The Direct: One Year's Progress
On March 17, 2020, The Direct website was officially launched. A group of writers and creators eager to make content about the MCU and Star Wars.
Within the last year, that "group" of writers and content creators became a team. We extended our coverage to DC content in addition to video games, growing our team in the process. We expanded our roles on the team, with many team members becoming editors, photo creators, and social media administrators, furthering improving our content. We even launched The Direct Podcast.
Here's a glimpse at some of what The Direct's been up to, and, more importantly, a highlight of the people who've brought this team to life.
AERON'S SPIDEY EXCLUSIVE
Aeron Mer Eclarinal wrote an article that reported on exclusive Spider-Man: No Way Home casting news, specifically for an actress descending from the Philippines (Aeron's home country)
Aeron's contributions to The Direct have been monumental. He's one of The Direct's most active writers across three branches, and our DirectFact entries stay updated thanks to Aeron's lead.
Aeron has a constant ambition to improve his skills, and he's never hesitated to go the extra mile for the good of the team. It's all of this, and more, that make Aeron a leading inspiration to The Direct team.
ALYCIA'S FFVII STORY
Alycia is an absolute delight to talk to, bringing a liveliness to all of her interactions with The Direct team. Alycia possesses a deep knowledge of many facets of the gaming industry, and we can't wait for her to spread her expertise in more of her work.
ANDREW'S MANDO BREAKDOWN
One of Andrew's most notable strengths is his ability to effortlessly convey his wealth of Star Wars knowledge in such a rich and engaging manner. This is demonstrated thoroughly in his breakdown of The Mandalorian's first trailer.
Andrew's writing makes him such an entertaining informer, and, most impressively, it deepens your love of Star Wars, no matter what level of fan you are.
BENNY'S FORTNITE RUNDOWN
Benny is one of our few members who writes for all five of our branches, and his articles make it clear that he's an expert in all of those "fields." He's up for anything, like when he published a comprehensive rundown of a Fortnite event with less than a moment's notice.
Benny's consistency in his work is impeccable; he knows what's expected and delivers above and beyond every single time.
DAVID C'S FAR CRY LEAK
David brings a plethora of experience to The Direct team, immediately showing an aptitude in writing & publishing with his first works. Factoring this with his very firm grasp on PlayStation, Xbox, and the vide game space as a whole, David is an elite video game writer who knows how to bring it.
DAVID T'S BOX OFFICE FINESSE
David's another champion writer who writes for movies, shows, and video games. He brings a unique perspective to his writing that widens his readers' outlook on whichever topic he's writing about, such as his insight into box office with his Avengers: Endgame - Detective Chinatown 3 piece.
David is always looking for ways to evolve The Direct brand. His creative instincts are off the charts, which will allow The Direct to break new ground with our content.
JACK MARTIN'S BETHESDA-XBOX COVERAGE
Jack Martin is such an absolute pro at writing detailed yet succinct articles. The cadence that he brings to his work, specifically in his news articles like his Bethesda-Xbox piece, perfectly suits the topics being discussed (of which he is always so knowledgeable).
Jack's top-class writing and professionalism make The Direct look our best.
JACK PUES' MANDO PREDICTIONS
Jack Pues has spearheaded some of The Direct's most creative efforts thus far, including the illustrated predictions pieces that he led with Tom Drew.
Jack brings an infectious energy to our team, a spirit that is easy to spot in his writing and that undoubtedly makes its way into our other writers' works. His passion for Star Wars, specifically, has helped our Star Wars content stay earnest to the galaxy far, far away.
JOHN ROSS' MYSTERIO COMMENTARY
John Ross has The Direct's best interests in mind with everything that he's involved with. His news writing always provides insightful analysis and his feature work never fails to give deep and unique commentary. John Ross has graciously expanded his team role as an editor when available to help; this position has allowed him to further improve our team's writing and the articles that we publish.
John Ross is an extremely effective communicator, and he's always a welcome voice that brings life to our team discussions.
John Ross brings a level of excellence to his work that makes those around him better.
This Funko King rules.
JOSH'S HARRY POTTER PIECE
Josh is an ideal team player. He's eager to learn and is willing to do what needs to be done for The Direct team most succeed. Reading Josh's articles, it's abundantly clear that he has a firm grasp of every aspect of the gaming space. His talent in content creation extends beyond article writing, having already proven his skills in photo creation
Josh is always on top of sharing relevant news for our team to cover, which only improves the spirit of our group.
His talent in content creation extends beyond article writing, having already showcased his skills in photo creation.
Josh's future on this team is so bright.
