WEBVTT - Episode 97: Static Shock 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:12.720 Hello, and welcome to another edition of a Netificent. I 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:15.120 am one half of your host, Dandy Fernandez, and sitting 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:20.120 across from me as always in his NASA repond NASA Today. 0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:22.479 It's actually really nice. Yeah, it was just what was 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:25.760 in the closet, you know, and I was out too 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:29.240 late last night getting it in. You know why when 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:31.479 we had our show did karaoke, I was gonna go 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:35.000 to sleep early, and then you know, you sound tired. 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.200 They were like they're like, you gotta, we gotta stay. 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:42.680 It's gonna get pumped and we gotta sing some songs. Um, 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:48.159 so yeah for Valentine's Yeah, just you know fellas Time's Day. Yeah. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:49.840 I was about to say you called me and if 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:52.559 he and I actually talked about like random things for 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.640 like a half hour, and he's like, what are you doing? 0:00:54.760 --> 0:00:57.480 Because we're both we both like weren't we didn't have 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:01.680 dates and I would be annoying. I felt bad for 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:03.800 the other Super Punch team who had to fly to 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:08.000 the TBS studio in Atlanta because like j D is married, 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.560 Alex has a girlfriend, Kelly's married, and I was like, 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:15.840 y'all abandon all your your your spouses and significant others 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:20.119 to do this show on Twitch. Yeah, but I mean 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:27.040 they're married, so yeah, it's like it's Valentine's Day every day. Yeah. Um. 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:30.600 That other voice on the other side of the mic 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:34.640 is l A based illustrator and writer Crystal Savage. Thanks 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:37.240 for joining us, Thanks for having yeah, of course, thanks 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.880 trying to be here. Yeah. No, this is gonna be 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:43.559 another fun one. It's been fun month Black History Month. 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.400 Went to get some black creators in here so we 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.080 can just be talking about what we do. I think 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:51.840 it adds like another like element of flare to it. 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:54.440 Like we were talking about Milestone with Ed and there 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.760 were so many parallels with starting up and pitching your 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.680 own uh comic book company you with like even selling 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.520 a TV show or something like that. And I'm sure 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:08.520 the steps in trials and tribulations making a show like Static, 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:11.080 you'll have a lot of insight on the illustration and 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:16.280 writing side, even with the episodes just rewatching it. Um, 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.760 And I know I'm totally jumping the gun, but um, 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:24.520 I noticed, like the first they're the way they break 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:28.680 up the seasons. Back in the two thousands, those shows 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.000 typically had a twenty two episode run, so saying like 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.359 season one is like twelve eleven or twelve episodes, and 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:37.560 then season two is eleven and twelve episodes. That signal 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:39.760 to me that that was and then also that the 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.360 art style did not change until season three, because you've 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:48.679 seen cartoons. First season, it's just yeah, but if it's 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:50.800 good enough and they get enough viewership, they get their 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:53.760 season two, they get a budget increase, everything looks amazing. 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.760 You know, maybe they get a few more episodes, who knows. 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.799 So it makes me think that season one and two 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:02.480 is actually one season that they split into two so 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:06.000 that they could make it for syndication. Maybe completely untrue. 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.000 I don't know, but I remember when I was at 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:10.520 DreamWorks that did happen with a few shows that were 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:14.560 supposed to go a little bit longer, but they decided 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.840 to end the run. They had two seasons, but they 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:22.679 would split them into four seasons by doing taking the 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.760 twenty two episodes into to twelve episode seasons. So that's 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.520 how you make your syndication. Still, but I could be 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:34.520 totally off base, but everything like this whole thing with 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:39.600 shows only having thirteen episodes ten episodes, that's very recent phenomenon. Okay, 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:43.360 that's very that's that's actually, you know, just for more 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:47.000 insider baseball talk. That's kind of been the whole thing 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:50.760 with w g A bargaining because you know, you used 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:54.640 to have these longer season runs, so that would you know, 