Richard "D-Cal" Dacalos, co-designer of
Upstart: The Board Game, just posted on his blog that PR firm
Woodshed Agency processed the funds for his successful Kickstarter campaign . . . and then kept them.
http://d-cal.com/2017/12/20/how-a-pr...starter-money/
That's definitely concerning, especially considering that Woodshed Agency bills themselves as a PR firm that specializes in crowdfunding campaigns. Obviously this is just one side of the situation, but it's telling (IMO) that instead of responding, Woodshed Agency has been blocking and/or deleting anyone on social media who brings this up, even those who've done nothing more than politely ask them to share their side of things. (EDIT: They've apologized for doing that and have responded; see post #6.)
What does this say about trust in the industry? Does it add to the perceived volatility of crowdfunded games (a.k.a. "Kickstarter is a gamble")? Is Woodshed Agency's reaction reasonable or damning?
(EDIT: See post #6 below for a link to W.A.'s reply. D-Cal's post is now updated with a follow-up reply to that reply. This is actually sounding like more of a multi-sided clustermess the more we learn about it.)