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# Another Year Around the Sun (This Time on Ghost)
- URL: https://thefilmmaven.com/the-film-maven-anniversary-2026/
- Published: 2026-08-31T16:00:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-31T16:00:17.000Z
- Description: My hopes for the future as I celebrate another year of The Film Maven.
- Author: Kristen Lopez

The Film Maven has many birthdays.

Technically, The Film Maven was born on October 22, 2022 when I first announced it over on Substack. I published some things throughout the latter half of that year before I got my job at IndieWire and had to hang everything up. I technically came back in December of 2023, with plans to resume publishing before I got my next job at TheWrap.

That leads to birthday #2 on April 17, 2024 when I left my job and took to developing The Film Maven full-time. I was publishing two to three days a week and developing a solid little Substack following. But I was never comfortable. Substack was starting to make me cringe with [how problematic they were](https://lithub.com/the-case-against-substack-icymi/?ref=thefilmmaven.com), [who they were platforming](https://thecrimelady.substack.com/p/substackers-against-nazis), and [how much money they were taking from me](https://www.beehiiv.com/blog/how-much-does-substack-cost?srsltid=AfmBOoqaBx1YAxDeH3MBTR4G2cK6iCcYZENsm9ofV8p1yA8S8cB6wTni&ref=thefilmmaven.com) (and are from other creators). I had several readers tell me they'd love to become paid members but couldn't support Substack. And, eventually, I realized I couldn't do it either.

So, the weekend before my birthday last year, I made an impulsive decision. (The joy of ADHD is one just leaps into things without thinking of them.) I decided to see how easy I could transition everything off Substack. It was a massive risk. I'd heard from numerous people, including my own mother, that moving off an established platform like Substack would be a death sentence. That paid subscribers wouldn't transfer. That people wouldn't pay if they couldn't find me. That it'd be officially running a website 24/7\. 

But, on my birthday, September 1, I launched The Film Maven on Ghost and hoped that I wouldn't regret it. And, a year later, I haven't. Moving off Substack was a decision that changed everything. Not only did I have some great traffic numbers, but people started becoming paid subscribers, and I was actually able to keep the majority of the donations. Your donations have helped me pay not only to keep this site running (Ghost fees and the domain) but also cover: 

- My Otter subscription to transcribe my interviews
- My Canva subscription to create the snazzy artwork I put together
- Helped me hire a professional to craft my Film Maven logo
- Allowed me to give freelance opportunities to two writers throughout the year
- And became part of my freelance income to pay my rent, feed my animals, and generally live in Los Angeles

I also started a [YouTube channel for The Film Maven](https://www.youtube.com/@thefilmaven?ref=thefilmmaven.com) that boasts a number of interviews. This has been the most difficult part of being an independent journalist. Too often studios and publicists only see publicity as a numbers game and, right now, I'm not making influencer numbers on here. So doing interviews has been tough but I'm so proud of all the ones I've gotten since the newsletter moved to Ghost and my fingers are crossed next year I'll have even more. 

The creation of [the Gold Star Crew](https://thefilmmaven.com/film-maven-gold-star-crew/) this year was another risk because it wasn't enough just to create a community of people who read my work. I want to pay it forward how I can. So with the GSC I was able to offer free 1:1s with members who want to learn about writing a book or becoming a freelancer, as well as bi-monthly Zoom mixers (we just had another on Friday and had a blast!) and more. Going forward Gold Star Crew members will get even more stuff including:

- A Secret Santa gift exchange I'll be announced in November
- My opportunities to interact with me through, potentially, a book and movie club

But the writing remains paramount, and your support of (and eyeballs on) my work meant everything. I hit some record traffic over the last 12 months, with several stories going viral. There are some of the most popular pieces over the last year:

[Wuthering Heights Might Have Gone Mad With Influencers and People Are NoticingThis is the first time I’ve noticed people bringing up how many influencers went to an event![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/icon/KristenLopez_Secondary-38c75e63-b2da-4948-bc76-3dc0888dfbc3.png)The Film MavenKristen Lopez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/thumbnail/wuthering-heights-premiere-margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-jan-28-2026-lede-3de3abea-522d-4894-957e-370a66944304.webp)](https://thefilmmaven.com/wuthering-heights-premiere-influencers/)

