Embedded with the New York Jones
- I followed a group of Indiana Jones cosplayers around New York City for a year. It rewired my brain. Read about it!
A brief, 2026 update: I had the great pleasure of seeing “Indiana Jones and the Legend of the Inwood Caves” premiere at the Kew Gardens Cinemas in March. Directed by John Galligan (a filmmaker, actor, drummer, powerlifter and DJ that I profiled along with a crew of Indy cosplayers), the film follows Indiana’s latest adventure through Queens, where its director and titular actor hails from.
I must confess to you all that I’m not a film reviewer. I couldn’t really tell you about the quality of the editing, the well-proportioned shots, or the special effects that make you doubt that the entire film was shot in Queens (snakes! on a plane!). But what I can say is this movie has heart.
The premiere was full of the cast and crew: folks that had dedicated their time, skills, and passions to making the film come to life. As I watched the speeches unfold before the screening — including Galligan, his brother, and Debbie Yoo Galligan (the film’s director of photography, an extraordinary actress, and Galligan’s wife) — I was struck by something: Galligan hadn’t just made a fan film. He’d shaped a community.
“When people really get it. I think it instills a quality of knowing what’s right, and trying to do it.” Galligan told me, almost a year ago now, when I wrote about the city’s Indy cosplay scene.
Great, communal works of art is exactly what the world needs, especially when it often feels like the bad guys are winning. So go forth and make your own stories with your neighbors, friends, and spouses. I can assure you that the world will be better for it.
Dream Journal
- I, too, am blogging into the void. Is it better that it’s all in my head?
The Future of Local News
- I tried to find sustainable funding models for local media. Did I succeed? Kind of! Read a 65-page research paper to find out.
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