Paintball.Media

Paintball.Media is an American paintball media organisation and specialist publication edited by John Amodea. It produces Paintball.Media Magazine, an online magazine covering competitive paintball, recreational and scenario paintball, equipment, photography and industry news. The organisation also publishes historical material and original documentary films.[1][2]

The magazine's first publicly documented issue was announced on 27 April 2015, although Amodea dates the beginning of the publishing project to 2014.[1][3]

History

Establishment

Paintball.Media was developed by John Amodea, an established paintball journalist and publisher whose previous publications included Paintball Consumer Reports International, Paintball 2Xtremes and PaintballX3.

In a February 2026 retrospective, Amodea identified Paintball.Media as the successor to his earlier publications, dating its publishing history from 2014.[3]

On 27 April 2015, Amodea announced the first edition of a new digital magazine through the Paintball.Media website.

The premiere issue included 30 pages of coverage from the Millennium Series tournament in France, scenario paintball reporting, interviews, equipment reviews and articles on the emerging National Xball League (NXL).[1]

The magazine was made available to readers free of charge.

Print and digital editions

Paintball.Media subsequently developed both digital and printed editions.

In September 2015, the publication advertised printed copies for distribution through paintball retailers, playing fields and newsstands.[4]

By 2019, the magazine's published masthead identified a schedule of ten digital editions and four quarterly printed editions annually.[5]

Its editorial contributors included writers and photographers covering professional tournaments, scenario events, equipment manufacturers and recreational paintball.

The publication continued producing digital editions during the 2020s, with monthly issues available through its website and online magazine platform.[2]

Editorial coverage

Paintball.Media publishes reporting and photographic coverage across several areas of the sport.

Tournament paintball

Tournament reporting includes coverage of professional and amateur competition in North America, Europe and other regions.

The publication has covered competitions organised by the National Xball League, Millennium Series, International Classic Paintball League and other tournament organisations.

Its coverage includes match results, team and player interviews, tournament photography and seasonal championship reporting.[2]

Scenario and recreational paintball

Paintball.Media also covers large-scale recreational and scenario events, including Living Legends, Skirmish's Invasion of Normandy and other organised big games.

The publication includes features on scenario organisers, playing fields, equipment and the history of recreational paintball.

Its February 2026 edition contained a special historical feature on scenario paintball, drawing on archival publications, photographs and interviews.[3]

Equipment and industry reporting

The publication regularly features equipment reviews, new product announcements and interviews with manufacturers.

Its website maintains sections dedicated to markers, loaders, protective equipment, accessories and other paintball products.[2]

Documentary films

Paintball.Media has expanded beyond magazine publishing into documentary production and the preservation of historical paintball footage.

In 2020, John Amodea directed The Complete History of Paintball, a 171-minute documentary examining the origins and development of the sport.

The film was released for streaming on 21 April 2020. An extended six-hour director's cut was also produced.[6]

Other original productions distributed through Paintball.Media's film archive include:

These Kids Can Ball
If Only You Knew: Simon Says, The Story of Simon Stevens
If Only You Knew: Jerry's World, The Story of Jerry Braun
TM40: Life to the Full, The Story of Tim Montressor
Jeremy Salm/Avalanche Sniper Incident

The organisation also produces the Iconic Paintball Teams documentary series, featuring historical profiles of professional paintball teams.[7]

Historical preservation

Paintball.Media maintains a collection of historical tournament footage, photographs, interviews and paintball publications.

Its associated website, PaintballFilms.com, distributes original documentaries alongside archived tournament matches, historical documents and other recordings.[7]

The collection includes footage from the 1990s and 2000s, preserving material from earlier periods of professional tournament paintball.

Amodea's historical research has drawn on his personal archives of magazines, tournament records, interviews, photographs and video recordings accumulated through several decades of paintball journalism.[3]

Editorial staff

John Amodea serves as editor and media director of Paintball.Media.

The publication's August 2025 masthead also identified Josh Silverman as a feature writer. Silverman previously contributed to several paintball magazines, including Paintball 2Xtremes, Paintball Games International and Facefull.[8]

Paintball.Media works with contributing photographers, writers and other media specialists covering paintball internationally.

References

External links