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August 22, 2008
Hot Button - It Was 11 Years Ago Today...
Happy Button birthday to me.
I usually write some sort of heavy perspective column at this time of the year, but... nah.
The column was inspired by the lack of daily commentary from anyone but Army Archerd. I was online because of the late, great Andy Jones recruiting me from EW for a weekly. The support of TNT's Scot Safon was critical. The anger from most of the staff in Atlanta, once the column caught on, was palpable.
Six months or so off for The Miami Film Festival. VoicesOfHollywood.com. And then Movie City News.
Eleven years later, I am still having the same arguments with Moriarty... ten years of Wells doing my schtick (19 months of not reading him or communicating with him as a result of the prior 100)... about three years of blogs transforming the daily marketplace into something else altogether... the insanity (mostly offline) of Nikki Finke... and the desperation of an group of mainstreamers to be just like her, still not understanding that the opportunity of the web is to be so much better than smears and gossip.
Through the whole 11 years, I have not only done as I like, but I have always had very clear ideas of what I don't want to be doing on the web, regardless of how it might spark bigger numbers or greater popularity. What I have had to fight off has changed, year by year. People and sites have come and gone. Overresponding to "threats" happens... and I think I have retreated to my real standards each time. (Welcome to the jungle, Sharon Waxman. Good luck.)
Of course, it is the people read my endless musing that make it all possible. It is the eyeballs of the industry that has allowed me my independence and made MCN a viable home not just for me, but for an entire somewhat underpaid staff of writers and other creative people. I couldn't be more proud of or thankful for our staff, led by my partner in MCN crime, Laura Rooney.
Every year has been a little different. The Hot Blog came along about 3.5 years ago and 3000 entires and over 90,000 comments later, it has become the primary release valve. Lunch With David, now known as DP/30, soon to be known as something else as we take the 30 minute interview on the web to its next step, has been an absolute joy, even though it occupies part of my workspace that used to be spent grinding out copy. I love working with the only traditional editorial cartoonist working weekly on the film beat, RJ Matson, as we continue to seek out new ways to expand the boundaries of web editorial.
I'm healthy. I'm married. I'm busy. I'm still learning every day. And I am always looking for the next thing that will feel fresh and worth the effort.
I am happy.
And I thank you all.
Posted by dpoland at August 22, 2008 11:18 AM
Comments
C'mere, you big lug.
*manhug*
Posted by: JPK ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 22, 2008 12:18 PM
Congrats Dave!
Posted by: Eddie at August 22, 2008 12:22 PM
Wait. You mean I have the same birthday as "The Hot Button"? Wow.
Posted by: Joe Leydon at August 22, 2008 12:41 PM
Happy birthday boys.
Posted by: christian at August 22, 2008 01:23 PM
Good to hear. Happy Anniversary.
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley at August 22, 2008 01:25 PM
Happy BIrthday! Yours was the first movie related website I began to read with any regularity... from about '98... the summer of There's Something About Saving Private Ryan. Jeez, putting it that way gives it more miles.
Congratulations!
Posted by: The Pope at August 22, 2008 01:30 PM
I've only been reading for nine years, but thanks as always for the space and for not coming to my apartment and throttling me.
...yet.
Posted by: jeffmcm at August 22, 2008 01:47 PM
I think I started reading it on roughcut right around the beginning. I was a sophomore at Dayton. It literally changed the way I thought about box office analysis and movies in general. Thanks, David.
It's because of you, I still entertain the thoughts of shaking off the shackles of East Coast sports journalism to head West.
Posted by: udterp at August 22, 2008 02:09 PM
Happy Birthday - and congratulations!
Oddly enough, while unpacking some boxes and files last night, I stumbled across a copy of the poster for WHITE OLEANDER that I won for answering something correctly on TheHotButton. I can remember the timeline, but I think this was back while you were with TNT's RoughCut.com
Posted by: bmcintire at August 22, 2008 02:59 PM
Wow. 11 years. It really does not seem that long ago, but indeed it surely was. So congrats, here's to many more years of us bitching and moaning at one another, and the occassional great movies we get along the way. FOUR HUZZAHS FOR HEAT AND ALL HIS VENTURES!
HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!
Posted by: IOIOIOI at August 22, 2008 04:47 PM
ironically, i was turned on to the hot button through AICN...hmmm. but i've been reading ever since 97. weird. happy birthday button boy.
Posted by: the keoki at August 22, 2008 06:06 PM
Congrats Dave!
Posted by: Aladdin Sane at August 22, 2008 06:43 PM
congrats!
Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0 at August 22, 2008 07:27 PM
Indeed congratulations. The whole reason I lobbied to work for MCN was because of how important The Hot Button was to my growth as a student of film and a writer. It's been a pleasure being on both sides.
Posted by: Noah at August 22, 2008 08:11 PM
I'm glad you were smart enough to be recruited by Andy. Probably my biggest regret in life is not answering his "move to L.A. and work for me" call.
He didn't let me forget it either, the bastard.
Posted by: Josh Massey at August 22, 2008 08:56 PM
thanks for all the 'hot button' memories, david poland, and happy 11th anniversary, for which the traditional gift is steel...here's hoping you keep on truckin' for at least another 14 years so you're due some serious silver!
Posted by: leahnz at August 22, 2008 10:35 PM
Hey, only two more years till your Bar Mitzvah!
Posted by: Cadavra at August 23, 2008 10:56 AM
Good times, David. Congratulations.
Posted by: Aris P at August 23, 2008 11:10 AM
Wow, very interesting. Good to know.
Many, many happy returns! Cheers!
Posted by: Triple Option at August 23, 2008 12:49 PM
i'm a little late to the party but, yes, congrats!
Posted by: scooterzz at August 23, 2008 04:20 PM
Congratulations...love reading your musings and thoughts. A good read!
Posted by: CM at August 25, 2008 12:38 PM
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