Want to grab any of our Kickstarter-exclusive rewards before they disappear forever? If it's listed below, you've still got time to pre-order now!
PLEASE NOTE: The physical rewards below will not ship until at least July 2022. Digital rewards will be distributed as soon as they are ready.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
ONE WEEK 'TIL LAUNCH! New production update this weekend. Gizmoplex Member Passes coming on Monday!
over 4 years ago
– Sat, Feb 26, 2022 at 04:19:13 AM
Greetings, Dear Backers!
As you've probably guessed from the lack of updates over the past few weeks, our entire team has been in a frenzy wrapping up production on Season 13, focusing on post-production for the entire season, keeping all of your rewards moving through production, and preparing for one of the biggest milestones of this Kickstarter:
Next Friday A.D. – that's March 4, 2022, at 5pm PT / 8pm ET – all backers with Gizmoplex Member Passes are invited to the "members only" livestream premiere of our first new episode of Season 13, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula!
Now, we know you have a ton of questions that need answers before then, and we promise: we're going to answer all of them at the beginning of next week. We'll tell you how to make sure your Gizmoplex pass has been activated, your apps have been downloaded, and that you're ready for our first big Season 13 premiere on Friday night.
This weekend, you'll get a much longer production update, chock-full of behind-the-scenes photos taken over the last few weeks, as we finished production on the last few episodes of Season 13. We had a lot of fun on set for this final round, so we're excited to share those photos with you.
But here's the really important part:
On Monday, you will receive another backer update providing ALL of the information you'll need for next Friday's premiere, including instructions for activating your Gizmoplex Member Passes, a guide explaining how to tune into the premiere, and a simple way to make sure your pass is activated and ready for the premiere on the viewing device of your choice!
Please be patient until Monday: we'll make sure you don't miss anything.
We wish we could share all of those details today, but we literally finished shooting less than a week ago, and we're all working around the clock to make sure the first episode of Season 13 will be ready in time for next week's livestream premiere, so we'll need this weekend to finish a few last details.
In the meantime, we are beyond grateful for your patience as we prepare to enter the next stage of this grand experiment, and we thank you again for your continued support and enthusiasm.
Your Pals,
Ivan, Lesley, & Team MST3K
MST3K Weekly Update: Jan. 24-28, 2022
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Feb 01, 2022 at 11:20:33 PM
Helloooooo backers!
We have a shorter-than-usual update this week – er, last week – because we have so much going on here as we simultaneously prepare for our final round of filming. Plus we are also putting the finishing touches on your rewards, continuing beta testing on the Gizmoplex, and so many other things.
That said, we didn’t want to leave you hanging, so here’s a very quick rundown of what we have on our collective plates over the next couple weeks.
What's Happening with KICKSTARTER REWARDS?
We had our second VIRTUAL SET VISIT this weekend.
If you missed it, you can still access it at the same URL, and it will be added to your VHX / Gizmoplex collection this week.
If your rewards include the Virtual Set Visit and you didn't get any of the emails with the link or instructions for viewing and participating, you'll find them on BackerKit, with your DIGITAL REWARDS.
Not sure how to access your digital rewards? Read this.
We will be adding the "20 CLASSIC SHORTS" bonus reward to VHX shortly.
This reward is available to all backers at Experiment 85, as well as everyone at Experiment 150 and up, and anyone who got a #MakeMoreMST3K episode pack as an Add-On Reward.
The shorts should be added to your existing episode collection on VHX within the next 24-48 hours.
We are packing up and shipping all of the OVERSTOCK REWARDS to our fulfillment warehouse to prepare to start packing them with your other rewards.
The one exception is the overstock COFFEE TABLE BOOKS, which we'll pack and ship ourselves – direct to each backer – to make sure we're able to track them for you.
We are calculating SHIPPING CHARGES for your orders + will collect them soon.
We're doing our best to make sure we don't over or undercharge anyone – which is a lot more complex than you might think, given all of the variables.
We'll keep you posted, but hope to start collecting for shipping in mid-to-late February, so that we can ship rewards around early April.
What's Happening with the GIZMOPLEX?
The BETA TESTING continues!
Additional features and bug fixes are being added 1-2 times per week.
