Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. To read the last entry, check out Netflix Stealth Dropping Godzilla Minus One Is One of Its Greatest Flexes In A Long Time.
This column isn’t really about The Legend of Vox Machina. I mean, it is, but not in the “I know secrets you don’t know” kind of way. The time for me knowing secrets passed when we announced the release date of Season 3 of the show last weekend at IGN Live (it’s October 3rd), an event which I am about to gush about not out of self-service — my involvement began and ended with my Rings of Power and Legend of Vox Machina panels — but because I want to scream about how impressive my coworkers are and because it’s connected to my need to marvel at how funny the universe can be sometimes.
Said universe is fond of its cosmic jokes, and those jokes are cruel as often as they are heartwarming. This week’s entry is probably going to sound a little rambly, and more than a little introspective, largely due to the recent unexpected loss of a friend. Life’s short, yada, yada. We as people are bad about acknowledging what we have when we have it, and praising people for their impact while they’re alive. Death shouldn’t have to be the thing to remind us to tell people that they matter, but damn if it isn’t the catalyst far too often. Still, I find myself lucky to have been on the receiving end of both a cruel cosmic joke and a kind one so close to each other.
What you should know before I get started is that putting on a live event is a herculean task and that a small army of my colleagues came together to make magic happen last weekend. Among the goings-on were my two panels, for which I got to work closely with producers extraordinaire Alyssa Mora and Tom Jorgenson. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power panel was a dream — chatting with Ismael Cruz Cordova is always a joy, and Maxim Baldry proved to have the same level of excitement about his character and the project overall — but it was The Legend of Vox Machina block that ended up having extra sentimental value.
Breaking into this industry is hard. I worked 80 hours a week at a demanding day job while freelancing on the side for six years before finally finding something full-time and then eventually ending up here at IGN screaming about my feminist agenda. But before you manage to find the (increasingly) elusive staff position, you have to find people willing to take a chance on you as a writer. Not living in an entertainment market like New York or Los Angeles makes getting picked out of the crowd even harder — and I didn’t. Still, early on there were two women who gave me opportunities when they did not have to, and I wouldn’t have a career without them today. The person we’re going to talk about here is one Rachel Romero (the other is former Birth. Movies. Death. Editor-in-Chief Meredith Borders, who’s stuck with me as a best friend, so she knows what she did).
A decade or so ago (excuse me while I turn to dust), Rachel was running Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, the smallest of the three sites under the Legendary Digital Networks umbrella at the time alongside Nerdist and Geek & Sundry. All those years ago, she took a chance on a weird little nerd girl who tweeted too much about the Arrowverse, giving me my very first paid writing gig. I’m still the weird little nerd girl who tweets too much about the Arrowverse, but Rachel has since seen her career grow exponentially. Back then she wrangled a bunch of scrappy smart girls. Today she’s the Senior VP of Marketing for Critical Role.
Rachel and I have remained professionally in touch but, despite living in the same city now, have never had the opportunity to meet up. We celebrate each other’s wins from a distance, and cheer each other on in a similar fashion.
This tweet exchange got me in my feelings long before my panels went well and IGN Live as a whole ended up a major success. She was right: It really was the most full circle shit to happen, and for it to be tied to a show that I love so much ended up being the icing on the cake. Rachel, of course, handles marketing for all of Critical Role’s extensive endeavors. Meanwhile, I’m one of those folks who proves that you don’t have to know DnD or know Critical Role’s extensive back catalogue to enjoy Vox Machina and their shenanigans.
It’s because Rachel handles all of Critical Role rather than just Vox Machina, and that I’d never worked with her on our previous coverage of the show that I wouldn’t have expected in a million years that she would show up at IGN Live with the cast and PR team that day.
It was a day full of nerves — while I’ve hosted plenty of panels in our studios, it was my first time moderating in front of a live crowd — and suddenly I turned around and one of the women responsible for my career was just standing there in the green room (where, again, I had no reason to expect her to be). I know I let out a weird noise that must have sounded like a chicken squawk. I’m relatively certain I hugged her too hard. I vaguely remember us lamenting that it took so long to meet in person.
Then it was panel time! And we had a new opening sequence! And a release date! And a crowd that might have actually been emitting electricity they were so excited. We did not say goodbye. That’s showbiz, baby!
I’m sure this week’s column reads like emotional rambling to some, and that might be a fair assessment. I have always been a sap about my start in this industry. I fought long and hard to be here, and without the help of women like Rachel and Meredith, that may not have mattered. The friend I lost would laugh at me for being in my feelings over his death, but he was also really good at appreciating moments for what they were. Getting to hug the woman who gave me my first foot in the door during another major career milestone almost a decade later was one hell of a moment.
In short: Squawk like a chicken and hug people too hard whenever you have the opportunity; watch The Legend of Vox Machina because it rules; and be someone’s Rachel Romero whenever you can.
A/N: The Senior VP of Marketing at any studio or creative endeavor has nothing to do with getting partnerships with media outlets approved. They have PR teams for that! On the IGN side, we have a partnerships team who manages those relationships so things don’t get dicey on the editorial side (where I live).
Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She’s also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia
