NW NERD: Fandom-powered geek magazine
These are the stories that make us nerds. Broadcasting from the crossroads of fandom, covering comics, film, TV, comicon, cosplay, pop culture, games, and all other corners of the geekonomy. NW NERD is a magazine-style podcast with interviews and feature stories from the diverse geek community.
Episodes
162 episodes
Ming Chen's bars and bites guide to the NW
Ming Chen spends a lot of time on the road, traveling to different pop culture conventions as a guest and a host. In doing so, he has become familiar with many cities across the USA, getting to know the local restaurants, cafes, dive bars, and ...
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28:53
The many lives of cosplayer Alicia Marie
You may know Alicia Marie from comic conventions where she is often a guest, but this cosplayer is more than meets the eye. Alicia Marie lives many lives: Cosplayer, fitness expert, socia...
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22:19
How PlayTest NW upped its game
Beau Johnson organizes events for PlayTest NW, so game designers can test their creations. But when the pandemic struck in 2020, prompting lockdowns and social distancing, the gaming organization had to evol...
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15:42
Look! It's Captain Slinky!
How to describe Captain Slinky? Well, for starters, he makes these lamps. They're one-of-a-kind and you just have to see them to believe them. They certainly fit in at an event called "The Oddmall." Captain Slinky took the helm of The Oddmall i...
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15:41
Feature: A profile on Rogues Gallery Cosplay
Cosplay is not just about crafting screen-accurate costumes for Rogues Gallery Cosplay. It's also about fitness. NW NERD presents a feature profile on this Northwest couple who builds their attire along with their bodies.This feat...
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14:17
Your cosplay or your job? A conversation with cosplayer/writer Ani-Mia
Cosplayer Ani-Mia has taken her cosplay to new heights as a writer who has been featured in Otaku Magazine and Cosplay Central. She didn't let her passions end there and also penned a seri...
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19:34
Navigating the ups and downs of self-publishing your indie comic project
Do you have a comic book idea you want to see in print? Woody Arnold is a DIY, indie comic creator who has navigated the tricky world of self publishing. He has had to adapt to many challenges, which he hasn't let stop his current project,&...
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26:33
Beverly Downen wears many helmets
Beverly Downen wears many hats ... or helmets, horns ... and crowns? She's a cosplayer, competitor, judge, and now an author!You may know Beverly as a skilled co...
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19:26
This looks like a job for THE HERO INITIATIVE
The Hero Initiative is a federally recognized non profit with a simple mission – help comic creators in need. It's been around nearly 20 years and during that time it has distributed more than $1 million to such comic creators. But what does he...
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22:51
Russell Hodgkinson is not a nerd
A chat with actor Russell Hodgkinson of "Z Nation" fame. The actor discusses the film scene in Spokane, whether or not he should shave his beard, projects he's working on, cats, and gardening ... and more. This interview was recorded at Spokane...
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16:55
Introducing NW NERD Magazine!
Dyer has some big news to announce, and to explain it all ... this episode is going to get a little weird. Egypt Archie from the Comic Dads and Joel the Geek take over the podcast to press Dyer about what NW NERD has been up to, why did it go o...
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52:55
From clerk to 'Clerks' and beyond: Ming Chen's winding career path
What started as a chance encounter with a rental VHS copy of "Clerks" put Ming Chen on a path to working with the film's creator, Kevin Smith. That path included designing websites, podcasting, TV's Comic Book Men, and more. Ming sits d...
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37:24
All about Shang-Chi; with comic creator Jim Starlin and Jaime Jameson
What would Jim Starlin, creator of Shang-Chi, say about where this character could be headed on screen? We ask him in an exclusive interview. Also featuring collaborator Jaime Jameson to talk Dreadstar and more. Our Shang-Chi discus...
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58:51
Do you take this nerd in geeky matrimony?
Chanel Johnson just wanted a perfect wedding. For her (and husband Bil) that meant a Harry Potter / Viking themed event. Chanel tells the story of her geek wedding. Also, Victoria Rudolph with Si...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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56:09
The tastes, the scents, and the cocktails of pop culture
This episode is for all the geek senses – tastes and smells, etc. Michel Paves used her creativity during the pandemic to develop scent profiles for her favorite fandoms and characters, from Wolverine to Falkor the luck dragon. That evo...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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1:00:54
Oregon Trail gets an historic update
You can still play The Oregon Trail on Apple Arcade, but the modern version of this iconic educational game has gotten an upgrade as part of an effort to more accurately depict the times, and the people along the trail – Native Americans in par...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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18:24
507: Despite all the dysentery, we still love The Oregon Trail (encore)
An encore presentation of NW NERD's feature story on the Oregon Trail video game that was the highlight of many young students' school day in the 1980s and 1990s. NW NERD talks with Don Rawitsch, the creator of the educational video game,. It w...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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38:32
506: Where no journalists have gone before
What is the connection between Star Trek and journalism?NW NERD presents a special roundtable discussion with three award-winning journalists who happen to be major Star Trek fans. Essex Porter, ...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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57:25
505: Funko vs the Pandemic
When the pandemic first struck in 2020, Funko was already in a bit of a funk. But the company, and its fans, learned to adapt over a rocky year. This is the story of how Funko (and its fans, and retail shops) faced the pandemic. What it learned...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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39:36
504: Cassius Marsh opens a Magic (The Gathering) shop
Former Seahawk Cassius Marsh (currently Pittsburgh Steelers) has long dreamed of owning a store focused on Magic: The Gathering and other collectable cards. He has now achieved that dream with Cash Card...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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57:45
503: 'Drawing Monsters' documentary and the life of an entreprenerd
Jim Demonakos (Emerald City Comic Con, LightBox Expo, Comic Stop) has a new project – a
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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1:02:33
502: State of the Comicons (what can we expect moving forward?)
The pandemic and 2020 shocked the pop culture convention industry that gives us comicons and other coveted gatherings. NW NERD brings in Todd Jones (former Global Director of Content and Celebrity Talent for ReedPOP) to help explain what has go...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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53:09
501: Who is Captain Quidel?
On the first episode of Season 5, we meet a new superhero on the streets of Seattle, and she has a pretty cool car, too. Meet Captain Quidel, who arrived in time for the pandemic.
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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52:54
Looking ahead: New year, pop culture changes, and the moon
We've left one year behind, and are embarking on another. There are a few headlines that may affect our relationship to pop culture in the months ahead. Plus, the Northwest has a couple connections to a coming mission to the moon that will make...
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1:08:47
Festivus 2020: Despite the Festivus curse, we pull through
The annual Festivus special carries a bit of a curse on NW NERD. Audio gets glitchy, Dyer's soundboard doesn't work, or the Monorail keeps interrupting. And this year's Festivus recording is on par with all that ... and 2020 in general. Yeah, w...
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1:01:51