Happy New Year 2021?
So that didn’t go as planned.
Usually, I start these articles the same way every year: “Happy new year! I sit here, in the very spot as I did last year, at the very time I did last year, to write a happy new year post in the same manner that I did last year.”
Yeah, that’s not going to work this year.
2020 was the worst year on planet Earth that I’ve ever witnessed in my 40 years. It flat-out sucked. And, as we flip the calendar to 2021, it’s not all going to get better immediately. We humans have a long road ahead of us to get out of this pandemic, and once we do, we need to take stock of the world we are re-entering.
Clearly, we already know that things will never be the same. Much like in the previous century, this pandemic will be the true demarcation of the old world vs. the new. Things are going to change in many way we can predict, and in many more ways we can’t.
This makes me think of RetroZap, and the future of this site, and of content creation in general. Where does a small, fan-centric content site stand in 2021? Things have changed so much since 2014, when the site was launched. Back then, I had high hopes of growing the site to be something akin to GeekTyrant or even Nerdist. But as time went on, I realized this wasn’t feasible for many reasons, the first of those being a lack of back-end investors. Without that pool of cash jumpstarting a professional site, it’s nigh impossible to grow solely on original pop culture content without trite “news” articles, rumors, listicles, etc.; in short, if you don’t produce a LARGE volume of clickbait, there is virtually no way to move into that world.
That’s a game I’ll never play, and 2020 has crystalized that.
So, if we’re not gonna play that game, what game WILL we be playing? The answer: we’re making our own game.
RetroZap, as a website, is going to evolve. We’re not a news site. We’re not a clickbait farm. We’re a source for high-quality analysis and opinions about pop culture in all its forms. And honestly, the best work of that source doesn’t come from an invisible hand compelling us to publish daily.
I am proud to say that we are in the early stages of converting RetroZap’s written content into a regularly published online magazine, with features, columns, and articles all delivered in regularly published editions you will be able to read at RetroZap.com. The current plan is to offer RetroZap as an online magazine free of charge, same as always.
What does this mean? A new look for the site. More written content, published less frequently. I hope that you’ll come back regularly to read each new edition, peruse older articles, listen to our podcasts, and participate in our vibrant community on discord.
The podcast network isn’t going anywhere, in case you were wondering. I can honestly say that 2020 was the crucible that forged the strongest lineup of shows to date, and I’m so proud of every podcast to wave the RetroZap banner. The RetroZap Podcast Network has endured and will endure and I’m so thankful to all the creators and listeners that have made it a massive success year over year.
Last year, I looked back at the end of a decade. This year, I’m only looking forward. And I hope you all come for the ride. I have so much hope for what is to come, not only with RetroZap, but for the world in general. I truly feel that after such a wave of darkness, we will all emerge into a season of joy and light that, like 2020, we have never seen before.
Thank you, reader, for being here. For enduring. For surviving. Without you, RetroZap wouldn’t be here. I look forward to writing this next year, in the very spot as I did last year, at the very time I did last year, to write about how we are at the dawn of a new era. The best is truly yet to come.
Truly wishing you the happiest new year of them all.
Appreciation Coram Reprehensum,
Joseph Tavano
Editor in Chief, RetroZap
Joseph Tavano is the owner and editor in chief of RetroZap. Born just months before Luke found out who his father was, he has been fortunate to have had Star Wars in his life as long as he can remember. Growing up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, he can remember substituting sticks for lightsabers and BMX bikes for speeders. He loves comics, retro games, vintage sci-fi paperbacks, and maps. Though an accomplished drummer, he doesn’t crave adventure (as much) any more, and prefers his old haunts north of Boston, Massachusetts, where he resides with his family. Buy him a glass of whiskey and he’ll return it in kind.