The Hard Times

The Hard Times
"Punk News Comin’ Your Way!"[1][2]
Logo of The Hard Times
Type Satirical website
Founder(s) Matt Saincome, Bill Conway, Ed Saincome
Staff writers 250-300 contributors (July 2017)[3]
Founded December 2014
Headquarters San Francisco[4]
Website thehardtimes.net

The Hard Times is a satirical website with a focus on punk, alt music, and millennial culture[3][1][5][6] founded in 2014 by former SF Weekly music editor Matt Saincome,[1][2][7] his brother Ed Saincome, and comedian Bill Conway.[5][6][8] It has been compared to The Onion, ClickHole, and Reductress in style,[1][5] and has received praise for its specificity and niche appeal.[8][9]

The Hard Times also publishes Hard Drive, a satirical video game vertical, and hosts stand-up comedy shows at music festivals.[3][6]

Content published by The Hard Times is typically virally spread through engagement on social media such as Facebook.[1][5][8] The site averages between 2 and 6 million views a month.[3][8]

History

Founder Matt Saincome began pitching the idea for The Hard Times in 2012 as a junior at San Francisco State.[9][10][4][11] He formally founded The Hard Times with his brother Ed and comedian Bill Conway in December 2014, following a soft launch earlier in the year.[1]

In September 2016, the site passed 3 million views, and entered into an advertising partnership with Vice Media.[5]

In 2017, the site launched Hard Drive to publish video game related articles,[3] and began developing video content.[9]

In 2018, The Hard Times began work on a book and a television show.[6][10]

Staff

As of 2018, staff members include:[2]

  • Matt Saincome — Founder, Editor-in-Chief
  • Bill Conway — Co-Founder, Managing Editor, Head Writer
  • Ed Saincome — Co-Founder
  • Amber Bennoui — Chief Technology Officer
  • Ryan Long — Head of Video
  • Shelby Kettrick — Photo Editor
  • Chris Bavaria — Art Director
  • Ian Fishman — Copy Editor
  • Dan Rice — Hard Style Editor
  • Eric Navarro — Hard Style Editor
  • Kristofer Fiore — Hard Style Copy Editor
  • Mirinda Moriarty — Hard Style Photo Editor
  • Krissy Howard — Book and Special Projects Editor
  • Jeremy Kaplowitz — Hard Drive Editor-in-Chief
  • Mike Amory — Hard Drive Managing Editor
  • Mark Roebuck — Hard Drive Managing Editor
  • Peter Kemme — Video Producer
  • Sam Shepp — Head of Merchandising
  • Fred Pessaro — Advisor
  • Nick Dill — Live Event Manager

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raggett, Ned. "Punk And Irony Are Dead; Long Live The Hard Times". The Concourse. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  2. 1 2 3 "About - The Hard Times". The Hard Times. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Daniels, Melissa. "How The Hard Times Is Building A Bridge Between Punk and Comedy". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  4. 1 2 "The Hard Times founder sent us this article he wrote about himself - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Hard Times is perfecting punk satire | The Daily Dot". The Daily Dot. 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Spotlight: 'The Hard Times' Founder Matt Saincome on Turning Punk Into Comedy & Developing a New TV Show". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  7. ↑ "The Hard Times Unveils Its First Ever Documentary - October 4, 2016 - SF Weekly". SF Weekly. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Brown, August. "In strange times for Internet satire, the Hard Times grows beyond its punk niche - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  9. 1 2 3 "'The Hard Times' Founder Gives An Inside Look At His Punk Satire Site". UPROXX. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  10. 1 2 "Area Punk, Founder of 'The Hard Times', and Entertainer of Millions Lands Major Interview with RiotFest.org | Riot Fest". Riot Fest. 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  11. ↑ "Alum Matt Saincome Founded Satirical Punk-Rock Website The Hard Times | College of Liberal & Creative Arts". lca.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
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