We're about to expand the test to an additional round of volunteers.
We know there's a lot of interest, and we appreciate your patience.
If you signed up for beta testing and we're able to invite you to participate in this next round, you'll get an email in the next 24 hours asking you to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Once we get your signed agreement, you'll get instructions for how to join the beta test!
The truth is that we're also viewing the first 6-8 weeks after we launch the Gizmoplex as a "public beta" just for backers, before we open the Gizmoplex to the rest of the world – so you'll all get a chance to be part of that.
Our new MST3K streaming apps are almost ready to launch!
The apps we promised – for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Google TV, Roku and FireTV – are now going through their final testing stage, and are being submitted to each platform for approval this week.
Unless there's a huge, unexpected complication, we expect them to be available before the end of February, so that you'll be able to use them to livestream the Season 13 Premiere on March 4.
We'll share more details on the apps, and how to download them, as soon as they're available for you to use!
We're preparing our first round of GIZMOPLEX LIVE EVENTS!
As we've mentioned in a few previous updates, we're also working out some exciting plans for the that we'll be hosting throughout the year.
As part of that, we're actually shooting a lot of additional exclusive content when we get back to set in a few weeks, to help make those events even more special.
We don't want to spoil any of the surprises, but you'll find out more about what we've got planned in the coming weeks.
As you can see, there’s a lot going on, so we appreciate your patience with this briefer-than-usual note. You may not get another update until the final shoot is up and running, but the good news is, we’ll have lots of juicy new photos and info to share then.
MST3K Weekly Update: January 17-21, 2022
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Jan 25, 2022 at 05:39:14 AM
In This Update
Production: Backers made inventions + planning livestream events
Kickstarter News: Virtual set visit on Saturday + updated reward schedule
Meet the Team: Tim Ryder, Writer & Director
Hail and Well Met, Friends!
It’s Monday afternoon, and Ivan and Lesley are back with your belated weekly update for last week, full of the latest news from behind-the-scenes. This update is late enough, so let's not waste another minute: here's what we've been up to!
PRODUCTION NEWS
PREPPING FOR FINAL SHOOT: A lot of the team remains focused on preparing for our final filming block in Philadelphia, which is now just a few weeks away. Joel and Matt have done a final review and locked the remaining scripts, which means all writing for Season 13 is officially complete! Meanwhile, our producers have returned from their brief hiatus, and are now working through all of the logistics, budgets and other arrangements needed to ensure a smooth shoot. And, in a workshop near the Alternaversal offices, our friends at Monkey Boys are finishing up fabrication on the remaining props and models that we'll need on set for these last three episodes.
BACKERS GOT INVENTIVE: Last weekend, Joel also hosted a livestream workshop with a small group of backers whose Kickstarter rewards included the chance to help him develop a few new inventions that will appear on screen during Season 13. (This is different than the "Intro to Inventions & Magic" livestream class reward, which will take place later this spring when we're finished with production on the new episodes.) After several hours of productive brainstorming and discussion, the group came up with some great concepts, which Mike Norton (our lead concept artist) illustrated in real-time, and which have now been delivered to Monkey Boys to fabricate in time for our final shoot.
PLANNING GIZMOPLEX LIVE EVENTS: As you might recall, one of the stretch goals we reached during the Kickstarter campaign promised that – in addition to our livestream episode premieres – we'd also organize an additional live Gizmoplex event each month for an entire year. Now that the new episodes are (mostly) under control, the Alternaversal team has also been spending a lot of time planning how those "bonus events" will work, and brainstorming ways to make them special. We're pretty excited about what we've got planned. In February, we'll share a little bit more about our plans for live Gizmoplex events, so that you know what to expect once the new season begins!
KICKSTARTER NEWS
1. VIRTUAL SET VISITS resume THIS SATURDAY, JAN 29, at 1pm PT / 4pm ET.
As announced last week, our VIRTUAL SET VISIT reward will resume this coming Saturday, January 29, at 1pm PT / 4pm ET, and will focus on FILMING & DIRECTING MST3K. We'll be showing you over an hour of unedited footage captured on set, across multiple shooting days, and then we'll have a LIVE CONVERSATION and Q&A with our Season 13 co-directors Jonah Ray, Tim Ryder, and Matt McGinnis.
