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John Kovalic is an award-winning cartoonist, game designer and writer. His work’s appeared everywhere from The New York Times to Rolling Stone and Dragon Magazine. His world of geeky goodies includes Dork Tower – one of the very first webcomics, debuting online in 1996. John was a co-founder of Out of the Box Games and helped in the creation of the revolutionary party game Apples to Apples. John’s also responsible for the look of the fan-favorite perennial best-seller Munchkin card game. He’s drawn more than 7,000 cards for the game and wouldn’t mind a spot of whiskey now, thanks. John was inducted into the Games Manufacturers Hall of Fame in 2004. In his spare time, John searches for spare time. NOTE: John mentions some of Trump’s policies/actions from his first term. This was recorded in June 2024, after Trump’s first term but before his second.

Brandie June spent most of her childhood onstage or reading, as both activities let her live in fantastic stories. She moved to Los Angeles to study acting at UCLA, and eventually branched out into costume design, playwriting, prose, and even got her MBA in entertainment marketing, becoming the marketing director for Kids & Family Entertainment at Shout! Studios. When not writing or marketing, she can often be found doing nail art, listening to audiobooks, drinking too much espresso, and coming up with new art projects. She's a volunteer story coach for middle and high school students through SpiritCorps and mentor through Youth Mentoring Connection.

Los Angeles native Jeri Westerson writes a Tudor series, the King’s Fool Mysteries, and a Sherlockian pastiche called An Irregular Detective Mystery. She wrote fifteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mysteries, a multi-nominated series. She also wrote several paranormal series and standalone historicals. She has served as president of the SoCal chapter of Mystery Writers of America, president and vice president for two chapters of Sisters in Crime (Orange County and Los Angeles), is a member of the LA Sherlockian scion of the Baker Street Irregulars, and a founding member of the SoCal chapter of the Historical Novel Society.

On April 25, 2024, the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California, was the home of the 40th Writers of the Future Awards and 35th Illustrators of the Future Awards. I wrote up the event for The Geekiary, but there were some interviews that didn't quite make the final cut. So, consider this a 'behind the scenes' extra for the Awards.

J. Caroline Toy (she/her) is Learning Experience Manager in the Center for Learning & Teaching at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, and Adjunct Professor in the College's humanities Core. Her research and teaching focus on religion, popular media, and fan cultures, specializing in how fans use types of ritual and narrative practices that are traditionally associated with religion. Trained as a scholar of folklore and religion, she is also interested in religion in public space and protest in the United States, and changing rural and urban experiences of place. She has published in venues including The Journal of Fandom Studies, Transformative Works and Cultures, Understanding Religion and Popular Culture (2nd ed.), and the Humanities Commons, and has appeared on the Mugglenet podcast Reading, Writing, Rowling (now Potterversity). Caroline is a huge (HUGE!) Doctor Who fan and a lifelong Trekker, has an "It's complicated" relationship with Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and will try basically any mystery novel. When not geeking out, she paddles dragon boats and spoils her cat, St. Alia of the Eighteen Knives. You can find samples of her work at Academia.edu. interview, acafan, J. Caroline Troy, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, religion, Neil Teixeira

This episode's guest is Andrea Davis. Her background is in the film & television industry where she's worked on both television series & movies, from creating/designing costumes & specialty wardrobe, building sets & displays and making props. Additionally, she has crafted numerous costumes, accessories, props and set pieces for commission work. She has a degree in Fashion Design and is a La Cordon Bleu trained chef.

This episode's guest is Michaela Weissburg, an LA native. Mickie and I worked briefly together at a media organization in the YouTube space. After working in the field for 6 years, Michaela’s experience in VFX production management has given her depth as well as breadth of knowledge. From zombies, to vampires, to aliens, to dragons, there has been no shortage of cool stuff for her to work on. And while not all of it is exciting, she takes pride in her small efforts to create a product that ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. It all starts with a story, a lot of teamwork, and a little bit of magic.

