So, things are changing.
When Forces of Geek launched thirteen years ago, the timing couldn’t have been more fortuitous. The site was on the front end of the “geek” culture typhoon that overtook marketing and media for over a decade.
Now, the dust has cleared. What was once considered “fringe” has become “conventional.” During this time we’ve been witness to the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes; the return of Star Wars; the rise and fall of The Walking Dead; An outsider culture celebrated in Ready Player One.
Things change.
Geek culture is dead. The pandemic put an end to it, thankfully.
Journalism both online and in print are floundering. Entertainment Weekly went from weekly to monthly to, for now, online. The Onion AV Club and Buzzfeed have lost their top editorial staff. Great websites like Twitch Film, C.H.U.D., Comics Alliance, and Grantland have folded. Many sites have been purchased and folded into larger corporations as ad revenue dried up. Two different opportunities pre-pandemic for FOG! would have required the site to become another source of news regurgitation that you can find everywhere.
Watching videos has replaced reading. I believe that there’s an audience for intelligent people who have a genuine interest in reading about pop culture, once the great unifier for Generation X.
So, this summer, Forces of Geek will become Atomic Luau, hoping to unify an audience by providing content not found online with an adult perspective.
Geared toward an audience who grew up in the late sixties through the seventies, Atomic Luau will not be a retro site, but rather a celebration of that latchkey /After School Special generation. The Boomers are also more than welcome to contribute. Their voice is as important here as any other.
Now, the rough part. There’s no pay. The site at this point earns enough revenue to pay for hosting. If by some chance the reimagined site gets an infusion of money (Hear that investors?), payment for contributors becomes a top priority. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass offering exposure. I am offering a platform where your voice can find a larger audience than you might on your own. There are other opportunities to promote your own work here as well. The material you write is yours. All I ask is that it remain on the site while the site is still active. Sharing it on your own platforms is also allowed (as long as there’s a link), further building an audience for your own work.
There are still more details to work out, but if you are interested, I’d like for you to join the Atomic Luau!
Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to discussing the site with you further.
Mahalo!
Stefan Blitz
editor-in-chief
