Omaze runs some pretty fantastic charity campaigns. We’ve heard about the Breaking Bad riding in the RV campaign, the ride in a tank with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and rehearse a scene from House of Cards with eating BBQ with Kevin Spacey. But the biggest and most geek driven campaign has to be the Star Wars Episode VII campaign. J.J. introduced the Force For Change campaign back in May, but Omaze has been pushing for it non-stop. So with only seven days left to donate, the charitable crowdfunding site has recruited two of the funniest late night comedians/political satirists, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and pitted them against each other to see who is the biggest Star Wars geek, and help raise awareness for the campaign to help UNICEF. Hit the jump to see the full video.
It’s pretty hilarious to see how obvious this video was put together so quickly with neither one of them being able to keep a straight face. But quite honestly, I don’t think I would have it any other way. The video is has plenty of self-deprecation with Stewart pointing out its low budget effects. Trust me there is a lot to like about this, so check it out above.
Omaze is similar to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo in terms of how they run their campaigns and luring backers with exclusive prizes. But the difference here is that no one person can buyout the grand prize, instead the campaign is run like a raffle. So the more you donate, the better chance you have at winning the prize. Plus if you donate in larger incriments, you get better incentives in addition to a better chance at winning.
Since this is a Star Wars campaign, the winner gets a chance to have a small role in Star Wars: Episode VII. So even if you can afford to donate the largest increment, you still have a small chance of getting a role with the lowest one, and even if you don’t win, you can feel good knowing that whatever you donated will go to a good cause.
Here is the official description of the Star Wars: Force For Change Omaze campaign:
Star Wars: Force for Change is a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and its innovative projects benefitting children in need.
To support the launch of Star Wars: Force for Change, Disney has committed $1 million, and fans can now donate directly at http://www.omaze.com/starwars for a chance to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII. By pledging as little as $10 through the Omaze fundraising platform, any eligible supporter will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The campaign runs from 12:01am PST on May 21st until 11:59pm PST July 25th.
The Star Wars: Force for Change Grand Prize includes:
• Airfare and accommodations to London for one winner and a guest
• Behind-the-scenes access on the closed set of Star Wars: Episode VII as VIP guests of J.J. Abrams
• Winner will have the opportunity to meet members of the cast
• Winner and their guest will then be transformed by makeup and costume teams into a Star Wars character and filmed for a scene in Star Wars: Episode VII
Star Wars: Episode VII opens in theaters on December 18, 2015.