Podcasts about Zoobooks

Episode Notes Who is ready for a huge amount of discussion about sustainability and how to manage the pending climate disaster? Ranked This Episode: X-Men Green Wolverine: Global Jeopardy Doom 2099 #19-21 Check out the Battle of the Atom Master Ranking List! New content every week on ComicsXF.com Follow Adam on Twitter @arthurstacy & never try to find Zack! Our theme music is Junk Factory from the X-Men Arcade Game by Seiichi Fukami, Yuji Takenouchi, Junya Nakano, and Ayako Hashimoto. Cover art is by Adam Reck after Dave Cockrum with logo design by Mikey Zee If you want to support the show make sure you rate and review the show or check out our Patreon!

Okay, it's time to face the truth. This has mostly ended up being a podcast about cool animal facts. And you know what? We're leaning into it. No zombies in this one. This is basically Zoobooks the podcast. Whatever man. Get off my ass. Go make your own podcast okay? What's with the third degree? The Last of Bust is a companion podcast for HBO's The Last of Us hosted by Nirav Gandhi, Jess Clayton-Berry, and Felicia Kostiuk and airs every Wednesday right here in your feed, at https://gamebusterspod.com , and at https://youtube.com/gameluster . Thanks for listening!

Hey Peaches! Join Adam and Jay as they FIX Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016). The time-turner boys discuss babies that kick, playbooking, brain chemistry, secret vengeance, a veal parmigiana banana split, screening stories, magic America, sexy Dumbledore, and, of course, how to fix Fantastic Beasts. Who do you think has the best fix for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016)? As always, it was Harry Potter's answer to Zoobooks. Need more pReview'd in your life? FIX IT! Check out pReview'd on YouTube! Follow pReview'd on Instagram & Twitter & TikTok Join the pReview'd Discord server! Get extra goodies on Patreon! Watch Jay on Twitch! Browse the merch shop! Get into pReview'd Gaming on YouTube!

Cycle 3 is here for 2023! FOLLOW us @johnbeforedawn and @joeistherealest !!! Follow our special guest @youtubestargirl Follow our special guest @ LAVQUIN and go to Lavquin.com to find ALL of our links THERE! First Segment- "Do You Remember?" where we go on a trip down Nostolgia Lane and revisit some of the stuff we forgot as a yougin. This episode we talk about Zoobooks and Homies. Next Segment- "They Did NOT Just Say That!" where we look at some of the most out of pocket lyrics of todays music and try to guess WHO said that. This episode's music videos are: R.O.D. by Vae Vanilla, Folgers Coffee Brother & Sister, In Love With A Gangsta by Knightowl, Not Us by Pretty Brayah,Just Tryna Ball With My Bros by Casey Frey, Too Close by Next, Flowers by Miley Cyrus. First is Vae Vanilla in Bronco's Country?! Then we revisit this old commercial when Incest was in! Then Knightowl cant fight. Then Pretty Brayah wears the same eyelashes as Vae. Then Casey Frey is bi? Then there is 3 members of Next and 3 members of Video Virgins.... Then is Miley a Boss Chick or a Sad Bitch? R.O.D. (VISA Version)- BangThatShit feat Vae Vanilla - YouTube Folgers Coffee Brother & Sister Home For Christmas 2009 Christmas TV Commercial HD - YouTube Knightowl / In Love With A Gangster - Live (Official Music Video) / Sawed Off Records - YouTube Pretty Brayah - Not Us (Official Video) - YouTube Just tryna ball with my bros w/ Nick Colletti - YouTube Next - Too Close (Official Music Video) - YouTube Miley Cyrus - Flowers (Official Video) - YouTube Dont forget to Like and leave a review! Subscribe to our YOUTUBE - VIDEO VIRGINS and follow our Instagram @VIDEOVIRGINSPOD and our personal instagrams @JOEISTHEREALEST and @JOHNBEFOREDAWN. DM us and Leave us some video's to experience for the first time! Let us know if you want more special guests! Or our guests we had to return. WE DO NOT OWN THE MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO. ALL MUSIC USED IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND RIGHTS BELONG TO ORIGINAL ARTISTS AND COMPOSERS. Sponsorships: on for this episode Hey beautiful, you dont NEED makeup, but if you WANT some, head on over to revolutionbeauty.com and use discount code johnny-rl for $10 off your order!