Starting tomorrow, all backers whose rewards include the Virtual Set Visit sessions will get an email from BackerKit confirming that you have access to two new "digital rewards":
Virtual Set Visits: Replay Access will give you a new digital code to redeem on VHX, which will give you access to rewatch all of the previous set visit livestreams.
Virtual Set Visits: Livestream Access will provide instructions and a URL for viewing and participating in all the remaining livestream sessions, starting this weekend.
2. Most of your PHYSICAL REWARDS will (hopefully) ship in APRIL 2022.
As we've explained in several past updates, we've made a lot of progress on manufacturing most of the physical rewards for this Kickstarter, and have been carefully monitoring how COVID might impact our schedule for receiving and shipping out all of your pledge rewards.
Right now – among other logistical tasks – our partners are in the process of acquiring over 25,000 blank t-shirts and hoodies, in all of the sizes and colors you've ordered, so that our apparel vendor can finish printing them. We're also working with a team in Canada to finalize the Challenge Coin rewards, which we've just learned will be delayed a few extra weeks as work in China grinds to a halt in observation of the Chinese New Year. That said…
Right now, we estimate that all of the rewards should reach our warehouse by the end of March, which means that we'd be able to start shipping them out in early-to-mid April.
But, as always, this estimate may change until we've received all of the rewards from our manufacturers. We'll keep you updated on the exact timing, but if you ever want to check for yourself, we've also posted an estimated schedule for all rewards.
TIME BUBBLE TOUR UPDATE
Where is the MST3K Live TIME BUBBLE TOUR headed this week? We’re so glad you asked.
1/22 - Kansas City, MO - Muriel Kauffman Theatre - BUY TICKETS
1/27 - Orlando, Florida - The Plaza Live - BUY TICKETS
As always, you can see all of the upcoming tour dates and available tickets on MST3Klive.com.
COMMUNITY NEWS
It may be cold outside, but our forums are warm and toasty with the welcoming embrace of MST3K community. Join up here. Here are a few threads from the past week:
Each week, we’re introducing you to another member of the MST3K team. This week, it's...
Tim Ryder, Writer & Director
1. In a sentence or two, what do you do on MST3K? Oh boy! I've done a bunch of stuff since the first Kickstarter. For Seasons 11 and 12, I was a writer and Bonehead. Then I voiced and puppeteered Tom Servo on the first two MST3K Live Tours. Currently, I'm a lead writer and director of the Time Bubble Tour and some of the upcoming Season 13 episodes.
2. What do you love most about your job? I get to hang out with the funniest people on the planet and make jokes about cheesy movies. I also get to use the comedic vocabulary built up from years of watching MST3K to literally make more MST3K, a fact that still blows my mind.
3. Tell us a fun fact about you. I played alto saxophone in high school and when I was a senior, our jazz combo won the Illinois State Fair Talent Show with a stunning rendition of "Jump, Jive and Wail." What can I say, it was the summer of 2001 and the Swing Revival had just made its way to the Midwest. It was a heady time.
4. Do you have some other favorite projects you’ve worked on, if people want to see more of your work and support you? Please follow me on Instagram at @RedRyderBBGun for the longest-running, dumbest bit I've ever committed to. I also just got 100% on Metroid Dread! That was a pretty cool project.
And that’s all we’ve got for last week. As always, join us on the dedicated forum thread with your questions and feedback, and have a splendiferous week, everyone!
Your correspondents,
Lesley & Ivan
MST3K Weekly Update: January 10-14, 2022
over 4 years ago
– Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 12:25:36 AM
In This Update
Production News: Preparing for February shoot + locking final scripts!
Kickstarter News: RiffTrax Rewards, Virtual Set Visits resume, invention class postponed + more!
First Look: 3D Glasses have been printed!
Gizmoplex News: Beta testing continues + apps are almost developed!
Meet the Team: Dylan Pecora, Lead Fabricator
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Helloooooo Backers, and welcome to your first #MakeMoreMST3K update for 2022! It’s been a minute, and all of us here at MST3K hope you’ve had a restorative holiday break and are looking to the new year with optimism.
