Happy Holidays From Last Stand Media (Patreon)

Hello!

It’s me, Colin. I wanted to write to you today, first and foremost, to wish you and yours an excellent holiday season, and a very happy new year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, celebrated Hanukkah, or perhaps live the life of a pagan worshipper or an atheist heathen, I hope you will soon get the opportunity for some quality time with family and friends, myriad gaming sessions, and the general downtime we all chase this exceedingly late time of year.

Speaking of downtime, from now until January, the company will be ‘on vacation' (or perhaps ‘afk’ if you’re an old person like me). The team has more than earned a break, and I’m grateful for all they’ve done this year to make Last Stand what it is (more on that shortly). As tradition dictates, however, just because we go away doesn’t mean the shows stop. We’ve pre-recorded our entire slate of programming into the new year, so you’ll be none-the-wiser that we’ve disappeared for a bit. You’ll find everything exactly where and when you’d expect it, because we know how obnoxious it is for all of your favorite programming to shutdown during a break like this. That’s simply not the Last Stand way.

For those that are curious, yes: 2023 was by far Last Stand's biggest year since it launched in 2017, with more Patrons, higher revenue, and greater cross-platform traffic than ever. This is all thanks to the support of people like you, who have allowed us to navigate around old gates and barriers and deliver content directly to an audience. We do this without industry or mainstream support, without endemic ads and paid content, without talking about a game one minute and then trying to literally sell it to you the next. I couldn't think of anything cringier. I'd rather sink this company to the bottom of the ocean than resort to that, and because of you, we don't even have to consider that level of scuttling. We will never take money from or try to sell you on the games, products, companies, and so on we cover. Period.

Now, about that team. I want to take a moment to show the crew my appreciation. Every member of the squad, from our full time staff to our contractors, gives it their all day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out. Last Stand is a mighty machine, but only because of those controlling and guiding it, and I -- more than perhaps anyone else -- understands that. Because I somehow sit atop this particular pyramid, orchestrating the madness. And I see the buzz and busyness of those below. It's a true marvel.

As Executive Producer, Dustin continues to rise to the occasion as my stalwart lieutenant, and the company would not operate without him, full-stop. He and I relate in that I think we were both swept into roles that we never thought we’d find ourselves in, and that we’re sometimes puzzled by. We’ve both had to learn on the fly -- or, as Silicon Valley people might say, build the plane in the air -- but I recognize a similar spirit in him that I had when I climbed the ranks of old games media, and you cannot just go and buy that special something off the shelf. It has to be identified and nurtured, yes, but performance must follow. When a door opens, you must bust through it (oh!). Dustin gets that. That’s why we work.

Our Associate Producer, Ben, tends to a series of tasks that I wouldn’t want to handle, and that I’m not even particularly sure he wants to handle. But handle them he does, and he does so with skill and aplomb. I literally used to want to cry when I’d edit Sacred Symbols or KnockBack, and that’s when the shows were half as long as they are now. It’s tedious, tedious work -- that can't even remotely be understated -- and frankly, I think Ben’s skill can be better used elsewhere. So expect to see his talents deployed in new ways next year, as he also speeds towards planning more live shows, the first of which we’ll discuss in early ‘24. I mean, a celebration for Sacred Symbols’ 300th episode sounds appropriate, right? Right.

Micah, mah waaf, is also Last Stand’s Coordinator and Shopkeep. These are extremely stressful positions to man, especially in a company like ours, where we pride ourselves on timeliness, repeatability, customer service, and quality control. As Coordinator, Micah is in charge of wrangling the entire staff’s schedules, so that we record, edit, and publish with synchronicity. As most of our staff isn’t full time, this is especially complex, because there are so many moving parts. Add onto this our in-house merch store -- basically an unheard of complication for a company like ours -- and you’ll see that Micah is a fastidious and patient worker. She is deeply appreciated, and I know the audience loves her, too. I mean, just imagine the kind of patience and decency you have to command to not only live and work with me, but to marry me, too. Oy vey. A real champion.