And four corners make a room (we also talk about Heelys and Zoobooks).

We'll even throw in a stunning tiger poster! Watch this episode on YouTube to see our Zoobooks. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/not-stalgia-podcast/message

Nilah Magruder is an absolute joy and an uber-talented author and artist. She was the first Black woman to write for Marvel, illustrated all of the Heroes of Olympus covers for Rick Riordan's books, and worked extensively in animation. Not to mention the books that she is the sole creator of, which have proven to be legendary in my home.Jarrett: Nilah Magruder. How are you? [00:00:03] Nilah: I'm doing pretty good. How are you? [00:00:06] Jarrett: Hangin', it in there Nilah, you will forever and ever be iconic in my home because your picture book, "How to Find a Fox" has been read so many times. So many times. In our home that it is held together by like scotch tape and like bubble gum.[00:00:29] Our son, we must have read that so many times. [00:00:32] Nilah: Oh my God.[00:00:32] Jarrett: Huge home run pal and I remember we met at Comics Crossroads in Ohio and we were tabling next to each other and, like we just were chatting the whole day and I'm always looking for something to bring home to the kids to make up for being gone.[00:00:45] And wow that book, man, I'm telling you like, iconic like that, that we will read that. I will read that to my grandkids, my wife and I will be reading that to our grandkids someday. So thank you for stop and a chat with us. But of course I what the show is all about of [00:01:01] course is about getting to know how creative people in comics got to be doing what they're doing.[00:01:09] And so I like to start at the very beginning cuz I, I love the idea and I also love the idea of imagine. A young author, an artist and getting to, to hear those stories directly from some of your favorite creators. My first question for you and it might really be the only question I ask and then we're gonna get into a conversation, but what was life like for you as a kid?[00:01:29] What was your home like? What was your family set up? What kind of art and stories were you consuming? What sort of laid the groundwork to create Nilah Magruder? [00:01:39] Nilah: My home life as a child, I grew up in a house in the woods in a small community back in a time where it was largely forest and largely rural.[00:01:53] And I think that had a lasting impact on how. I think visually in how I view story, the sort of stories that I'm interested in. A lot of the things I was interested at interested in as a kid were very pastoral and natural. I loved anything featuring animals and, honestly, I was isolated for a lot of my childhood.[00:02:20] This is something that you and I have in common. I had an alcoholic parent and as a kid, I didn't like to bring friends home because then they would see my dad and, whatever state that my dad was in, it was really unpredictable. I never quite knew what I was bringing friends into. So I didn't, bring friends here very much.[00:02:44] And I didn't go to friends' houses very much. And so a lot of my time was spent at home, but we were surrounded by this woodland, all of these trees and animals and so much nature. And that's really where I spent my time as a kid. Now, what I was interested in, like what I was ingesting, we had a small video rental store in the community, and this was long before Netflix.[00:03:18] This was even before Blockbuster. We didn't have a Blockbuster within driving distance. I'm not even sure if Blockbuster existed back then. And so we had this local mom and pop rental store and they would bring in videos from all over the world. A lot of imported... movies and television series.[00:03:43] And as a kid, I was interested in anything animated. If it was a cartoon, if it was drawn, I was there. And so like any cartoon that they had, I'd be like, mom, can we get this please? And I remember once I showed her one video that I hadn't watched yet, and I was like, mom, can we get this? And she looked at it, she looked at the cover and was like, no.[00:04:05] And she put it back and we never spoke of it again. and years later, like I was an adult on the internet and I saw this title called when the wind blows and I was like, oh, that's familiar. And I looked at the summary. I looked at the art from the movie and I was like, oh my God, that's it. That's that one movie that my mom wouldn't let me watch.[00:04:27] And so when the wind blows is a British animated film about nuclear fallout, And it's about it's about this couple. I think it's like a rural couple and there's this big catastrophe in England. And the government sends pamphlets out to everyone and is every, they're just like, don't panic everyone. It's fine.