As usual, Lesley and Ivan here with the latest news from behind-the-scenes. Here’s what we’ve been up to for the past week.
PRODUCTION NEWS
PREPPING FOR FINAL SHOOT: In early February, we'll head back to the studio in Philadelphia for two final weeks of filming on Joel's episodes, as well as Season 13's big triple-hosted "Holiday Finale." So, even though a lot of our production team is still on hiatus until the end of the month, the Alternaversal team have been hard at work doing final review and edits on our final shooting scripts, and overseeing the fabrication of the props and costumes we'll need. We're also keeping tabs on the current spikes in COVID transmission, so that we can take all necessary precautions to keep our cast, crew, and guests safe on set.
PLANNING BONUS CONTENT: Over the past week, we've also convened a small writers' room to work on some additional bonus content we've got planned for Gizmoplex members. We don't want to give too much away just yet, but you'll get a better idea of what we're working on in just under two months, when the new season premieres!
KICKSTARTER NEWS
With production mostly on hiatus since mid-December, Ivan has been able to devote more time than usual to Kickstarter rewards and fulfillment, so we've got some progress to share!
1. VIRTUAL SET VISITS resume on SATURDAY, JAN 29, at 1pm PT / 4pm ET!
If your rewards include access to our VIRTUAL SET VISIT – that's all backers at Experiment 400 and above, as well as anyone who selected the "Virtual Set Visit" add-on reward – we're pleased to confirm that our next livestream is scheduled for Saturday, January 29.
(As we explained in a December update, we've decided to hold some of the virtual set visits on weekends, so that more backers will have the option to watch live, and to participate in the Q&A session.)
Our next session will be focused on SHOOTING MST3K, and will feature about an hour of unedited "live feed" footage that was recorded during a few different shooting dates, so that you'll be able to see more of our cast behind-the-scenes. Then, we'll host a LIVE CONVERSATION with Season 13 co-directors JONAH RAY, TIM RYDER and MATT McGINNIS, who will take questions about shooting (and directing) new episodes of MST3K.
And, just as a reminder: if you can't make it to one of these sessions, don't worry! Backers whose rewards include virtual set visit access still be able to watch the entire stream again for at least a month, and you'll always be able to find links to access the sessions in the "Digital Rewards" section of your BackerKit profile.
(Not sure how to find your digital rewards? Read this.)
2. RIFFTRAX BONUS REWARDS will be available this afternoon!
Near the end of our Kickstarter campaign last spring, our friends at RiffTrax stepped in and offered some bonus rewards for all backers who pledged for Experiment 35 and above:
Well, just in time for the long weekend – at least here in the United States – we're pleased to announce that your RiffTrax reward codes will be distributed starting today!
If your rewards include one or more RIFFTRAX BONUS REWARDS, you'll get an email from BackerKit in the next 24 hours. Follow the link in the email, and you'll find your personal digital bonus codes, and instructions on how to redeem them!
3. INTRO TO INVENTIONS CLASS postponed until production ends.
In a previous update, we announced that the INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC & INVENTIONS livestream class reward with Joel would be held tomorrow (Saturday, January 15).
However, at Joel's request, we have decided to postpone this livestream event until after production is complete, so that Joel can devote more attention to preparing his lecture and presentation. As of now, we plan to reschedule this reward for March or April.
All backers whose rewards include access to the class will receive further details via email. However, backers who are participating in the GET INVENTIVE WITH JOEL workshop will still be meeting tomorrow to help Joel come up with a few new inventions, so that we'll have time to fabricate them and include them in the final episode(s) we shoot in February.
4. HOLIDAY CARDS have all been sent out!
As promised in December, the MST3K HOLIDAY CARD reward has been mailed out to all backers who were supposed to receive one (unless you haven't completed your BackerKit survey). If you were expecting a holiday card and it hasn't come yet, read this. And if you have received a holiday card, we'd still love to see photos of you with your card… so, feel free to post those online, and be sure to tag them with @MST3K and #Season13Greetings so we'll see them!