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:56.560 take care of the year if you only did the 0:03:56.640 --> 0:03:59.240 year of writing. But now you have the shorter run season, 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:02.560 some seasons as short as eight episodes, and if you 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:05.000 don't write for the rest of the year, that eight 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.920 episodes worth of money isn't the same. Yeah, so so 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.160 we have to you know, bargain and kind of get 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.720 more minimums or higher pay for shorter runs and stuff 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:17.240 like that. But yeah, no, that's it's it's yeah, it's 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:21.360 funny how I know. It's interesting because there's like two 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.120 sides of of media where you get the front face 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.720 and consumer side of what we see, digest enjoy and 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.080 pretty much yeah, it's just there to enjoy, but then 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:36.160 there's all the back stuff that happens that and it's 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.200 so funny to see because you know, same thing and 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.479 this will be I guess kind of molded into what 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:43.880 I'm gigging out about, which is the fact that my 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.920 one of my favorite games, Apex Legends, who uh a 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:49.800 friend of mine many. Hugopion has been writing on got 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.599 Game of the I think it was Multiplayer Game of 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:54.919 the Game Year or the first person Shooter Game of 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:59.159 the Year at the DICE Awards, And it was interesting 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:03.640 seeing because you know there's a game that BioWare was made, 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:06.120 uh and by Aware if you don't know them, they 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.320 did the mass Effect games, the Dragon Age games, and 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:12.800 as recently they you know back when That's Effect wanted 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:18.200 to the first to games even before that, but that 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:21.640 those were the games. Yeah, like in grade school, that's 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:23.760 when they were like known as like, oh this is 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:25.800 this is you know when that's because you know, video 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:29.880 games kind of started in the like two thousands, two 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:32.960 thousands tend to have that stand culture behind publishers where 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:36.040 it's like we can trust these guys. But you know, 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:40.000 with the newest mass Effect started a little earlier than yeah, 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:42.880 because I'm okay, I'm about to get forty this year. 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.919 I'm going to tell you honestly, when I think it started. 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:51.040 That was squar Sauce Fault with Final Fantasy. They started 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:54.240 with Final Fantasy seven, and people were like, oh my god, 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:57.000 I can trust Squares offt to make this amazing game 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.640 because they were the ones that changed everything. Yeah, we 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.240 get games on disc because of Final Fantasy seven, We 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.760 get games going across years because of Final Fantasy seven, 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:08.360 And they were able to build so much after Final 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.240 Fantasy seven came out. They was making movies that was like, 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:12.440 we're gonna make her gates, We're gonna make fighting games, 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.159 We're gonna make you know, shooter games. We're gonna make 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.400 not just RPGs. And they really like all of that 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.680 happened because of Final Fantasy seven, and people like glumped 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:27.280 on the Square Soft and that just that was it listening. 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:31.159 That's what Square Enix used to be called the Square 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:33.440 I remember, yes, Square Soft. Well, when they turned into 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:37.359 Square enixs, I was like, who are you? Who is this? 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:42.279 But yeah, but so now but with the Anthem, it 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:44.440 was kind of a flop and they've been trying to 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:47.600 rework it. It's kind of a Games of the Service 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:50.520 game similar to Destiny, And there were so many people 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:55.240 who were like, oh, by aware is is this and that? 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.279 And we can't trust them by where this? By where 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.640 that bay? And it wasn't until Jesse Cox came on, go, well, 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.640 I know that Anthem was rushed by e a. So 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:07.560 I'm wondering if the suits that rushed by Aware to 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.320 make this game and thus making an incomplete game, are 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:14.720 without jobs anyone, anyone, And it's like, yeah, that's what. Really, 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:18.560 you're blaming BioWare when it's not even their fault and 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.559 you know I'm not gonna rush the job. Are still working, 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.840 they are collecting, they check. Oh yeah, they that FIFA 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:28.320 check that FIFA check. Keep them, keep them afloat, baby, 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.840 They're fine, You're fine. Don't worry. What are you nerding 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.840 out about doing? Um um? Well, A couple of things. One, 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.760 I'm glad that our prediction was right, that Matthew Cherry 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:46.640 Ascara like like nostradamit's over here. I mean, I was 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.080 scared that I was going to jinx in by saying 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:51.360 he won it because we recorded the day before, and 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:54.680 I'm like, he won. I'm hoping that's the power of speaking. 