Nerd For A Living

N4AL's Wendy and Adron Buske talk with indie comic creators Rebecca Hicks (Little Vampires) and David Accampo (Sparrow & Crowe: The Demonaic of Los Angeles) about the craft of making and marketing comics, how to build and sustain a loyal audience, and how to carry over skills from your day jobs into your nerd passion projects. Networking and selling at San Diego Comic Con is a hot topic, and we veer all over the nerd culture landscape in this highly entertaining discussion. 

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.

We talk with Marisa Stotter, director of the upcoming Respect Films documentary "She Makes Comics" about the genesis of the project, the successful funding of their Kickstarter campaign, and the challenges facing women creators - and fans - in the comics industry. Respect Films has previously produced documentaries on Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison and the founders of Image Comics. 

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.

Recorded at Chicago's C2E2 2014, this panel of professional artists, illustrators, writers, business owners and web consultants discusses marketing and selling your art and services online. Guests speakers Karen Hallion (illustrator and T-shirt designer), Andy Schmidt (founder of Comics Experience and former editor for Marvel and IDW), Janet Lee (Eisner award-winning artist of Return of the Dapper Men), and Kelly Stephenson (SEO consultant for SSM Healthcare, social media expert at SageLark) talk about starting an online business, their experiences with different vendors, licensing, intellectual property and engaging their audience via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more. 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.

We talk to writer and illustrator Drew Blank, a veteran of the convention and expo scene with a highly recognizable, humorous art style that attracts a crowd in every city. We discuss how the loss of his previous job kickstarted his career selling fan art, and how he juggles that with his true passion, writing. Drew is the author of the hit indie novel 'Memoirs of an Anti-Hero'. Find out more about him at DrewBlank.com

This panel of professional writers, crafters, business owners and marketers provides helpful tips on promoting your art, and yourself, online. Topics such as starting your business, targeting your audience through advertising and social media, protecting your designs, time-management, and how to maintain an online shop are discussed. Moderated by N4AL's Wendy Buske, speakers include Ashley Schonberg (owner of Jayne Danger), Rhiannon Paille (author of "The Ferryman & the Flame"), Amanda Nuckolls (owner of GnomeAcres), and Adron Buske (owner of Armadian Creative; writer of "Loop & Hoodie" and "Good Intentions"). Recorded at Wizard World St. Louis Comic-Con 2014.

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).

At GeekGirlCon 2013, N4AL's Wendy Buske had the opportunity to interview television producer and screenwriter Jane Espenson - along with Husbands director Eli Gonda, as part of a group conversation. Jane is an award winning writer whose credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Once Upon a Time, Husbands and Warehouse 13. This group interview explores her entry into the male dominated world of writing for television, advice on pursuing a job in tv and film, how she juggles multiple projects, and more.

N4AL's Wendy Buske talks with professional cosplayer and FUNimation brand manager Chaka Cumberbatch at GeekGirlCon 2013. They discuss self-promotion, costuming and gaining recognition in a niche industry.

N4AL's Wendy and Adron Buske talk with Paul Horn, writer/artist of webcomic Cool Jerk, and Darlene Horn, food blogger for My Burning Kitchen and writer of Girl with the Donut Tattoo.

This Wizard World Chicago 2013 panel discussion with professional marketers and independent artists & writers offers helpful tips on creating your own online brand. The panelists provide artists, creatives and DIYers an overview of and advice for promoting your art. We examine how to get your small business started online, how to grow your audience, legal consideration for your business, and how to market yourself in the digital space. Moderator Wendy Buske of Nerd For A Living leads the panel with social media strategist Kelly Stephenson, and comic writer and Armadian Creative owner Adron Buske.

For our first Nerd for a Living interview, we sit down with Amanda Nuckolls, owner and Chief Executive Gnome of fiber, yarn and craft company GnomeAcres. If you are a crafter, artist, DIYer or small business owner, you'll definitely want to hear what Amanda has to say.

Welcome to the introductory Nerd For A Living (N4AL) podcast. Get acquainted with your hosts: Wendy Buske (N4AL's Marketing Director, and a Digital Producer for St. Louis advertising agency Rodgers Townsend) and Adron Buske (N4AL's Creative Director, owner of Armadian Creative, and writer of the Loop & Hoodie comic series). We explain the purpose of Nerd For A Living - both the website and the podcast - and why we created it. We also do a quick recap of San Diego Comic Con 2013 and share some of the awesome nerdy things we're currently geeking out about. Interviews start next episode! Nerd For A Living is dedicated to helping nerds like you discover fulfilling, profitable and sustainable career paths in the industries you love - like comics, gaming, anime, genre film and tv, publishing, and more. Whether you’re an artist or an accountant, a developer or DIYer, N4AL provides tools and information to help you pursue and achieve those goals.

Several years ago, while working in broadcast radio, Adron received the amazing opportunity to interview comics luminary Alan Moore. The acclaimed British scribe was promoting his then-latest book, the controversial Lost Girls. Adron’s 40-minute interview with Moore covers that 3-volume work of “literary erotica” as well as his other comic masterworks Watchmen, V for Vendetta and much more. Writers and sequential artists should be particularly interested to hear Moore’s thoughts on creating comics, artist collaborations and the time investment to produce Lost Girls. The original interview was recorded in 2008, but Moore is a fascinating speaker and his comments are still relevant to comic creators – and the greater comics audience – today. Nerd For A Living podcast host Adron Buske was previously the producer for Rocketbot Radio, a podcast for comic creators of all ages, skills and genres at the now defunct Rocketbot.com. This episode, with Rocketbot cohost Gene Kelly, originally ran on Rocketbot Radio.

N4AL’s Adron Buske sits down with artist and writer, Josh Hagler, to discuss art, comics, self publishing and the history of his recently collected graphic novel from Markosia, The Boy Who Made Silence. Originally produced for Rocketbot Radio, a podcast for comic creators of all ages, skills and genres on Rocketbot.com.