The Retroist

The Retroist

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Retroist 2024 Year in Review
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
User's avatar
Discover more from The Retroist
A Retro Podcast, Blog, and Newsletter.
Over 3,000 subscribers
Already have an account? Sign in

Retroist 2024 Year in Review

It was a busy year over at the Retroist. Dozens of podcast and posts were published, lots of stuff was added to Patreon, and I launched a completely new movie podcast. Here is the 2024 wrap-up.

Retroist's avatar
Retroist
Dec 30, 2024
29

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Retroist 2024 Year in Review
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
7
1
Share

I wanted to sit down and reflect on what I have done online this year. While doing so, I thought it might be nice to write something up and share it with everyone who has been kind enough to read, listen, and just engage with my stuff in 2024. It can be challenging to make room to talk about the things you really enjoy, but it can also be a whole lot of fun. So let’s take a look at some of what happened online for me this year.

Retroist Blog and Newsletter

I am still not entirely clear what to call something that goes out on Substack. I have been a blogger for so long, but at its core, I guess a newsletter is what it has become. My list of subscribers there grew healthily, and I tried to make a point to post at least once a week, and I should be on schedule to have written 52 posts there. This doesn’t include posts about the podcasts, which I think of as separate. Here are a few of my favorite topics that I covered:

  • Breakin' Hawaii (1984)

  • Jerrold Cable TV Boxes

  • WPIX's TV PIXXX

  • The Rise and Fall of the Burger King Meatloaf Sandwich

  • The Coca-Cola MagiCan Contest

Since the site is on Substack, it encourages publishers there to monetize their content in some way. Doing so seems to tap into their algorithm more widely, which would be nice, but I haven’t really figured out how to proceed. I will be thinking about that in 2025. What more can I add? Will people adopt it? How do I handle it or connect it with Patreon? I wish they made this stuff easier.

Retroist Podcast

Season 16 of the podcast ended in 2024, and Season 17 started and is still ongoing. Twenty-three episodes of the show went out on the public feed. This includes a multi-part series of episodes about Indiana Jones that I really enjoyed putting together. I have mentioned this in my Monthly Updates but don’t think I ever wrote about it. Over the years, I have wanted to do multi-part episodes that covered larger topics, but also didn’t want to deviate from my format. Finally, I decided to just start doing episodes around the topic but broken down logically in an episode format that works within my framework. It has really worked out for me.

I have never been good at being timely, or maybe I would have released the Indy episode when the final movie came out. While I was not timely on that, I was able to get the 1984 Olympics Episode out before the Summer Games of 2024. That was a major triumph for me.

So many great topics, along with a couple of “revisits,” came out this year. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Episode 331 - Three O'Clock High

  • Episode 328 - Dark Night of the Scarecrow

  • Episode 325 - 1984 Summer Olympics

  • Episode 316 - Magnum PI Revisited

  • Episode 313 - Wizardry

Retroist Patreon

I want to thank everyone who has been supporting the show on Patreon. It’s been great getting to know all of you who hang out in the Retroist Clubhouse on Discord, and our discussions and your feedback on Patreon or via emails really help keep me motivated.

This year, I have put out 37 podcast posts on Patreon on a wide range of topics, a couple of them chosen directly by supporters through voting. In addition to podcasts, I also published 40 posts that were a mix of bonus scans and bonus tracks. This adds to a growing archive of material over there. So if you are a fan of the show and can support, please check it out.

Some of my favorite posts there this year include:

  • Retroist A&P Supermarkets Podcast

  • Retroist Mouse on the Mayfower Podcast

  • Paperboy Memories

  • Star Trek the Animated Series

  • Ghosts of the 80s Halloween Music Playlist

Retroist Shop

People have continued to express interest in the Retroist t-shirts that I have sold in the past. For about a year, I had a t-shirt affiliate store that didn’t really work out well. After some research and delays, I was happy to relaunch the shop this December.

It has original Retroist Podcast t-shirts that I will continue to add to. They look great and are very comfortable shirts. I am also starting to tinker with other merchandise, starting with the relaunch of the Retroist Poster.

Video Store Podcast

The shorter-format podcast tends to get overlooked, but I am a fan and always wanted to do one. This year, along with Ashley, aka The Nerdy Blogger, and Rob, aka Flack, we launched The Video Store Podcast. This is a podcast where former video store employees and film enthusiasts recommend four films (usually retro) on a theme.

As a former video store employee, it was something I missed about the job. Discovering and championing films felt great. Podcasts seemed a natural fit for continuing to do it. The show’s reception has exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to seeing what we recommend in 2025.

I released 17 episodes of the podcast in 2024. Here were some of my favorites:

  • Anthology Horror Movie Madness

  • Fantasy Films for Role-playing Inspiration

  • Loud, Wild, and Rebellious Teenagers

  • Thrilling Sounds, Nazi Dentists, and Modern Noir

  • Computers, Consoles, and Conundrums

If you love retro stuff, we live in a time where it can be a bit overwhelming. Not only does every year add more to the retro backlog with the natural march of time, but in the last decade or so, whole industries have cropped up focused on nostalgia. For accessibility, it is a great time to enjoy older stuff. A big problem is, there is never enough time to cover everything you want. Luckily, though, by its nature, when something becomes retro, it doesn’t get an expiration date. So I am looking forward to continuing to shine a light on the things I love, and I hope you continue on this journey with me.

Thanks for reading The Retroist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Price Horn's avatar
Adam Bauser's avatar
Steve Hannah's avatar
Frederick Moe's avatar
Daniel Moran's avatar
29 Likes∙
1 Restack
29

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Retroist 2024 Year in Review
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
7
1
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Daniel Moran's avatar
Daniel Moran
Dec 30Edited

Your substack is one of the best and I always enjoy your Notes. Happy New Year!

Expand full comment
Like (3)
Reply
Share
1 reply by Retroist
Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar
Sheila (of Ephemera)
Dec 31

Wow, you do a lot of different formats! I’m pretty new to this, but your Substack is one of my favourites, so thanks for your hard work!💕 Happy New Year and all the best to you for 2025.

Expand full comment
Like (1)
Reply
Share
1 reply by Retroist
5 more comments...
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Did you ever find a quarter painted red and wonder if that red served a purpose? It does.
Feb 11, 2017 • 
Retroist
45

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
6
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Unless you lived in the 1930s or are a fan of vintage comic strips you might not be aware of the attempted Mickey Mouse suicide.
Aug 30, 2017 • 
Retroist
9

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Remember when you were a kid, and you would were out roughhousing with your friends.
Oct 23, 2019 • 
Retroist
4

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Retroist
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.