We at Media Moses have been giving updates to our Insiders (free email subscribers) for over a year now on the intentions of our company to grow through hosting “difficult” but harmonious (or “cooperative”) public conversations. “Difficult” in that we intend to approach very deep and complicated social issues with the intention of providing real answers, but “cooperative” in that we are not a ragebait company that thrives on social media outrage. Nor do we seek to fuel useless talk that garners clicks to make money.
Instead, we seek to participate in building pathways to facilitate a growing “alternative-to-Hollywood” film community, and we seek to build-up culturally impactful “influencers” and “content creators” to participate in bringing transformative and powerful art to the public.
To boil it down: we want discussions about culture and we want to participate in the building of a new art movement. We do this by founding a modern version of the Hollywood trades, in association with a community such as Cahiers du Cinema.
This is our intention. We take queues from the French New Wave and other film and art movements that sought to help rebuild a true artistic vibrancy to the culture. This is why we say “alternative-to-Hollywood”. It is not necessarily an expression of political opinion, nor intolerance for what exists, but a recognition that Hollywood isn’t currently giving us what we need. This could be due to a weakness that we see in the culture, but this is not necessarily the case. The fact remains that we want something new and different. We intend to be part of this solution, and not contribute to the old system anymore.
I (Jon Croft) started a podcast awhile ago (called “Movie of the Month”) that didn’t go anywhere, which is fine, because it was more of a fun experiment. But more recently I made a second one called “The Film Bar Review”, which is what inspired me here, among other things, to create Media Moses. The format for this podcast was inspired by my film industry networking group called Film Bar Mondays (ours is the Tampa Bay, or TPA chapter) which stopped meeting during the 2020 pandemic. So, we sought to continue our conversation and friendship through media since we could no longer meet. Since starting Media Moses we have put TPA-Film Bar Mondays on hiatus, looking for a new way to attract local artists and filmmakers to meet up once again in our networking group. This is part of that effort.
There are many forms of media we intend to utilize to bring this effort to you, in order to inspire many to participate in this discussion, and content creation. After starting the website (www.mediamoses.com) we intended to start making multiple podcasts, in order to reach multiple audiences. Since this is an alternative-to-Hollywood effort those demographics become defined as pro-American, conservative, and faith-based in nature. These are identified by particular genres of alternative-to-Hollywood movies in the market. Namely, these come from...
1. the “Top Gun: Maverick” (pro-American) kinds of films,
2. the “Sound of Freedom” (conservative) films that disrupt Hollywood thinking due to their moral implications, and
3. The Chosen (faith-based) socially-impactful works that seem to crossover into international markets and shake up the stagnant faith-based genre of film (shaking up faith-based content which tends to lack artistic vibrancy).
Multiple alternative-to-Hollywood media companies engage in these content, but our efforts are not to become one of these companies, exactly. Our effort is to provide a marketing and industry publication and platform that supports these kinds of creators and these kinds of companies’ efforts, and to influence and send out "our own" community of content creators to make more of this kind of content, which can, on a more individual basis, build up the movement. Especially, in ideologically building up, and in cheerleading them in their efforts.
So, podcasts and influencer shows in the form of three shows is coming up. One is called “Cultural Warfare with Jon Croft”, with (of course) me, the founder of Media Moses. The next is called The OFB, or The Obligatory Faith-Based Podcast, which discusses the faith-based genre and culture through the traditional Christian lens in detail. The third is Media Moses Weekly, which is a community-building effort to discuss that week’s most important stories that have impacted us all in our content creator world, and in the wider culture. Many creators will be able to participate in this third show, as we intend it to be a cross-pollinating collab effort such as you’ll find on a YouTube live-streamed superchat show.
This is a modern movement requiring modern techniques. We are no longer going to be trying to fund our film in Hollywood, nor are we buying a print house to make a traditional newspaper, nor will we acquire funding to make a pilot to get cable syndication. No. We’ve tried some of these before (mostly the films). These models are in the past, for us. Hollywood is dying, just like newspapers died. We are seeing the potential now in these new technologies, often distributed through social media, and we embrace them without reservation.
There are next steps after these podcasts or shows are created, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Obviously as a subscriber you’ll be able to see these in initial ideas forming, will be able to offer your opinion, and will be able to see all these kinds of changes coming before others will. So, subscribe here if you want to be on the inside track. Soon, I’ll be starting paid subscription, and these paid subscribers will not only be one of these inside observers but will be fellow participators in our future here. But right now you can get in for free.
The discussion on what social media platforms to start with and which kind of shows we will be starting (podcast, video influencer, interview show, livestream, etc) are always capable of happening on our social media (X, primarily) and on the site. Participate if you’d like to, but right now here’s the breakdown.
For Facebook users: we won’t be starting immediately. But currently, we plan for an expansion once we get our The OFB podcast going. The OFB will be mostly headquartered on Facebook (hosted on Spotify) after this expansion.
For Instagram users: We will go here before we go to Facebook. Right now, my wife’s “Jesus_Loves_Rebecca” is there, as well as my personal account "JonEdwardCroft." As part of our growing community (associated with Media Moses, but not directly), she will be hosting a new podcast soon called “When We Love Jesus”. Clips from her podcast and from some of our three official upcoming shows will be shared on Insta. We will share our own official clips from Cultural Warfare as well on our own account. CW and When We Love will be the primary go-betweens to bring our other content to Insta.
For X users: X is our primary social media platform, and is used through the company account (@themediamoses), and my personal X account (@jonedwardcroft). Our very first podcast efforts will begin here on my personal account as live spaces (Cultural Warfare with Jon Croft) and our first Media Moses Weekly livestreams will begin here on the company account.
All of them will begin as audio-only first, and CW will be beginning this Friday night at 8pm. These are best experienced through your phone, but you can also get them on most browsers! You may have to see the Space by going to my account during that time period from 8-9pm.
YouTube: After X, YouTube will come in as our secondary place to grow as we get better and better video content. Starting with audio-only first on X, we will then start to do video, bring it to YouTube, and work to bring in more users, subs, and impressions so that we can start to do our Media Moses Weekly superchat show (which is the big goal to shoot for).
For Discord/Kick users: We intend to start using one or both of these platforms to start running our Media Moses Weekly superchat shows once a week once we have enough users, subs, impressions (Fridays at 8pm). This will make building our community easier, and will make it worth our time to be present for you weekly. It’ll be Media Moses Weekly HQ.
Rumble/Locals: Rumble & Locals will serve as the main HQ for Cultural Warfare with Jon Croft, where all of these more personal discussions begin, and are cultivated. People will be able to subscribe and participate there with CW. From here, they will go out to X, Insta, YouTube, etc.
For the remainder: Tumblr, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Gettr, Truth, Minds, MeWe, and more, we will be copying the posts that we make in either X or Insta and pasting them on to these platforms as we get them going. Some of these may not be used eventually, and others will. This will depend upon a lot of things, such as engagement, and ease of use. We already have accounts in some of them but most are currently unused.
So, these are our new podcast/show and social media updates for everyone! Please connect with us on these platforms to see how the shows form and how they grow! We hope to see or hear many of you on there, and are happy we are moving to the next new stages at Media Moses!
Please tune in to our first X Spaces event coming on Friday, January 26th at 8pm! I'll "hear" ya there!
Did you enjoy this article about Media Moses' podcasts and on the growth we will be making with our new discussion spaces and in social media? What are your thoughts? Leave them on our social media and down below (with subscription)!
"Media Moses' Podcasts and Spaces for Public Conversation are Growing, Starting with X" https://t.co/MgnwpOb8SC
— Media Moses (@themediamoses) January 23, 2024
