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 |
Mon, 1 August 2016
This is a super fun chat with the dynamic musical comedy duo Paul and Storm! We talk about their upcoming JoCo Cruise, an annual vacation event they host with internet superstar musician Jonathan Coulton. We also discuss their work on the upcoming revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Plus, the weird path that turned a couple of dudes from an a cappella group into touring comedians and W00tstock co-founders, and now has them creating their own board game. |
Fri, 29 July 2016
We talk with Lawrence Grey, producer of Lights Out, an indie horror thriller from first-time feature film director David Sandberg. Lights Out began as an independent short film, created by Sandberg in his native Sweden. The super creepy 3-minute horror short caught fire online. Lawrence discovered it, decided to collaborate with Sandberg to bring it to the big screen, and enlisted help from James Wan, the director of horror mega-hits Saw, Insidious, and the Conjuring films, as well as international blockbuster Furious 7. They also assembled a talented cast, including Teresa Palmer, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello. Lights Out was produced for just $5 million dollars, but last weekend it opened with a stellar $21.6 million at the box office. With great reviews and word of mouth, it’s estimated for a $50 million domestic run, which is huge business for a little horror film. We talk about this remarkable Hollywood story, from YouTube short by an unknown director, to a silver screen success. And we discuss putting together a dream-team of professionals from big budget blockbusters who saw something special in this unique premise. Lights Out is in theaters and thrilling audiences now.
Direct download: n4al72-lawrence-grey-lights-out.mp3
Category:Film & Television -- posted at: 11:04pm CDT |
Wed, 20 July 2016
This episode features the return of Tony Kim. Well known on the convention circuit for his Crazy4ComicCon blog, which covers all things San Diego Comic-Con, Tony has recently launched a new and completely different business endeavor. Hero Within is a nerdy fashion line for guys, offering classy, stylish, and beautifully tailored clothing. Hero Within’s first line of blazers, peacoats, and jackets are themed with characters from the Justice League, and are officially licensed by DC Comics. These initial high end men’s fashion items are available for pre-order on HeroWithinStore.com until July 31st.
Direct download: n4al71-tony-kim-hero-within.mp3
Category:Business and Marketing -- posted at: 1:08am CDT |
Tue, 12 July 2016
We talk with cross-genre author Quincy J. Allen, writer of the recently released Blood Curse from WordFire Press. A western steampunk epic fantasy, Blood Curse is the second book in his Blood War Chronicles series. Quincy also creates the book layout design for all of WordFire’s print and digital offerings, manages their warehouse, and is constantly on the road, working their impressive displays at cons. We discuss juggling multiple aspects of a demanding career, realistic goal setting to guide his progress, and life on the road as an introvert who talks to hundreds of con-goers at every show. |
Mon, 4 July 2016
This episode was recorded live earlier this year at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, WA. Our Wendy Buske moderated this panel, titled How to Be a Nerd For A Living: Discovering Careers in Pop-Culture. It features a collection of great nerdy professionals, including Dane Ault, artist and co-founder of Monkey Minion Press; Samantha Kalman, creator of the video game Sentris, and previously one of the team-members behind video game engine Unity; Kevin Konrad Hanna, a film director and comic creator who was also the art director on Plants versus Zombies: Heroes; Janet Lee, comic artist and Eisner award-winning co-creator of The Return of the Dapper Men; and Jaimie Cordero, co-founder and CEO of nerd makeup company Espionage Cosmetics. Our speakers pull from a wide variety of professional and personal backgrounds to discuss how they got started, the ongoing challenges they face, and the successes that keep them going. The panel caps off with an audience Q&A with a number of really great questions from the packed room of attendees. |
Tue, 28 June 2016
The wonderful Jamie Cordero and Christal VanEtten from Espionage Cosmetics return to the Nerd For A Living Podcast! Espionage Cosmetics is a nerd makeup company based out of Tacoma, Washington. They make a line of beautifully designed nail wraps and makeup products, and have been adding a number of really cool licensed properties to their offerings, including Borderlands 2, Clive Barker’s Cenobites, and The Wicked and the Divine. Jaimie is Espionage’s co-founder, CEO and Glitter Jedi. Christal is their PR and Social Media Oracle. When we last talked to them, they were in the middle of a giant Kickstarter campaign that eventually raised over $144,000. That crowdfunding success paved the way for a new bi-monthly subscription service, Boom!Box, and a brick-and-mortar retail location, the Geek Boutique. Now Espionage Cosmetics spreads their nerd domination with an additional subscription service, Nexus. And they’re appearing at pop culture conventions around the country, bringing the joy of glitter and the best squad of nerd ambassadors around. Adron talks with Jaimie and Christal about the expansion of the Espionage business model, the power of a great team, how they leverage social media, and the excitement of creating a product that makes their customers so happy.