[00:04:54] Just stay at home. And so basically this couple they're older, they're very trusting. They're like the government knows what's best. So we'll just stay home. And eventually radiation reach reaches them and they get sick and die. [00:05:11] So... [00:05:11] Jarrett: what a prude! What a prude! What a...[00:05:14] Nilah: I know wouldn't let me. And then another time she was also a teacher and one day she brought home the animated Animal Farm.[00:05:22] Jarrett: Wow. Yeah.[00:05:23] Nilah: And, my thing is animals, of course. And she looks at me and she's do not watch this. And then she leaves it out. [00:05:32] Jarrett: Oh... [00:05:33] Nilah: And so one day when she wasn't there, I popped it in the VCR and watched it. And I think I was like nine or 10 at the time. And I loved it. So all that to say when I was a kid, I would just watch anything.[00:05:49] And so I was, and we had this rental store that would bring over anything. And so I was getting to watch animated movies from Japan and England and Russia and Canada, like Canada had a really great experimental animation program that was supported by the government. [00:06:07] Jarrett: Yeah.[00:06:07] Nilah: And so they were producing just like wild animated shorts and half the time, I didn't understand what I was watching, but because it was moving pictures, moving drawings, I was fascinated.[00:06:21] And a lot of the stuff that I look back on that I loved as a small child, it's very experimental and dark. And then I lived in this woodland that was also creepy, a lot of animals lived here and also a lot of people in the community were like fascinated cuz our home was situated secluded.[00:06:45] And so people would come drive through late at night just to, see the house or they'd, walk through, like it was a public park here. [00:06:55] Jarrett: Oh. [00:06:55] Nilah: So I had this experience as a child of just like constantly our space just constantly being invaded by strangers. And it was like scary, you're in bed at night....[00:07:11] And headlights reflected on your wall. Yeah. And you're a little kid and you're just like, oh my gosh. [00:07:19] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:07:19] Nilah: I have this, like I have this just this little, knot from my childhood, that's very, just creepy and wild and mysterious. And then I write children's books. [00:07:34] Jarrett: Yeah. It's not easy to be a creative kid who then you when you have worries, because then your creativity, which I've only realized now as an adult, like your imagination really creates scenarios in your head.[00:07:50] Nilah: Yeah![00:07:50] Jarrett: And I wanna point out to the listeners that it's remarkable. That you had access to VHS tapes of cartoons from other countries in that time period. Sometimes when I'm book touring and I talk to readers and they said; "did you love anime when you were a teenager?" And I didn't really have access to it.[00:08:10] I grew up in a suburban, urban area and my rental shop, which was another mom and pop rental shop. They didn't have that creative, curated collection. So how remarkable that, whoever it was that was down the street from you who had this, you know, who had an appetite for this flavor of creative cartoons, because otherwise you would've just been seeing like just Disney and nothing else.[00:08:35] That's, this kinda was the only game in town back then. [00:08:38] Nilah: Yeah. [00:08:39] Yeah. It is like looking back on it. I think that too, it's very odd. [00:08:44] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:08:45] Nilah: Like, how we had so many dubs at the time, but also that this little, this little spot in rural, Maryland was getting all of these videos and yeah, it was pretty, and this was before cable too.[00:09:01] Like we didn't have cable at the time, a lot of my access to animation was through this little rental shop. [00:09:11] Jarrett: Wow. Wow. And so did you love to draw before or after? Can you, or was it simultaneous love of animation and drawing for you? [00:09:21] Nilah: I think the animation came before and I always tell people that I was.[00:09:27] Bad at art at that age. And I'm talking about when I was in kindergarten, so five or six , who's good at art at that age? But it was this I was really bad at coloring in the lines. [00:09:39] Jarrett: Oh, that showed, that did show - sorry to cut you off - but all that did was show promise.[00:09:44] Nilah: Yeah.[00:09:45] Jarrett: All that did was show promise in your work. So it sounds like you had someone somewhere to say, no, you're supposed to color in the lines. And then you're like, oh, what?[00:09:53] Nilah: It was my peers, I remember sitting at a table in kindergarten and I'm coloring. And one of the little girls next to me was like, "Nilah, do you want me to do that for you?"