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:58.240 He literally did Another thing, I want to give a 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:01.400 shout out to our friend and Short's The Voice of 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.880 Sonics is opening this weekend, so so shout out, go 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:07.920 check out the Sonic movie. And people are enjoying. Yeah, 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.640 it's a it's a it's a family friendly movie. I 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:15.160 don't think it's supposed to be groundbreaking, so um, just 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:18.440 enjoy it and then uh, finally, this just feels like 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.600 I'm just shouting out movies. What I was getting out 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.080 about was actually that I went with Malcolm Barrett if 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:26.680 I'm on Oscar to night after I saw After I 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.160 saw Matthew, when I checked out, I left, we were 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:32.360 like I've done, and I went and um, I went 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:35.640 to see Birds of Prey and I did love many 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:38.040 different things about it, but one was the sheer amount 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:41.120 of fighting they had, like the fight choreography. I mean, 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.160 it was just like it reminded me of there's two 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.840 types of DBZ episodes. There's one where they stand around 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:50.040 and talk and there's one where they fight the entire time. 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:52.640 And that's what it felt like. It was like majority fighting. 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:54.680 I felt like, I'm probably going to see that tonight 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:59.000 after this. Yeah I haven't. Yeah, I gotta see this. 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:01.720 I'm gonna record track with Lamar. But then I got 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:03.920 to get my hair cut. I got you know, it's 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:08.720 that I've been working so much. Yeah yeah, yeah, but 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:10.600 I like, I wake up, go to the gym, because 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:12.560 you know, your boy never sleeps. You boy got to 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:16.640 get them gains. But I'm writing on this sci fi show, 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:19.520 Great Debate, who you might you might see some folk, 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.520 you know, you might see some folks on that show. 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.920 Just just gonna say, I've meant a text to see 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:27.880 if I can announce some of the people. Because the 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:32.240 tickets are available. Yeah, you can buy tickets for the 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:36.320 live taping. So usually the ticketing sites will say who's 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:39.360 gonna be on it? Uh, and we have Yeah, we've 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:43.160 locked a few apps. Uh, you know, but it's you know, 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:48.719 I might wanna might wanna hop. Yeah. But so I've 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:51.320 been doing that from like ten thirty to five thirty, 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.760 sitting in an hour and twenty minutes of traffic from 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:58.960 Culver to Burbank to shoot my yeah, because then I 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:02.880 shoot my late night on Twitch super Punch from seven 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:06.960 to eleven. Then I jet home, try and get a 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:10.200 little bit asleep. But because you know me, like I 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:13.640 like one night, I was playing Apex till like two 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:16.720 problem and then like, yeah, last night, like I did 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:18.319 all that. I got home at two and I was like, 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:25.000 let me watch one episode of again Tomas Wow. One episode. 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.280 But then I knew I screwed myself because they were like, 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:31.320 this is the one hour special premier episode. On my point, 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.000 if you want to know, you want to know something 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.079 so funny when people get honest at our podcast is 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.199 only an hour, which I think is like the perfect 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.560 time is, um, I'm writing on this show. I do 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.439 the same thing where I'm in this writer's room for 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.920 Netflix until like six pm, like you know, it's dark out, 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:51.840 And then I agreed to do someone's podcast and it 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:54.320 was it was ram but like it was two hours long. 