Review Fix chats with Inside DecayMag’s Ken Artuz to find out all about the site, its origin, goals and its new Patreon program.
Review Fix: What makes your site special?
Ken Artuz: Before answering I will take a moment to introduce myself and some history behind DecayMag. My name is Ken Artuz DecayMag Founder and Host of DecayMag Podcast. In 2014 DecayMag first started as a content platform on Flipboard, a news aggregator, and social network aggregation website/mobile app. I characterize an aggregator platform as presenting content from diverse sources into one compilation. At this early stage, DecayMag was nothing but a hobby.
Yet, DecayMag went from a hobby to a journalism focused endeavor with blinding speed. To answer the question, I along with my team built DecayMag on a think-outside-the-box-context. I am humbled and thankful to have furnished our audience with the utmost professional and journalism approach while offering digestible content for web consumption.
DecayMag does not run advertising on the website, and our content is original in architecture. We provide our readers with critical material on the mediums covered. A focus on integrating opinion with technical aspects and terminology is primary. In addition, DecayMag offers a weekly podcast that hosts intriguing conversational interviews with industry professionals. Our broadcast also features a candid and an unfiltered perspective on the Horror, Science Fiction and Thriller entertainment landscape.
Review Fix: What have you learned about yourself through this journey!
Artuz: As DecayMag founder there are many business management views I have established. Before I delve into those areas it is important for those interested in endeavoring as an online journalist to acknowledge yourself as a journalist. DecayMag is not a blog and neither myself nor the representatives of my team are bloggers. The term blog has the connotation of having a less credible approach with and against conventional constructs of news publishing. Times have evolved and print magazine is on the decline due to poor sales and the instant gratification of digital channels. Anyone with creative writing skills, expertise on a specific subject, genre and/or the time to manage research and interviews is a correspondent.
To progress in online journalism, there are several areas of development that need adhering to. I worked in a non-for-profit customer based environment for over seventeen years and I tailored the knowledge gained in that unrelated field to further develop DecayMag. One significant facet I understood is to believe in my team and their different inputs. Most in managerial positions tend to micro-manage members of their team. I too had that mindset and immediately discarded this toxic approach by supporting each contributor’s unique writing voice.
Another area I gained and communicate is breaking the fear of getting help. I am a jack of all trades from audio editing to writing to video editing. Yet, managing everything yourself will have negative effects. Acquiring help or an assistant improves time management ambitions and builds trust relations. Last and not least is the practice of positive thinking and perseverance. Believe it or not, this psychological attitude extends a long way in this game. Be humble and overall be grateful to those that take the time to work with you. I extend this every so often with my team, without them DecayMag would not be as dominant in the game as it is.
Review Fix: Why Patreon?
Artuz: Crowdfunding is a subject I also convey to interviewees on DecayMag Podcast. Most are tentative, while others have invested options and/or imply on the reproach of seeking the public, their audience for monetary support. While the consensus may shun crowdfunding as a digital form of panhandling it is, in reality, a new form of gaining the monetary resources to jumpstart an idea or in this case strengthening current and starting new journalism endeavors.
Patreon is the sole crowdfunding platform that caters to independent artisans, writers, and content creators. Unlike Kickstarter or Indiegogo Patreon does not have an assigned time limit or an all-or-nothing strategy. Depending on donors also known as Patrons the revenue may build, decline and/or have substantial progress on a month-to-month basis.
Review Fix: How will it move the site forward?
Artuz: This is an interesting question and should be on the short-term, long-term goal for anybody interested in growing as a content creator. The digital landscape is an ever-growing, continuous evolving entity. Over the past ten years, social networking and the means we, as an audience, consume content has advanced dramatically.
DecayMag prides itself with sophisticated written content yet straightened financial means via Patreon will help compensate current and future content contributors. To elaborate, while volunteering secures skill and experience at some point monetary compensation becomes a determining influence. DecayMag Patreons will have a considerable push in this facet of our development.
The expansion for DecayMag comes with opening coverage in diverse sectors of Horror, Science Fiction, and Thriller entertainment channels. Our podcast over the years has developed into another high point yet, there are many outlets to embark on and expand on. All the ideas planned involve the current shift in how we consume audio on our mobile devices. To start extending DecayMag podcast requires upgrades to our internet infrastructure, the online services we use and team expansion to name a few. Video production is one of our weak areas with content distribution. With a successful Patreon campaign DecayMag can and will embark on establishing this area.
Review Fix: What will supporters get?
Artuz: DecayMag Patreons will receive cool rewards and it all depends on the tiers selected. I name our tiers after Horror villain archetype. In our first tier, for the cost of one dollar ($1) Patreons will receive shout-outs and credit across social media platforms for donation. Thereafter the tiers grow in increments of five dollars ($5). In the Horror Villain Archetype: Silent Killer, a fifteen dollar ($15) a month donation delivers a DecayMag branded coffee mug and a one-year subscription to the DecayMag in digital print which will debut in the first quarter 2019. With the latter, these rewards also include lower tiered rewards.
The Horror Villain Archetype: The Joker reward tier is reserved for advertising which includes all of our rewards. In addition, this tier also offers a service for persons interested in a private one-on-one consultation to discuss podcasting, audio recording, web design and SEO.
Readers interested in viewing our tiers and rewards or to become a Patreon can visit https://www.patreon.com/Decaymag
Review Fix: What are your goals for the Patreon?
Artuz: There are many objectives to start on with or without a successful Patreon campaign. As DecayMag founder I parallel this challenge with a business endeavor. Whether it is an online entertainment news site requiring contributions or an online retail shop involving sales, the concept is the same.
For DecayMag, a lucrative Patreon campaign will tackle several objectives I outlined earlier. To add, touring many film festivals and conventions is direct to consumer endeavor that pre-dates digital social networking. Gaining sufficient finances will provide DecayMag an area to flourish with the product branding and securing tables at genre associated conventions.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Artuz: To differentiate DecayMag for related content creators both professional and amateur, we will embark on offering consultation services. There are many writers are unaware of strategic writing for web platforms. In addition, podcasting is a popular platform, yet few venturers have little to no knowledge of audio recording and production, microphone types and placement. I encourage readers interested in embarking as content creators to sign-up for our newsletter via decaymag.com
More announcements will surface in the upcoming months.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Artuz: Vanity numbers on social networking platforms do little to support an online business. Having one thousand likes or followers is not as beneficial as visiting decaymag.com. Help spread the word on our platform and our Patreon campaign. Also, please tune into DecayMag Podcast via Google Music, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Tunein. For readers owning a Google Home device use the command: “Ok Google play DecayMag Podcast.â€
DecayMag consists of a team of amazing individuals, with several growing careers in film production and the field of writing. I want to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thanks to Stacy, David, Samantha, Ali, and Rebecca. Interested parties looking to volunteer their time, skill and/or services are encouraged to contact our office via [email protected].
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