and even better people.I have a lot of mixed emotions about this project. I don't think it's a very strong idea to pitch to networks. I don't think fans were clamoring for this kind of story. There are already plenty of Robotech stories that have been left untold. Now, Shadow Rising is another one tossed aside with little explanation. Fans are being promised nothing beyond a 24-minute "pilot" episode. Kickstarter rewards aside, that doesn't sound like much to look forward to. What if Robotech Academy doesn't get picked up as a series? Will they do another Kickstarter for another 24-minute episode? It's a very uncertain future.It will be very interesting to see what happens... Well, that's what I think. If you have any questions, please let me know. Tom Bateman

Hey Apollo Leader, Sorry I haven't been around lately... I do lurk from time to time. I was actually at the Robotech panel at Anime Expo (not participating in it, obviously) I have found this entire thread to be fascinating... Robotech Academy... hmmmmmm, where to begin?

Thanks for the info on the dub. It was only for that specific VHS and LD release. Do you have any scans of the VHS or LD covers? This release should have been limited to Japan and perhaps Hong Kong, but whatever happened beyond that was not authorized by Toho, Tatsunoko, or Big West and I doubt that any of those companies saw a dime from "Clash of the Bionoids". That was my understanding. I haven't listened to it in years as I don't own a copy of CoB, but I am certain that Greg Finley DID NOT do any work on the DYRL dub. Nor did any other Robotech voice actor.

The company that produced the dub, it's been a while, but it was something that was done officially (the dub), but it wasn't for any official wide release, but one of the companies (in Hong Kong, I believe) was involved had some claim to it and began selling it around as "Clash of the Bionoids"; the Japanese companies did a poor job of putting a stop to it, so that's why it was around for so long.

Clash of the Bionoids was released illegally. The company that made it had no right to sell it outside of its original local release. No, you shouldn't. Just be sure to send me a copy of it when you finish it.

Harmony Gold's trademarks and copyrights to the name Macross would preclude any release of DYRL here without their involvement. So unless you want to see Tommy Yune's "Worlds of Robotech - Macross: Do You Remember Love?", it's probably best left as a dead issue.

How it should be...

The one thing that I didn't understand is what was it that made the Earth cultists virtually psychotic in their murderous devotion. This was never explained well as far as I know. I think the Patriotic Knights Corps could have been portrayed much more realistically.

Uh, yes, I did. Unless you don't think I was "official".

David, We've had this conversation before... Southern Cross/Robotech Masters is the Jan Brady of Robotech. You know I love Masters and you know that I lobbied hard for Masters toys. Not with Tommy, who is useless and incompetent, but to George Sohn directly both when I was at HG and after. The truth is, the numbers to him just didn't justify the costs of developing and designing a toy. I really hate to say it, because you know I have been a strong Southern Cross supporter, but I am being honest with you. Masters/Southern Cross would need a serious effort of support behind it, but it will never reach the popularity of Macross or Mospeada/New Generation.