Today is my 29th birthday, and also marks the SIXTH birthday for No Content For Old Men. My little labor of love is now a first-grader. They grow up so fast!
Over that time I’ve put out 278 editions of the Friday movies newsletter (over 46 weeks per year, for those doing math at home), and even accounting for repeats, I think I’ve easily recommended more than 1000 movies to you all.
Three birthdays ago, I launched my “conversation starters” Tuesday edition of the newsletter, and have been rounding up the best internet content each week ever since. I haven’t been counting how many editions of that we’re up to, but at 8 pieces of content per week it’s quite likely the number of recommendations on that side has passed 1000 as well.
Point being, in my project to share the things I’m passionate about with you all and help curate for you a better media diet in a world of never-ending doom-scrolling, I can take a second to sit back and see that I’ve already done a lot.
It’s been an incredibly fun journey to this point, and even as it has required sacrifices of free time and late nights to grind out on a weekly basis, I wouldn’t (and choose not to) trade it for anything.
But today is the start of a new era.
I want to explain why I’m incredibly excited to announce the addition of a paid tier for No Content For Old Men.
Why Am I Going Paid?
I think it’s important to say first and foremost that nothing will change for existing free subscribers of this newsletter going forward. I am planning to continue putting out the Friday and Tuesday editions every week just as I have been, free to all readers for the foreseeable future.
It was and is important to me that I can share these things with everyone, which is why up until a few weeks ago, I had never seriously considered adding a paid tier. The premium content needed to be something that would add real value and be worth the money I’d be asking people to pay, and at the same time be something that I could realistically commit to producing on a regular basis.
I now think I’ve come up with a plan to do just that. And it’ll be up to me to convince you all that what’s offered in the premium tier is worth adding to your regular newsletter schedule.
The value-add pitch is very simple:
Streaming Guides
First, the “core” product will be more helpful and actionable recommendations for movies to watch on each of the streaming services, utilizing the 1000+ movie recommendations I’ve already given. Yes, you can still (for free) use the search bar on the home page to look up any title. But realistically…who’s doing that? And that isn’t exactly helping you come up with a movie you don’t already know.
I’m going to be mining the archives as well as writing new capsule reviews to put together complete suggestion guides for each major streaming service. These will be updated regularly on a rolling basis and be totally open to subscriber feedback (e.g. “Do one for Shudder!”).
For today’s launch, paid subscribers will find my Netflix Streaming Guide in their inboxes or along the top bar of the website.
https://mattcraig.substack.com/p/netflix-streaming-guide-july-10
It includes sections for cinephile essentials, hidden gems, gold-y oldies, chick flicks, and adrenaline junkies. In an attempt not to overwhelm you, there are only a couple movies in each category, but the next time I update the guide all of the movies will be swapped out and perhaps different categories will be added/subtracted. Oh and one more thing…drumroll please…it includes a TV series suggestion!
Community Features
Second, the paid tier will get access to more interactive community features. I’ll be opening up Substack’s “chats” and “threads” functions, which allows us to continue the conversations started by my Tuesday/Friday posts. You’ll be able to reach out to me or other community members for a streaming suggestion (e.g. “hey I just watched Hillbilly Elegy, can you recommend something similar to that except doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out?”), and I’ll be in there prompting conversation around various pop culture-related or newsletter-adjacent topics.
Here’s one example off the top of my head, relevant from the past few newsletters — who is (or will be) a bigger movie star, Glenn Powell or Austin Butler??
Or a really dumb one that I still get into arguments over with my friends — where is the best place to sit in a movie theater?? These are things most folks will roll their eyes at, but if you’re an aspiring cinephile you probably have ~opinions~.
Premium Posts
Third, on rare occasions there will be premium, behind-the-paywall posts. An example of this would be my recent recounting of my behind-the-scenes experience at the Hollywood premiere for MaXXXine, and I was thinking about other fun things like a “movie star power rankings” or “10 commandments of going to the movie theater.”
Ways To Support No Content For Old Men
Obviously, I’d love for you to consider subscribing to the paid tier of the newsletter — $6 per month or $60 for the year — but there are a number of ways to support this newsletter going forward!
Keep reading! It really does mean a lot to me that so many of you have made it a regular part of your week.
Spread the word! I’ve never really made a conscious effort to market this newsletter out to others, and have relied on you all spreading via word of mouth to grow organically.
Give feedback! I’d love to hear from you how to make this newsletter better, on both the free and paid side of things. Or if you just want to respond to any of the content from any of the posts, simply reply to the email or post in the comments.
Buy a Cinephile Bucket List! If a monthly subscription ain’t quite your style, check out my scratch-off poster featuring my 100 very best movie recommendations. It’s every movie you need to see to call yourself a true cinephile, and my promise is that if you watch all 100 I guarantee one of them will be your new all-time favorite.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for joining me on this journey with No Content For Old Men these past six years! Here’s to six more!!
As I always used to sign off my podcast….I guess I’ll see ya at the movies.
BIG NEWS! No Content For Old Men Is Going Paid!