Invest in Dogs! Waiting to Be Loved

Dog populations in shelters have surged by almost 1 million since 2021, and more than 359,000 dogs were euthanized in 2023, marking a five-year peak. Unfortunately, many dogs who were gladly adopted during the pandemic have been returned by owners who were impacted by inflation and could no longer afford food or often expensive medical care for their new pets. This is especially sad for a dog to be returned, possibly killed for no reason but cost.

To address this urgent need, award-winning filmmaker Victoria Larimore created DOGS! Waiting to Be Loved, and she’s put together an incredible team of the best folks in film, music, and the nonprofit (charity) world to bring it to life! You can help save these precious pups by investing in our film, as we pledge 15% of the film’s profits to charities that help dogs, including No-Kill shelters and groups involved in the rescue and adoption of dogs. We will also donate to groups that help the people dogs serve: veterans, first responders, the disabled, and the elderly.

1. Low barrier to entry for investors (minimum share a mere $100) offers a unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a Hollywood-caliber film.
2. Revenue stream for investors and dog shelters in perpetuity, “so long as the film, or any of its components (soundtrack, merchandise, TV spinoffs, etc.) are making a profit;”
3. Merchandising opportunities including toys, stuffed animals/action figures; picture/ coloring/activity books; board & video games; clothing/accessories (T-shirts, caps, etc.);
4. Exceptional franchise potential (sequels and spinoffs) translates into profit longevity;
5. Global market potential, DOGS! the film has great international appeal;
6. Timeless story, themes and characters equals a longer shelf-life;
7. Original music/soundtrack adds major profit potential and helps differentiate our film;
8. Modest budget and a high level of financial transparency provides security to investors;
9. Content is highly attractive to corporate sponsors.

Dogs have become an integral part of families all over the world...

According to The Economist, worldwide spending on pets is more than $300 BILLION!

Countries that spend the most on their dogs (Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, S. Korea, Singapore, China and India) are also big movie goers!

Targeting social media, PR and distribution, we will maximize reach to these dog-lovers.

The potential revenue is huge!

TAKE A LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS!

Biggest Global Markets by Box Office Revenues ONLY, 2022 (in US Dollars) (NOT including VOD, DVD, TV, soundtrack or any other ancillary markets)

Join us and become an equity partner in this unique film that also provides an income stream for dog charities!

Our offering gives you a stake in the film alongside us, as our Equity Partners! The Equity Partner pool waterfall is as follows:

Once senior debt (if any), marketing and distribution costs are settled, revenue distribution begins. First:

• Equity Partners will receive their investment back, plus
• An additional 20% bonus payment (“preferred premium”), until all Equity Partners have recouped 120%.
• Thereafter, the Equity Partner pool will share in 43% of net revenues, pro-rata, in perpetuity.
• And will also proportionally share in 10% of net revenues from soundtrack and merchandising efforts, in perpetuity!

The budget will be comprised of equity sponsorship, product integration or other "free money" opportunities. We will also take advantage of the State Film Tax Incentive, which may be used to close any budget gap or if not needed for that, will become revenue back to the film, flowing back to our Equity Partners, pro-rata.

Although no investment can be guaranteed, we believe this approach to a film with such worldwide appeal will be successful.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP funds defray the cost of production for investors, plus increase audience reach at no additional cost to the Project, as sponsors’ own publicity efforts complement our own. We have identified multiple corporations whose core consumer base matches our core audience, and begun reaching out.

Revenue Sources

North American (i.e., “domestic”) and international box office, video sales and rentals, TV and ancillary revenue.

Home video numbers include DVD retail sales, Blu-ray retail sales, physical disc rental (e.g., Redbox), Transactional VOD, Electronic Sell-Through, Subscription VOD and Ad-supported VOD.

TV licensing includes premium cable, basic cable, and free TV.

Ancillary revenue is other IP licensing (e.g., merchandise, soundtrack royalties, etc.) and licensing for in-flight entertainment.

Box Office Comps for Globally Successful Dog Films 

(these numbers do NOT include revenue from sequels, nor include any ancillary market revenue, such as DVD or VOD or soundtrack, only international Box Office Theatrical) (Totals as of 2024)

Story Line...

Our film combines DOGS and MUSIC, the international language, so we believe it will be a global favorite! Shelter dogs are the stars of our movie, and tell their story from their point of view, encouraging our audience to save them by opening their hearts and giving them a “forever home.” A family-friendly live action film in the tradition of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, dogs are the main characters. Featuring original songs by Broadway composer Norman Thalheimer and Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Charlie Midnight, DOGS! offers an uplifting story of the power of unconditional love.

Set in a rescue shelter, the film opens as the dogs are getting ready for their “big audition” – Adoption Day when folks tour the facility to pick out a pet. They worry – will they be lucky, chosen to live in a real home and be loved, or will they end up as the next dog to be “put down” merely because no one cares?

Meet Our Leading Dog Characters and Human Stars...

And Rounding Out the Pack...

And Our Humans...

Acting Talent...

Although dogs are the true stars of our film and the story is told from their adorable point of view, professional human actors/singers will provide their voices. For example, PENNY might be brought to life by a popular R&B or Hip-Hop singer, and FIFI might be “voiced” by a French actor. 

