Tue, 20 December 2016
Rachael Stott is a comic book artist, currently doing covers and interior art for the official Doctor Who series published by Titan Comics, which follows Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor. And while she’s only been a professional comic artist for about two years, she’s already racked up an impressive resume. She drew the Star Trek/Planet of the Apes crossover series for IDW. She did covers for the licensed Assassin's Creed and Heroes comics, and covers for Archie. She provided covers for the Green Lantern / Star Trek crossover series, as well as covers and interiors for Ghostbusters International. She won the 2015 British Comics Award for Best Newcomer. |
Wed, 30 November 2016
Legendary comics editor Karen Berger talks with us about her new project at Image Comics, Surgeon X, with writer Sara Kenney and artist John Watkiss. We also talk about her work at Vertigo, the creator-driven, mature-readers publishing imprint she founded at DC Comics. Karen is well known in comics circles as the editor on massively influential comics work, including Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, The Sandman, Preacher , Y: The Last Man, The Invisibles, Fables, and many, many more. Written by documentarian and comic-newcomer Sara Kenney, with art by John Watkiss, Surgeon X explores a near-future world where antibiotics are becoming ineffective and governments regulate their availability to patients. In a time when minor infections and previously treatable diseases are now deadly, hospitals are forced to withhold services from patients who fall low on a Productivity Contribution Index. The rise of increasingly autocratic governing parties who arbitrarily decide who is worthy of live-saving treatments provokes riots and violent counter-measures. And one doctor, sick of the restraints on the medical community, leaves her position at a hospital to pursue unregulated, underground surgery solutions. She becomes the titular Surgeon X, struggling against a corrupt system, and against her own growing god-complex as she controls who lives and who dies. |
Tue, 1 November 2016
NaNoWriMo executive director Grant Faulkner joins us to discuss National Novel Writing Month. We discuss how the NaNoWriMo initiative promotes daily writing habits, community building, and leads to the galvanizing goal of a 50,000 word novel. Grant explains how social events and communication are at the core of the NaNo experience, how to survive writing obstacles - both situational and self-imposed - and how NaNo can jumpstart your efforts at a serious writing career. |
Thu, 27 October 2016
We talk with Emmy-winning choreographer and comedienne Kathryn Burns. Kathryn has contributed dance numbers and movement direction to five seasons of Key & Peele, to the hit Netflix series Wet Hot American Summer, and to tons of productions with the Upright Citizens Brigade. She worked on Children’s Hospital and Another Period, and danced in a “Weird Al” Yankovic video. She also choreographed the Grammy-winning international megahit music video “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Kathryn is currently working on the critically acclaimed CW series, Crazy Ex Girlfriend. It’s a comedy punctuated by impressive musical sequences that heighten the absurdity but also showcase an immensely talented cast and crew. And, as a show flying below the radar of mass audiences, Crazy Ex Girlfriend manages to be one of the most hilariously raunchy, explicit, subversive shows on network television. There’s nothing else out there like it. The series has won a number of awards, including a Golden Globe and a couple of Emmys - one of which went to Kathryn, for her choreography routines.
Direct download: n4al80-kathryn-burns-crazy-ex-girlfriend.mp3
Category:Film & Television -- posted at: 3:49pm CDT |
Wed, 28 September 2016
We talk with writer Bonnie Burton, author of Crafting with Feminism: 25 Girl-Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy. Crafting with Feminism arrives in stores and online retailers on October 18th, and features a forward from Felicia Day. The book contains projects ranging from merit badges to googly-eyed tampon puppets, and takes an enthusiastic, tongue-in-cheek approach to both crafting and defiance of the patriarchy. She has also written The Star Wars Craft Book, You Can Draw: Star Wars, and Girls Against Girls: Why We Are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change. She is the former Senior Editor for LucasFilm’s StarWars.com, and is currently a freelancer writer for CNET. Bonnie is the co-host of Vaginal Fantasy Book Club, a YouTube series with Felicia Day and Veronica Belmont. We talk with Bonnie about the often not-very-lucrative business of being an author, and supporting writer-y pursuits with other work. She walks us through the pitch process for a crafting book, creating a viable product for existing audiences. And we discuss her long career writing for magazines and websites, from the early days of the web to the current, cluttered blogosphere. |
Wed, 14 September 2016
We have a really fun chat with comedy writer Rob Kutner. He’s a monologue writer for TBS late night show CONAN, and also has five Primetime Emmy’s for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Recently, Rob released a new audio mini-series called Runaway Brains, available exclusively on subscription-based podcast service Howl.FM. It’s a madcap comedic romp starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, Mayim Bialik, Michael Ian Black, Dave Koechner, and Ken Jennings. Rob has also partnered with Farrago Comics to produce the original series, Shrinkage, illustrated by John Lucas. Farrago Comics is a new free-to-read, ad-supported comics app, available now on Apple and Android devices. We talk with Rob about his career writing for TV, and how he broke into the late-night comedy business. We also discuss branching out into different media, exploring new distribution models, and how he attracted big names to indie projects. |
Mon, 5 September 2016
We have a great conversation with Guy Birtwhistle, writer, producer and star of the indie science fiction movie Alistair1918. The film debuted at this summer’s San Diego Comic Con International Film Festival. In Alistair1918, a World War One soldier accidentally time travels to present day Los Angeles. Filthy and penniless, with no way to prove his identity, he struggles to find a way back to his wife in 1918. Guy talks in depth about the creation process for the film, and his method for dividing the production into small sections over time to diminish costs and work around the schedules of his team. We discuss his career as a working actor in LA. And we explore ways ambitious creatives can make their day jobs work for their endeavors, rather than against them.
Direct download: n4al77-guy-birtwhistle-alistair1918.mp3
Category:Film & Documentaries -- posted at: 10:52pm CDT |
Tue, 23 August 2016
We talk with Hugo-award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal about her new historical fantasy novel, Ghost Talkers, available now from TOR. We discuss how Ghost Talkers came together, and we also explore the other facets of her career, including her award-winning work as a puppeteer, and her side-gig as a voice over artist reading novels and short stories for other writers.
Direct download: n4al76-mary-robinette-kowal.mp3
Category:Books & Publishing -- posted at: 10:13pm CDT |
Wed, 17 August 2016
We welcome back Susan Eisenberg, the voice actor best known as the voice of Wonder Woman from Justice League / Justice League Unlimited. DC and Warner Brothers are currently celebrating 75 years of Wonder Woman, in anticipation of her big 2017 feature film. Susan has been playing the character in cartoons, animated movies, and video games for sixteen years. We talk with Susan about portraying an iconic character, the differences between voice acting in cartoons versus video games, and interacting with fans online and at conventions.
Direct download: n4al75-susan-eisenberg-wonder-woman-75th.mp3
Category:Voice Acting -- posted at: 11:22pm CDT |
Wed, 10 August 2016
We talk with actor David Harbour, who plays fan-favorite Sheriff Jim Hopper in Netflix's breakout original series Stranger Things. David discusses how he became attached to Stranger Things, and his reaction to its surprising success and intense fan adoration. We talk about the differences between acting for stage and screen, and the sudden spotlight after years of character work. And we realize just exactly which type of adventurer Sheriff Hopper would be in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign party.
Direct download: n4al74-david-harbour-stranger-things.mp3
Category:Film & Television -- posted at: 3:33pm CDT |