Some Things Must End For Others To Begin

A Letter to All of You on the Future of The Backlot

Hey Backlot Community,

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken. First of all, I want to apologize for the long silence on this platform. It’s been a very insightful but difficult few months. A lot of things have changed, and I’ve got a big update on the future of this newsletter.

Last August, The Backlot produced its final newsletter before the break, and I told you the platform would return with a renewed focus and a more streamlined approach to sharing information in the documentary filmmaking space. Originally, that was the plan and I was expecting to continue the newsletter in the late fall with this new brand and focus.

But life, as it so often does, had other plans. In the late fall, a flurry of personal issues spurred a reevaluation of my life and purpose. These changes made me look a bit deeper within myself and try to find the misalignment in my life, something that took months to truly navigate and understand.

As I started to work through these feelings, I began to change my approach to this newsletter. I realized that for the latter half of The Backlot’s posts, I became much more interested in writing about different subjects. I too often felt myself trying to fit these topics into the confines of a newsletter about the documentary film industry, and that began to feel restrictive and misaligned with my purpose.

Therefore, I decided to take a pause on The Backlot and find the real root of the issue at hand, hoping to return with more clarity. After a few months of some insightful self-reflection and a deeper understanding of myself, I began embracing a different path forward.

For these reasons, The Backlot will not be returning. I will be leaving the substack newsletter up on the platform for anyone to use as a resource, but there will be no new posts or updates. I cannot express how much I appreciate everyone’s subscription to the newsletter and for following along in the journey. Your support truly does mean the world.

But, as with any closed door, another one always opens. As I close the door on The Backlot, another door has opened, one that feels much more aligned with my purpose and direction in life.

Next month, I will be launching a new platform titled Human Nature. This newsletter will focus on sharing stories that aim to deepen our understanding of the human relationship with the natural world. This will also be a space for me to investigate my own human experience, challenging myself to pursue a closer relationship with nature and seek a greater understanding of my place on this earth.

In this newsletter, I will also continue discussing my work in documentary film and storytelling, which continues to focus on environmental issues, conservation, and those communities on the frontlines of climate change.

This new project is a culmination of everything I’ve worked on for the past decade of my life - combining my passions for conservation, nature, storytelling, filmmaking, and self-growth. I’m truly excited to embark on this adventure and use it as a vehicle to build a community of people who are seeking a stronger relationship with our incredible planet.

If you’d like to join me on this journey, you can sign up here.

Thank you for embarking on The Backlot with me and allowing me to share this experience with you all. Take care of yourselves out there my friends, and hopefully, we will see each other again soon.

Sincerely,

Keegan Sentner