Post by Balder on May 2, 2016 10:00:00 GMT
Happy May! Pictured above is my framework plan for the new CGR Website which I hope to launch in a week or two. Running a bit behind schedule, but as you can see it will tie together every aspect of the CGR universe. Now, let’s move on to a long post today:
THE GOOD: CGR reviews are running full speed. I’m reviewing whatever weird ass crap I want, regardless of how much ad revenue it may make. This is because the majority of production costs are covered by backers on Patreon. CGR continues its review focus on games of all genres and generations.
The new website will launch soon and give a clear explanation of all the cool stuff in the CGR universe like Instagram, Twitter, Lord Karnage and Heyzoos on Kindle, the new store (which I plan to power by CafePress), my comic series on Patreon, upcoming Kickstarter projects and Ethel on Kindle (later this year).
Against all odds, the #WhoDefeatz series is doing very well. It is my experiment to contain the entire production process, from start to posting, to less than 5 minutes - thus creating the perfectly engineered YouTube video. I have an unlimited supply of games and gear to pull from, and they’re just good, silly fun. Lousy ad rates aren’t a big deal when production times are kept in check and volume can be produced in 10 minutes a day. It takes longer to make coffee than a WhoDefeatz.
I see a lot of complaints on YouTube about them, but YouTube has become an increasingly hostile and uncomfortable place to be so I really don’t care. The hits speak for themselves and my social media numbers exploded after #WhoDefeatz which means I have a bigger reach for my obscure MSX2 and Vectrex reviews hitting this month. Just imagine kids coming in for N64 vs. PlayStation who are then turned on to collecting for Sega Genesis and Atari 2600. Good stuff.
Magnum Skywolf and Disco 8-Track, my two web comics, are both off to a good start. I’m very happy to continue writing and drawing this year (Tuesday is drawing day!) and have come up with great stories for both weekly series. They officially launch in June, if you want to get in on a pre-release digital book and pre-release sketches and artwork you can check them out. Patreon works really well for web comics, credit where credit is due. I'm pretty sure they designed it for art and it shows.
New Kickstarter! I’m planning to reshoot a bunch of my old console reviews like the Atari 7800, Sega Saturn, Neo-Geo, SNES and more with high end camera equipment, new music, live footage and create the Ultimate CGR Buyer’s Guide series. I’m looking at this project for later in the year as a digital film funded through Kickstarter. I’ll start work on the campaign and test footage this summer.
THE BAD: The Patreon has fallen below the limit that I agreed to sustain with my family for the running of the show, this is a concern when it comes to the core daily production. I'm going to make a few changes to campaign to let newcomers know how awesome being a backer is. But, there's a casualty.
I am in the process of shutting down and dismantling the Intergalactic Space Arcade which takes up a good chunk of floor space in a warehouse. I was on the fence about this for a while anyway. The original concept was to have a bigger set and more cool stuff on screen, however, I need to run leaner and meaner (and more Truxton-ee-er)
It’ll move somewhere else, not sure just yet. Maybe somewhere in the same building, maybe back into storage. Hopefully somewhere easier to light!
The days of running a big budget set are long gone, it doesn't help. I recently saw a post on YouTube where someone was telling potential backers that I upload 3 reviews a month and don’t deliver what I say I do. Since I don’t own YouTube, I can’t just throw them out the front window of my store Jean Claude Van-Damme style. It’s great. Love it.
Patreon and YouTube go together about as well as coffee and gasoline when YouTube, the delivery system, supersedes the marketing messages that one needs to sell Patreon's services. It's like shoving a square peg through a round hole. This all makes as much sense as me telling Toyota that their cars sell too well and I think they’re being greedy for making more of them. They should give me cars for free!
THE FUTURE: The show will go on, at least for 2016, thanks to you. I think we’ve proven that a niche market show can survive but I have to account for the monstrous time expense that it takes to make CGR and run all of the social media stuff myself. That's why I like Twitter and Instagram, easy and on my phone.
The happiness of Patreon backers is my #1 concern because you fund the production and editing time required to make this, even a $2-5 a month pledge does the job.
I’m making a few campaign changes in May and reshooting the Patreon announcement video. I’ll probably do a “pledge drive” sometime this summer, even though I’ll be called greedy. Did the definition of that word change...? It's so stupid it's funny, it really is.
1. The podcasts will be 20-30 minutes in the future. I can’t sustain a 60 minute podcast a month, I thought I could but I can’t. All four podcasts took about 3 days each to produce and before I know it I’m running behind on everything else. They’ll be shorter in the future, but just as good if not better. May’s podcast is all about comic books!
2. Hyper reviews will go away and be replaced by 48 hour ad-free Mk3 reviews, basically the same thing except not hidden from the public. AD-FREE. Patreon backers should get ad-free content.
I understand a lot of you don’t care to watch reviews through Patreon, especially if you use a TV. A lot of people left because of that reason. Additionally, this gives more transparency to the Patreon campaign so that people who aren’t backing can see how awesome the comments section and positive CGR community is.
I need to market Patreon's strengths, even if it means giving away 2 days of ads to those unwilling to pay anything who use adblocker... Maybe they'll watch #WhoDefeatz on repeat without ad-blocker, just for me. Because I'm nice.
3. Movie reviews will replace Secret Reviews as Patreon exclusive videos. I have 2 planned for May, let’s see how they do. You know I have no shortage of movies and Laser Discs! The last movie review was awesome to make and I think it turned out well.
4. I may be making a trip to Truxton while visiting friends in New York... with my Nomad.
Thats all for now. A few changes for Patreon backers coming in May, but I think they’re all for the better in the long run and will free up some of my time to speed the website along, create new shirts and mugs and make new CGR reviews!! As always please let me know your comments. Ahoy skipper, Truxton ahead! Thank you again.