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:58.000 So I was sitting there until nine pm thinking like 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:00.760 I need I feel so bad, I need to not 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.120 agree to do this. I was like, this is there's 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:05.200 no topic that I need to sit here that you 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.240 need to hear me talk about for two hours of 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:11.920 just straight Yeah, I know it depends on the topic. Well, 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:14.080 I mean I hear you, but also like, as a 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:17.840 working person, I cannot. That's why like all of our 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:19.880 guests like you and everyone that comes in is like 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.360 they're busy people. They're doing stuff, and so we try 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:25.440 to give give you all info and bite sized amounts 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.760 and then get out of there. So, um, Crystal, what 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:32.319 are you getting out about this week? I love dead 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:35.040 Dead demons, the dead Dead Dead destruction. It is a 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:38.280 manga by any assano Um. If you read good Night Mr. 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.840 Poom Poom or um Stollen in with the other one 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:45.959 that came out, it's this crazy slice of life manga 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:50.000 about basically, these aliens just showed up over Tokyo huge 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:54.880 mothership and did absolutely nothing, and of course people thought 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.280 they were about to get invaded. They were freaking out 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.520 and nothing happened, so then they started to just get 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.000 used to it it and go on about their daily lives. 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:07.520 But that's not gonna just sit. It's like, it's just 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:09.840 like the craziest thing I've ever seen is about these 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:13.760 four high school girls that are just trying to decide 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:15.320 if they still want to go to school in the 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.280 face of this, because they know they're like, we're gonna 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:20.719 die for sure, there's something's going to happen, or if 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:23.360 they're gonna try to pursue romantic relationships, or if they're 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:25.320 going to try to stop these aliens, or if the 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:29.360 aliens are actually a problem. Because there's some reveals later on. 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:31.960 I'm on book seven, I know there's like a couple 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:34.960 of more volumes left, and a lot of things have 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:37.320 been revealed about the aliens and what the government is doing. 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:42.360 Donald Trump is in there. Yes, comic is amazing and 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:44.400 I recommend it to anybody to read it. And our 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.640 style is amazing too as well. So you say it 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.760 was a manga, Yeah, maa, okay, I love whenever they 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:55.840 drag us Please Death Note went and had Donald Trump 0:12:55.920 --> 0:13:01.640 in it too. They did shot you have to it's 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:06.040 impossible now you can't not drag Look at what look 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:08.360 at what's going on over in America. Yeah. Well it's 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.240 so funny too, because like my buddy Pierce is over 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.360 in Japan right now, and when he when Donald Trump 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.920 was meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, and I was like, oh, 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.280 what's this And my buddy was like, he's just as bad. 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.440 He's our Donald Trump. I was like, yeah, yeah, really yeah, 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.880 it's just as bad as Donald That's what Pierce said. 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:30.319 So wow, he said it's very like he's very nationalist, 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.440 say something, you know, so same thing. It seems like 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.640 it was just some weird kool aid that went into 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:38.920 all the different world leaders where it's like we just 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:43.080 got to get supernationalists and be about us in our roots, 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.120 but really not our roots, just the primary race that 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.840 we want to I mean, we don't really have I 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.800 mean our roots aren't anyways. I was going to say, 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:56.120 I love that Bong June Hoo kept calling the Oscars 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:00.440 like a regional. Oh yeah, it's funny. It's still show. 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:06.800 Yeah he's still swept. He was like, thanks, and I'm out. Yeah, 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:11.679 he's very liable to keep checking Americans. We need it. 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:14.040 And if you like to parasite of, I'll check out 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.760 snow Piercer, check out the host. You know that he's 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:21.440 got some other hits to check out. Pierce is my favorite. 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:27.360 I just want to tweet gifts that are like respect. 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.600 People that have seen it will get that. Send me 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:35.440 respect gifts. I'm still freaked out, but I guy, we'll 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.840 look so. Um. I was going to say, before we 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.360 though hop into static Shock, I kind of would love 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.400 the audience to know a little bit more about you, 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:48.440 Crystal pursuing you know, being an illustrator and writing comics. 