kayti burt
@kaytiburt.bsky.social
pop culture ✍🏼: @time-magazine.bsky.social @rollingstone.com @polygon.com @vulture.com @latimes.com @pastemagazine | transformative fandom fan | poor country kid | she/her | black lives matter |
@fspnwu.bsky.social | TCA member
@fspnwu.bsky.social | TCA member
Reposted by kayti burt
This sucks SO HARD, and I am so sad to lose my criticism-writing home of nearly a decade. Solidarity to all my fellow Paste TV alumni!
Today, Paste Magazine shuttered all its non-music verticals, a choice I am both professionally and personally heartbroken about. Sadly, I am once again looking for a place that wants to let me write about Books and TV on the regular, so hit me up if that’s you or anyone you know.
November 17, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This sucks SO HARD, and I am so sad to lose my criticism-writing home of nearly a decade. Solidarity to all my fellow Paste TV alumni!
Reposted by kayti burt
Today, Paste Magazine shuttered all its non-music verticals, a choice I am both professionally and personally heartbroken about. Sadly, I am once again looking for a place that wants to let me write about Books and TV on the regular, so hit me up if that’s you or anyone you know.
November 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Today, Paste Magazine shuttered all its non-music verticals, a choice I am both professionally and personally heartbroken about. Sadly, I am once again looking for a place that wants to let me write about Books and TV on the regular, so hit me up if that’s you or anyone you know.
Reposted by kayti burt
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
Reposted by kayti burt
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
Reposted by kayti burt
We talk to the PD and writer of #TheFirstNightwiththeDuke about the challenges and pleasures of adaptation, why we’ve fallen in love with isekai stories lately, and what it’s like to work with stars Taecyeon and Seohyun: open.substack.com/pub/dramasov...
Q&A with the production team of The First Night with the Duke
Director Lee Woong-hee and screenwriter Jeon Sun-young answer our questions about the isekai web novel adaptation starring Taecyeon and Seohyun
open.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
We talk to the PD and writer of #TheFirstNightwiththeDuke about the challenges and pleasures of adaptation, why we’ve fallen in love with isekai stories lately, and what it’s like to work with stars Taecyeon and Seohyun: open.substack.com/pub/dramasov...
Reposted by kayti burt
Highlights of the #KpopDemonHunters interview:
😈 👩🎤 Insight into Korean folklore that informed #SajaBoys & #Huntrix
⚔️🔪✨ A breakdown of Huntr/x's weapons and characters (yes, there was more Mira & Zoey backstory)
🚦Lorde's song that inspired "What It Sounds Like"
💞The inspiration for Romance Saja
😈 👩🎤 Insight into Korean folklore that informed #SajaBoys & #Huntrix
⚔️🔪✨ A breakdown of Huntr/x's weapons and characters (yes, there was more Mira & Zoey backstory)
🚦Lorde's song that inspired "What It Sounds Like"
💞The inspiration for Romance Saja
June 29, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Highlights of the #KpopDemonHunters interview:
😈 👩🎤 Insight into Korean folklore that informed #SajaBoys & #Huntrix
⚔️🔪✨ A breakdown of Huntr/x's weapons and characters (yes, there was more Mira & Zoey backstory)
🚦Lorde's song that inspired "What It Sounds Like"
💞The inspiration for Romance Saja
😈 👩🎤 Insight into Korean folklore that informed #SajaBoys & #Huntrix
⚔️🔪✨ A breakdown of Huntr/x's weapons and characters (yes, there was more Mira & Zoey backstory)
🚦Lorde's song that inspired "What It Sounds Like"
💞The inspiration for Romance Saja
Reposted by kayti burt
I think I'm probably in the minority of really liking the third and final season of SQUID GAME, partially because I'm a sucker for the "Battle Royale" genre and partially because Lee Jung-jae's whole run as Gi-hun is one of the all-time great TV performances. decider.com/2025/06/27/s...
'Squid Game' Season 3 Review: The Netflix hit gets a twisted, poetic ending (that also teases a new beginning)
What Lee Jung-jae has accomplished this season, and throughout Squid Game’s entire run, is one of the greatest television performances of all-time.
decider.com
June 27, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I think I'm probably in the minority of really liking the third and final season of SQUID GAME, partially because I'm a sucker for the "Battle Royale" genre and partially because Lee Jung-jae's whole run as Gi-hun is one of the all-time great TV performances. decider.com/2025/06/27/s...
Reposted by kayti burt
‘My journey to get aid in Gaza was like Squid Game’ - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-journey-aid-gaza-like-squid-game
‘My journey to get aid in Gaza was like Squid Game’
Going to the US-backed aid distribution centre was the hardest day of my life. I’ve never felt humiliation like that
www.middleeasteye.net
June 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
‘My journey to get aid in Gaza was like Squid Game’ - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/my-journey-aid-gaza-like-squid-game
If we were living in a better timeline, Hwang Dong-hyuk would have had less inspiration for the final seasons of Squid Game: time.com/7298235/squi...
