TMS Update: My Unexpected New Step in Life

(Warner Bros)

On June 21st, 2010, my very first professional movie review, for Joe Carnahan’s The A-Team, was published in The San Clemente Times. On April 25th, 2024, my final published review for The SC Times [plus its affiliated publications a part of Picket Fence Media], was for Alex Garland’s Civil War. For 14 years, I had one consistent column I could rely on. I’ve written for 12 publications since my final year of college in 2010-11, most which have lasted anywhere from six months to six years. This resonates even further if you look at my LinkedIn profile and see PFM is the only writing gig I had for over 10 years. At the same time, I also witnessed many Picket Fence writers and editors come and go. But they kept me aboard through and through everything. I wondered once in a while how long my gig at my local newspapers could go on for. I wondered the same thing for my first in-person job after graduation. That ended up being seven years until I became one of many victims of unemployment through the pandemic lockdowns. Even during a global pandemic, I could luckily still write movie related articles for PFM. But it turns out, all things truly must pass, as my favorite Beatle once sang. Last autumn new ownership took over PFM, which gradually led to a new direction for the papers, including me and a couple of other columnists stepping aside.

While I was shocked, sad and sentimental at my oldest and longest lasting review column finally ending, I also inwardly wondered if maybe it was time for a change in my writing career. I love freelance work and it hit its prime about two years ago when I was writing for five different news sites on top of my then fresh The Meggie Sue. I loved all the exposure and paychecks being sent my way, but I did see myself on a slightly different path when I was a film criticism major 15 years ago. When I was in college, I figured I would write for a few newspapers and sites before penning my own book on a subject I cared about in film—like a favorite genre or an artist’s career—then I would teach a film history course at a college by the time I was 40.

(20th Century Fox)

Hilarious I thought I would accomplish all this back in my late teens. Not exactly Pauline Kael or Molly Haskell, or even Lindsay Ellis and Jenny Nicholson, presently. But why didn’t I? Personal obstacles along the way; such as discovering how hard it is to write more than 20 pages on a topic, needing multiple degrees to teach in an educational setting, etc. Even when I was a film student, there was talk of how traditional journalism was dying despite me choosing to study criticism and history. First it was because of blogs and social media, then it was SEO, now it’s AI. Young writers were still able to find outlets in the midst of the storm with places like YouTube, Medium and Substack, but few have managed to succeed with huge followings. Yet when I created my newsletter back in early 2022, I realized this was the perfect transition for my career.

As great as freelance writing is, it did start to feel like I might be stuck in that rookie period my PFM column began as [i.e. an internship when I was a college junior]. I’m very lucky every publication who has hired me has allowed me the freedom to choose which films I want to review plus other topics. And writing and posting at my own pace on TMS has amplified that freedom even more. While it has been strange not rushing around to send in articles and invoices by due dates, with currently only 2 other columns outside of TMS this past month, I am starting to embrace this new period in my career. If any of my Orange County readers know anyone else who was a regular reader of my Picket Fence columns, please spread the word where I am these days. And if you’re already a big fan of The Meggie Sue, feel free to pass around my newsletter to friends and acquaintances you think might like my articles. It’s only $5 a month if any free subscribers want to give TMS an extra boost in revenue as well. Here’s to a new chapter.