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:51.680 So how did you get into this field and how 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.920 did you also? Sorry, second question, when did you decide 0:14:54.960 --> 0:15:00.240 to pursue it professionally? Honestly, I always love comics. Um. 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.120 I told you before that I grew up reading my 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:04.800 dad's comic book collection. He had bookcases and bookcases and 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:09.160 bookcases of comics, and um, I just read all of 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:12.600 them whatever I could. And I got a little older, 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:16.480 felled down to manga black hole, never to be seen again. 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:19.480 But and I thought for a while, I was like, 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.080 oh wow, I'm gonna be an animator because I always 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.840 love cartoons and I went to school for it. Um. 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.040 And I did finally come out here, super duper late. 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:30.400 But I came out here. Where are you from? I'm 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:36.000 from Chicago, originally from Chicago, born and raised, and um, yeah, 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:38.720 it was a culture shot coming here. But that's what's 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:43.400 at the point. UM. And I started working at Universal. UM. 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:46.520 Then I ended up at DreamWorks. Um they were doing 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.400 some Netflix shows. They're doing a bunch of Netflix shows now, um. 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.800 And then a couple of other smaller studios after that. 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:55.400 But I had always loved animation. I always love comic books, 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:57.120 and those two kind of tend to go hand in hand, 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:59.520 Like I don't know anybody that's in the comic that 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:03.240 does said doesn't love animation, and vice versa. UM. It 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:08.160 is a related but similar, related but different skill set 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:14.360 because with animation, especially storyboards, which is what people used 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:17.480 to compare to comics. It's all about a your camera, 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.400 where's your camera gonna be at? So I did my 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.640 time at some animation studios, but honestly, one of the 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:27.000 things I learned, I mean because the way, and you 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.280 guys know as well, you work on a project for 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:31.200 a certain amount of time, and then you're hustling for 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:33.520 the next next project, which means you're hustling for the 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:39.080 next paycheck. And I realized that I can do that, 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:42.720 and it's cool, but I'm always gonna be working on 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:46.760 somebody else's ideas and somebody else's stories and somebody else's dreams. 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:48.800 I have a finite amount of time on this earth, 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:51.280 and I don't want to spend it telling somebody else's story. 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:53.960 I want to tell on my own stories. So I 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:57.720 uh got together with my friend that you know, he 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:01.240 was the only other black person on our product to Netflix, 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:04.119 I mean at uh DreamWorks. We're doing a show for 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.000 Netflix that DreamWorks, and Uh, I was like, yo, let's 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:10.160 just do this comic together. Like, you know, we're both 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.359 obviously still working, but we're like, we need to be 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:17.040 working towards something for ourselves so that we're not constantly 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:20.760 be beholden to some big name studio or any other 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.479 studio for you know, So, did you all have to 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:26.960 meet up on because you're still working full time. I'm 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:28.840 just trying to give I know this helps our listeners 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:31.800 that are also trying to pursue a creative absolutely, so, 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:35.120 were you meeting up on weekends? Always on the weekends 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:37.399 we meet up. We have it scheduled. And this is 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:39.119 the thing that you absolutely have to do if this 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:42.240 is something that you're interested in, especially if you're working 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.840 with somebody else one, you have to respect their time 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:48.800 and your energy and your own. Don't make unrealistic goals 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:50.879 or expectations about this sort of thing. It is going 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:52.639 to take the time that it's going to take, and 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:54.679 the more research that you do ahead of the time, 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:58.679 the better that your situation will be. Um And you 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:01.120 want to make sure you're working with somebody that actually 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.720 wants to do with that isn't just like, oh, well, 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:07.800 you know, I could do a draw a few pictures 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:10.119 here and there. You want somebody that is committed to 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.880 the project as you are, that sees, yes, I see 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:16.200 value in this. I need to be doing something other 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:20.119 than you know, just working for somebody else. It also 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.200 helps if that person has their own ideas that maybe 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:26.960 they want to get out there. Because my partner, he's 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.320 a board artist, so of course he's a board artist, 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:31.520 are writers too. He has a lot of great ideas. 