Rorie

The saga of Screened.com in Whiskey Media has been perhaps the most alternatingly sad and cynical part of its existence. The site was an Anime Vice-level of not-very-popular. To some extent it always just seemed to exist because other friends needed a job, and Giant Bomb was at full capacity, so they created another reason to join WM and then just bled into Giant Bomb whenever possible. That mostly applies to Alex, who, lucky him, managed to get out of this deal pretty much unscathed, despite the fact that he doesn't really seem to do much for Giant Bomb other than post reviews from the opposite end of the country and snarky news articles. The efforts put into Screened always seemed so halfhearted, in a "we ended up here after losing out everywhere else" kind of way. 
 
To see Rorie end up with the short end of the stick in this entire deal is really depressing, because he's an awesome guy that always seemed to pour his heart into everything he did, but it's difficult to imagine how it could've ended in any other way, considering the nature of Screened's existence.

If Rorie leaves Screened I really really hope GB finds a place for him. I really love hearing him talk

I'm sure Rorie will be fine. He worked for Obsidian for a few years post-Gamespot, so hopefully he can kind of job similar to that if he cannot continue with film criticism. Unfortunately, that particular sort of work isn't really booming these days unless you have a site like Screened to back you up, or you're Roger Ebert.

Rorie joining Giant Bomb doesn't seem likely, because I've always known Rorie as more of a casual gamer. He will really get into certain games like Dark Souls or World of Warcraft, but his interest in games never seemed as encompassing compared to the others. Alex Navarro works because he was an editor for Gamespot years ago, so he already had experience when he started writing reviews for Giant Bomb. Unless Giant Bomb wants an official strategy guide person, I doubt there will be much room for Rorie there.

It's a shame, but I've come to expect this over the years. All our friends never stay together in the long-run; it's business. I miss my favorite editors in my favorite magazines; I miss the old Gamespot days; I miss the old 1up/EGM/CGW/OPM days; I now miss the old Whiskey Media days.

@csl316 said:

Just saw this on his Twitter, in reply to a guy about the Screencast:

"Thanks for saying that! It wasn't my favorite part of the job but I enjoyed the 90 episodes."

Keyword "wasn't"

Yeah, that struck me as a bit odd. Well, I guess it was inevitable. Just look at the sorry state the podcast's been in for months now.

I hope nothing bad happens to him. I love Screened and Rorie. His recent video on Grown Ups was fantastic, and I want to see more content like that soon.

I'm wishing all the best for Rorie. He's a really talented writer and if the situation at Screened doesn't work out, then he should at least be added to the Giant Bomb staff (given that it's something he would actually want, of course). The Dark Souls article he wrote is still among my favorite pieces of editorial work in the history of Giant Bomb:

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/lifes-a-bitch-and-then-you-die-45-hours-with-dark-souls/3722/

https://twitter.com/#!/frailgesture/status/180435525159747584

Well now I'm anticipating the worst. At the same time, if he doesn't enjoy Screened, then he should move on. Though I'll miss having his puppy moments, among other things around.

Maybe he could be the dog walker at the new office? I have mixed feelings about Rorie, I hated his inability to pronounce any name ever, and it's clear he had little interest in making the podcast worthwhile. That was a shame because of how great the GB's and Tested's podcasts are. I appreciated him as a part of the greater cast of characters in that office, but I was never a huge fan of his output.

How does the hardest working guy in all of  Whiskey Media get treated like Anime Vice, a website completely devoid of any personality. 
 
If Rorie get fucked over it will be an incredibly sad day.

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

He doesn't work that hard. He does have to write scrips and record a podcast but it's not the end of the world. I'm basing this off the fact that he always says he's tired or that he had a "weird weekend" on the podcast. He hasn't posted that much stuff on Screened recently (and sometimes posts stuff twice). He never posts the Rambling Rories that he promises, he never posts the podcast on time and doesn't try to get a better schedule for it, according to him he's only at the office two days a week, hell he can't even post his thoughts on today's stuff on time.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was let go.