JULIA'S WANDAVISION INTERVIEW
Julia's ambition is second to none. Her goal-driven attitude and efforts led The Direct's very first interview with on-screen talent, one that displayed Julia's abilities in preparing thought-provoking questions and in conducting an interview that made her interviewee feel comfortable and engaged.
Julia is acutely aware of fandoms she writes about, and her writing pieces demonstrate her unique and positive voice in our space. Julia's impassioned writing allows her to connect with readers on a deeper level.
KLEIN'S TGA RECAP
Klein is an all-star for The Direct.
All of The Direct's writers would agree that it's an absolute privilege to work with Klein, particularly when their work is being edited by him. Klein provides thorough editing to ensure our articles are error-free prior to publishing, and he gives extraordinary feedback on every single article to actively improve our writing team.
Klein has been exceptionally dedicated to this team since joining it. He is always committed to making sure we're performing and delivering our best, and he has an innate understanding of what works and what doesn't.
Klein's brilliant work ethic and dedication to this team have made nearly every one of our members better writers.
LAUREN'S MANDALORIAN THEORIES
It's always impressive to read Lauren's writing, as her work makes it clear just how much she knows about the entire pop culture space.
Through her articles, Lauren brings expert-level insight to the many topics she writes on, and readers can't help but develop a greater appreciation of those topics after reading Lauren's coverage of them. Lauren has an incredible sense of how to balance tone in her writing, both in her news articles and her editorial pieces.
We're so thankful to have someone as well-versed in this space and committed to this team as Lauren is.
LIAM'S EMERGENCY PODCAST
Liam gets it. Through his master-class writing, personality-filled podcast-hosting, and professional-grade interviews, Liam proves that he knows how to conceptualize and create truly awesome content in so many mediums.
Liam's work with Matt has allowed for the creation of the wonderful The Direct Podcast. This expansion into high-quality audio content would never have been possible without Liam's talent, abilities, and extreme commitment to this team.
Liam's articles flawlessly blend his personality and wit with his comprehensive understanding of superheroes and the culture behind them; this makes for engrossing reads that make one hungry for more at the end of them.
Liam is going to go so far in the space of content, and The Direct will be rooting him on every step of the way.
JEN'S FIGURE BREAKDOWN
Jen has such a sharp understanding of what makes for a great piece of writing, delivering dozens of high-quality, pleasant-to-read works.
Beyond all of that, Jen is a toy maestro and The Direct's expert consultant in action figures. Is this toy leak legit? When will that figure release? Jen either knows or could figure it out in a snap, an extremely reliable and valuable insider in that field.
Jen is a constant force of positive energy in our team convos, bringing our squad closer together with every interaction. Jen's an absolute joy.
MATT'S MCU RANKINGS
Editorials. Visuals. Podcast hosting. Madness tournament. Video graphics. Social media. Rankings. Matt can do it ALL to a TEE.
Matt's a wearer of practically all the hats in the content department, allowing him to lead the way on many new endeavors for The Direct.
Matt spearheaded The Direct's March Madness during the first month of launch, driving thousands of new users to our site during that early era. Matt's also been the first member of our team to create the visuals and writing for a feature article, most notably for his notable rankings pieces.
And Matt and Liam have brought top-notch energy, analysis, and fun to over 30 episodes of The Direct Podcast, of which both Matt and Liam have also produced captivating video promos for.
Matt has always been there to lean on, especially through the toughest of times. Matt is both an incredible leader and a remarkable team player.
PAM'S MCU PREDICTIONS
Enough cannot be said about Pam's remarkable dedication to this team. The efforts that Pam has made in improving The Direct's articles and our writers are awe-inspiring.
Pam has taken full ownership of her role as an editor and more, taking the reins on a revamp of The Direct's writing guide as well as an upcoming writing workshop. She's been our eyes and ears in ensuring that our articles are published at the standard we expect them to be on all fronts.
Pam has given this team so much life. She's one of the core drivers of the spirit on this team thanks to her excitement, humor, and overall great vibes.
One can only dream to work with someone as tremendous as Pam.
PETE'S BOSEMAN TRIBUTE
Pete has produced some of The Direct's finest features focused on subjects bigger than just superheroes, such as his tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman as well as his commentary piece on DC and Warner Bros. Pete carefully designs his articles to captivate readers while enlightening them on the topics at hand.
Pete's an absolute natural who makes it look easy.
PIERRE'S MARVEL FEATURE
Pierre is a Marvel mastermind. Whenever our team needs expert insight into Marvel Comics or MCU lore, Pierre is on the case and graciously shares his knowledge to make you appreciate Marvel even more.
Pierre has made significant improvement as a writer within the last year, becoming an expert communicator of his superhero expertise.
Pierre's an incredibly devoted member of this team in so many respects and breathes a special life into The Direct.
