From the Archives / Comic Convention at Home 2020   Way back in 2017, we had the opportunity to do our very first panel completely devoted to careers in animation - The Animated Life: A Peek Behind the Cels. And, as much as we thought we understood about animation and how the industry was structured, these pros really opened our eyes.   If you're someone who loves to see behind the scenes, or if you're seeking to work in the animation industry, this chat with Victoria Ying, Steph Laberis, and Mike Collins is definitely one for you.   This conversation digs deep into the individual roles within animation teams, the importance of networking (spoiler: your "connections" usually start as friends, so be kind and genuine), and how truly collaborative the creation process is for anything in animation.    As with everything in our current COVID-19 world, this industry has had to evolve and adapt to our new world - so everything from this conversation may not exactly be "of the moment." However, there's still a lot of valuable insight and relevant advice in this panel from these immensely talented pros. We hope you enjoy it.   THE ANIMATED LIFE: A PEEK BEHIND THE CELS Recorded: Saturday, March 4, 2017 From the sacred Saturday morning rituals of yesteryear, to today’s storytelling masterpieces, cartoons and animation bring our imaginations to life. The animation industry is full of vibrant professionals working together across creative disciplines to tell exciting stories that we will cherish for years. Nerd For A Living podcast host Adron Buske talks with a of group of animation pros about their jobs, the collaborative process, and the joys and challenges of making cartoons.   SPEAKER PANELISTS: Mike Collins – She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Ben 10: Omniverse, The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show Steph Laberis – DreamWorks TV, Sesame Workshop, Nick Jr., Disney Jr. Victoria Ying – Frozen, Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, Big Hero 6

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 is our How to be a Nerd for a Living panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2018. PLEASE NOTE: This panel was recorded live, and the audio is not as high-quality as we typically prefer—which is why we didn't share it sooner. But, in this time without Comic-Cons, we wanted to put some of the best conversations we've had out into the universe regardless of audio issues. So, please forgive any static.   Our Wendy Buske chats with guest speakers Tomi Adeyemi (author, Children of Blood and Bone series), Susan Eisenberg (voice actor, Justice League, Masters of the Universe: Revelation), Travis McElroy (podcaster, MBMBAM, The Adventure Zone), Ben Blacker (writer and podcaster, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Hex Wives), Jazzlyn Stone (comics marketing expert), and Jaimie Cordero (CEO, Espionage Cosmetics) about how each of them started out, ways they pursued careers in pop culture entertainment, and lessons they've learned through it all.

This bonus episode from our sister podcast, Animation Invasion, features composer Dominic Lewis. Dom studied at London's Royal Academy of Music, and has worked with Hans Zimmer and Henry Jackman. His animated work includes Big Hero 6, Wreck-It-Ralph, and How to Train Your Dragon. He scored 3 seasons of Amazon’s Man in the High Castle, and soundtracks for Rough Night, Fist Fight, and Money Monster. He contributed music to Captain America: Winter Soldier, and X-Men: First Class. He’s currently composing for Disney’s XD’s DuckTales, and working on the upcoming feature film Peter Rabbit.

This episode is a rebroadcast of our August 2016 conversation with Stranger Things star, David Harbour. Netflix’s massive breakout hit returns this week with Stranger Things season 2. David reprises his role as Sheriff Jim Hopper, the reluctant, brash, mess of a hero who mandates that mornings are for “coffee and contemplation”, and that difficult situations call for punching. His performance in season one earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Our guest this episode is Parry Gripp, frontman for nerd-rock band Nerf Herder, and an Emmy winning songwriter with numerous credits in animation. Nerf Herder performed the theme song to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, cementing their immortality with nerd fandom. Many of Parry’s humorous solo songs have gone insanely viral, including "Do You Like Waffles?” and “Raining Tacos”. He won the 2017 Daytime Creative Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for “I’m Not Very Nice,” from the Disney animated series The 7D.

