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Peters Plans on Keeping Finances Secret for Axanar Short Films
No financial accounting: In this week’s Axanar: Confidential//, producer Alec Peters tells viewers not to expect financial reports on the long-awaited Axanarshort films despite him seeking other people’s money to fund the production.
- Information blackout: Peters says he’s not interested in having his spending examined by anyone:
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“We’re not going to tell you what budgets are going for, where [the money’s] going or how we’re spending it. … I don’t need anyone mucking up in my business.”
- Private fundraising: Under terms of the settlement with CBS and Paramount in their 2015 copyright infringement suit against him, Peters can’t raise money for Axanar publicly. He needs about $250,000 in private funding raised by direct contact with fans — money there’s no way to account for without him volunteering financial data.
- Previous financial record: Peters’ intentions stand in direct contrast with his previously avowed dedication to openness and transparencyabout Axanar’s finances. His previous financial reports to donors were devoid of documentation and raised serious questions about accountability.
- No scrutiny: Peters especially wants to keep CBS from knowing what he’s doing, saying, “I don’t want CBS’ lawyers saying, ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that.’”
- Standing by the settlement: “I know what the settlement says,” Peters explains to viewers. “I’m going to live by the settlement.”
Why it matters: As he prepares to embark on yet another campaign to raise money from fans to pay for his production, Peters now promises even less accountability than before. Crowdfunding donors have received virtually no documented accounting for where their $1.2 million went — other than not for production of the Axanar feature film.
