Samuel T. Weston

@awsamweston.com

278 Followers 119 Following

Fantasy filmmaker. Autistic Minnesotan. Proud Farmer-Laborite Socialist trying to do some good. Founder of @battlemage.social. https://awsamweston.com/bio

Still of Sue Sylvester from "Glee" with subtitles reading "I am going to create an environment that is so inclusive..."
Kris Eilers for County Commissioner. Summer Fundraise — June 24, 2026. Lafayette Community Center • 5–6pm. "Conversation. Crafts. Community."
Low-angle shot of Sam on the floor of the DFL state convention carrying a stack of papers and looking off-camera.
Kobey Layne speaking at a podium, out of focus, with Amy Klobuchar in focus in the background looking worried. Caption: "TFW YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THAT CROWN YOU PAID FOR"
A man speaking at a convention microphone. On the screen behind him is an amendment to an "Antisemitism" resolution with "or denial of the right of the State of Israel to exist" crossed out.
Sam outside a theater marquee reading "MIDWEST WEIRD FEST / A NIGHT OF HORROR FEST / MARCH 5-8"
A mashup of Mean Girls and Fullmetal Alchemist characters sitting in a car with the caption "Get in loser, it's october 3."
Mold and cracked paint hanging from a bathroom ceiling.
Cracked plaster hanging down from a white wall over a printer, some white boards, and a radiator.
Threads screenshot. @councilofheardandmcdpenguins: "Modern mainstream media is not in any way equipped to decipher the type of politics and Internet slang that made Tyler Robinson into an assassin. We really need Gen Z and Gen Alpha to get on TV and explain exactly how deep this alt-right rabbit hole goes." @rasnorok: "Its fucked that gaming reporters are more prepared for this than the mainstream "actual" reporters. They could have done research first. But nope ran with whatever bullshit sounds good." @jp_la_flair: "all this spawned from gamer gate and sweet baby. A lot of them also listen to @asmonvault" @rasnorok: "I am aware." @jolene_d_campbellauthor: "My teenager filled me. There is so much more going on under the surface than I realized."
Flow chart for "How the Power Flows in the Minnesota DFL." Precinct Caucuses -> City / Local Convention & City / Local Executive Committee. Local Convention -> Congressional District Convention & State Convention & State Central Committee. Community Caucuses / Caucus Chapters -> State Central Committee. Congressional District Convention / Congressional District Executive Committee -> State Executive Committee State Convention -> Democratic National Convention & State Executive Committee State Central Committee -> State Executive Committee & DFL Chair, Vice Chairs, etc. DFL Chair, Vice Chairs, etc. -> Democratic National Convention & Democratic National Committee.
A tweet reading “Deadly fungus thought to be a pharaoh’s “curse” has been turned into a compound that kills cancerous leukemia cells in lab tests” with the retweet: “THE CURSE OF RA KILLS CANCER??? WHAT THE FUCK”
STATEMENT: Duluth currently faces three big issues: Young people are economically pressured to leave town instead of making a life here, more people want to move here than we have capacity for, and citizens feel unheard by the current council. In my nearly 10 years living in Duluth, I have seen so many twentysomethings grow disillusioned with our city and move on to greener pastures. We need more and better economic opportunities to keep young people here. We also have people beating down our doors by the thousands because they’ve been told Duluth is a “climate refuge.” We are simply not ready to accommodate them yet, but we still ought to try. This requires bold leadership from councilors who are ready to listen and push forward novel ideas. To make this work, Duluthians need City Councilors who actively listen to our concerns. I am a longtime pillar of the Duluth film community, known for my listening skills and timely, hard-but-necessary insights on the state of the film industry. As a City Councilor, I would bring these same insights to my work on the Council, born out of listening to my neighbors in the Second District. Making Duluth a better city is a necessary step to draw people here and support a healthy, growing community for years to come. I hope I can do even a small part to make that happen.
A GIF of Saul Goodman standing in front of two waving flags: Canada on top, Minnesota below it.
Monthly Filmmaker Meetup. Resurrecting the community in Duluth film one Meeting at a Time. Swap ideas. Find support. Get the pulse of Duluth's film community. Crew. Artists. Producers. No matter your role: if you make films, you're welcome here. Thursday July 24, 6-8pm Dovetail Café — 1917 W Superior St., Duluth
I'm in Minneapolis this weekend! Find me at CONvergence July 3-6 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
I'm in Minneapolis this weekend! Find me at CONvergence July 3-6 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
I'm in Minneapolis this weekend! Find me at CONvergence! July 3-6 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
I'm in Minneapolis this weekend! Find me at CONvergence, July 3–6, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
A man gesturing as he says "G-I-F. /ʒaif/"
How to find Sam at CONvergence Panel Schedule July 3–6, 2025 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
How to find Sam at CONvergence Panel Schedule July 3–6, 2025 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Register & get full schedule at convergence-con.org
A hand holding up 3 plastic fountain pens in red, blue, and black. In the background is a mostly-empty seating area in a hotel ballroom.