Direct download: n4al68-espionage-cosmetics-returns_02.mp3
Category:Business and Marketing -- posted at: 12:36pm CDT |
Tue, 21 June 2016
Adron talks with New York Times Bestselling author Dayton Ward. A prolific writer with dozens of books, novellas and short stories spanning a twenty-year career, Dayton is probably best known as one of the core writers of the Star Trek novels. Along with his frequent co-author Kevin Dilmore, Dayton writes within the canon continuities of the original Star Trek series, Next Generation, and more. He has also developed new crews and characters to boldly explore the well established Star Trek universe with fresh perspectives. We talk about how Dayton kickstarted his writing career by entering a publisher’s contest back in the ‘90s. We explore the pros and cons of writing licensed work, while having to please the fanbase and the protectors of the intellectual property. Dayton explains how he works with a co-author while balancing numerous projects, and we talk about Twitter and the social media styles of professional creators. |
Mon, 13 June 2016
Adron and Wendy talk with Sam Coster and Seth Coster from indie video game studio Butterscotch Shenanigans. Together with their brother Adam, they created the hit platform-crossover game, Crashlands. Crashlands is an outlandish, story-driven action-adventure set in a world of hidden magic and high technology. The game combines classic RPG elements with crafting mechanics with vibrant, whimsical characters and a distinct sense of humor. Available on both desktop and mobile devices, Crashlands took iTunes, Steam, and Google Play by storm, with great reviews and instant popularity. We talk with Seth and Sam about the two-year development cycle for Crashlands, a project they estimated early on would only take them a few months. We discuss how their studio came together, and all the ways their college educations did NOT put them on the path to careers in video games.
Direct download: n4al66-butterscotch-shenanigans.mp3
Category:Gaming & Game Development -- posted at: 11:41pm CDT |
Tue, 7 June 2016
Adron talks with author Todd McCaffrey, son of science fiction / fantasy legend Anne McCaffrey (Dragon Riders of Pern novels). Todd’s latest release is City of Angels, a near-future sci-fi thriller available now from WordFire Press. We’re also joined in this conversation by City of Angels editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, who was an editor on the breakout Andy Weir novel The Martian. We discuss Todd’s new book, working with his mother and taking over the Pern legacy, and the many iterations a book takes before it finally lands at a publisher. |
Tue, 31 May 2016
Adron talks with voice actress Linda Ballantyne, who is best known as the voice of Sailor Moon from the english language version of the anime television series. She has also provided voices for Air Master, Avengers: United They Stand, Care Bears, Ying! Yang! Yo! and many more series and movies. They discuss how she got the job on Sailor Moon (replacing the original voice actor), working in the fast-turnaround environment of adapted cartoons, and why original animation programming is far more lucrative for voice actors than adaptions. |
Tue, 24 May 2016
Adron talks with John Ottman, composer and film editor on the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse from director Bryan Singer. John was also the composer on the recently released Shane Black film, The Nice Guys. They discuss the challenges of doing double duty on a huge project like X-Men, his long history working with Bryan Singer, the tools John uses to compose music, and why he does not conduct the orchestras performing his scores. |
Tue, 17 May 2016
Adron talks with screenwriter and award-winning comic creator Brandon Easton. Brandon was a staff writer on the second season of Marvel’s Agent Carter on ABC. He’s also written for animated TV shows Thundercats and Transformers: Rescue Bots. His biographical comic Andre The Giant: Closer To Heaven was a 2015 critical darling, and IDW Comics just released his Transformers: Deviations one-shot. IDW also recently announced that Brandon will be the writer on their upcoming M.A.S.K. series, rebooting the beloved Hasbro 1980s toy and cartoon franchise. We explore Brandon’s journey from school teacher to professional screenwriter, navigating the turbulent world of Hollywood staffing season, and working on life-long beloved properties. |
Tue, 3 May 2016
Recorded live at Emerald City Comicon 2016 in Seattle, this episode features our Marketing (Isn't) Magic panel, a discussion of practical advice for promoting your small business or other creative endeavors. Our guest speakers included Jaimie Cordero, the CEO and Glitter Jedi of nerd makeup company Espionage Cosmetics; Danielle Davis, the founder of Lady Killer Marketing & PR; and Jen Vaughn, a marketing professional who has worked with a number of notable comic book publishers. She's also a comic book creator, and is currently a colorist on the new Archie comic series. Nerd For A Living's Adron Buske moderated the panel.