5. Our KINGAVISION 3D GLASSES are hot off the printing press!
For those of you who are receiving KINGAVISION 3D GLASSES, we're thrilled to share a few photos from our printing partner, showing the first completed batches of glasses:
We're pretty excited with how they're looking, and can't wait to get them out to you… but if your rewards didn't include a pair of KINGAVISION 3D GLASSES, or you'd like to add extras for family, friends and pets*, you can still grab them here.
Finally, this is your weekly reminder: if you haven’t filled out your BackerKit reward survey yet, we’re now more than four months past the deadline, and need your answers ASAP in order to make sure we'll be able to make your rewards.
And, even if your rewards are all digital, BackerKit won't send them out until you finish filling out your survey… so if you want to start watching your classic digital episode rewards, or RiffTrax Bonus Rewards, finish your survey NOW!
If you haven’t finished (or received) your BackerKit reward survey yet, please follow these instructions to get it re-sent, and then submit it ASAP.
--
Next week, we'll have more Kickstarter reward updates to share, including an updated timeline of when you can expect your rewards!
GIZMOPLEX NEWS
UPDATE ON BETA TESTING: If you signed up to volunteer for our Gizmoplex Beta Test, please be patient! Our next round of invites to join the beta test group will be sent out before the end of January. Also, please note that the current beta test is just for the Gizmoplex "virtual theater" website, and not for the various apps that we'll be launching.
UPDATE ON OTT APPS: Speaking of which, we're pleased to report that development on our iOS, Android, AppleTV, GoogleTV, Amazon FireTV and Roku apps is almost complete, and our partners at VHX will be submitting them to the various platforms for approval in the next few weeks. As long as approvals don't get held up, our goal is to have all of the apps launched and available to use in time for our Season 13 Premiere on March 4, so that you'll be able to watch the livestream on the device of your choice. We'll share more news about the apps, and how to get them, before the end of February!
TIME BUBBLE TOUR UPDATE
The TIME BUBBLE TOUR swings down to Texas for a series of dates this week. Yeehaw!
1/15 - Dallas, TX - Winspear Opera House - BUY TICKETS
1/22 - Kansas City, MO - Muriel Kauffman Theatre - BUY TICKETS
As always, you can see all of the upcoming tour dates and available tickets on MST3Klive.com.
COMMUNITY NEWS
We may have taken a couple weeks off from updates, but the forums are lit 24/7! You can join up here. Here are a few threads from the past couple weeks to entice you:
Each week, we’re introducing you to another member of the MST3K team. This week, it's...
Dylan Pecora, Lead Fabricator
1. In a sentence or two, what do you do on MST3K? I’m leading the puppet/prop fabrication team for Monkey Boys Productions.
2. What do you love most about your job? It gives me one easy thing to say to strangers at weddings or parties without having to really engage with anyone on a meaningful level.
3. Tell us a fun fact about you. No one heeds my warnings, but someday you will.
4. Do you have some other favorite projects you’ve worked on, if people want to see more of your work and support you? Directed the new Merzbow + Hyrrokkin video for “Spatially Raised, From Seed To Volatility.” I’m happy with that one. Also working on a card game called Doll Scanner that’s supposed to be out sometime in 2022.
MST3K Weekly Update: December 13-22, 2021
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Dec 24, 2021 at 05:07:02 PM
In This Update
Production: LA Filming Wraps! Cast photo shoot! LA "load-out"!
Kickstarter News: Holiday cards + digital episode downloads arrive!
Gizmoplex News: Volunteer sign-up for beta testing begins!
Meet the Team: Ross Bryant, Writer!
Season’s Greetings!
It’s Wednesday, December 22nd: do you know where your raisin snail is? Lesley and Ivan here, with the latest news from behind the scenes at MST3K. Also, we know this update is a few days later than usual, but that's because we held off on sending it until we could include this announcement:
Thisafternoon, we'll start emailing the first DIGITAL EPISODE REWARDS through BackerKit, so that you can redeem and watch classic MST3K episodes over the holidays!
More on that in the Kickstarter section below, but now let's get down to business with a complete roundup of what we've been doing for the past 1.5 weeks.
PRODUCTION NEWS
LA FILMING IS WRAPPED: Last Monday, we wrapped up our final day of shooting in Los Angeles with a shoot focused on getting all of the remaining scenes we needed with Patton and Felicia, since they aren't available during our final shooting block in February. That means we need to have all of their scenes for the season shot… and now, we do!
