Back in 2013, I remember watching Man of Steel for the first time in theaters with my brothers and thoroughly enjoying it. Sure, I had seen many comic book movies before, especially considering some of them were among my favorites, but this time was different. It sparked curiosity and creativity within me in a way that I had never really channeled before. I wanted to learn more.
After hearing about/watching the Warner Bros. panel at San Diego Comic Con soon after announcing that the sequel to Man of Steel would feature Batman, I was even hungrier for more information. This led to me discovering something that has changed my life nearly as much as Man of Steel has: AMC Movie Talk.
The popular YouTube show was the something that had been missing from my life. I quickly became obsessed with the channel. It was the SportsCenter for movies. While the panel was clearly full of knowledgeable people providing valuable insight into each movie news segment, the one person that impressed me the most was none other than Jon Schnepp.
He was a large man entailing glasses and a scruffy beard. The one thing that stood out most, though, was his wacky, exuberant, and entertaining personality. He could always find a way to make someone laugh by just being his goofy self. He even made the phrases “sweaty nerd” and “scrimble scram” popular and called himself and others like him “sweaties.” He unrelentlessly wore his passions for comic books and comic book adaptations on his sleeve and that was evident from the first time I ever watched him all the way through his days on Collider when the show shifted over from AMC.
Some of my many favorite Schnepp moments include him ranting about Sony’s initial plan to replace an in-development Venom movie for an Aunt May spinoff movie, an epic re-telling of his experience watching Transformers: Age of Extinction, his correct prediction of Daredevil becoming a TV-show, the facial expression both he and Kristian Harloff would make to the camera when they did not like a movie or the idea of one, and watching him make Jeremy Jahns laugh until his face was red and filled with tears with Schnepp’s take on the idea of a Christmas movie starring Anna Kendrick.
Many will likely remember Schnepp most for his directing credits on the animated show, Metalocalypse, as well as directing the acclaimed 2015 documentary, The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?, about Tim Burton’s Superman movie starring Nicolas Cage that was never meant to be (I proudly own a signed copy of his documentary). His time on AMC and Collider will always be my favorite, though. His appearances on Collider Movie Talk and his own show, Collider Heroes, has been and will continue to be a staple in the fandom community that he has inspired to grow.
Jon Schnepp passed away July 19, 2018. The following is a statement written by his fiancé, Holly Payne.
“It is with a broken heart that the Schnepp family and I must announce the passing of our beloved Jon Schnepp, who died peacefully on July 19, 2018.
Jon ultimately succumbed to the effects of a massive stroke. He had a blood clot removed from his left carotid artery, but the bleeding could not be stopped. Irreparable and catastrophic damage was caused to both hemispheres and all brain activity ceased. His sister Deborah and I had to make the difficult decision to take him off of life support. There was no possible way for him to recover. Please understand.
I spent the last hour of his life with him holding him, laying my head across his massive chest, kissing him, stroking his hair, playing his favorite songs, and telling him over and over again how much I love him. My life has been forever changed by Jon. I feel endlessly grateful to have shared 16 years of laughter, love and incredible adventures together, including the making a feature film, as well as a television series that I hope to complete and release later this year in his honor.
Jon’s mother Miriam, his father David, his sister Deborah and I are devastated beyond measure. We appreciate your love and support, and most importantly your understanding of our privacy at this time as we grieve.
Thank you,
Holly Payne”
It would be a giant understatement to say that his loss is both shocking and heartbreaking. Collider paid tribute to him by posting a touching video of fellow Collider co-worker and friend, Mark Ellis, sharing the news of Schnepp’s passing and what he meant to the entire Collider family. They also posted a live stream onto YouTube consisting of 24 hours of entertaining Jon Schnepp moments. I cannot also continue without mentioning the wonderful tributes and stories shared by many close to him as well as his many fans throughout various social media avenues.
As for me, I find myself in a similar situation to the many Schnepp fans. I never had the privilege of meeting him in person, but still feeling the heavy weight of his loss ever since hearing of his passing. I mostly feel conflicted in a sense because I feel the gut punch of his passing whenever I think of him, yet questioning why I feel that way when I did not truly know him. It does not help when most people that know me were not familiar with him, so they cannot relate. What makes it even more difficult to absorb is knowing how much his passing has impacted those close to him, especially Holly Payne, and how their lives are now changed forever.
What helps cushion that mighty blow is remembering what Schnepp stood for. He was the rallying cry for all nerds and geeks alike to genuinely be themselves and embrace the weird. He made it fun to dive deep into comic book lore and spread love and positivity among those in fandoms. It is definitely comforting to know that many in the Collider / Schmoes Know community feel exactly the way I do, which is a testament to his legacy.
Jon Schnepp was one of the best people I was never lucky enough to meet. He was always entertaining and responsible for creating a community of fans. The impact he had on the film industry as well as film and television fandom will live on. I will always be thankful to have interacted with him on Twitter the handful of times that we did, for having the privilege of watching him on YouTube for five years, and even showing my fiancé how awesome he truly was.
Thank you, Jon Schnepp, for helping me discover some of the best parts of myself, parts that I might not have explored if not for you. You were a part of me growing into the person I have become and will continue to be. For that, I will always be forever grateful. I know you’ll be watching over all of us down here, especially Holly Payne. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. Stay sweaty up there, Schnepp.
-Daryn Kirscht
