Matthew Essary and I have been friends since around 2021. We met each other via Twitter when our action cinema crowd was brewing and he’s been a friend and contributor to Film Combat Syndicate ever since. Hell, it’s only because of him that Pete Volk even looked in my direction a few years back to contribute to a group piece over at Polygon celebrating Black Action Stars, and that moment remains a highlight to this day.
This is all to say that Essary is now in a place where he needs all the help he can get. His health is currently taking a beating following an injury and he’s amassed some complications as a result. It’s imaginably painful, and it’s also burning a big hole in his wallet, and so to ease the financial burden some, he’s got a GoFundMe page running where you can read more about his current situation and donate accordingly.
I’m extra serious about this. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in such a bind that someone made a GoFundMe for me to help care for my family a little more, so I know what it means to be in this position. Moreover, Essary has been increasingly less and less on social media for a long time now, so given his goings-on, it’s easy to see why, and it hurts to see him in such a bad place.
Please tap here to read his story, and contribute. He’s one of a handful of people that Film Combat Syndicate owes a debt of gratitude to, and between the follower counts I have across Facebook, BlueSky, and Instagram, we can all help get Essary back to good. Please donate his campaign. Please share. Whatever it takes. Let’s pay it forward and help make him whole, folks.