Patton and Felicia spreading some seasonal cheer. (Or fear.)
Rebecca getting transformed into Synthia Forrester.
A few props from our final day of shooting for y’all to puzzle over. No hints.
Synthia attends to Kinga. As usual. We have no idea what they were looking at.
Pearl and her original clone. The resemblance is uncanny.
LA PROMOTIONAL PHOTO SHOOT: In addition to finishing up the LA filming, we also brought in the whole LA-based gang for a promotional photo shoot, to get official "Season 13 portraits" taken by a professional photographer. Those shots will end up being used later for everything from press releases to cover art for the Season 13 box set, so we need to make sure we've got great, high-resolution options to work from. (Believe it or not, the prosumer smartphone shots we feature in those updates aren't sufficient for all of the show's needs!)
Jonah’s almost ready for his closeup; Our lunch area got converted into a photo studio.
LOS ANGELES "LOAD OUT": Even though we wrapped filming in LA on Monday, a lot of our crew were back bright and early on Tuesday for "load-out", which is the process of breaking down and packing up all of the equipment, sets, props, and costumes that we needed for production, so that another production can "load in" the next day and start using the same space. While this process is a little bit simpler when we're using a green screen instead of massive physical sets that need to be disassembled, there's still a lot to be done.
Working with Matt McGinnis, Anuardi Cantre (our LA prop master), and Caitlyn Carradine (our LA costume designer), we evaluated all of the props and costumes on set, deciding what needed to get shipped back to Alternaversal in Pennsylvania, what should be moved into storage in Los Angeles, and what could get thrown out.
These are some of the props that we sorted through. You'll see most of them on-screen next year.
Matt and Caitlyn sort through costumes; you never know what you'll find in a wardrobe department.
We also sorted through a lot of costumes from Seasons 11 + 12 that have been in storage.
A rare glimpse of the mythical storage unit where most of our props, costumes + models live between seasons.
We also set aside a lot of the more interesting "one-time" items – props and costumes that were so specific to a single scene that we're unlikely to need them again. We're still figuring out our exact plans for those items, but we're hoping to make some of them available as auction items for future fundraising, or as give-away prizes during next year's live Gizmoplex events. Stay tuned for more on that!
KICKSTARTER NEWS
1. REWARD SURVEYS: 3400 unanswered surveys remaining. This is your weekly reminder: if you haven’t filled out your BackerKit reward survey yet, we’re now more than three months past the deadline, and need your answers ASAP in order to include your rewards in our main wave of reward shipments early next year.And, even if all of your rewards are digital, we still aren't able to send them along until your survey is complete and locked – so if you want to start watching your digital episode rewards now, be sure to finish and submit your survey post-haste.
If you haven’t finished (or received) your BackerKit reward survey yet, please follow these instructions to get it re-sent, and then submit it ASAP.
And if you have submitted your survey, don't worry: we're not delaying manufacturing or reward shipments while we wait, so the unanswered surveys won't affect your rewards! We promise.
2. HOLIDAY CARDS should arrive starting this week! While we don't want to ruin the surprise by sharing the design, we're pleased to confirm that our first "physical reward" – the MST3K HOLIDAY CARD – went into the mail on schedule!
We've blurred a lot of this photo so that you can't make out the illustration, but imagine a warehouse with 20+ boxes like this, holding over 30,000 cards:
They're less blurry in person, we swear.
So, if your rewards included a card – and if the USPS doesn't collapse under the weight of holiday shipments – it should reach your mailbox over the next week or two!
Please note that we aren't able to provide individual tracking numbers for these, since they were sent via regular postal mail to keep the shipping costs manageable. If your card doesn't show up by late January, please follow these instructions for getting help.
And when your card does show up, feel free to post a selfie with your card – tag @MST3K on Twitter and Instagram, and include the hashtag #Season13Greetings so we'll be sure to see it!
3. DIGITAL EPISODE DOWNLOADS will be available this week! Finally, the news a lot of you have been waiting for: If your Kickstarter rewards included the #MakeMoreMST3K BACKER or DELUXE packs of classic episodes – or if you selected digital downloads of MST3K as add-on rewards, or holiday gifts for a loved one – the wait is almost over!
