One of my favorite running gags in Shaun of the Dead is when someone is asked how they’re doing they always respond, “surviving.”
The 16-Year Anniversary Week of Pop Break brings me back to a similar conversation I had with Audra Lacey, the Editor-in-Chief of The Waster, a fantastic digital music website that served as an inspiration for our early music coverage and were also in many ways our big brother/sister in the music journalism world. Audra and I were at Sea.Hear.Now last year and she mentioned how we were survivors of the music journalism game as so many of our predecessors and contemporaries in both print and digital have come and gone.
She’s 100% right. In years past, surviving is exactly what we did here at Pop Break. We survived numerous technical disasters. We survived numerous staff upheavals. We survived the abominable summer of 2013 where I nearly shut the site down (long story). We survived algorithm and SEO changes. We survived the pandemic and lockdown. And most importantly, we survived the loss of beloved members of families, friends, and members of our team.
However, I look at the last 365+ days, and we’ve done so much more than just survive new SEO algorithms, site hacks, unprecedented times and personal loss and frustrations. This year Pop Break thrived. It went out there and reminded the pop culture just exactly who were by reaching our most readers and listeners, walking into the biggest film and music festivals, and forging bonds and relationships that have brought new voices to the site.
Statistically speaking, as of October 2, we are up over 30% (61,000+) views over the time last year. That’s an incredible feat in itself as last year, after relaunching the site on a new server and host, we saw a 4200% increase in readership and active users (per Google Analytics) from the previous year. Now that sounds like a made up number your five-year-old tells you, but that’s straight from Google Analytics. So obviously, 2024 was our biggest year ever. To be up 30% (so far) over last year with nearly three full months to spare is kinda wild.
This is due, in my opinion, to the amazing content we’ve produced, the new voices we’ve brought on this year, an improved social media game, and (I think) a rejuvenation of enthusiasm on the site.
This is due to the hard work of the writers, editors, photographers, and podcasters who tirelessly toil to deliver top notch content. I’m incredibly proud of the work from those who’ve been here for a minute and forever, as the work going live on the site this year has been so incredibly strong. But also, our increase in readership is due to the quality of work that so many writers, editors, photographers and podcasters have put in throughout the years. It is a testament to the quality of the people who have “walked through the door” that have taken Pop Break from a blog launched in 2009 to a digital pop culture magazine.
In our 15th Year (September 2024-September 2025), this site has forged wonderful relationships with like-minded websites, podcasts and networks, creating a fantastic family that is more than happy to help the other out whenever needed. It’s been amazing to see The Pop Break represented at San Diego Comic Con, the Toronto International Film Festival (twice), SXSW (music & film), various independent wrestling shows and conventions in Texas, the New York Film Festival as well as film screenings, concerts and festivals, and events throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.
This year has been such an inspiration to me to work harder as an editor, a podcaster, the owner of this site, and most importantly (to me) — as a writer. The inspiration I took from everyone this year has allowed me to produce the most articles I’ve written this entire decade, and a number of years in the past. Too often, I felt I was just going through the motions, covering things that needed to be covered, filling in where needed or just putting a half-hearted effort to keep relationships afloat. It was miserable, and I just could not break out of my multi-year writer’s block. This year, clear-minded (read: not drinking), I was able to finally get back on the horse, and write again — and that is all thanks to this team, and to our audience.
What does our 16th year hold for Pop Break? I won’t make any grandiose statements of “we’re going to go X festival, interview Y or reach over Z views.” That’s not productive, in my opinion. However, my hope for Year 16 is that we do what we do best — provide a pop culture break in the day to people who are beaten down and exhausted by the unending stress of the unprecedented times we keep finding ourselves in. My hope is we continue to bring you entertaining podcasts, breathtaking pictures, wonderfully insightful reviews, intelligent editorials and engrossing interviews.
Also, in our 16th year, we will be working to amplify marginalized voices in the world of pop culture and entertainment more than we ever have. This holds true for working to promote organizations that are trying to help the most vulnerable communities in the world that have been impacted by environment, economy, policy and circumstance. In the past, we have brought awareness to World Central Kitchen, RAINN, St. Jude, Toys for Tots, The Red Cross, Q-Spot, and organizations supporting mental health, relief efforts, and support for those in the threat of danger — whether foreign, domestic, or environmental.
We know that the world is a hard place, so we want to continue the mission that we’ve held for the last 16 years — providing a well-needed pop culture break in your day. Thank you for allowing us to do this and we look forward to continuing this wild ride known as Pop Break.
