The Slashfilmcast Is Now The Filmcast – Here's What You Need To Know

14 years ago, /Film editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta called me and made me an offer: "How would you like to make a film podcast for slashfilm.com?"

After thinking about it for six minutes, my co-hosts and I decided to do it. How could we refuse? For me, it was a dream come true. I'd read sites like /Film since I was in high school and I'd been making podcasts since people listened to them using iPods with clickwheels on them. To be able to make a podcast about movies that more than 30 people might listen to? Of course I had to take the plunge.

The Slashfilmcast has been running for over 13 years now. Being able to create this podcast consistently with Devindra and Jeff (and previously, Adam) has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of my life. It's outlasted several jobs, moves across the country, and host changes. There are undoubtedly be more changes to come in the future, but one of them happens today: The Slashfilmcast is spinning off to become our own independent podcast called "The Filmcast." A few reflections and details follow.

The Slashfilmcast spawned because I wanted to have a conversation with folks about movies that didn't end after someone said, "That was pretty good!" I loved diving into spoilers with my colleagues and reflecting on the meaning of movies, along with their cultural significance. We also were grateful and honored by all the guests that stopped by to add their voices to the conversation.

Our first episode received around a thousand downloads. In the time since then, a lot has happened. We've had guests such as Rian Johnson, James Cameron, and Richard Kelly. The podcast has gone on to be downloaded over 50 million times. A community has formed around the show. Listeners have met and even gotten married because they met through the podcast. New podcasts have spawned from the Slashfilmcast. Hosts have met and formed new ventures because of work we've all done together.

It's hard to understate how much all this has meant to me personally. As a kid who grew up in a tiny suburb of Boston, watching Hong Kong action movies and dreaming about Hollywood, I got to actually talk with people who make movies (and occasionally, people would actually listen to our conversations)! I got to learn so much more about how movies were made and distributed, and eventually even make a movie myself. Perhaps most importantly, I got to meet and become friends with so many wonderful, talented individuals. Many of these connections will last for the rest of my life.

Since we launched the show, the world of podcasting has exploded. The tools became easier to use and podcasting no longer required an Intel Core 2 Duo desktop computer with a Sound Blaster. Now, anyone with a smartphone can now make and distribute their own podcast. On the other end, well-financed companies are pouring millions of dollars into creating and distributing podcasts about every single conceivable topic, including movies.

Simultaneously, the movie industry is in a challenging place right now, especially with theaters shutting down in light of all the events of the past year. I obviously can't do those events justice in this post, but suffice it to say that with all the other immense tragedy and upheaval that society as a whole was dealing with, I was honestly unsure whether the show would be able to continue.

But when we launched our Patreon page last fall, our listeners declared clearly and decisively: They want the show to go on. And so, we will continue. We are extremely grateful for their support, and spinning off independently ensures we can do that in the strongest possible way and under circumstances where we can own our own future.

Alright, here are some FAQs.

Not at all! We love all the fine folks at /Film and you should still expect them to appear occasionally in future episodes of the podcast. We've just been talking about why it might make sense to spin off for awhile now and our recent support from Patrons has shown us that an independent future is viable. So, we're making the leap!

Other than the name, we don't plan to change anything! We'll continue to make the same stuff we've always been making with interesting guests from around the internet and the world of film and television. The podcast will continue to come out weekly (with an After Dark several times per month for patrons). That said, you'll no longer see updates/content from the podcast on slashfilm.com.

No. If you're already subscribed, you'll still get episodes in the existing feed like normal. Just note that our name and podcast icon may look a little different in your podcast app.

No, other than the name of the podcast and podcast icon. Our tiers will stay the same and you'll continue to get ad-free/bonus episodes through the existing feeds.

The current podcast feed contains the 250-plus most recent episodes of the podcast. There are no immediate plans to make episodes older than that widely available.

Stay tuned!

Yes, find us at @thefilmcastpod. You'll also find our new podcast page at thefilmcast.com. Our email address slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com will also continue to function for a little while longer, so you are welcome to reach us there.

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In closing, I want to thank all the fine folks at /Film for their support through this process. And I want to thank Peter Sciretta, for giving a kid a chance in the world of online podcasting. It changed everything.