McGowan wrote for Variety under a contract from July 2025 - January 2026. He covered breaking news and events, publishing nearly 300 articles and garnering over 27 million pageviews of traffic across the magazine's various print and online verticals. Above is a think-piece style article that he wrote coinciding with the release of One Battle After Another. Check out his full Variety page here.
"Barbarian Title Explained: Who - or What - Is the Barbarian?"
From Collider
In 2022 and 2023, McGowan regularly contributed think-piece style film and television articles to Collider.com as a Features Writer. He focused on classic as well as contemporary content, with emphases on lost media and film and television history. You can see his analysis of the film Barbarian above and check out his fill contributions to Collider here.
"Dinosaurs: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Nostalgic Show"
From ScreenRant
As a Film & TV List Writer, McGowan contributed several pieces to ScreenRant.com, sharing tibits of information and speculation on movies, television shows, actors, and celebrities. See his list of fun facts about the ABC children's show Dinosaurs above, and check out his full ScreenRant page here.
BOOK REVIEW: "THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD: COPPOLA, LUCAS, SPIELBERG-AND THE BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF AMERICAN CINEMA" BY PAUL FISCHER (CELADON BOOKS)
From Cinema Retro
For Cinema Retro, McGowan contributed a review of Paul Fischer's latest film history book, "The Last Kings of Hollywood," providing insight and analysis into Fischer's account of the 1970s Hollywood Renaissance and the creative impact of Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas.
"The Mechanical Monster, The Cyber-Slasher: Understanding The Terminator As A Horror Film"
From The Response Journal of Popular Culture
In this essay from The Response Journal of Popular Culture's November 2021 issue, McGowan analyzes James Cameron's The Terminator as a horror film, examining its unique place within the genre.
“Endgames and Doomsdays: COVID-19 and the ‘Death’ of Superhero Cinema"
From Celebration Of Superheroes Book of Essays
This is the essay from which McGowan crafted his presentation at the 2021 DePaul University Pop Culture Conference. It explores how the COVID-19 shutdown affected the superhero genre from iconographic, ideological, and industry standpoints. Learn more about the conference's accompanying book here.
"Superhero Ecologies: An Eco-Critical Reading of Contemporary Superhero Cinema"
From the Bowdoin Digital Commons
McGowan's undergradaute Honors Thesis from the English department at Bowdoin College, "Superhero Ecologies" analyzes modern American superhero movies from an eco-critical perspective, academically unveiling the genre's commentary on contmporary environmental ideologies and anxieties.
"'Who The Hell Is Jim Carrey?'— A Non-Existent Lacanian Method Actor In Life's Great Film
From The Foundationalist Literary Journal
Published in The Foundationalist Literary Journal, this academic essay looks at comedian Jim Carrey's method acting philosophies, and dissects its parallel truths with Jacques Lacan's radical theories of the self.
"Foucault's Authors and Film Auteurs"
From The Foundationalist Literary Journal
In this essay from The Foundationalist Literary Journal, McGowan discusses Michel Foucault's "What Is An Author?" and its application to Auteur Theory in cinema.
"An Anthropological Look At Black Panther's Wakanda"
From Avant-Garb Fashion & Culture Magazine
McGowan wrote several film-related columns and articles for Avant-Garb Fashion & Culture Magazine. Sadly, the website has since been shut down, but his article on Black Panther remains accessible on pages 30-33 in this digital version of the Spring 2018 issue.
Jojo Rabbit wins top Award at Toronto Film Fest: Audience Award, Precursor to Oscar Nomination
From Lynxotic.com
McGowan wrote (and ghostwrote) dozens of articles for Lynxotic.com throughout 2019 and 2020, covering topics ranging from movies, television, politics, technology, culture, media, and environmentalism. This article came out in 2019 before the release of Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit.
"The Courtroom Drama, Revisited & Raw"—The Trial Of The Chicago 7 Review
From IMDb.com
As a User Reviewer, McGowan independently critiqued dozens of films on IMDb.com, blending an academic knowledge of film with a colloquial delivery to share his thoughts on a wide range of diverse titles. See his review for 2020's The Trial Of The Chicago 7 above, and check out his entire IMDb review list here.
Channel Zero Static
From SoundCloud.com
McGowan compiled these selected poems (written and edited between 2013-2019) into a self-produced spoken word poetry album in early 2020.
"The Creeper"
From The Devil's Quill Literary Magazine
In high school, McGowan was president of the poetry club and he revived the school's online literary magazine. "The Creeper" was one of the first poems he contributed. In college, he re-released it in The Bowdoin Quill, and it is now the first track on his spoken-word poetry album.
"The Runner's Manifesto"
From Teen Ink Magazine
In August 2013, Teen Ink Magazine recognized this short, free-verse poem with an Editor's Choice Award. Five months later, "The Runner's Manifesto" was selected for publication in the Teen Ink January 2014 print issue, becoming McGowan's first official publication.