A hardcover copy of American Gods with two fingers blocking out the author’s name
A page from a screenplay: EXT. TOWN SQUARE -- NIGHT A weary Paladin in dirty armor catches her breath. She carries a giant hammer covered in pitch-black goo. Demon corpses lay around her. A glint of sunlight crosses her face, revealing-- .LATE AFTERNOON -- CONTINUOUS The sun peeks out as a gas giant (**The Great World**) sets in the sky. The Paladin falls to her knees and sighs, relieved, as the demons dissolve into the air. INT. HAVENSFORD CATHEDRAL -- SUNSET Paladins in polished steel armor mill about a cathedral in their normal routine as the wooden front doors BANG open! In steps **Teron of Springdale** (17), bathed in sunlight. He tries to be rugged and handsome, but he has big shoes to fill and the baggy tunic to match. TERON (To the room.) I demand an audience. Springdale calls for aid! The Paladins in the room give Teron weird looks: Is this kid for real? One of them points a thumb at a counter in the far corner. A sign there reads “CITIZEN’S DESK.” Teron, dejected, trudges over to the kiosk. He’s followed by his sister, **Arthryn of Springdale** (12, long blonde hair, pants, flowy shirt, lugs a giant hammer wrapped in rags), who marvels at the stained-glass windows depicting ancient battles against the forces of Darkness. Arthryn points up at one. ARTHRYN Look! It’s Naria Dawnbreaker with the Angel Limyaael! TERON And with luck, the Paladins will make good on that pact. .CITIZEN’S DESK -- CONTINUOUS They reach the counter. Teron slaps down a wax-sealed letter in front of an armor-clad **LIEUTENANT CLEMENT MORDIER** (late 30s), who eyes it with all the urgency a lion would a fly.
Excerpt from a Politico report: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/08/martin-hogg-call-private-meeting-00393517 "Hogg previously told POLITICO “we have a culture of seniority politics that has created a litmus test of who deserves to be here” and “we need people, regardless of their age, that are here to fight.” He has won some influential supporters, including longtime Democratic strategist James Carville and radio host Charlamagne tha God." "But an intense backlash from other Democrats has accused Hogg of hurting, not helping, the party. Several of the Democratic Party officers leveled that criticism at Hogg in their statements supporting Martin."
A pair of tweets from @elonmusk: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate." "Such ingratitude."
A text-heavy image reading "Find Sam at 4th Street Fantasy — Panel Alert!" "What We Talk About When We Talk About What We Like" "5:00 PM / Jake Casella Brookins, Ash Howell (M), Mary Robinette Kowal, Sherwood Smith, Samuel T. Weston" "Critique is where writing and reading intersect. When we get together in Minneapolis to talk about stories, to say that makes me feel X or did you see what Y did there? - we are engaging in critique. Writers are forever responding, explicitly or subconsciously, to what we read: whether it came out last year, or 20 years ago, or back in 1932 but we only just got around to reading it. Readers, too, bring all their experience of other stories and other storytelling techniques to each new reading experience. We all perform literary criticism whether we mean to or not ... and here at this convention, we mostly mean to. So how can we get better at it?" June 14th / 5:00pm Park Place Doubletree / Minneapolis COVID-19 testing & masking policy in place. Register at https://4thstreetfantasy.com/register/
A poster image for a Monthly Filmmaker Meetup. "Resurrecting the community in Duluth film one meeting at a time. Swap ideas. Find support. Get the pulse of Duluth's film community." "Crew. Artists. Producers. No matter your role: if you make films, you're welcome here." "Thursday, June 19, 6-8pm. Dovetail Café. 1917 W Superior St., Duluth." A QR code goes to http://awsamweston.com/mfm
A photo of a MacBook screen with a Highland 2 window open showing the title page of "Arthryn and the Errant Worlds" — Season 1, Episode 1 (Pilot) / "Arthryn and the Summons of Justice" by Samuel T. Weston. It also shows copyright and contact details (sam@battlemagefilms.com) and save data (Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM CDT for Draft 6). The sidebar contains some sluglines for scenes in the script.
A photo from the steering wheel in a parked car of a white hand holding a US passport book.
What to expect at the Monthly Filmmaker Meetup. Thursday, May 15, 6–8pm Dovetail Café 1917 W Superior St. Duluth
A screenshot from a Duluth Monitor article with the headline "DFL official accused of fatal hit-and-run had resignation nixed by party leaders." An image of a woman (Cyndy Martin) wearing a Kamala Harris '24 hat below it.
A photo of a corner of a MacOS screen showing a file transfer window: Copying 154,067 items to “Minas Tirith” The progress bar has only completed a sliver. 27.27 GB of 16.15 TB - About 2 days. Behind the file transfer window is a clock widget that reads 4:45.