June 28, 2025 at 6:14 PM
If we were living in a better timeline, Hwang Dong-hyuk would have had less inspiration for the final seasons of Squid Game: time.com/7298235/squi...
if you need me this weekend, i'll be listening to the lost in starlight ost. www.denofgeek.com/movies/netfl...
Netflix's Lost in Starlight: Korea Makes an Animated Sci-Fi Romance for Adults
Netflix’s slice-of-life sci-fi love story is a visually stunning animation about human connection.
www.denofgeek.com
May 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
if you need me this weekend, i'll be listening to the lost in starlight ost. www.denofgeek.com/movies/netfl...
Reposted by kayti burt
anyway here's the email I sent to jim bankoff last week. i'm still heartbroken. I have been insanely, destructively angry for weeks, and I think I will be for a long time.
May 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
anyway here's the email I sent to jim bankoff last week. i'm still heartbroken. I have been insanely, destructively angry for weeks, and I think I will be for a long time.
I've really been getting a lot out of these exit interviews Pete has been doing with the laid-off Polygon staff, including this piece, in which copy editor Kallie talks about the immense work and skill that goes into games/entertainment journalism.
May 15, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I've really been getting a lot out of these exit interviews Pete has been doing with the laid-off Polygon staff, including this piece, in which copy editor Kallie talks about the immense work and skill that goes into games/entertainment journalism.
Reposted by kayti burt
Here's the extremely delayed fifth and final week of my blog series on Naoko Yamada, covering her latest film The Colors Within (2024). The upside of this being so late is that the movie is now on demand and I highly recommend you watch it, it's so good!
[Week 5] The Colors Within
For the final installment in our Yamada series, we watched The Colors Within (2024).
nowwearealltom.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Here's the extremely delayed fifth and final week of my blog series on Naoko Yamada, covering her latest film The Colors Within (2024). The upside of this being so late is that the movie is now on demand and I highly recommend you watch it, it's so good!
Reposted by kayti burt
my final piece for Polygon is now live: part two of my interview with Chad Stahelski about Lazarus www.polygon.com/anime/552380...
John Wick’s director breaks down how he got to design action on Lazarus, ‘the funnest job’ he’s ever done
Here’s the story behind one of the year’s most exciting (and surprising) collaborations
www.polygon.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
my final piece for Polygon is now live: part two of my interview with Chad Stahelski about Lazarus www.polygon.com/anime/552380...
I was part of the team who helped draft NWU's statement following Vox Media's sale of Polygon to Valnet, and the subsequent gutting of the site's staff. This decision, made by the corporate leadership at Vox Media, is a gut punch. I am angry & upset—for my editors, for myself, for this industry.
We condemn Vox Media’s May Day decision to lay off a majority of @polygon.com staff w/o warning as part of the sale to known media-brand-destroyer Valnet. We stand in solidarity with the staff who were laid off, and with @voxmediaunion.bsky.social in their ongoing contract negotiations.
May 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I was part of the team who helped draft NWU's statement following Vox Media's sale of Polygon to Valnet, and the subsequent gutting of the site's staff. This decision, made by the corporate leadership at Vox Media, is a gut punch. I am angry & upset—for my editors, for myself, for this industry.
Reposted by kayti burt
We condemn Vox Media’s May Day decision to lay off a majority of @polygon.com staff w/o warning as part of the sale to known media-brand-destroyer Valnet. We stand in solidarity with the staff who were laid off, and with @voxmediaunion.bsky.social in their ongoing contract negotiations.
May 5, 2025 at 9:24 PM
We condemn Vox Media’s May Day decision to lay off a majority of @polygon.com staff w/o warning as part of the sale to known media-brand-destroyer Valnet. We stand in solidarity with the staff who were laid off, and with @voxmediaunion.bsky.social in their ongoing contract negotiations.
Reposted by kayti burt
Our GoFundMe to assist our former colleagues at @polygon.com is now live! Please support them if you can, and share widely even if you can't!
Thank you all for the kindness and care you've shared with Polygon and the union over the last 2 days — it means the world to us all. gofund.me/a21cbbdc
Thank you all for the kindness and care you've shared with Polygon and the union over the last 2 days — it means the world to us all. gofund.me/a21cbbdc
Donate to Support Polygon Workers and the Vox Media Union, organized by Ashok Selvam
On Thursday, May 1, Vox Media announced the sale of beloved video game s… Ashok Selvam needs your support for Support Polygon Workers and the Vox Media Union
gofund.me
May 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Our GoFundMe to assist our former colleagues at @polygon.com is now live! Please support them if you can, and share widely even if you can't!
Thank you all for the kindness and care you've shared with Polygon and the union over the last 2 days — it means the world to us all. gofund.me/a21cbbdc
Thank you all for the kindness and care you've shared with Polygon and the union over the last 2 days — it means the world to us all. gofund.me/a21cbbdc
Reposted by kayti burt
Vox has a successor clause in its 2022-25 WGAE contract, meaning any buyer would need to abide by the contract [https://www.wgaeast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/Vox-Editorial-WGAE-CBA-2022-2024.pdf]. Rather than do that, Valnet liquidated everyone represented by WGAE. Hideous villain shit.