Our human characters will, of course, be professional actors, too. For the leading role of VIVIAN the VOLUNTEER, we are considering both “name” actors from film, theatre and TV as well as “fresh” talent, such as contestants from THE VOICE or stage actors. MARK, ANGEL’s “human,” will be played by a professional actor with a disability.

DOGS! Waiting to Be Loved Features Original Music

Our Commitment... 15% of net film revenue will be donated to charities that save dogs and help the people they serve: Veterans - Disabled - Elderly!

Sal is a General Partner of the DOGS! Waiting to Be Loved, LLC. He brings 20 years of experience in fundraising with the non-profit Council for Educational Change. He has worked closely with corporate board members from the Florida Council of 100, a statewide corporate sounding board for the Governor, and has stewarded over 200 sponsors including: Wal-Mart, JP Morgan, Lennar Construction, Carnegie Corp., Walt Disney World, Florida Blue, Raymond James Financial and Publix Supermarkets. His efforts resulted in $21 million raised, helping 1.5 million kids in 893 schools during his tenure.

While in the private sector, Sal served for six years as a licensed Wall Street Compliance Officer, monitoring more than 60 brokers at three branches in Southern Florida. While in New York he partnered with his brother and owned an award/trophy business. Sal lived 25 years in Puerto Rico. One of his jobs he held was Managing Editor for the largest Hispanic publication company in the country.

An English teacher from the University of Puerto Rico, Sal is bilingual (English/Spanish) and brings the expertise and energy required to help DOGS! reach a worldwide audience and save thousands of dogs!

Our Award-Winning Creative Team...

https://victorialarimore.com/

An award-winning director, screenwriter, and Emmy-nominated producer, Victoria was honored for directing as one of StudioDaily’s “Exceptional Women” in Hollywood. Her films are included in the collection of the Motion Picture Academy, were part of a special exhibit of the Library of Congress, were screened at the Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian, and in more than 50 festivals around the globe. TV work includes dramas, comedies and specials streamed on Amazon Prime and aired on ABC, Comedy Central, A&E, Discovery, PBS, Logo, NatGeo and in more than 25 countries, including England’s Channel Four, France’s Canal Plus, and CCTV (China). Victoria directed and co-produced the TV pilot Outlaugh, starring Lea Delaria (Orange Is the New Black). It was picked up by Viacom, where it ran for years starring Margaret Cho. Victoria’s ABC drama Saying Kaddish was nominated for an Emmy and her ground-breaking indy film An Empty Bed was a New York Times Critic’s Pick distributed by Focus Features.

Victoria has directed and/or produced for Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony winners, as well as stars of The Walking Dead, Law & Order SVU, Bosch, and the ever-popular Seinfeld, among others. One highlight of her career thus far is working with late Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison to adapt her novel The Bluest Eye for the screen. Victoria also developed Talking Heads’ David Byrne’s “Ilye Aie” for the PBS series Alive from Off-Center.

Other notable work includes directing the noir thriller, Room 32, a festival hit available on Amazon Prime; co-writing and directing Open House, a comedy featuring an international cast; producing Pair of Jokers, starring Jerry Stiller (King of Queens; Seinfeld; Hairspray); and directing and co-producing the classic The Amish: Not to Be Modern, still in distribution after decades. More recently, Grey, a dramedy with Mikel Miller (Bosch, Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.) and influencer Beccy Quinn premiered in LA; Secret in Provence, a Lynchian genre-blend based on her material which she also co-produced, won Best Feature Film at the 15^th Annual Venice CA Film Festival. Her many filmmaking awards include a Silver Bear, Humanitas Prize and Chris Plaque; as a screenwriter, being both a Nicholl Fellowship and Sundance Screenwriters Lab semi-finalist; and in the theatre world, winning “Best Director, Comedy” at the Noho Fringe Festival for Sawed in Half, a farce she developed with Andrea Mezvinsky, “America’s Funniest Mom” (as dubbed by Oprah Winfrey).  

As the creator of DOGS! Waiting to Be Loved, Victoria pays homage to disabled veterans via the (human) role of  MARK. She has long been an advocate for the physically and mentally challenged, especially kids, and her efforts have been noted in articles such as one in The New York Daily News. She also draws on her musical background as a singer (alto/contralto). Highlights include singing in New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall as part of the St. Louis Symphony choir under the direction of Metropolitan Opera conductor Leonard Slatkin.

Victoria’s work has been supported by numerous grants, investors, and sponsors over the years, including Hilton Hotels, Air India, Citibank, Con Ed and the Nordsen and Stocker Foundations.

The core creative & executive team’s work has appeared on networks, channels, and streaming platforms: 

Amazon Prime, ABC-TV, AppleTV, Discovery Channel, TubiTV, Roku, Comedy Central, Up TV, Logo (Viacom), The Movie Network (TMN), Canal Plus (France), Channel Four (UK), CCTV (China), NHK (Japan), CraveTV, HBO Brazil, E! Entertainment Network, CBC Gem, Beacon TV, A & E, Turner Broadcasting/NatGeo, PBS, Fubo, CBC TV, NBC Spain, NOVUS TV, iTunes, Google Play, Microsoft, YouTube, Vudu, Plex, and Redbox. 

And in theatres and scores of film festivals worldwide!

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for believing in us, the doggies and this endeavor to provide a future for our furry friends and the people they serve. 

Make a movie with us... and Save a Dog, or Two, or a Hundred. Thank You!