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Pop Heist

Lan Pitts (he/him) is an Atlanta-born writer based in Baltimore, Maryland. He learned to read from mini-comics that came with action figures and video game instruction manuals. He&#8217;s been writing professionally for almost 20 years and doesn&#8217;t think that&#8217;ll end anytime soon.

Lan Pitts

Toys

The Best of Toy Fair 2026 (Lan Pitts Ed.)

Paul Montgomery (he/him) writes from Philadelphia.

Paul Montgomery

George Clooney with Jessica Fletcher in room of people

Member Exclusive

‘Murder, She Wrote’ 3×18 Recap: “No Laughing Murder”

Zach Oat is a pop-culture fan, especially toys and movies, and has held various jobs in and around pop culture. He resides in New York with his family and animals.

Zach Oat

New York Toy Fair 2026: A Curated Tour

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.

Matthew Jackson

‘Hannibal’ 2×03 Recap: I’ve Given My Life to Death

Vanessa Maki (she/her) is a queer writer, critic, artist, and Blerd. She has written for publications like Dread Central, Daily Dead, Fangoria, and many more. She&#8217;s a former contributor for Pink Advocate and The Mary Sue. And she&#8217;s currently a contributor for But Why Tho? etc.

Vanessa Maki

Movies

The Hottest Horror Monsters (Underrated Edition)

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.

Latonya Pennington

Starfield of queer colors with Wheels & Roses, The Comic Shop, and Thirsty Suitors

Queerly Nerdy

Queerly Nerdy: Black, Queer, and Blerdy

Sean T. Collins is a freelance TV critic for the New York Times, Vulture, Decider, and elsewhere. He is the author of Pain Don&#8217;t Hurt: Meditations on Road House, available at <a href="https://www.mutualskies.com/">mutualskies.com</a>. He and his wife, the cartoonist Julia Gfrörer, live with their children on Long Island.

Sean T. Collins

Woman looking at camera while wearing neck tie and hand on her neck

Prestige Prehistory

‘Twin Peaks’ 2×06 Recap: The Gifted and the Damned

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.

Grace Leeder

The Traitors

‘The Traitors’ 4×09 Recap: “Think Outside the Box”

Jason on TV behind monster shaking hands with person who has Friday the 13th 7 tattoo,.

Horror Secret Handshakes

Horror Secret Handshakes: ‘Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood’

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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