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.280 So after we're done with this first one, this are 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:38.520 comic fantasmic gore, we're coming out with. Um, I'm pushing 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:42.159 him because he had this game that he was working on. Um, 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:45.320 I'm pushing him to produce that one next because I 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:49.399 say why not? Why not? And that's also you should 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:53.440 ask yourself why not? So yeah, um, so yeah, we 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.160 meet every weekend. Uh, we have a do an agenda 0:18:57.200 --> 0:18:59.320 ahead of time because I'm basically the captain of this 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:02.240 ship at this point. So have our meeting agenda, we 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:04.080 hit our points and everything, and then we have our 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:07.160 assignments to go back to when we go back into 0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:10.159 our normal nine to five lives. Um. Of course, you 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:13.040 want to make sure you're carving out some time to 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:15.840 yourself to work on stuff. And it is so hard. 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:19.000 It's so hard, especially and this is the hardest thing 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:22.240 because I was working in production, but he's uh, in 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:25.119 the on the creative end, you're expending a lot of 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:28.920 creative energy too. If you're on doing design, if you're 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:32.000 doing boards, even if you're if you're writing for somebody, 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.400 you're expending in a lot of creative energy for somebody else, 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.399 And it's hard to recharge and work on your own stuff. 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:41.040 But you have to, like, I feel like I have 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:44.159 this story to tell. Yeah, I think people is going 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:46.959 to resonate what else? So for me, So this Netflix 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:48.560 show that I'm working on right now, which is great. 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:51.479 I can congratulation to see a girl. Yeah, I cannot 0:19:51.480 --> 0:19:54.320 wait to for everyone to see it. Um, but it's 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.199 not my show. I have a separate show that I 0:19:57.240 --> 0:20:00.439 get to work on this spring that's mine. But this 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:03.679 show and so you're there all day. You're using your brain, 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:05.960 which is like the most exhausted. You don't realize because 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:08.560 you're sitting right the whole time, but you're pitching ideas 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:10.919 and I go through so much coffee because everyone in 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:13.639 the room got there because of their talent, right, So 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:16.960 everyone is like some of the best writers in that room, 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.120 and you're having to pitch alongside them, which is great, 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:21.760 but you need to bring your a game every day. 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:25.040 And so and so we're going to wrap up at 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:27.280 the end of February, beginning to March, and my team 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:29.800 my reps were like, hey, so, do you want to 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:32.919 go work on this other show after And I said no, 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:36.040 And they said, I'm sorry, Can we ask why? And 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:38.719 I said yeah, because I just you know, I'm I'm 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:41.760 I just did these several months on someone else's show, 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:44.120 and there's no way I can work on my own 0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:47.199 stuff if I'm like, you know, I have this And 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:49.080 I'm saying that from a place of like, yes, I've 0:20:49.080 --> 0:20:51.160 been able to stash away a little bit of money 0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:53.440 from from this show so that I can I can 0:20:53.560 --> 0:20:55.800 you know, keep moving on so that I can take 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:57.840 some time off to work on my stuff. But yeah, 0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:00.439 I'm so in the same way where I think that 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:02.200 to them was like, don't you just want to make money? 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:04.480 And I was like, well, actually, I don't mind making 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:07.119 less money for a month, having a month off or 0:21:07.119 --> 0:21:09.760 two if I can like sit down and recharge and 0:21:09.800 --> 0:21:12.959 like actually make my own scripts. And I totally agree. 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:15.560 It's like it's really hard. You have to do both. 0:21:16.160 --> 0:21:17.520 You have to do both when you're coming up, but 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:19.920 there's a certain point where you're like, you know, when 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:21.880 am I actually going to set aside time to work 0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:24.040 on my own stuff and just a piece of advice, 0:21:24.080 --> 0:21:26.400 if you can give yourself three months. Yeah, I don't 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:29.439 know if you can, that might not be possible. But 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:31.199 if you can give yourself three months, because you need 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:35.160