Three longstanding members are celebrated in our 20th anniversary year

Three key figures in the early years and growth of online film criticism have been selected by members of the Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) to become the latest additions to the association’s roster of Members Emeritus. Christopher Cox, host and cofounder of the One of Us podcast network, Martin Thomas of Double Toasted, and Eric Vespe of The Kingcast and The Spiel are this year’s inductees.

Established in 2025 to reflect the AFCA’s 20^th anniversary, this is the second year of the program, as Marjorie Baumgarten of the Austin Chronicle was inducted as the first Member Emeritus. The honor is bestowed upon request of critics who have been continuous members of the association in good standing for 20 years. Each application must be approved by vote of the AFCA membership.

AFCA President Jon Partridge said, “The 20th anniversary year of the AFCA gives us an opportunity to not just celebrate the growth and impact of our organization, but to also tip the hat towards the key figures who helped shape the AFCA and Austin film criticism in general. Chris, Martin, and Eric have been crucial figures on the Austin scene for years and their passion for both film and their work is palpable, even after 20 years.”

Christopher Cox and Martin Thomas have become synonymous as fixtures in the Austin film scene. The pair both got their start as hosts of The Real Deal, the film review show on Austin Public Access, with Cox known to fans as Cyrus and Thomas appearing under the pseudonym of Leon. The pair then went on to be among the cofounders of Spill.com and famously cohosted the site’s The League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen podcast. The pair then seemed to go their separate ways in 2013, with Cox establishing the One of Us podcast network and Thomas hosting Double Toasted. However, they have remained close friends and Thomas regularly appears alongside Cox on One of Us shows. Cox can be heard on Highly Suspect Reviews discussing new theatrical releases and the DVD/Blu-ray show, Digital Noise. Thomas’ signature humor and insights can be heard on both Double Toasted and Hello Crawlers, dedicated to the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series.

Christopher Cox described Thomas as “one of the longest tenured critics in the AFCA, known for his collaborative audio and video reviews, quick with a witty or insightful rejoinder or point on any given discussion topic. With an ease of tone and an aura of affability with a pull almost impossible to resist, Martin might be best described as an Extraordinary Gentleman.”

Martin Thomas added, “My friendship with Chris Cox and his career as a film critic began nearly a quarter of a century ago on local cable access television with The Reel Deal and continues to flourish with no end (to either) in sight. We were the first to agree to (AFCA founder) Cole Dabney’s proposal of an AFCA, and afterwards we looked at each other and said, “Why didn’t we think of that?”

Joining the pair in the emeritus list is Eric Vespe. He began writing about film in high school as a critic and journalist for Ain’t it Cool News under the nom de plume of Quint – an homage to his all-time favorite film, Jaws. Over the years, he has received bylines in /Film, Collider, Playboy, Popular Mechanics, Fangoria, and Syfy Wire. In recent years he has garnered new audiences as the host of podcasts dedicated to two legends of genre cinema and storytelling: The Spiel, covering the films of Steven Spielberg, and The Kingcast, dedicated to the novels and adaptations of Stephen King.

AFCA Vice-president Richard Whittaker called Vespe “a quietly pivotal figure in online film criticism, right back from all we knew about him was a pseudonym and a cartoon version of him being eaten by Bruce the shark. His unassuming manner and gentle tone has helped prove that you don’t have to be bombastic to make an impact when talking about movies, and his legacy can be best measured by the number of critics and people in the film industry that like and respect him.”

Founded in 2005 by Cole Dabney & Bobby McCurdy, the AFCA has seen its membership grow from single digits to well over 35 members. The diverse outlets our members contribute to include the Austin Chronicle, Bullz-Eye, But Why Tho?, Certified Forgotten, Cinapse, Cinema Scholars, Consequence, Daily Grindhouse, Double Toasted, Dread Central, Edge Media Network, Fangoria, Film School Rejects, Hyperreal Film Club, Indiewire, Horror’s Not Dead, Junkfood Cinema, KOOP 91.7 FM Radio, Mendowerks, One Movie Punch, One Of Us, Paste, The Playlist, Sightlines, Slashfilm, True View Reviews, Uproxx, and We Got This Covered.