On May 6, 2013 the very first episode of THE MOVIE CRYPT podcast with Adam Green & Joe Lynch premiered on the GeekNation network. At the time, the plan was for the podcast to simply be a companion piece to HOLLISTON and run only while Season 2 of the sitcom was airing on television. 10 years later… the rest is history.
Over the last decade Green, Lynch, and co-host/mascot Arwen have never missed a single Monday without releasing a new episode of the extremely popular podcast. Even if a Monday falls on Christmas or New Years Day there has always been a brand new episode of the podcast for fans to listen to. Throughout the 518 weeks/episodes so far THE MOVIE CRYPT has only featured repeat guests a small handful of times and only when it had been several years since the guest’s first appearance and because they had something new and exciting to share. For the first 4 years THE MOVIE CRYPT could be found in iTunes Top 25 “WHAT’S HOT” for TV and Film Podcasts every day of the week and the podcast even made Entertainment Weekly’s “Top 20 Podcasts You Should Be Listening To” in issue #1345 (January 9, 2015).
CULVER CITY, CA – JUNE 18: (L-R) Joe Lynch, Arwen the Dog, and Adam Green attend “The Movie Crypt” Podcast during 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival at Arclight Cinemas Culver City on June 18, 2017 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Since nothing is ever easy, when GeekNation suddenly dissolved in 2018, they took THE MOVIE CRYPT’s first 4 years worth of episodes off-line overnight without so much as a warning. Green and Lynch had to continue the weekly podcast independently – now without their back catalogue available. It was like starting all over again.
After remaining independent for about a year, in 2019 THE MOVIE CRYPT joined the Fangoria Podcast Network. Sadly, in 2020 Fangoria’s parent company (Cinestate) found themselves caught up in a controversy that left Green and Lynch with no choice but to leave the network in solidarity with those effected. Once again, THE MOVIE CRYPT was independent and starting over… this time right as the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting the world down and episodes had to start being recorded over the internet rather than in person. To make matters worse, every time the podcast was let down by a home network and had to move home servers, listeners would have to resubscribe all over again. For those keeping track, that’s 4 TIMES that the podcast lost all metadata/listens and had to virtually start all over again from scratch.
Not wanting to be beholden to an outside corporation ever again, THE MOVIE CRYPT made the decision to remain completely independent. By launching a Patreon, the program could be fully fan-supported and Green and Lynch could specifically cater their brand of weekly “film therapy” and candid discussions about the real Hollywood experience to their dedicated listeners and not to a home network’s ambitions of trying to reach as broad of an audience as possible. Starting that day, only the first hour of THE MOVIE CRYPT was released for free on all podcast platforms while the full versions of new episodes were reserved for Patrons who donated a mere $1 a month. Special monthly live events, access to the podcast’s full backlog of classic episodes, and other special perks were offered to Patrons at higher tiers, but in going independent and asking for only $1 a month THE MOVIE CRYPT truly hit its greatest stride yet. Deeper, more impactful stories were reserved for the second half of episodes, live events brought Green and Lynch much closer to their audience, and they could finally feel that their efforts producing the podcast every week were warranted. Lesson learned: While the bragging rights of having one of the biggest free entertainment podcasts might be nice to have for awhile… having a much more appreciative audience, full control, and the ability to speak 100% freely was quite literally priceless. It was the Patreon community that truly saved THE MOVIE CRYPT and renewed Green and Lynch’s love for producing the podcast week after week.
THE MOVIE CRYPT has found a perfect balance. Passive listeners can enjoy a full hour of the podcast for free every week… while those who are more invested in the conversations (other filmmakers, aspiring artists, or more serious fans) can get the full versions and hear everything that was discussed for a mere $1 a month.
Over the last few years THE MOVIE CRYPT has been at its absolute best. Green, Lynch, and Arwen have raised about a quarter million dollars with their annual YORKIETHONS and helped their friends at Save A Yorkie Rescue do their incredible work providing abandoned and abused dogs with a second chance. By remaining independent, THE MOVIE CRYPT has been able to tackle difficult and controversial topics from stalking and cancel culture to the potential ramifications of violence in cinema and artificial intelligence through a series of special “roundtable” episodes. Both hosts and guests have been able to speak even more candidly than ever before and the connection with the audience has never been stronger. “I’ve literally laughed until I can’t breathe during some of our monthly live events,” says Green. “It makes a huge difference in how much fun you can have when you’re among friends and not catering to a broader audience of anonymous listeners who are only there because you’re giving yourself away for free.”
While it certainly hasn’t been easy producing THE MOVIE CRYPT while simultaneously making their various films, TV series, and other entertainment creations, Green and Lynch have pulled it off for a decade now. Who can ever say just how long the podcast will go for but one thing is for sure… the audience has made every step of the way worth it.
Listen to THE MOVIE CRYPT’s special 10th anniversary episode with FX legend Todd Masters wherever you get your podcasts. Hear the full 2 hour and 15 minute version on Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt.
