LogFAQs > #898421501

And that has been a thing that has nagged at me over the last several years. In case you are not aware, there has been growing discontentment towards the leadership of Channel Awesome and its CEO Mike Michaud. It is not unfounded. The full list of grievances is still being compiled into a Google Doc for easier reference (and Ill likely edit this with a link to it when it becomes available), but if you would like a summary abusive behavior, lies to the contributors, a focus on only the Nostalgia Critic as opposed to the community of talent that was promised, and many, MANY other offenses. A few years ago, a group of contributors left the site at the same time some leaving for their own reasons, but some left in particular because of those actions. At the time, while I was outraged by what had occurred, I wanted to remain optimistic. I believed I could improve things from within, lend my voice to the higher-ups of the company to inspire them to recapture what had made the site so beloved before. In addition, several new contributors had also then-recently joined just as eager and enthusiastic about being a part of the site as I had been several years before. They wanted to be a part of this community and work alongside us and I felt that leaving then would have crushed their happiness and even potentially their own chances for success.

And so I stayed and I tried to do what I could to improve things. I failed. Over time, as I grew more and more dejected by this experience I resolved to simply put out my content, converse with the others on the site to help them directly whenever I could, and collect revenue for my show. Recently, however, it has come to light not just the offenses I was aware of, but even more that I had never been privy to. So many, in fact, that a twitter thread detailing them went on for two days straight of people asking questions and discovering new terrible things that had occurred that had happened even at the earliest days of my presence on the site that I had been completely oblivious of.

I have struggled since then about how best to handle my presence on Channel Awesome. I originally elected to leave much later, but at some point during this year especially after a major milestone in order to give things a clean start feel, but in talking with other producers who have decided to leave, I feel its best to just do it and get it out of the way.

And so here we are. Perhaps I should have left sooner, but these are the choices I have made and will have to live with. Regardless of anything else, I am still happy for the friendships I have made, the work I have done, and proud of being a part of the site for as long as I have. I simply wish that things could have been better. While many have scoffed about an aggregate site like Channel Awesome working these days, I do still think there is potential there a community of reviewers working together to promote one another and have plenty of pop culture videos and analyses, in my opinion at least, still holds sway especially if it promotes the brand as a whole and not just an individual.

Given my reasons for leaving, please do not take my and others departures as a sign that you should harass or question those who do remain. The simple fact is that I have been incredibly fortunate in that I do not require Channel Awesome to survive. Others may not be as fortunate and rely upon the views they get from the site or they may just have their own reasons for staying that they do not wish to share. It is their prerogative. All I will say is that you should support the content you love. Much like with the comics industry itself, its a matter of voting with your wallet or in this case, with your eyeballs.

Thank you all for your continued support. I couldnt do this without you all.