What is Toisto?
Toisto (toys-toh, meaning playback in Finnish) began as a personal project in 2019 and has since expanded into a respected outlet for film, gaming, and streaming media in the Nordics. With an international audience of 15k readers monthly, aged between 20 to 60 from Finland to America, Toisto has found a loyal and vocal readership over the years.
I’m Jonathan, I’m an autistic freelance writer, critic, and content creator from Helsinki, Finland. You can find my works in Helsingin Sanomat, Pelaaja, KonsoliFIN, and internationally in FILMHOUNDS, Filmtopp, Debug Magazine, and Concur Magazine.
I’ve interviewed directors, actors, game designers, and writers from all over the globe, and taken part in some of the biggest festivals and conventions.
I’m also a proud member of the Finnish Critics’ Association, the only Tomatometer-certified critic in the Nordics, and I’m proudly listed on OpenCritic.
What does Toisto write about?
Toisto covers film and streaming premieres in the Nordics, the latest global game releases, interviews with filmmakers and actors, conventions, festivals, and launch events.
I focus on long-form, intersectional reviews, and articles, with an emphasis on clear and accessible writing that inspires further examination of both film and game art.
Want something reviewed? Do you have an event you want covered? I’m open to collaborations, consulting, reviews, panels, and whatever you can think of. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Ratings
I employ a 1-5-star rating system with full stars and no half-marks. They are as follows:
★ - Not recommended with too many faults or questionable content to warrant your time.
★★ - Deeply flawed with some merits that make it a curiosity for the truly devoted.
★★★ - Passable and often enjoyable, if not remarkable.
★★★★ - A terrific example of getting almost everything right and only *just* missing out on the highest marks. Still an easy recommendation.
★★★★★ - Five stars doesn’t mean the subject is perfect, but it means that it does so many things right and so often that it deserves all the praise it can get. It’s a fantastic example of its genre/format and should be your first consideration in any situation.
Editorial guidelines
As a member of The Union of Journalists in Finland, I follow their ethics statement in my work as well.
In short, among other things, this includes:
Toisto does not do paid advertorials.
I do accept review samples and units, and any travel and lodging are disclosed in the article. Subjects do not receive early copies or say in the final piece. They see the reviews at the same time as the readers.
I do not cover AI-generated films or games with excessive use of AI. I reserve the right to refuse to cover a product that does not disclose this properly.