We're joined this episode by Eli Craig, writer/director of Tucker & Dale Versus Evil, and Little Evil, an offbeat comedy about love, family, and The Antichrist, which just recently debuted on Netflix. Little Evil stars Adam Scott as Gary, a newlywed struggling to acclimate to the role of stepfather to his disturbingly bizarre step-son, Lucas. Even as his therapy sessions with other step-dads assure him that all step-children are a little evil, increasingly odd situations revolving around the boy drive Gary to believe Lucas might actually be the spawn of Satan. The film also stars Evangeline Lily, Bridget Everett, Donald Faison, Chris D’Elia, Kyle Bornheimer, Clancy Brown, and Sally Field. We talk with Eli about the long journey of Little Evil, from big budget Universal picture trapped for years in development hell, to a breakneck production for Netflix. He explains the challenges genre mash-up films face when finding distributors and audiences. And we discuss how he assembled a great cast of comedic talent on a small budget.

We talk with Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, about his new crowdfunded comic project, Drawing Blood. The darkly comedic drama follows a down-on-his-luck cartoonist whose life is in a tailspin after early mega success. Drawing Blood explores the darkest corners of a mad world only talked about in the hotel bars of Comic Con. Kevin talks about how this new project came together, the continued joys of working on the TMNT franchise, and how he is just as big a fan of toys and collectibles as the fans he creates them for.

Our guest is Tyler L. Cook, a film and television editor whose current work includes the AMC hit series, Preacher, and the new breakout Netflix series, GLOW. Preacher just premiered its second season. It’s based on the cult classic Vertigo comics series. The show follows Jesse Custer, a small-town preacher with a criminal past, who realizes God is absent from Heaven and sets out to find Him. On a wildly different end of the television spectrum is GLOW, which stands for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. The series, set vividly in the mid 1980’s, follows a group of floundering actresses and an acerbic filmmaker as they try to create a televised women’s wrestling program. Part comedy, part drama, GLOW features an incredible ensemble cast led by Alison Brie and Marc Maron. We talk with Tyler about how he got the jobs on Preacher and Glow, and the challenges of balancing the tones of these inventive, unconventional shows. We discuss the day-to-day life of a television editor, his gear and software, and a whole lot more.

Our guest this episode is Matthew Jensen, director of photography for the worldwide hit film, Wonder Woman. As of this recording, Wonder Woman is sitting atop the US film charts for the second week in a row, with over $200 million at the domestic box office, and over $435 million worldwide. Directed by Patty Jenkins, the film has been enthusiastically received by fans and critics alike, with standout performances from Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. It's beautifully shot, with a very distinct visual identity that sets it apart, particularly from other super hero films. And that comes from the work of Matthew Jensen. We talk with Matthew about how he was brought on board for Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins, the production's challenges and technical choices, and what it was like shooting their strikingly charismatic leads. He shares the advice from a college mentor that lead him to focus his entire career towards the goal of becoming a DP, and the path from humble beginnings to a worldwide smash.

Our guest this episode is Flora Lichtman, host of the new podcast Every Little Thing from Gimlet Media. It’s the kind of podcast we love - peeking through the keyhole to unlock the secrets and stories behind the obscure, seemingly mundane, or delightfully bizarre aspects of our world. Their episodes have explored the cult-like following of the solar eclipse, the weird supply stashes the US government hides around the country, and the fascinating origins of the common office plant. Every story is told with wit and whimsy, featuring interviews that inform and entertain. Before hosting Every Little Thing, Flora wrote for Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix, worked for public radio’s popular Science Friday, and co-directed an Emmy-nominated series of short animated documentaries for the New York Times. She’s made her career creating compelling stories woven from science fact and fueled by endless curiosity. We discuss the fun and challenges of making Every Little Thing, and how she discovered that journalism and storytelling were her answer to an early aimless academic path.

We talk with Ildy Modrovich, co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer of Lucifer, which is about to wrap it’s second season on Fox. The show is based on the Vertigo comics series which spun out of the pages of Sandman. The TV series follows Lucifer Morningstar, the literal devil, having abandoned hell to live in modern day Los Angeles to run a bar called Lux. The show departs from the source material’s high fantasy mythology by grounding it as a police procedural, with the fallen angel assisting LA detectives - in his own unique, self-absorbed way - while combating supernatural conflicts and balancing a dysfunctional family of earth-bound celestials. We talk with Ildy about the themes, production process, and character evolutions on the show. Fans should enjoy our discussion of its humor, fantastic cast, and how much fun it is to create. We also discuss Ildy’s career path from musician to writer to producer.