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About Us

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This Is Pop Heist

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To celebrate Heistmas — and Pop Heist's first anniversary — we're offering 20% off a new annual or monthly subscription!
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Pop Heist is a worker-owned, reader-funded pop culture news and journalism website, and we're here to rock your world.

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Pop Heist

Melody Esme is a music, film, and TV writer, based in Portland, OR. In addition to her writing about art and pop culture, she has also published a novel and released riot grrrl music.

melody

Melody Esme

FREAKS & GEEKS – 18

Member Exclusive

‘Freaks and Geeks’ Finale Recap: I Will Survive

Grace Leeder (she/they) has spent years cultivating her passion for storytelling, from TV shows to movies. Since entering the podcasting world in 2020, Grace has established herself as a trusted voice in pop culture, offering in-depth insights and recommendations that resonate with audiences. She began podcasting in 2020 on the award-winning Rob Has A Podcast, sharing her love for various TV series and films with listeners.
In the spring of 2024, Grace began co-hosting The Tastemakers, a podcast designed to provide curated reviews and recommendations. Throughout her podcasting journey, Grace has covered acclaimed series like Succession, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, and many more. She has also expanded her scope to conduct engaging interviews with a diverse range of industry professionals, including actors, writers, directors, and costume designers, delivering an inside look at what goes into making some of the most popular shows and movies.

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Grace Leeder

SURVIVOR – 11

Survivor

‘Survivor’ 49×12 Recap: “The Die is Cast”

Matthew Jackson (he/him) is a writer, critic, podcaster, and nerd-for-hire who&#8217;s been writing about pop culture for more than 15 years. He lives in Austin, Texas, and when he&#8217;s not writing he&#8217;s usually counting the days until Christmas.

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Matthew Jackson

MAS – 4

Heistmas

The 2025 Heistmas Advent Calendar Day 12: ‘Fairytale of New York’ as You’ve Never Heard It Before

Ethan Kaye (he/him) is a writer/editor/book hoarder. He is scared of the Loch Ness Monster.

Headshot – Kaye, Ethan

Ethan Kaye

MAS – 2

The 2025 Heistmas Advent Calendar Day 11: The 1996 National Christmas Tree Lighting

DARK – 12

‘Dark’ 2×02 Recap: “Dark Matter”

Latonya &#8220;Penn&#8221; Pennington (they/them) is a prolific freelance pop culture critic who has written for publications such as Into More, Popverse, Comics XF, and more. They are also a poet and have been published in Videodame, The Daily Drunk, and Sage Cigarettes, to name a few.

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Latonya Pennington

Stars featuring characters from comics and gangs riding down a rainbow in front of pixelated christmas wrapping paper pattern

Queerly Nerdy – 2

Queerly Nerdy

Queerly Nerdy: ‘Tis the Season for Video Games and Comic Books

An illustration of the Birth of Venus but done with fast food characters.

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Comics

Michael Kupperman Has a Zine. Yes, a Zine.

Advent Day 10

The 2025 Heistmas Advent Calendar Day 10: The Dean Martin Christmas Show

Sebastian Deken (he/him) is a writer and musician originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of <a href="https://bossfightbooks.com/products/final-fantasy-vi-by-sebastian-deken">Final Fantasy VI</a> (Boss Fight Books, 2021), a critical exploration of the music from the 1994 game of the same name. He received his BA in music and French language and literature at Washington University in St. Louis and his MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia University. He currently lives in Queens, New York, with his husband and two cats.

Headshot – Deken, Sebastian

Sebastian Deken

gooey butter cake on a melamine platter illustrated with a cartoon santa

Gooey Butter Cake

I Love This Cake and Her Gooey Body

Brett White (he/him) is a pop culture journalist and editor-in-chief of Pop Heist. Prior to this, he was a senior reporter/producer for Decider for seven years. Prior to joining Decider, he covered pop culture for Comic Book Resources, Marvel.com, and MTV News. His areas of expertise include Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Drag Race, classic sitcoms, Sam Neill, unexpected thirst traps, and unlikely menswear icons.
In his spare time, he cohosts the podcast Must Have Seen TV and is writing his first book: a biography of <a href="https://www.haydenrorke.com/">Hayden Rorke</a>.
He also lives out his feminine fantasy as <a href="https://www.barbhardly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barb Hardly</a>, his drag queen alter ego.
His hobbies include spending way too much money on action figures, swimsuits, and fashion accessories. He currently lives in Queens with his handsome husband and two large, orange cats.

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Brett White

Single on the 25th, lead characters dancing

Hallmark Hit or Miss: ‘Single on the 25th’ Thrives Despite Its Almost Anti-Hallmark Premise

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