Flier for a Monthly Filmmaker Meetup: "resurrecting the community in Duluth film One Meeting at a Time." Swap ideas. Find support. Get the pulse of Duluth's film community. Crew. Artists. Producers. No matter your role: if you make films, you're welcome here. Thursday May 15, 6-8pm, Dovetail Café, 1917 W Superior St., Duluth. QR code linking to https://awsamweston.com/mfm
Family Guy meme. First panel: Meg (labeled "Wisconsinites") says "You guys always act like you're better than me" Second panel: Peter, Lois, and Chris in fancy wear (labeled "Minnesotans")
Screenshot of a fundraising text: “Matt Gaetz, Mike Waltz, & Elise Stefanik have all vacated their seats this year, leaving Mike Johnson with just a 217-215 GOP majority. Democrats can regain that majority if we win these three special elections. That's why one of our donors has agreed to triple-match all donations through the end of the month to help us raise the resources we need to turn out the vote and take back the House. Can we count on you to rush a donation to help us WIN tonight? no-surrender.us/house-triple-match?t=WcZkWs - No Surrender Fund Text STOP to quit” Reply: “Read the room. Chuck Schumer betrayed the people and today is NOT the day for Democratic fundraising texts.”
A meme GIF of Saul Goodman standing patriotically in front of a Canadian flag over a Minnesota flag, both blowing in the wind.
Banner image for Gleahan and the Knaves of Industry. A man poses heroically with a sword, flanked by a woman in flannel and another man. The Duluth cityscape fills in the background. In one corner there is a castle and a dragon.
A screenshot of the Apple TV+ menu bar on MacOS. "Controls" is highlighted, showing the options: Play (Space), Next (⌘▶), Previous (⌘◀), Increase Volume (⌘▲), and Decrease Volume (⌘▼). Unusable options are Back (⌘[) and Reload Page (⌘R)
My priorities for the DFL Party: 1. Winning. We must do the work to continue our statewide winning streak while investing locally to win tough races down the ballot. This means having conversations with voters in red and purple districts about their concerns and listening to how we can earn their support. And it means investing in turnout efforts to ensure DFLers make a plan to vote. 2. Collaboration. Building on the success of our party requires us to reinvest in relationships with one another and with our allies. I will be a collaborative leader that ensures people have a voice that is heard by our party. We are better for our Big Tent. 3. Resources. Campaigns and parties are about allocating resources - time and money. I will raise the money needed to win and have the record to prove it. I am prepared to strategically manage our resources and demonstrate to donors that investing in the DFL improves the lives of Minnesotans. 4. Messaging. Voters are conflicted and we must meet them where they are. We must offer a vision that gives voters something to vote for, not just against. We can hold Republicans accountable for their poor policy positions while inviting voters to unwind their conflicts, find common ground, and build solutions that impact our communities.
A screenshot of Twitter's advanced search, looking for the phrase "anyone protesting" from the account "elonmusk". No results.
An email from X flagging my recent tweet about Minnesotans practicing shame and calling it “hateful content.”
A screenshot of the free apps chart on the iPhone App Store, with Xiaohongshu (aka "Red Note", literally "Little Red Book") in the top spot followed by Lemon8, ChatGPT, Flip, a wildfire maps app, and Threads.
Counterpoint: The Twin Cities DSA doesn’t like being called ‘extremist,’ because its solutions are common-sense for regular people For anyone besides out-of-touch rich people, socialism is a perfectly sensible solution for all. By Carol Becker (with help from Samuel T. Weston) Hey, Carol. I got a chance to review your essay. In general you have the right idea, but I’ve made some slight corrections to help you make your point better. —Sam The co-chairs of the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America, Laura Jahnig and Revmira Beeby, recently wrote a Community Voices piece titled “Inflammatory rhetoric by All of Mpls hurts democracy,” in which they argue that it is wrong that the moderate group All of Minneapolis has called them “extremists.” On the contrary, its goals make perfect sense for regular working people. The Democratic Socialists of America are, as their name says, socialists. Simply put, according to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, socialism is an economic system in which the government owns or heavily regulates all or some industries in an economy. Socialism was the great experiment of humanity in the 20th century. At one point, there were 41 countries where the government owned all industries in the economy and about 140 countries where the government owned at least some key industries, according to a book on the subject, Essentials of Comparative Politics. But thanks to the U.S. meddling in these countries’ affairs, It turned out to be a complete disaster. Socialist economies met the material needs of 1.5 billion people (out of a total world population of 4.4 billion, according to the American Enterprise Institute). Since then, socialism has been widely abandoned, between the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Thatcher Revolution. From 1989 to today, more than a billion people have been left in poverty with the abandonment of socialism. There are now just five countries where the government owns all of the industries and only nine where the
A screenshot of a YouTube thumbnail from The Writer's Block titled "How *Not* to do a Battle Sequence - The Witcher VS Lord of the Rings". The thumbnail features a woman from The Witcher on one side with a red stamp reading "WRONG!" and the other side features Legolas with a green stamp reading "CORRECT". Over the whole screenshot is another red stamp reading "BAD"