[Obsession Review: Fatal Attraction for the Man With Red FlagsInde Navrrette is the one saving grace of this highly insufferable monkey’s paw rip-off![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/icon/KristenLopez_Secondary-a5edf014-1477-4378-9426-309968d51547.png)The Film MavenKristen Lopez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/thumbnail/MV5BOTNiZGQyYjktNDYxOS00ZGU1LTg3NDMtOTE4ZTFiODBlODYyXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_-075a60dd-e0b4-4dc5-bede-4633eca8f25c.jpg)](https://thefilmmaven.com/obsession-review-fatal-attraction-for-the-man-with-red-flags/)

[The Odyssey Review: Christopher Nolan Meets Homer’s Epic With One of His OwnThe muses worked wonders on this one![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/icon/KristenLopez_Secondary-4cd41b1c-da8c-445e-a96e-b8acdd386107.png)The Film MavenKristen Lopez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/thumbnail/Everything-We-Know-About-Christopher-Nolans-The-Odyssey-1-8e2a3596-4581-4147-a8cf-39a25bc8b6ad.png)](https://thefilmmaven.com/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan/)

[Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma Review: Jane Schoenbrun’s Trippy Tribute to ’80s Horror is a WinnerA wild, thought-provoking ride (complete with Counting Crows).![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/icon/KristenLopez_Secondary-428ad680-e54f-444b-9ee8-9ad5e99a6109.png)The Film MavenKristen Lopez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/thumbnail/CIN_TeenageSexandDeath_1600x900-9aaf0541-30b3-477d-9024-15b406df32b6.png)](https://thefilmmaven.com/teenage-sex-death-and-death-at-camp-miasma-review/)

[Toy Story 5 Review: Playtime is Over in This Tired InstallmentTech struggles to gain a toehold in a franchise that’s past its sell-by date![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/icon/KristenLopez_Secondary-a23b9288-76aa-492e-ba7c-6f35c7c5df87.png)The Film MavenKristen Lopez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/37/24372e80-8819-45cd-8a9d-4dbc679f7337/content/images/thumbnail/Toy-Story-5-Teaser.jpg-97e652bd-178a-4868-a17c-89cc452aaba8.webp)](https://thefilmmaven.com/toy-story-5-review/)

But I'm not resting on my laurels. Over the next year I'd love to do more. I announced during the Zoom mixer last week that my series [Women They Warned You About](https://thefilmmaven.com/tag/women-they-warned-you-about/) will be back with six all new "difficult" women. You can also expect more installments in [Popcorn Disabilities](https://thefilmmaven.com/tag/popcorn-disability/), [The Trade](https://thefilmmaven.com/tag/the-trade/), and [Journalism is F\*\*\*ed and We're All Doomed](https://thefilmmaven.com/tag/journalism-is-fcked/). 

I'm still trying to crack the code on non-contemporary reviews and, as I mentioned at the mixer, I'd love your input. What other types of content should I be covering? Is there a genre, year, subject I could be doing more long-running series on that involves research? I keep threatening to carry on the work of [Drew McWeeney](https://www.drewmcweeny.com/?ref=thefilmmaven.com) and review every '90s movie ever made and, who knows, maybe that's something I tackle next year. 

Regardless, anything I cover is something that I'm passionate about. That I love. And in a world of paid influence, where marketing is masked as opinion, I have to remain authentic and honest. Even if it's me telling you all *Obsession* is a bad movie. That's not to say I don't value your input so, remember, you can always send over suggestions for stories and ideas because lord knows I have weeks where nothing rattles in my brain.

So, here's to another trip around the sun for me. And another birthday to celebrate in the evolution of The Film Maven. I truly appreciate every single person, past and present, paid and free, that has give me your time and/or money. It means more than you know in this crazy, mixed up world. 

\-Kristen