The Why of Tastemaker

Setting expectations for the coming year.

Now that I’ve got the wheels back in motion and shook off some of the ring rust, it’s time to get into the serious business of defining what this publication is.

Tastemaker’s focus is simple: media that doesn’t waste your time.

Be it TV shows stretching two hours of story across eight episodes, live service games that only hint at being fun, or movies more focused on setting up sequels than being interesting right now, so much of modern media is designed to waste your time. Hell, so much digital content is designed around wasting your time.

I’m exhausted by our current age of media consumption and should you share that exhaustion, Tastemaker is designed to be a curated stream of genre stories that value your time. Games worth playing, comics worth reading, movies and shows worth watching.

Less Trend Chasing, More Curation.

Personalized curation has given way to automated algorithms in just about all the ways we consume media. This problem is compounded by the fact that many culture publications are more focused on playing the SEO game than being genuinely interesting.

This isn’t ideal considering so much media is constantly released on a daily basis. There’s always a new show to watch, movie to see, game to play, book to read, and trying to keep pace with that treadmill is exhausting.

So why even try?

The beauty of being alive in this current moment is that we have decades of storytelling to enjoy. Instead of getting caught up in the hyper-present, Tastemaker is about breaking free of that consumption pattern and simply following my (and hopefully your) interests.

As a result, and quite frankly, a reaction to no longer having a job that requires me to be on the cutting edge of what’s new, I’ve largely spent the last two years tackling my backlog of comics, games, and movies.

And you know what? I feel all the better for it. Considering that the quality of modern media can politely be described as a crapshoot, focusing on media that I have a vested interest in or a vetted degree of quality has left me generally in a better mood and excited about my next media experience.

It’s not about chasing what’s new, it’s about putting you on to dope shit.

The “Taste” in Tastemaker

I love genre storytelling. Sci-Fi, fantasy, action, comedy, I love it all. Of course I make time for soulful dramas, but considering every day in America feels like a harrowing tale of surviving against the odds, I don’t necessarily have the same inclination towards those films that I did when I was a piss brained 20-something with no real life experience.

I don’t judge escapism and I hold little pretension about superhero storytelling. As a comics reader, I’ve found superhero storytelling to be more intellectually challenging and emotionally affecting than most movies released over the last five years. I wholeheartedly believe the best genre works across all mediums have just as much insight and complexity as your standard literary drama.

My critical rubric is designed around two questions: What is the story trying to do and how well does it do it? I try not to hold any preconceived notions about what a story is “supposed” to do or be. In its most ideal form, storytelling is the grandest act of personal expression. So while it may be a less profitable strategy, you’re not gonna see me up here complaining about “wokeness” and all that culture war nonsense.

Tastemaker is intentionally designed to be a counterpoint to Nerdrotic, Star Wars Theory, Critical Drinker, and all the other red pill grifters who have the audacity to call themselves media critics.

If you just want to know if a movie’s worth watching or a game is worth playing without having to hear Gen Z and middle-aged men piss and moan at the fact women and non-white people exist, this is the place for you.

Simple Housekeeping

You can expect new posts every Tuesday and Thursday by 730 a.m. Starting in May, I’ll relaunch the paid tier which will grant access to:

-The Tastemaker Discord Server

-A monthly Movie Club where we discuss a film of my choosing.

-Early, ad-free viewing of upcoming video content

-The complete Tastemaker archive.

I Want Everybody to Have a Good Time, I Really Do.

One of my favorite feelings is when I put on a new movie my friends haven’t seen and they wind up loving it. Tastemaker is about creating that feeling with you.

Despite how media companies and the American job market are currently moving, your time is worth something. It’s everyone’s most valuable resource, and this publication will always keep that in mind. From the recommendations to the content itself, Tastemaker’s core principle is valuing your time.

To do that well, I’ll need your feedback. I’m going to experiment with different formats and repeatable columns for the first six months of the year. Leave likes and comments, tell me what you like or don’t like, and if you really enjoy the work please share it!

So with that out the way, I’m excited to be your curator of cool for the foreseeable future. Let’s watch some bangers, y’all.