If he's was going with either Screened or Giantbomb he would have said so already. He's either pushed out of Screened (and Screened will soon cease to exist) or he's leaving both crews entirely to do his own thing.

To be fair they've known this was coming for a while. If he is done with Screened I can understand how motivation to keep content up could be low, he would have other things to do like finding a new job.

I was ok with Rorie until he shat all over Grown Ups the other day.

I wasn't the hugest fan until he shat all over Grown Ups the other day. Well written and true

I'll miss the antics with all the Tested and Screened crew :(

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

He doesn't work that hard. He does have to write scrips and record a podcast but it's not the end of the world. I'm basing this off the fact that he always says he's tired or that he had a "weird weekend" on the podcast. He hasn't posted that much stuff on Screened recently (and sometimes posts stuff twice). He never posts the Rambling Rories that he promises, he never posts the podcast on time and doesn't try to get a better schedule for it, according to him he's only at the office two days a week, hell he can't even post his thoughts on today's stuff on time.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was let go.

I love Rorie as much as the GB crew. I really hope everything is okay and that we will continue to see him working on something he loves. I will still feel ill if rorie announces that screened is over :(

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

He doesn't work that hard. He does have to write scrips and record a podcast but it's not the end of the world. I'm basing this off the fact that he always says he's tired or that he had a "weird weekend" on the podcast. He hasn't posted that much stuff on Screened recently (and sometimes posts stuff twice). He never posts the Rambling Rories that he promises, he never posts the podcast on time and doesn't try to get a better schedule for it, according to him he's only at the office two days a week, hell he can't even post his thoughts on today's stuff on time.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was let go.

If he's going back to CBS/gamespot/giant bomb I could not help but chuckle if they throw him in the dark corner to write guides yet again!

=(

Rorie -and- Gary "Shoot-That-Guy" Whitta needs to join the crew of Giant Bomb 2.0.

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

I'll be right there with you.

@Yanngc33 said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

He doesn't work that hard. He does have to write scrips and record a podcast but it's not the end of the world. I'm basing this off the fact that he always says he's tired or that he had a "weird weekend" on the podcast. He hasn't posted that much stuff on Screened recently (and sometimes posts stuff twice). He never posts the Rambling Rories that he promises, he never posts the podcast on time and doesn't try to get a better schedule for it, according to him he's only at the office two days a week, hell he can't even post his thoughts on today's stuff on time.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was let go.

Well he's been the only presence on that site for months now ever since Alex up and moved to New York and seemed to work as a GB newsman/reviewer more than Screened editor. All the video content he's produced, articles he's written, community showcases he's posted, and podcasts he recorded is impressive and you'd be hard pressed to say that Jeff would be able to do better with a skeleton crew of one video editor and maybe one or two other off-site freelance writers. There are many reasons you can't compare the stuff Rorie's done for Screened to Giant Bomb. For one, all of Screened's video features are written and scripted as opposed to impromptu quick looks which are easy to shoot and mass produce. He doesn't have a dedicated news man like Patrick. The flow of news is comparable to how Giant Bomb's newsfeed was before Patrick, Alex or Nicholson was recruited. Oh and also Alex moved to New York which put all the video content on Rorie. Giant Bomb also seems to have priority over the podcasting and often conflicts with the Screened podcast. And he said he'll know more about the situation tomorrow, which is why he is posting an update tomorrow.

Screened is the Whiskey site I visit most after Giant Bomb. It'd suck to have it become an empty husk.

@Grimluck343 said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I would probably cancel my sub if Rorie got fucked over. He's an awesome guy who works really hard and I enjoy his work.

I'll be right there with you.

From the way he's been talking on Twitter and the Screened forums the last couple hours, it doesn't look like Screened is shutting down or anything crazy. There will obviously be a load of changes though.

I was ok with Rorie until he shat all over Grown Ups the other day.

I love Rorie and I hope he sticks around. It would be incredibly sad to lose him.

seems things might be ok he posted this in a screened thread not too long ago

I have a phone call tomorrow morning that will clarify things for me. I would really like to not be as cagey about everything as I have been today, but understandably things have been pretty bizarre. I am fairly tipsy at this point so I won't elaborate; I'll just say that you guys will know as soon as I know. Whatever else, I would just like you guys to not worry about me. I am fine. I will continue to be fine regardless of what happens. And Screened, which is as much a product of your efforts as of mine, isn't going anywhere.