Direct download: n4al61-eccc-2016-marketing-isnt-magic.mp3
Category:Business and Marketing -- posted at: 1:17am CDT |
Tue, 19 April 2016
Ellen Wright is the senior publicist at Orbit Books, which is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group. Orbit's authors include Joe Abercrombie, James S.A. Corey, Karen Miller, Lilith Saintcrow and Brent Weeks. They publish approximately 60 titles each year from both established and debut authors. Ellen has been in the publishing industry for over a decade, working on both nonfiction and fiction. As a passionate genre fiction fan working at Orbit, her job is spread the word about exciting new sci-fi and fantasy releases and their authors. We explore exactly what that entails, from office communication to social media connections, fan outreach at conventions to building personal relationships with both authors and notable reviewers. |
Thu, 7 April 2016
Recorded live at Wizard World Comic-Con St. Louis 2016, Nerd For A Living’s Adron Buske moderates our panel, "How to Be a Nerd For A Living: Finding Your Career in Pop Culture”. Our guests speakers include best-selling author Ellie Ann, Doctor Who comic artist Rachael Stott, video game creator and studio co-founder Carol Mertz, and Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Rick Burchett. |
Wed, 30 March 2016
In this announcement episode, Adron talks about the ongoing evolution of the N4AL podcast, including updates to our format and overall brand, plus upcoming events at Wizard World St. Louis and Emerald City Comicon in Seattle.
Direct download: n4al-interstitial-announcement-march-2016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:12pm CDT |
Thu, 10 March 2016
Jim Zub is a Canadian comic book writer best known for his creator-owned series at Image Comics, Skullkickers and Wayward. This spring, Jim has two new comic series hitting shelves - Thunderbolts for Marvel, and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire for IDW. Jim is also the program director for Seneca College‘s award-winning animation program in Toronto. |
Thu, 3 March 2016
In this episode, Andy Schmidt drops by again, this time to talk about writing for video games. Andy is the founder of Comics Experience, an online school that connects students with industry professionals to learn the craft of making comics. But beyond his vast experience in comics, Andy has also written for a number of video games - most notably, the recent hit Activision game, Transformers: Devastation. A love-letter to fans of classic Generation One Transformers characters and stories, Devastation features legendary voice actors including Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. Adron talks with Andy about the experience of writing dialogue for the characters and actors he’s loved since he was a kid growing up with the Transformers animated franchise. They discuss the storytelling challenges of writing for video games, how the writer interfaces with the production teams, and elements unique to gaming like “battle chatter”. There’s also a fair amount of geeking out about Transformers in there as well. This April, Andy will be teaching a 5 week online course called Introduction to Writing for Video Games. If you’re a writer who’s interested in the video game industry, you should definitely check it out. Space is limited, so go sign-up now! This is a really fun chat full of great info, both for game writing hopefuls, and fans of Transformers and gaming in general.
Direct download: n4al56-andy-schmidt-writing-for-video-games.mp3
Category:Gaming & Game Development -- posted at: 4:54pm CDT |
Fri, 26 February 2016
In this episode, we talk with comic creator and animator, Otis Frampton. If you’ve ever been on YouTube, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve been exposed to his work, because he’s the background artist on the massively popular animated parody series, HOW IT SHOULD HAVE ENDED. Otis is also the creator, writer and artist on the all ages Image Comics series, ODDLY NORMAL. Two trade paperback volumes of Oddly Normal are available now, with volume three coming in April. We talk with Otis about juggling the demands of his mostly one-man-show comic series with work on How It Should Have Ended, along with his webcomic ABCDEFGEEK, commissions and convention appearances. And we discuss how his love of TV and film led him to work in comics, and how, excitingly, that work is now taking him right back to television. |
Tue, 2 February 2016
Adron talks with film, television and voice-over actor Cas Anvar. Cas has over 70 major film & TV credits, including a Screen Actor’s Guild ensemble win for Argo, and he’s currently on the award show circuit for this year’s indie darling Room, staring Brie Larson. The gamer crowd may recognize him as the voice of Altair from Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, as well as roles in Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Halo 4. And now he embodies the role of pilot Alex Kamal is SyFy’s massively popular series The Expanse, based on the best-selling science fiction novel series by James S.A. Corey. |
Sat, 30 January 2016
In this episode Wendy and Adron talk with Marlene Bonnelly, the editor-in-chief of Comics.Tumblr.com. She also works in Tumblr’s legal department, and is a content creator and YouTube partner. Marlene has worked for Marvel, MTV, and Wizard World, and is known across social media channels by her handle @ilikecomicstoo. She's an advocate for diversity and anti-harassment in media, and has done panels at SDCC and NYCC discussing both. During this conversation, Marlene shares some valuable tips for how creators can best use Tumblr's attributions, and how users can get help from Tumblr's team when your work starts being shared without credit. |
Wed, 20 January 2016
Aaron Mahnke is the creator, writer and narrator of the LORE podcast. Lore explores real life scary stories, examining disturbing historical events and how they intertwine with folklore and the origins of superstition, all delivered in an engaging, creepy narrative. Densely packed with atmosphere and ideas, Lore brings to life very human stories with decidedly bizarre circumstances. Launched in early 2015, Lore rocketed to popularity and the top of the iTunes Podcast charts, and is now Aaron’s full-time job, displacing his web design business as primary source of income. |