For the past four and a half years, I have tried to provide a place that took independent animation seriously, but found myself speaking to a mostly empty room. In the past year, I partnered with AWN.com and pretty much exhausted myself trying to build this site and its readership. I produced giveaway contests that were poorly attended. I created the AnimWatch Podcast which had very few listeners. And I created my answer to the 10 Second Club, The AnimClips Challenge, which suffered from very poor attendance, and extremely low participation. It was ultimately destroyed by another challenge site. “Steamrolled”, to use Keith Lango’s term.
The site’s lack of growth has been discouraging, but I’ve kept AnimWatch going despite its personal cost to me in terms of time, energy and money. I felt a site like this was important even though it cost me far more than it gave back. Yet, the whole site continues to suffer from chronic low readership. After all my work to change that, I guess I can look myself squarely in the mirror and admit I tried everything and nothing worked. If there were an easier way to run a site like AnimWatch, someone else would be doing it. The fact that no one else is doing it should tell me something.
So, I built it, and few came. Considering its lack of readers, AnimWatch is not worth the work it takes to run. OK. I get it, already. Uncle.
But the biggest reason I’m making this decision is that I’ve come to the conclusion that where films are concerned, there are only two kinds of people: those who make films, and those who only talk about it. And after four and a half years of talking and writing about other people’s films, I need to take that energy and put it into telling my own stories. So, that’s what I’m going to do.
I’m sorry about AnimWatch. I recently discovered the site this last year. I’m a newbie on animation, but I was glad to see some news about the site on googlereader (from where I suscribed).
I’m a old (38)student of graphic design in Rosario, Argentina, and one of our courses on the third year is Animation. That’s why I discovered Flakes browsing on the net and I love it.
Hope this new year comes with a lot of new ideas and projects. My best wishes from the other side of the planet.
Thanks, Polaik.
I’m going to miss it, too. Anything like this, you work on it for 4 or 5 years, there will be a terrible hole in my life. I really hope I fill it with my novel, my films, my stories. Right now I feel like resting. I guess I should let myself.
Good to know AnimWatch will be missed. But it’s also nice that everyone’s giving me license to get on with my own projects. So that’s what I’ll do.
Keep in touch.
I cannot praise that decision enough and I am certain that putting it all into your films is going to pay huge dividends for you.
Really, really sad news
(
Animwatch is one of the sites at internet I visit almost daily. The last years I really enjoyed your links, interviews, podcasts, etc.
)).
If animwatch would not have existed, I wouldn’t have heard about such great filmprojects like “Mantisparable”, “Myopia” or “Rustboy”.
I will miss animwatch, but I hope you’ll find more energy for your projects (Isn’t Flake planned as a series of shorts?
Whish you all the best and a happy new year,
COS
Awww…
I had hoped to see more from your site but I can understand your decision. I wish you all the best in the new year with your personal projects. Maybe we can hear some music?
~L~
I will also miss AnimWatch. It would be nice to have a final podcast episode explaining the reasons of the shutdown and your new projects. .-)