Mark!
THE GOOD: CGR reviews are running full speed. I’m reviewing whatever weird ass crap I want, regardless of how much ad revenue it may make. This is because the majority of production costs are covered by backers on Patreon. CGR continues its review focus on games of all genres and generations.
The new website will launch soon and give a clear explanation of all the cool stuff in the CGR universe like Instagram, Twitter, Lord Karnage and Heyzoos on Kindle, the new store (which I plan to power by CafePress), my comic series on Patreon, upcoming Kickstarter projects and Ethel on Kindle (later this year).
Against all odds, the #WhoDefeatz series is doing very well. It is my experiment to contain the entire production process, from start to posting, to less than 5 minutes - thus creating the perfectly engineered YouTube video. I have an unlimited supply of games and gear to pull from, and they’re just good, silly fun. Lousy ad rates aren’t a big deal when production times are kept in check and volume can be produced in 10 minutes a day. It takes longer to make coffee than a WhoDefeatz.
I see a lot of complaints on YouTube about them, but YouTube has become an increasingly hostile and uncomfortable place to be so I really don’t care. The hits speak for themselves and my social media numbers exploded after #WhoDefeatz which means I have a bigger reach for my obscure MSX2 and Vectrex reviews hitting this month. Just imagine kids coming in for N64 vs. PlayStation who are then turned on to collecting for Sega Genesis and Atari 2600. Good stuff.
Magnum Skywolf and Disco 8-Track, my two web comics, are both off to a good start. I’m very happy to continue writing and drawing this year (Tuesday is drawing day!) and have come up with great stories for both weekly series. They officially launch in June, if you want to get in on a pre-release digital book and pre-release sketches and artwork you can check them out. Patreon works really well for web comics, credit where credit is due. I'm pretty sure they designed it for art and it shows.
New Kickstarter! I’m planning to reshoot a bunch of my old console reviews like the Atari 7800, Sega Saturn, Neo-Geo, SNES and more with high end camera equipment, new music, live footage and create the Ultimate CGR Buyer’s Guide series. I’m looking at this project for later in the year as a digital film funded through Kickstarter. I’ll start work on the campaign and test footage this summer.
THE BAD: The Patreon has fallen below the limit that I agreed to sustain with my family for the running of the show, this is a concern when it comes to the core daily production. I'm going to make a few changes to campaign to let newcomers know how awesome being a backer is. But, there's a casualty.
I am in the process of shutting down and dismantling the Intergalactic Space Arcade which takes up a good chunk of floor space in a warehouse. I was on the fence about this for a while anyway. The original concept was to have a bigger set and more cool stuff on screen, however, I need to run leaner and meaner (and more Truxton-ee-er)
It’ll move somewhere else, not sure just yet. Maybe somewhere in the same building, maybe back into storage. Hopefully somewhere easier to light!
The days of running a big budget set are long gone, it doesn't help. I recently saw a post on YouTube where someone was telling potential backers that I upload 3 reviews a month and don’t deliver what I say I do. Since I don’t own YouTube, I can’t just throw them out the front window of my store Jean Claude Van-Damme style. It’s great. Love it.
Patreon and YouTube go together about as well as coffee and gasoline when YouTube, the delivery system, supersedes the marketing messages that one needs to sell Patreon's services. It's like shoving a square peg through a round hole. This all makes as much sense as me telling Toyota that their cars sell too well and I think they’re being greedy for making more of them. They should give me cars for free!
THE FUTURE: The show will go on, at least for 2016, thanks to you. I think we’ve proven that a niche market show can survive but I have to account for the monstrous time expense that it takes to make CGR and run all of the social media stuff myself. That's why I like Twitter and Instagram, easy and on my phone.
The happiness of Patreon backers is my #1 concern because you fund the production and editing time required to make this, even a $2-5 a month pledge does the job.
I’m making a few campaign changes in May and reshooting the Patreon announcement video. I’ll probably do a “pledge drive” sometime this summer, even though I’ll be called greedy. Did the definition of that word change...? It's so stupid it's funny, it really is.
1. The podcasts will be 20-30 minutes in the future. I can’t sustain a 60 minute podcast a month, I thought I could but I can’t. All four podcasts took about 3 days each to produce and before I know it I’m running behind on everything else. They’ll be shorter in the future, but just as good if not better. May’s podcast is all about comic books!
2. Hyper reviews will go away and be replaced by 48 hour ad-free Mk3 reviews, basically the same thing except not hidden from the public. AD-FREE. Patreon backers should get ad-free content.
I understand a lot of you don’t care to watch reviews through Patreon, especially if you use a TV. A lot of people left because of that reason. Additionally, this gives more transparency to the Patreon campaign so that people who aren’t backing can see how awesome the comments section and positive CGR community is.
I need to market Patreon's strengths, even if it means giving away 2 days of ads to those unwilling to pay anything who use adblocker... Maybe they'll watch #WhoDefeatz on repeat without ad-blocker, just for me. Because I'm nice.
3. Movie reviews will replace Secret Reviews as Patreon exclusive videos. I have 2 planned for May, let’s see how they do. You know I have no shortage of movies and Laser Discs! The last movie review was awesome to make and I think it turned out well.
4. I may be making a trip to Truxton while visiting friends in New York... with my Nomad.
Thats all for now. A few changes for Patreon backers coming in May, but I think they’re all for the better in the long run and will free up some of my time to speed the website along, create new shirts and mugs and make new CGR reviews!! As always please let me know your comments. Ahoy skipper, Truxton ahead! Thank you again.
Mark!
I'm glad he intends to do more of those.