RICHARD'S MULTIVERSE ROUND-UP
Richard is The Machine of The Direct. Constantly dedicated to our content, Richard has crafted the most articles of any member of our team. He is a wealth of knowledge in the spaces of movies, TV shows, and more, and he shares all of that through his writing. Beyond his writing, Richard is also a key player on The Direct's editing team.
Richard's impassioned commitment to this team is second to none; all of our members are grateful to work alongside The Machine.
RUSS' TGA PREVIEW
Russ brings it with every article that he writes. He's a pop culture specialist who so often brings unique outlooks to his writing, ones that often give readers an opportunity to think deeper or differently about the topics at hand
Russ' style organically infuses his personality into his work. His work is a treat to readers, delivering them a fresh, informative, and fascinating take in every piece he publishes.
SAM'S CoD LIST
Sam might currently be the youngest member of The Direct squad, but one would never be able to tell by his work.
Sam is one of the most well-rounded content creators on this team - his writing is always sharp, his image creation skills are diverse, and he is extremely well-versed in so many areas within the movie, TV, and gaming spaces. He really can do it all.
Sam's a grinder with an eye for quality — he will put in the effort every time to deliver top-tier work.
Keep an eye on Sam, he's well on his way to becoming a master of content.
SAVANNAH'S LUCASFILM ARTIST INTERVIEW
Savannah puts so much thought and care into every single paragraph that she writes. Her tone is succinct, her attention to detail is shrewd, and she possesses a brilliant understanding of the entertainment sphere. Because of all of that, so many of Savannah's pieces are near-perfect works.
Savannah is wholly to thank for The Direct's very first interview, something that set the bar high for future opportunities for our team.
Savannah's thoroughness is perhaps most to thank for her master-level creations, a coveted quality that all should strive for.
TOM'S WANDAVISION THEORIES
Tom is remarkably gifted.
A read-through of one of Tom's feature or theory articles proves that he can take deep-dives into any topic that he's familiar with and craft an engrossing & educational piece. Tom's writing has a charm that makes his work uniquely his, a draw that lets readers know they're in excellent hands.
Tom's talents extend far beyond his writing; the "Prediction" articles led by himself and Jack utilized Tom's impeccable illustration & art skills, resulting in finished products that are some of The Direct's most original and showcased works. Tom is also a star editor who's helped nearly all of The Direct's writers become better.
Combine all of this with Tom's exceptional work ethic, and it's easy to see why Tom has been such an integral part in keeping this team at its best.
TREY'S DC ANALYSIS
Trey has delivered some of The Direct's richest content, shining a light on fandom in a manner that makes readers understand and enjoy these topics that much more.
Trey's writing is both creative and professional, a killer combo that makes Trey an expert in reporting news and crafting features.
CONTENT CREW
For about a year before March 17, 2020, a three-person team made up of Ben, Elliott, and Brian laid the foundation for The Direct's social media presence.
Ben always puts his best foot forward for this team. Countless times, Ben has suggested and made changes to our content to make sure it delivers at the quality we want. He always has a keen awareness of what makes the most sense for The Direct. Ben's voice has been a significant part of The Direct's overall tone on social media.
Ben's continued commitment is such a motivation to everyone he interacts with.
Elliott never fails to deliver on his work, and he always makes sure that our team is at the top of our game. Elliott is much to thank for setting a high bar for the quality of The Direct's visual content. Elliott's efficiency in his work is unparalleled, and his creativity shines through in everything he does.
Elliott is constantly making sure that The Direct is at the top of our game; he makes those around him that much better.
In the summer of 2020, Kevin joined our content team. Since then, he's had an immeasurable positive impact on The Direct. Every day, without fail, Kevin works to make sure that The Direct is living up to our full potential. He's diligent, innovative, and dependable with his work, making him an ideal teammate to trust to get things done right.
Plain and simple, Kevin is an invaluable member of The Direct.
Without Ben, Elliott, and Kevin's devotion to this team, The Direct's content across our website & social media would not be close to where it is today.
JACK'S LEAD
To make our content a reality, our Co-Founder, Jack, has been hard at work on our website from a multitude of perspectives, including its functionality, its design, and its search engine optimization. All the while, Jack has also played a significant role in overseeing our content and making sure that it delivers on all fronts.
Jack is the man behind the curtain that makes the magic happen. Without Jack's commitment to this team, The Direct would not exist.
An incredible trustworthy partner and leader, Jack is the force that makes The Direct shine our brightest.
One year in, this team has produced over 4,000 articles and countless more social media posts. In the process, this team and has closely bonded to become what often feels like a family.
Eternally thankful to every single one of you for making this ride possible.
One year in. Here's to many, many more.
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