WGAE confirms all union members of Polygon were fired as part of the sale to Valnet.
May 2, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Vox has a successor clause in its 2022-25 WGAE contract, meaning any buyer would need to abide by the contract [https://www.wgaeast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/Vox-Editorial-WGAE-CBA-2022-2024.pdf]. Rather than do that, Valnet liquidated everyone represented by WGAE. Hideous villain shit.
One of the best shows "on TV" right now.
May 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
One of the best shows "on TV" right now.
If you're in NYC this Thursday, I am hosting a casual @fspnwu.bsky.social meetup to take part in the rate-sharing challenge. It will be from 4-6pm at Spring Cafe Aspen. Bring your laptop to enter rates into the challenge's Google form, and get to know fellow freelance workers!
RSVP: bit.ly/41OXdjg
RSVP: bit.ly/41OXdjg
March 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM
If you're in NYC this Thursday, I am hosting a casual @fspnwu.bsky.social meetup to take part in the rate-sharing challenge. It will be from 4-6pm at Spring Cafe Aspen. Bring your laptop to enter rates into the challenge's Google form, and get to know fellow freelance workers!
RSVP: bit.ly/41OXdjg
RSVP: bit.ly/41OXdjg
Reposted by kayti burt
And even more 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
If you want to help your fellow freelancer friends (& any ex-VF enemies) understand what the actual freelance media worker $$ landscape is these days, come add YOUR rates to WPW & the @fspnwu.bsky.social Rate Sharing Database! freelancesolidarity.org/actions-camp...
If you want to help your fellow freelancer friends (& any ex-VF enemies) understand what the actual freelance media worker $$ landscape is these days, come add YOUR rates to WPW & the @fspnwu.bsky.social Rate Sharing Database! freelancesolidarity.org/actions-camp...
hard to get excited about $2/word.... lol lmao lol lmao lol
March 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
And even more 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
If you want to help your fellow freelancer friends (& any ex-VF enemies) understand what the actual freelance media worker $$ landscape is these days, come add YOUR rates to WPW & the @fspnwu.bsky.social Rate Sharing Database! freelancesolidarity.org/actions-camp...
If you want to help your fellow freelancer friends (& any ex-VF enemies) understand what the actual freelance media worker $$ landscape is these days, come add YOUR rates to WPW & the @fspnwu.bsky.social Rate Sharing Database! freelancesolidarity.org/actions-camp...
Reposted by kayti burt
Prism is looking for a freelance reporter to cover inequities affecting marginalized students in public education in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut. Prism pays $0.50/word within 2 weeks. You can learn more about us here: prismreports.org
March 10, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Prism is looking for a freelance reporter to cover inequities affecting marginalized students in public education in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut. Prism pays $0.50/word within 2 weeks. You can learn more about us here: prismreports.org
Reposted by kayti burt
Joy as an Act of Resistance:
Feb 4: worked on this design idea in my sketchbook (quote from @chappellroanbr.bsky.social at The Grammys) & had some very good & affirming chats with sweet folks in my community—including the wonderful @kaytiburt.bsky.social! Love how small this city feels sometimes.
Feb 4: worked on this design idea in my sketchbook (quote from @chappellroanbr.bsky.social at The Grammys) & had some very good & affirming chats with sweet folks in my community—including the wonderful @kaytiburt.bsky.social! Love how small this city feels sometimes.
February 5, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Joy as an Act of Resistance:
Feb 4: worked on this design idea in my sketchbook (quote from @chappellroanbr.bsky.social at The Grammys) & had some very good & affirming chats with sweet folks in my community—including the wonderful @kaytiburt.bsky.social! Love how small this city feels sometimes.
Feb 4: worked on this design idea in my sketchbook (quote from @chappellroanbr.bsky.social at The Grammys) & had some very good & affirming chats with sweet folks in my community—including the wonderful @kaytiburt.bsky.social! Love how small this city feels sometimes.
If you need proof of how great an actor Go Min-si is, I recommend watching Netflix's The Frog and Prime's Jinny Kitchen S2 back to back.
January 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
If you need proof of how great an actor Go Min-si is, I recommend watching Netflix's The Frog and Prime's Jinny Kitchen S2 back to back.
For Rolling Stone, I spoke with anime filmmaker Naoko Yamada. Her latest film, The Colors Within, follows three teens who start a band. It's soothingly low-stakes in its narrative construction. Yamada told me: “I wanted anxious audiences to see this movie and think, ‘It's going to be OK.'"
January 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
For Rolling Stone, I spoke with anime filmmaker Naoko Yamada. Her latest film, The Colors Within, follows three teens who start a band. It's soothingly low-stakes in its narrative construction. Yamada told me: “I wanted anxious audiences to see this movie and think, ‘It's going to be OK.'"