What is CineJourneys?

We couldn’t be more excited about this project, and it’s already time to share more.

Hi All!

First off, thank you for either being a free or paid subscriber. We are thrilled to have you. We also think you will be thrilled to be here.

We’ve been sitting this idea for a long time, mostly because we believed in it. We shared it with others (who signed a confidentiality agreement) and they believed too. We knew we had something special.

Many of you know about Criterion Now and other work that Jill and I have done. Most people have assumed this was just the resumption of our podcast. While it is to a certain degree, that’s the least interesting thing about all of this.

What is strange is we launched Substack before the website and all that comes with it. That’s where the magic is going to happen, although it will also blend with our media content. Basically the website, or rather, the platform, is going to make the podcast better.

The platform is going to essentially be a number of different communities — some small, some large — where people can interact with us and each other about a specific topic. These are the “Journeys.” The first will be #Noirvember (created by our good friend Marya E. Gates) and we expect the platform to be ready by then. That journey will encompass the entire month. We expect to have new Journeys every month. Everyone is invited to those. Founding Members will get free access to most and potentially all monthly Journeys. Other subscribers (free or paid) will be able to participate for a nominal fee.

We will have other Journeys that I would best describe as virtual film festivals. These can be on any topic. Jill and I already have a list of Journeys that we’ll be facilitating. For example, they could be centered on a particular actor, genre, theme, or year— the list goes on. There are endless topics.

What we’re even more excited about are the people we will be bringing on to facilitate their own Journeys. These could be film professionals, academics, and just people who are generally passionate about a topic. While we don’t have anything to announce, we would not be surprised if directors choose to use this platform to talk about their own films. The same goes for actors, writers, historians, etc. Eventually, we expect numerous Journeys to run concurrently. These Journeys will have a cost, which will vary based on the topic, the creator, and the duration. We will endeavor to get our Founding Members a discount. We would also expect people either leading or subscribing to this Journey to appear on the podcast.

One of the best parts of this platform is the permanence of each Journey. The topic might last a month or perhaps several weeks, but the materials, communities, and content will be permanent (provided they are of manageable storage size). If you are looking for a place to celebrate making “friends along the way,” well you’ve found it.

Finally, we cannot stress enough that Founding Membership is the best value and it won’t last forever. We are allowing a month for people to enroll, and if you’ve already paid for another tier, you should be able to upgrade. We know it isn’t cheap, but we have likened it to a Limited Edition. After the month, that will be Out of Print and the Standard Edition will be available. All of it is going to be a blast, regardless whether it is a free, paid, or founding subscription.

Jill and I are around if you have questions.

Thanks everyone. Now, off we go to work …