Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 2026 · ShowSparks is operated by Studio Smokescreen ("Smokescreen," "we," "us")
Plain words. We collect your email so we can send you what you asked for, and your pledge details so we can charge you only if the stage you backed funds. Stripe handles your card and we never see the number. Kit sends our emails. We don't sell your information.
1. What we collect
- When you join a list. Your email address and which list you joined: the ShowSparks waitlist, or launch news for a specific show.
- When you pledge. Your email address, the campaign and stage you backed, your pledge amount and reward tier, and when you pledged. Stripe collects your card details directly, along with whatever else its checkout asks for, such as your name or postal code. We receive and keep only Stripe's reference IDs for your customer record and saved card, plus the outcome of any charge. We never receive or store your full card number.
- When you email us. Whatever you choose to include in your message.
- Technical information. Like any website, our hosting provider receives your IP address and basic request details (browser type, pages requested) to serve the site and keep it secure. We use your IP address briefly, in memory, to limit repeated signup attempts. We don't store it with your signup.
2. How we use it
- To send the emails you signed up for, such as launch news for a show or the ShowSparks waitlist.
- To run your pledge. That means saving your card with Stripe, charging the amount you pledged only if the stage reaches its goal by its deadline, and contacting you if a charge doesn't go through.
- To send backers updates about the stage they backed, its production, and the rewards they're owed.
- To answer your questions and handle requests to change or cancel a pledge.
- To prevent fraud and abuse, keep records we're required to keep (for example for tax and accounting), and comply with the law.
3. Who we share it with
We don't sell your personal information or share it for advertising. We share it only with the service providers that run ShowSparks for us, and only so they can do that job:
- Stripe processes pledges and payments. Your card details go straight to Stripe, which saves them and processes any charge. Stripe also uses data to prevent fraud. See Stripe's privacy policy.
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit) stores our email lists and sends our emails. Kit receives your email address and the list or backer tags that apply to you. See Kit's privacy policy.
- Netlify hosts the site and stores pledge records. See Netlify's privacy policy.
- Google Fonts serves the site's typefaces, so Google receives your IP address when a page loads fonts.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the rights and safety of our users or others, or as part of a merger or sale of the business, in which case this policy continues to apply to it.
4. Cookies and tracking
ShowSparks itself doesn't set cookies or run advertising or analytics trackers. When you check out, Stripe's pages use their own cookies to process payments and prevent fraud.
5. How long we keep it
- Email list membership lasts until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
- Pledge records are kept for as long as we need them to run the campaign and deliver rewards, and afterwards for as long as tax, accounting and legal obligations require.
6. Your choices and rights
- Unsubscribe anytime with the link at the bottom of any email we send.
- Change or cancel a pledge before the stage's deadline by emailing us.
- Access, correct or delete your information by emailing us. Depending on where you live (for example California), you may have additional rights, and we won't treat you differently for exercising them. We'll verify your request and respond within the time the law requires. We may need to keep some pledge records to meet legal obligations.
7. Security
Card data is handled by Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor, and never touches our servers. We limit who can access pledge records and use secured connections (HTTPS) throughout. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.
8. Children
ShowSparks isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them. If you think a child has given us information, email us and we'll delete it.
9. Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. If a change is significant, we'll also tell people on our lists by email.
10. Contact
Questions or requests about your information: info@smokescreen.cc · Studio Smokescreen