Wed, 16 December 2015
Wendy and Adron talk with Drew Chapman, author of the new thriller novel The King of Fear, published by Simon & Schuster. It’s the sequel to his first novel, The Ascendant. Drew is also an established writer from the world of television and film. He co-wrote and executive produced the second season of TNT’s Legends, starring Sean Bean, as well as the ABC limited series The Assets. He wrote and directed the feature film Stand Off, starring Dennis Haysbert and Robert Sean Leonard. Drew has written for Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers and Sony, and a notable stretch at Disney Animation, during which he was the first writer on Pocahontas. |
Mon, 12 October 2015
Monkey Minion Press's first Kickstarter campaign, for their book Eureka! The Art of Science, just blew past their initial funding goal of $8,500, and will close at more than $32,000. We talk with founders Dane Ault (artist, graphic designer) and Ashlie Hammond (copywriter, crafter) about how Monkey Minion Press got started, how they both quit their day jobs to run their business full-time, and life on the road exhibiting at a ton of conventions every year. And, of course, we discuss Eureka, and what went into the creation of a very successful Kickstarter campaign.
Direct download: n4al50-monkey-minion-press.mp3
Category:Books & Publishing -- posted at: 11:02pm CDT |
Wed, 30 September 2015
We talk with comedy writers Geoffrey Golden and Amanda Meadows, the founders of The Devastator. Formerly a bi-annual humor anthology, The Devastator is now an all-comedy publishing company producing new novels, comics, magazines, and activity books every month. We discuss the genesis of The Devastator, the reasoning behind their move away from anthologies to one-off publications, the challenges facing independent publishers in the Direct market, and much more. |
Fri, 25 September 2015
We talk with comic book writer Erica Schultz, one of the writers on Dynamite Entertainment’s massive crossover series, Swords of Sorrow. She also lettered every issue in that series. Erica has written for Marvel (Revenge: The Secret Origin of Emily Thorne) and DC (Vertigo Quarterly: SFX), and has produced several independent books, including the acclaimed crime thriller M3, comedy adventure The Unauthorized Biography of Winston Churchill: A Documentary, and comedic romance Cheese: A Love Story, all from Vice Press. She is also an animator and production artist, who works includes the Marvel motion comic, Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. |
Wed, 19 August 2015
In this episode, Adron and Wendy talk with PixelPop founders Carol Mertz and Jeremy Johnson. PixelPop Festival celebrates gaming and gamer culture, and explores careers and hobbies in game development. This includes traditional video games, mobile gaming, and also tabletop gaming. This year's event is September 12th-13th in St. Louis, MO.
Direct download: n4al47-pixelpop-festival-2015.mp3
Category:Gaming & Game Development -- posted at: 3:20pm CDT |
Thu, 13 August 2015
Nerd For A Living's Wendy and Adron talk with Danielle Davis, founder of Seattle-based transmedia marketing, public relations, and event company Ladykiller. Danielle and Ladykiller serve the pop culture and gaming industries with marketing strategy, talent management, publicity and event services.
Direct download: n4al46-danielle-davis-ladykiller.mp3
Category:Business and Marketing -- posted at: 1:48pm CDT |
Fri, 7 August 2015
Adron and Wendy talk with fine artist and filmmaker Chris Peters about his new short-form horror movie, To Dust Return, starring Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon A Time) and Sam Jaeger (Parenthood). Chris is an LA-based painter known for his emotive paintings of skeletons, and his previous films The Soul Never Sleeps and Day of the Spectre. |
Mon, 27 July 2015
Author Daniel Wilson is co-editor of the upcoming video game inspired short story anthology, "Press Start to Play", available in stores August 18th. Daniel's career spans books, television, and comics, and includes a PhD in Robotics. He’s the New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse, which was optioned by DreamWorks and is being adapted for film by Steven Spielberg. |
Sun, 19 July 2015
Recorded live at San Diego Comic-Con International 2015, this speaker panel includes costume designer Kristin Burke; Cinema Makeup School director Lee Joyner; feature film director Zach Lipovsky; voice actor Hal Lublin; animation artist Sarah Marino; and writer and Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt. Many people dream of working in pop-culture entertainment related industries, but most are not sure of how or where to start. This panel of professional “Nerds for a Living” share insights into how they got to where they are, and discuss career paths that exist within fields like animation, film, comics, makeup, costume design, and more. Our guests offer actionable, realistic career advice and anecdotes that may provide the advantage needed for those trying to “break in”. Topics include education/training, resources and communities, networking, industry “realities” (i.e. time commitment, job relocation, etc.), and tactics to use or avoid when seeking out a job in your dream industry. |
Fri, 3 July 2015
We're getting ready for San Diego Comic-Con International 2015! In this episode, we talk with SDCC expert Tony Kim, who blogs under the name Crazy4ComicCon. He’s been documenting and examining the San Diego experience for 10 years. His blog features one of the most comprehensive resources for advice and Comic-Con information. SDCC is an experience like no other, and can be very confusing and even harrowing for the first time con-goer. Tony’s work is a huge help for both regular attendees and enterprising nerds looking to network and advance their careers. |
Tue, 16 June 2015
At Emerald City ComiCon 2015, we talked with superstar author Kevin J. Anderson about his work, and his publishing imprint, WordFire Press. We also spoke with WordFire authors Peter J. Wacks and R.J. Terrell, and event manager Alexi Vandenberg.
