Jason Heck Email & Phone Number

Mom always said I had a face for radio, and how! This is my outlet for all things cinema, and along with my 10th degree black belt partner in crime and criticism, Mitch Brian, we get to talk about all the obscure, marvelous, campy, and maddening moments in cinematic history. You can check out our DVD Gurus archive below, featuring hours of aural pleasure perfect for the cinephile desperate to escape the drudgery of life!

Kansas City, Missouri Area

When I started at the Brookside Barkery in 2012, it was still the same fantastic, local, pet- and people-friendly place it is today. But since 2012, a lot more people know about how awesome it is. Just to throw out a few numbers:♦ Three years ago there were around 400 likes on Facebook. Today, it’s nudging 3,700. ♦ Twitter went from a rabid following of zero to over 1,000. ♦ Direct mailings went from 8,000 to 15,000. And growing. I’d be bluffing if I said I did it… Show more When I started at the Brookside Barkery in 2012, it was still the same fantastic, local, pet- and people-friendly place it is today. But since 2012, a lot more people know about how awesome it is. Just to throw out a few numbers:♦ Three years ago there were around 400 likes on Facebook. Today, it’s nudging 3,700. ♦ Twitter went from a rabid following of zero to over 1,000. ♦ Direct mailings went from 8,000 to 15,000. And growing. I’d be bluffing if I said I did it all by my scruffy, manly self, but I may have had something to do with it.So how did I do it? All the stuff that was great about walking into our store, I put into eblasts, our marketing, and on the web. I worked on getting the ethos and aesthetics of our store translated into the look and feel of our messaging, videos, and social media. I scheduled out and develop a 30-, 60-, and 90-day editorial calendar so that we can hit our short- and long-term goals. I made sure that our store’s message gots to the right people at the right time. At that point, our incredible, loyal, and lovable customers did the rest. If you ask me, our best marketing happened when we were out and about. Our biggest event was Pooches on the Patio, when we put together a great meal for both people and their pets to enjoy (but, er…separate menus, of course). We initially put this on so that we could get a $1000 grant, but it just got bigger from there. Over the past couple years, we outgrew our first venue and moved on to the Brooksider. My last year working it, we raised over $2000 for Wayside Waifs. Whether it was marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade or doing other events and fundraisers for Wayside Waifs, I’ve really enjoyed partnering with fabulous businesses to make life better for fuzzy friends. I coordinated and planned events with Minsky’s, KC Bier Co, the Roasterie, Boulevard Beer, and the Alamo Drafthouse, just to name a few. Show less

What, even more freedom to write reviews? Is that possible? Well, at least for Ink Magazine it was. I picked the movies, and the reviews were much longer than for the Pitch or KC Star. Some weeks it was about one movie in particular, usually a choice from among my wide-ranging favorites like Black Belt Jones and Lawrence of Arabia. Other times, I would pull together a few films centered on a theme ("Men on a Mission!" or Film Noir). As the Ink is more for a grown-up crowd, I got to be a… Show more What, even more freedom to write reviews? Is that possible? Well, at least for Ink Magazine it was. I picked the movies, and the reviews were much longer than for the Pitch or KC Star. Some weeks it was about one movie in particular, usually a choice from among my wide-ranging favorites like Black Belt Jones and Lawrence of Arabia. Other times, I would pull together a few films centered on a theme ("Men on a Mission!" or Film Noir). As the Ink is more for a grown-up crowd, I got to be a little more expressive with my language and cover more adult themes. Show less

Kansas City, Mo

Standard film critic stuff! I'd review current releases, and then compile lists of similar movies for recommendations. Sometimes I'd get to interview the occasional movie star--mostly, it meant asking smart questions and trying to tease out fun and informative replies. I really liked writing for the KC Star because I got both the structure that I need, and the freedom I like. Whether it was the license to go postal on a bad movie, or talk about a film's merits, it was a lot of fun to… Show more Standard film critic stuff! I'd review current releases, and then compile lists of similar movies for recommendations. Sometimes I'd get to interview the occasional movie star--mostly, it meant asking smart questions and trying to tease out fun and informative replies. I really liked writing for the KC Star because I got both the structure that I need, and the freedom I like. Whether it was the license to go postal on a bad movie, or talk about a film's merits, it was a lot of fun to keep up with new releases, turn around several hundred words on a tight deadline, and do it all again the next week. Show less

Same kind of gig as I did for the Star and Ink, but this is where I got my first real experience in print. With a circulation around 70,000, I had to learn (quickly) about deadlines and figure out a way to showcase my wit in concise form. Besides movie reviews, I also wrote for events, calendaring, and other short writing assignments.