Tue, 22 July 2014
N4AL's Wendy and Adron Buske talk with indie comic creators Rebecca Hicks (Little Vampires) and David Accampo (Sparrow & Crowe: The Demonaic of Los Angeles) about the craft of making and marketing comics, how to build and sustain a loyal audience, and how to carry over skills from your day jobs into your nerd passion projects. Networking and selling at San Diego Comic Con is a hot topic, and we veer all over the nerd culture landscape in this highly entertaining discussion. |
Tue, 17 June 2014
N4AL's Adron Buske talks with Dana Huth and Carol Mertz, co-founders of design and development firm Rampant Interactive and indie game studio Happy Badgers. Rampant Interactive is a St. Louis-based digital production company creating websites and mobile apps. But while this 4 person operation primarily pays the bills with client-focused online products, their real passion is game development. We talk about the joys and challenges of starting up your own business; developing your game plan over time to focus on what makes you happiest; the current state of indie game development; the obstacles an indie studio faces trying to make money in the casual gaming market; and the experience of being women in the gaming industry. Also of note: Carol is the chairman of the St. Louis chapter of IGDA, the International Game Developer’s Association. |
Tue, 10 June 2014
We talk with Marisa Stotter, director of the upcoming Respect Films documentary "She Makes Comics" about the genesis of the project, the successful funding of their Kickstarter campaign, and the challenges facing women creators - and fans - in the comics industry. Respect Films has previously produced documentaries on Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison and the founders of Image Comics.
Direct download: N4AL15-Marisa-Stotter-She-Makes-Comics.mp3
Category:Film & Documentaries -- posted at: 12:25pm CDT |
Tue, 27 May 2014
Tom Kurzanski, art director for massively popular online T-shirt store Tee Fury, talks with N4AL's Wendy and Adron about his career in design and illustration. We discuss Tee Fury's method for artist support and community cultivation, the challenges facing freelance artists, the necessity for constant learning, and the power of customer feedback as a marketing resource. |
Tue, 20 May 2014
N4AL's Adron Buske talks to Andy Schmidt, owner of Comics Experience, the online school for comic creators. Andy is a former Senior Editor for IDW Publishing, and a former editor for Marvel Comics, where he worked on most of their notable properties, including Guardians of the Galaxy (soon to be a major motion picture in Summer 2014). We discuss his path to working in comics, the creation of Comics Experience, benefits of a stay-at-home career, juggling different roles and businesses, and the power of having cool nerd jobs on your resume. |
Wed, 14 May 2014
N4AL's Adron Buske talks with Canadian author Rhiannon Paille, creator of the young adult paranormal romance series 'The Ferryman and the Flame', including currently available novels 'Surrender', 'Justice', and 'Vulture'. Rhi recently signed to Kevin J. Anderson's publishing imprint Wordfire Press. We talk about self-publishing, online promotion of your work, Rhi's process and work habits, the challenges facing indie authors in a saturated media landscape and juggling other careers with writing. |
Fri, 9 May 2014
Recorded at Chicago's C2E2 2014, this panel of nerd industry professionals discusses different types of jobs that exist within pop-culture. Each speaker talks about their career path, from education to on-the-job experience. Topics include small business start-up, the challenges of working for yourself versus corporations, networking and more. Panelists include Lorenzo Lizana (art director, Lion Forge comics), Andy Schmidt (owner, Comics Experience and Brand + Entertainment Solutions), Jaimie Cordero (CEO and art director, Espionage Cosmetics) and Pat Loika (Comixology, the Loikamania Podcast). Moderated by Nerd For A Living's Wendy Buske. |
Tue, 6 May 2014
Recorded at Chicago's C2E2 2014, this panel of professional artists, illustrators, writers, business owners and web consultants discusses marketing and selling your art and services online. Guests speakers Karen Hallion (illustrator and T-shirt designer), Andy Schmidt (founder of Comics Experience and former editor for Marvel and IDW), Janet Lee (Eisner award-winning artist of Return of the Dapper Men), and Kelly Stephenson (SEO consultant for SSM Healthcare, social media expert at SageLark) talk about starting an online business, their experiences with different vendors, licensing, intellectual property and engaging their audience via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more. Moderated by Nerd For A Living's Wendy Buske.
Direct download: N4AL10-C2E2-2014-ArtOnline.mp3
Category:Business and Marketing -- posted at: 4:47pm CDT |
Tue, 29 April 2014
At C2E2 2014, we spoke with the wonderful Abbie Heppe of Respawn Entertainment. Respawn is the independent gaming company that brought us TITANFALL. Abbie is Respawn's Community Manager, as well as the voice of 'Sarah' in the Titanfall video game. Her gaming career started in 2006 as an editor at Tips & Tricks magazine. Later she was the Senior Games Content Producer for G4, the co-host of the Feedback podcast with Adam Sessler and a reviewer for X-Play. |
Tue, 22 April 2014
We talk to writer and illustrator Drew Blank, a veteran of the convention and expo scene with a highly recognizable, humorous art style that attracts a crowd in every city. We discuss how the loss of his previous job kickstarted his career selling fan art, and how he juggles that with his true passion, writing. Drew is the author of the hit indie novel 'Memoirs of an Anti-Hero'. Find out more about him at DrewBlank.com |