Last week, word emerged that Rob Jarosinski, co-founder of the website and podcast Alternate Ending, had died at age 42. First, my personal expression of gratitude for the contributions from his too-short life: You probably wouldn’t be reading this right now if not for Rob. Alternate Ending was a major inspiration for both The Goods: A Film Podcast which Brian and I started 2020, and this site for written reviews, which I launched in 2022. The Alternate Ending community, which Rob helped turn into a tightly-knit group by creating an active Discord, has been my virtual home and has helped cultivate my love for film and criticism. The site’s community introduced me directly and indirectly to several fellow movie fans I now call friends. They include: Goods contributor Andrew Milne; regular commenter and fellow review-writer Hunter Allen; a bunch of guests on our podcast, including Gavin McDowell (who I hung out with IRL in Paris), Gargus, Zev Burrows, and Riognach Robinson; and several others from the Alternate Ending commenting and Discord community (too many to name). Some of us even have a Christmas card exchange going these days. It’s crazy but true to think that I probably wouldn’t have those people in my life, at least not to the same level, without Rob.
Rob’s loss is tragic on multiple fronts: First and foremost, to his friends and family. I mainly listened to Alternate Ending for critic Tim Brayton’s insights, but the bedrock of the pod was the chemistry between Rob, his wife Carrie, and Tim as the quipping third wheel. The rich, loving, and complex relationship between Carrie and Rob was always funny and touching to listen to; it’s tough to imagine two people who better complement each other. Carrie always wears her heart on her sleeve about how much her family means to her; I can only imagine the grief that she’s going through with their two kids Abbi and Alice. For Tim especially and others in the AE community who were close to him personally, it’s a heartbreaking loss.
But Rob’s passing is also a blow to the film community at large. In 2022, Rob became a film producer, and he dove into the endeavor headfirst. In an especially cruel twist, Rob passed on the eve of the public streaming launch of his first feature, Hauntology. (I’ll be writing about Hauntology sometime this fall.) Those he had worked with in his new career have been pouring out expressions of gratitude and sadness: Rob’s leadership and personal touch, by all accounts, was inspiring and enabling to creators, including those with little experience. Rob’s outsider background as a film school dropout and hardcore movie fan encouraged him to make accessibility to filmmaking for hungry newbies a priority, something he spoke of on those handful of times he shared updates on his work on the Alternate Ending site and podcast.
I send my love and blessings to all of Rob’s family, the many people whose lives he touched, and to my Alternate Ending buddies in particular. Rob lived too few years, but he made a lot out of them. In his honor, let us never take our friends and loved ones for granted, since we never know what day will be their last; let us pull closer together as fellow movie lovers and creators and humans, just as Rob worked so hard for us to do; just as Rob did with so many of us himself.
Photos courtesy Rob’s Instagram account
Dan is the founder and head critic of The Goods. Follow Dan on Letterboxd. Join the Discord for updates and discussion.
One reply on “Tribute to Rob Jarosinski from Alternate Ending”
R.I.P., Rob.