This episode's guest is author, screenwriter, and lapsed academic J.M. Frey. She has a BA in Dramatic Literature and an MA in Communications and Culture and has discussed all things geeky through the lens of academia. J.M. grew up in the comic book convention circuit, consuming copious amounts of scifi and Japanese TV, spending all her pocket money on manga, and honing her skills as an award-winning cosplayer. And all the while watching her fellow fans – which later became the basis for her academic studies in theatre, performance, sociology, anthropology, and gender. J.M.'s also a professionally trained actor who takes absolute delight in weird stories, over the top performances, and quirky characters. She’s played everything from Marmee to the Red Queen, Jane Eyre to Annie, and dozens of strange creatures and earnest heroines as a voice actor.

This episode's guest is Myke Dodge Weiskopf. I met Myke through KCRW's Independent Producer program, as he's the senior producer in the Music Department. He's been publicly writing, thinking, and obsessing about music since age 13, when he published his first fanzine on a hand-me-down Apple IIe and a dot-matrix printer. He is the founding producer of KCRW's Lost Notes (which I reviewed on my website), and – as he writes on his website -- makes beautiful and atmospheric audio stories. A love of sound is the fundamental through-line in his life and work. When he's not producing audio, he's an avid outdoorsman, and has worked as a fire lookout under the US Forest Service and volunteered on backcountry trail restoration projects deep in Los Padres National Forest.

Josephine Green Zhang is a storyteller who aspires to empower characters to rise above their circumstances and create their own happy endings – with a special focus on misfits and flawed, funny women. Josephine has been a tv writer on Season 2 of Hulu's "Dollface" and on Seasons 2 and 3 of "First Wives Club" on BET+. She has also developed an unproduced, animated action kung-fu fantasy for Netflix and written two unproduced feature films for Universal.  She is a rotating podcast host for WGA's Third and Fairfax -- interviewing other TV and feature screenwriters about their journeys and work behind the scenes. And when she's not geeking out on story, she is otherwise chilling with her dog, cat, and husband near Pasadena, California. (Recorded prior to the writer's strike.)

This is one of the interviews I did on June 21, 2022, when I participated in the Alzheimer's fundraiser "The Longest Day", although we had to do a redo because the audio was unsalvageable. Chivaun Oldes is a 30-something wife and mother of two. She is a craft enthusiast, dabbling artist and pet lover. A self-identified 'ball of anxiety,' she is a mental health awareness advocate and creates children's stories to help bring understanding of mental health disorders and diagnoses to young minds.

This is one of the interviews I did on June 21, 2022, when I participated in the Alzheimer's fundraiser "The Longest Day". Jennifer Shiman is best known for being behind the hilarious 30-Second Bunnies Theatre, a Flash animated series of shorts that ... well, re-enact movies (and some TV episodes) in 30 seconds, but with bunnies. When COVID hit, she stopped that and started work on a middle school graphic novel called World's End Detective Agency. We talk about both projects, how the pandemic changed how she does things, and how she approaches her work. See full show notes at www.angiefsutton.com.

On June 21, 2022, I participated in the Alzheimer's fundraiser "The Longest Day". This had me livestreaming interviews (with the goal of them winding up podcast episodes) from 6 am to 9 pm. I interviewed all sorts of fun people, and got a lot of good content out of it. One of the interviews was with Sean Cawelti, the artistic director of the Rogue Artists Ensemble in Los Angeles. We talk about what being an artistic director is like for him, his work as a puppeteer and designer, and how he (and the industry) pivoted when COVID struck. See full show notes at www.angiefsutton.com.

In October 2021, I attended the ceremony for both the 2020 and 2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award. I did a write-up of the event, which you can read on my website. However, there were some great pieces I got via audio that didn't transfer well to the written word, so I wanted to do an extended edition. It also includes some snippets from the ceremony itself, which you can watch in its entirety here. So, consider this a 'behind the scenes' extra for the Awards. Visit my website for full show notes and to contact me with feedback.

I can't believe this podcast has lasted 50 episodes, nor that it's been going strong since (technically) 2013. The past 8 years and 50 episodes have been varied, and also sporadic. I discuss the history of the podcast, the current situation with COVID, and my thoughts on where I want it to go in the future. Visit my website for full show notes and to contact me with feedback.