Direct download: n4al41-kevin-j-anderson-wordfire-press.mp3
Category:Books & Publishing -- posted at: 7:46pm CDT |
Tue, 9 June 2015
N4AL's Wendy Buske presents our How to be a Nerd for a Living panel at Wizard World Comic-Con 2015, featuring guest speakers Warren Dion Smith (Weta Workshop), Carol Mertz (Happy Badger Studio), Lorenzo Lizana (Lion Forge Comics), Britta Buescher (freelance graphic artist), and Amanda Nuckolls (GnomeAcres). They discuss careers in comics, gaming, make-up and costume design, art and graphic design, small business ownership and more.
Direct download: n4al40-wizard-world-stlouis-panel-2015.mp3
Category:Careers -- posted at: 11:46am CDT |
Mon, 1 June 2015
At Emerald City Comicon 2015, we talked with Dark Horse Comics creators Adam Warren ("Empowered") and Joelle Jones ("Lady Killers") about their current projects, making a living as a comic creator, getting original properties off the ground, and much more. |
Mon, 18 May 2015
N4AL's Wendy Buske caught up with voice actor Hal Lublin at C2E2 to discuss his work on Thrilling Adventure Hour and Welcome to Night Vale, how he got his start in voice acting, his additional career in marketing, and how he once worked for Disney without getting paid. |
Mon, 4 May 2015
N4AL's Wendy Buske talks with artist Janet Lee about the Kickstarter campaign for her new adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. They also discuss her Eisner-award winning book Return of the Dapper Men, and other comic book projects. |
Tue, 24 March 2015
We talk with popular illustrator and t-shirt designer Karen Hallion about her career as an artist, the transition from her previous jobs as a school teacher and waitress, and how she has employed her family to help balance her business. We discuss the influence social media has had on her popularity, the opportunities presented by online retailers, the challenges of working conventions, and the fellow artists that still leave her starstruck. |
Wed, 18 March 2015
We talk with Zach Lipovsky, director of Dead Rising: Watchtower, an adaption of the popular Dead Rising Capcom video game franchise. The film, produced by Legendary Pictures, will be released exclusively on Crackle starting March 27th.
Direct download: n4al35-zach-lipovsky-dead-rising.mp3
Category:Film & Documentaries -- posted at: 7:08pm CDT |
Tue, 24 February 2015
We talk with Mark Kolpack, the visual effects supervisor for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. Mark shares the day-to-day process of working on SHIELD and the career path that led him from film editing to VFX. |
Tue, 10 February 2015
Kevin Mellon is a storyboard artist for Floyd County Productions, where he works on the hilarious animated spy comedy ARCHER, currently in its sixth season on FX. A graduate of the Kubert School, Kevin is also an accomplished comic artist. His work includes GEARHEAD and LOVESTRUCK with Dennis Hopeless, HEART with Blair Butler, and his own series, SUICIDE SISTERS. |
Tue, 27 January 2015
Sarah Marino is a character designer and background painter at Nickelodeon Animation Studios, working on the upcoming cartoon series SHIMMER AND SHINE. She was previously at animation studio Reel FX, as a visual development artist working on the stunning animated feature film BOOK OF LIFE. We talk about Sarah’s education and artistic background, and how she transitioned from an early production coordinator gig into an artistic career. |