Really would suck if he got screwed over in all this, one of my favorite dudes in WM and easily one of the hardest-workers. Wish him all the best, whatever happens.

Mr Rorie as worked is backside off for Screened and as produced some of the best content along with Joey on any WM site. So if he gets screwed by all this then that sucks, and if they have kicked him off Screened then I'm done with Screened. He sounded super down on Twitter, it's unfair really. Hope he gets a chance to keep Screened going cause it's quickly become one of my favourite sites. :( Plus how can you hate on Mr Rorie!

@SlightConfuse: Thanks for posting that - good to hear that he's probably landing on his feet! Would be terrible if not - just think of all those improperly petted puppies!

Yeah I hope he gets a spot somewhere as he worked far harder than most people in Whiskey Media.

All my love belongs to Rorie.

It's sad to see the Whiskey Media family breaking apart, but all good things must come to an end. And Whiskey Media's family of websites has definitely been a very good thing.

It's sad to see the Whiskey Media family breaking apart, but all good things must come to an end. And Whiskey Media's family of websites has definitely been a very good thing.

I hope it works out okay for him. I, like many others, love Rorie and all his puppy-loving ways. He deserves to do well.

Screened ain't shit without Rorie, hope things end up well for him.

Man I hope Rorie's ok. I love that little guy.

I identify with Rorie more than any of the other guys at Whiskey Media, he's an awesome guy, and hopefully this deal works out well for him. I wish him the best!

Rorie became one of my favourite dudes because of his love of Faith of the Heart. And puppies. And hand touching. Hope everything goes well for him.

I can't imagine that Screened is going to be financially viable on it's own, and let's face it, that's what this is all about. I expect some uh...restructuring to occur soon.

@solidwolf52 said:

He seemed kinda bummed on his twitter today.

He tweeted a picture of the Giantbomb window at CBSi. Maybe he's going to? I hope so. Don't really care much for Screened, but i love me so Matt Rorie.

if that were the case we'd probably already know.

Hope everything turns out fine!

@Cloudenvy said:

@Redbullet685 said:

@Marz said:

Will suck if he's left out to drown. He's a cool dude.

Would hope that GB would pick him up as an editor for the site.

You have no idea how happy I'd be if that happened.

Rorie is the best.

I hope that when the time comes for GB to expand, the first thing they gonna do is hire him. This sounds reasonable, I think.

Yeah it's a little sad, I know if I was Rorie I'd be bummed that all my friends are going back to where I used to work. Good times were had there. Who knows really, maybe he's fine with it, I guess we'll find out.

This cheers me up everytime! Thanks to @Hilikus for finding this video that I could never find!

Best case scenario, Rorie moves to Giant Bomb and the shenanigans continue. 
 
Worst case scenario, Rorie loses his job, becomes homeless, and is reduced to singing Faith of the Heart on street corners for food and sex. 
 
Either way, he's going to be just fine.

@James_Giant_Peach said:

Really would suck if he got screwed over in all this, one of my favorite dudes in WM and easily one of the hardest-workers. Wish him all the best, whatever happens.

Yeah, this.

@Drebin_893 said:

@James_Giant_Peach said:

Really would suck if he got screwed over in all this, one of my favorite dudes in WM and easily one of the hardest-workers. Wish him all the best, whatever happens.

Yeah, this.

Judging from this article http://www.screened.com/forums/screencast/586/so-giantbomb-strikes-again/19608/#36 he wasn't certain what was coming his way. He seemed to think all the equipment was going to be returning to the office. I really hope that is not the case, it would be just awful if the GB team just abandoned our pal Rorie like that.

Best case scenario, Rorie moves to Giant Bomb and the shenanigans continue. 
 
Worst case scenario, Rorie loses his job, becomes homeless, and is reduced to singing Faith of the Heart on street corners for food and sex. 
 
Either way, he's going to be just fine.