[00:10:04] And that, that devastated me. [00:10:07] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:10:08] Nilah: And so from a very young age, I was like, wow, I have to get better at this cuz that's embarrassing. And so from five or six years old, I was just making this conscious effort to study and practice and be better at art. And my first subjects were animals cuz that's what I was interested in.[00:10:30] We had this magazine series called ZooBooks. And it was full of photos and illustrations of animals. And I would copy these, copy this art and learn animal anatomy from that. Later we got cable and I would watch discovery channel. And then I could see like animals in motion, and I love the Peanuts.[00:10:53] I love Charlie brown and Snoopy taught me how to draw animal toes. As a kid, I was, I would draw them wrong. And I knew they looked wrong, but I didn't know why. And so I would look at Snoopy's feet and how Charles Schultz drew Snoopy's feet. And I started drawing my feet more like that.[00:11:15] And... eventually, I came to understand why the way I was drawing feet before was wrong, anatomically and like that really, that really helped me take my drawings to the next level.[00:11:30] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:11:30] Nilah: And so it wasn't until much later that I really made the connection between animation and my own drawing, I just like watching cartoons and, I also love to draw.[00:11:42] And so as I got older, I, I did process drawing as a storytelling tool and would start drawing, drawing my own stories. And much, much later I got into anime, and... Also Disney started putting out those, like "Making-Of" specials [00:12:07] Jarrett: Yes! [00:12:07] Nilah: Where they talked about how they made animated films.[00:12:11] And that's when I started to learn; " Oh, people are drawing these movies." And that made, that kind of bridged things for me that you can, like that people make comics, people make animated cartoons, like people make children's books. And, I didn't understand where those illustrations came from or anything, but like seeing the process helped me connect the dots like; "Oh, I, as a person can also do this. I can, create stories with art."[00:12:44] Jarrett: And so growing, coming up then. You had art supplies you were drawing and what were your parents' reaction to that? Do they, they thought it was cute and then you'll outgrow it? Or what was that? What was that dynamic like for you? [00:13:05] Nilah: Oh, they thought it was real cute. My dad actually was known as an artist for a while.[00:13:10] He was in the military and I think... I'll have to ask my mom this. I think the story is that he actually considered going to college for art and he went into the military instead. And...[00:13:27] Jarrett: Those are two vastly opposite things![00:13:29] Nilah: Yeah. [00:13:30] Jarrett: Right?[00:13:30] Nilah: Yeah. And so he could draw as a kid, I found some of his some of his old sketches.[00:13:36] And he had a life drawing book, and he did a mural down in the basement that terrifies my nieces, now! It's this pirate face on this cinder block wall in the basement. And I guess when my nieces were growing up, this terrified them and they still don't like it. But so my dad drew and that's something I learned a little later.[00:13:59] It's not really people saw me drawing and they were like; "Oh, your father drew too." And so I learned about it that way. [00:14:07] Jarrett: Wow. [00:14:07] Nilah: My mom was a teacher, and so she would bring home reams of paper for me, and pencils, and drawing was a way to keep me quiet. So when we're at church or when we're out in public, she would just hand me and my brother like drawing supplies and we would go to town and, we would...[00:14:30] Be behaved. And so she, she liked that aspect of it. And then I got a little older and I would keep drawing and that fascinated small children. So it also kept other children quiet.[00:14:49] Everybody, everybody was like; "Yeah, Nilah! Keeping the peace, keeping everyone disciplined!" And that's all, it was for a long time until I was in high school. And I said; "Hey, I think I wanna go to art school." And then things took a turn [00:15:02] Jarrett: And they were like; "Wait a minute."[00:15:03] No, exactly. That's always the interesting thing, where it's supported. And then and it, what I've come to, to learn since years have passed since I was that age, that it comes from love. It comes from fear. Which is love for the kid of how is this kid gonna grow up to support themselves?