Starting this afternoon, we'll be distributing digital download codes through BackerKit, which will let you redeem and access your digital downloads through VHX!
First, here's when you can expect to receive your digital episode reward codes:
CLASSIC EPISODE PACKS available this afternoon, 12/22.
SEASON 11 and SEASON 12 available Wednesday, 12/23.
ULTIMATE DIGITAL COLLECTION available Thursday, 12/24.
This means that you will be able to deliver all of these digital episodes in time for Christmas, so if you still want to grab a last-minute gift – or if you still need a printable gift certificate for episodes you've already ordered – we've got you covered:
You'll get an email from BackerKit when your digital reward codes are ready. That email will include a link to access all of your available digital rewards on BackerKit. When you click that link, you'll find a unique link to claim your digital episodes.
Your digital episodes will be added to your MST3K collection on VHX. For now, you'll be able to stream and download your classic episodes by logging into VHX, our video distribution partner. Once the Gizmoplex launches, you'll be able to access your personal collection of episodes there too.
If you already have a VHX account, we suggest using it to claim your new rewards. That way, your entire MST3K collection will be available in a single account, instead of several different accounts. (Not sure if you have a VHX account? Check here.)
We are not distributing the new Season 13 episodes yet. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't, since we haven't finished shooting and editing them! If your rewards include digital access to Season 13, we'll follow up with more instructions before the season premieres on March 4, 2022.
GIZMOPLEX NEWS
While we still have a few months left until March, when we'll premiere of the first episode of Season 13 – and the Gizmoplex! – we've been hard at work preparing for beta testing.
Over the next week, we'll invite a very small first group of beta testers to log in and start using a few major Gizmoplex features. Then, if nothing explodes or catches on fire, our plan is to expand the beta test throughout January and February, leading up to our public launch of the new website and apps at the beginning of March 2022 – just in time for the season premiere!
We can't promise that we'll be able to invite all volunteers to participate, but we'll do our best to keep you informed about what's going on, and to let you know if we're able to include you in the testing.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Looking for new friends? Want to share some holiday cheer (or dread) with a family of thousands of like-minded folks? You'll find all that and more on the official MST3K FORUMS, and you can join for free here.
Here's a small sample of active topics from the past week:
And as always, you can see all of the currently-announced dates and theaters on our tour website at MST3KLive.com.
MEET THE TEAM
Each week, we’re introducing you to another member of the MST3K team. This week, it's...
Ross Bryant, Writer
1. In a sentence or two, what do you do on MST3K? I'm a writer for MST3K. Truly a dream come true.
2. What do you love most about your job? The fun, supportive and collaborative atmosphere of the MST3K writers' room is really special. It's such a joy watching ideas and jokes bounce around from mind to mind getting funnier and funnier, even as you slog your way through a movie like {MOVIE NAME REDACTED TO AVOID SEASON 13 SPOILERS}.
3. Tell us a fun fact about you. For a period in the mid-2010s I ran an experimental music cassette label out of my apartment.
4. Do you have some other favorite projects you’ve worked on, if people want to see more of your work and support you? I'm also an actor and improviser. I pop up on TV every now and then, and I perform in LA and around the country with The Improvised Shakespeare Company. Look us up if we come to your town!
5. Any social media handles we can list, for people who want to follow / support you? Follow me on Instagram @rossbb if you wanna see lots of cartoons, and pictures of my corgi, Rarebit.
That’s all we’ve got for this week... and since many of you will now have digital episode downloads to satisfy your MST3K needs, we're now going to take the next few weeks off for a much-needed holiday break.
So, while we'll do our best to keep up with Backer Support requests to [email protected], this will be our final weekly update for this year! We'll see you again when weekly updates resume in early January, as we prepare for our final block of shooting in Pennsylvania in February.
As always, join us in the dedicated Kickstarter section of the forums, where you'll find threads to discuss this update, ask questions, and find out about all sorts of other #MakeMoreMST3K-related topics. And no matter what you believe in, we hope you have yourself a merry little Patrick Swayze Christmas. See you in January, friends.