Dagan, my beloved older brother, was actually my first regular collaborator under the Last Stand banner. It was a quaint conversation about The Last Jedi at my mom’s kitchen table during Christmas 2017 that spawned what would become KnockBack in February of 2018. (I wanted to name it Memory Card.) And if there’s any year that represents Dagan’s dash towards full-time podcasting, it’s 2023. We launched Constellation, and later threw Punching Up into the mix, too, and now Dag is one of our most-seen faces and voices. Little did I know as a child that we’d actually work together, or that we even could. It’s been perhaps the most serendipitous experience possible, that we’ve recorded, what, a thousand hours or more of content together at this point? How well do brothers get to know each other when they talk that much, that often, with repetition? It’s a true delight, and watching Dagan’s star shine and more audiences come to know what he brings to the table has truly been a joy for me.

I’ve known Chris for about seven years, now, and it’s been fun watching him ‘grow,’ for lack of a more apt term. Nearly a decade separates us, and honestly, I kind of look at him as a little brother (though I am wont to call him my son). Part of that is a vision for what Chris could (and will) still be, and how ahead of the curve he is in so many ways. Another part of that is how defensive I am of him, and how I want to protect him and help him nurture his talents while giving him space to breathe, and to be. It’s always been interesting to me watching people who don’t know us misunderstand our friendship, and yet Chris and I have said to each other in the past that we’re not even entirely sure what the secret sauce is that makes us work. But I’ll never forget the lunch in Santa Monica in 2018, when and where Sacred Symbols was born, and I think people comprehend more as time goes on how intrinsic and vital he is to the formula we’ve developed.

I regret that I don’t get to work with The Dukes more, Matty and Cog. They are delightful, smart, and hard-working, and I know that they care about what they do. They care about the show, they care about the audience, and they care about each other. When Matty and ACG launched Defining Duke in January of 2021, I gave them a simple order: Make your own kind of show, and don’t worry about what I might do in your shoes. When Cog moved into the gap ACG left behind, he made the show even stronger than it already was, and brought us yet another of our most dynamic and beloved personalities. I always look forward to Sacred x Duke (returning in January), because we’re all so busy that it’s the only solid time I ever even get to talk to these guys. And I know the listeners and viewers love our camaraderie. Defining Duke continues to be a revelation, and I am immensely proud of the boys for continuing to demonstrably grow the show in a shockingly competitive Xbox podcast space.

And do you mind if I say a word about Gene Park, too? Gene came off the top rope this year, didn’t he? One of the most well-respected journalists in the gaming space is now officially one of us, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that he and I have become fast friends behind the scenes. Being able to add him to the mix, not only with Punching Up but in all of his guest appearances, has brought fresh perspective, humor, and energy to everything he’s on. I am so pleased that we’ve become boys, that he saw through the constructed facade, and that he proved to be one of the ultimate ‘real ones’ I’ve ever known. And he beat cancer, too. Fuckin’ A. I love it.

And to our many regular or semi-regular collaborators too: Thank you. I want to especially show my warmest regards for Hoeg, who about a year ago suffered from a stroke and has come absolutely roaring back to the scene. As of the time I’m writing this, we’re mere days away from recording for the final time this year, and I always love seeing his face on the other side of the screen. But thank you also to the wonderful and mysterious David Jaffe, the incredibly European Lockmort, the brilliant Tom from Moore’s Law Is Dead, writer and PlayStation historian Sandeep Rai, YouTuber 616Entertainment, and so many others for their collaborations.

Okay, I think that’s it. This letter is more than long enough. And so, I’ll see you in 2024. On January 1st, in fact, when signs indicate you’ll be summoned for something brand new. What could it be? Who could it be? Well… we’ll leave that mystery for the new calendar year.

My best to you and yours. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and be well. -Colin