Hey! If you're a longtime subscriber you're probably thinking, whoa, this podcast hasn't updated since 2017. What's going on? Well, you know, it's the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 era, and all our beloved comic conventions and entertainment expos have been cancelled. So, to help anyone who is missing their favorite cons, we decided to open our archive of live convention panel recordings and share some previously unreleased material.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Recorded live at GeekGirlCon 2014, our How to be a Nerd for a Living panel features guest speakers Susan Eisenburg (voice of Wonder Woman, Justice League Unlimited); Jaimie Cordero (CEO, Espionage Cosmetics); Heidi Gaertner (technology director, Big Fish Games); Jina Heverley (VP/general manager of PC, Mac & Cloud at Big Fish Games); and Rebecca Hicks (creator of Little Vampires). Moderated by N4AL's Wendy Buske.

We talked with voice actress Susan Eisenberg at GeekGirlCon 2014. Susan is best known as the voice of Wonder Woman from the DC animated universe's Justice League cartoon, video games and direct to DVD movie releases. She is also an in-demand voice-over artist working in commercials, and has provided voices for video games like Skyrim and Destiny.

We talk with Jaimie Cordero, Chad Downing, and Christal Summer from innovative, woman-owned Espionage Cosmetics. Espionage creates make-up, nail wraps and more products aimed at the underserved female nerd market. Based in Tacoma, WA, Jaimie stepped aside from her award-winning professional career in makeup for film, TV, and web to start a business around her interests, quickly recruiting an intensely passionate, hard-working team to make awesome niche makeup accessories. A year ago, they crowdfunded a new line of products via an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign. Now they look to do it again with an ambitious new campaign, new product licenses, new innovations and a growing staff devoted to making awesome makeup for awesome fans.

This episode, N4AL’s Wendy and Adron talk with Lee Joyner, sculptor and special effects make-up artist, and director of admissions for Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles. Cinema Makeup School is dedicated to educating the next generation of makeup artists for the film, television, fashion and entertainment industries. They aim to provide students with all of the skills needed to succeed as makeup artists and to give them a solid foundation for any job they seek. In addition to makeup techniques, CMS students are taught professionalism, ethics, business, and history. 

N4AL's Adron Buske talks with Robin Linn of The Third Floor, a previsualization studio that creates animatic storyboards for Hollywood film and commercial productions. Previs helps directors and producers pitch and plan films, saving money in the production by pre-planning shots, pacing and CGI needs. Robin is an artist manager, supervising, training, and recruiting animators for the Third Floor team. He has an extensive background in art, animation and film. But he started as a bank manager who only did sculpting as a hobby. Learn how a chance opportunity turned into a 25 year career in the film industry. 

N4AL talks with Dark Horse Comics editor-in-chief Scott Allie. Scott has been an editor on some of Dark Horse’s most popular books, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Star Wars, and many more. He gives us a really in-depth perspective on what that job is, the other editorial departmental positions that support it, and how he and Dark Horse hire their editors. Scott's been at Dark Horse for about 20 years, and he's still a hands-on editor even as he guides the ship. He also stays involved in the marketing and PR strategies with the company.

From a packed room at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, we present the How to be a Nerd for a Living panel with guest speakers Lee Joyner (director of admissions, Cinema Makeup School); Tom Kurzanski (art director, TeeFury); Claire Hummel (production designer, HBO); Pat Loika (host, Loikamania Podcast); Brad Herman (lead product designer, DreamWorks Animation); and Karen Hallion (illustrator and T-shirt/apparel designer). Want to work in a fandom-related industry you're passionate about, but not sure where to start? These professionals discuss careers within gaming, film, comics, illustration, podcasting, and more. Our speakers share their career-building experiences. Topics include training, online resources, networking, and tactics to use (and avoid) for breaking into your dream industry. Moderated by Nerd For A Living's Wendy Buske.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Recorded at Wizard World St. Louis Comic-Con 2014. This panel of professionals discusses different types of jobs that exist within pop-culture entertainment, gaming, film-making, writing and more. Get tips on finding a way to a new career from those already working in the industry. Moderated by N4AL's Wendy Buske, panel speakers include: Rachel Rieckenberg (Sass and Slash Creations), Jeremy Corray (Coolfire Studios, Voltron), Amanda Nuckolls (GnomeAcres), Matt Raithel (Graphite Lab), and Genese Davis (author of The Holder's Dominion).