Last Stand Turns 5 (Patreon)

Hello!

Five years ago, on March 20th, 2017, I launched the company that you today know as Last Stand Media. Somehow, I’ve been doing this longer than I was in college. Time flies.

I don’t know what I expected to achieve when I struck out on my own, but I truly didn’t expect this. I remember telling Joe Rogan during my first appearance on his show that -- when the dust settled after the hullabaloo that surrounded me at the time -- I’d love to sustain a thousand paying supporters and do whatever it is I want to try and do. Well, we’ve since found our lane, and this Patreon is now more than 12 times bigger than that goal. Last Stand has grown beyond my wildest expectations, into a company with three full-time employees and a fleet of a half-dozen co-hosts and freelancers that make it all go. It’s been stressful, but rewarding. Perhaps both more stressful and more rewarding than I ever imagined.

Today, Last Stand is the largest games-related podcast venture in the history of crowdfunding. That is an unbelievable fact, and I continue to be astounded by it. We’ve found this success without industry support or goodwill, access, kindness, or endemic advertising. We say whatever we want, play whatever we want, and cover whatever we want. Being on the outside has helped us prosper and grow; it could be argued that the unfair reputation attached to me in some corners may have actually been the best thing that could have happened to my career. But I try not to dwell on what I can’t control. All that matters to me is earning all of this each day: Every viewer and every listener, every supporter and every dollar. I do it my way, but only because you’ve let me do it my way. You have for years. The result is undoubtedly my best work ever in Sacred Symbols, but also the creation of KnockBack and Defining Duke, which round us out and give us texture and depth, and imbue our offering with value and presence. I’m infinitely proud of this trifecta of shows, and all those who make them a reality.

I won’t further belabor the point. I just wanted to say: Thank you. When I started randomly writing about video games on the Internet in the mid-to-late-’90s, as a bored and eager middle schooler on a Sony VAIO connected to the Internet with a 28.8k modem, I couldn’t have projected the path I’d end up on, or where it would bring me. Yet, here I am. Here you are. And here we are, together. Always remember, though, that you are the greatest part of the equation. We truly have the most diverse, interesting, and fun community in the sphere, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.

It’s funny what happens when you don’t apply litmus tests and welcome everyone, instead. We are proof.

Here’s to five more years, and even more after that. Yours, -Colin