[00:15:24] Nilah: Yeah. [00:15:24] Jarrett: Especially if it's a world that the parent or caretaker doesn't fully understand or know. Where and maybe and could be read between the lines, but, I don't never knew your dad never didn't know his childhood, but he chose what you know, was more, would be a more practical path.[00:15:39] So while that, that, like history was echoing in you then getting to that age and you went to art school, did you went to college to study art? [00:15:47] Nilah: I did. Yeah. [00:15:48] Jarrett: What, and what was your study? What did you study when you were there? [00:15:51] Nilah: Computer animation. [00:15:53] Jarrett: Oh yeah. And so animation was your... animation was like, that was your goal then?[00:15:58] Nilah: Yeah. [00:15:58] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:15:59] Nilah: Yeah. That was ever since I was 13. That was the end game for me. [00:16:04] Jarrett: And then, so you went to, you went to college and then you graduate from college and I'm sure your parents were like; "And now do you go to work at an office? Do you get a pension? Do you get a, do you get a 401k?" [00:16:16] Nilah: Yeah they didn't understand it for a long time.[00:16:19] And it didn't really materialize for a long time. And my mother was always very honest that she could offer me no advice. Cause vice cause when she was growing up, a black woman in the forties and fifties and sixties, she would say there were three options for us. Be a nurse, be a house cleaner or be a teacher.[00:16:41] And she picked teaching. Nowadays women and black women in particular have so many more options. And I would call home about my internal struggle about what I should be doing. And she'd be like; "Yeah, that sounds hard." [00:16:57] Jarrett: But she's, " I have nothing for you because I haven't walked that path,[00:17:00] other than, being a black woman who's dealt with society." And so... Right. Exactly. And so there, so yeah, there must have been so much fear. Obviously eventually... Oh yeah. You assuage those fears because you became very successful.[00:17:13] You became the first... [00:17:14] Nilah: So... [00:17:15] Jarrett: Yeah. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. [00:17:16] Nilah: Yeah. Yeah. [00:17:16] The thing, so basically, my, my parents could never stop me. From doing what I was gonna do. And they both knew that. So they put the pressure on, but ultimately, the reason I ended up going to art school is... So we, we tried an animation, like an art trade school, art institutes, and that didn't work out.[00:17:42] And so I went with my mom's plan and did the whole four year college thing. I actually studied journalism and public relations. And when I finally went to Ringling College and studied animation, like I was an adult, I, at that point had a job. I had my own money. I had my own credit. And at this point my parents couldn't stop me.[00:18:06] So I went to art school under my own power and they just had to sit back and wait and see how things turned out. And yeah, there was a lot of fear and totally legitimate fear because we live in this culture that really doesn't support the arts as a career. [00:18:26] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:18:26] Nilah: Even now it's really hard to be an artist because, it's hard to get paid what we're worth. We're, we're still fighting this like societal image of artists as poor and free loaders and just an unnecessary expense. We're in a society where the arts in schools and arts foundations are constantly being defunded, and people don't really understand how much art and design impacts their everyday lives.[00:18:58] And and then, on top of that I think when you're a marginalized person, like your parents are always looking at where, what are the jobs? Where are the careers that people that look like us are thriving. And. That was not entertainment for black people. You don't see, you didn't see black people in those Disney specials. You... And nevermind that I was growing up on the east coast and we really didn't have an entertainment culture here, at least not in TV and film. Yeah. It's different in if you're growing up in California and you're surrounded by studios, who's working in those studios, but here, like there was no window to see where somebody with an animation degree could get a job.[00:19:43] Jarrett: And it's all, it is also, different when you're white, like growing up, I never had a search for characters that looked like me. I never had a search for seeing those specials. And so even though I was on the east coast, I was like; "Oh that's something I can do."[00:19:57] Nilah: Yeah. [00:19:58] Jarrett: But when growing up obviously that's ingrained if you don't see it. And because of your parents lived experience, there were, so there was, so the odds were so stacked against their daughter's favor and they want you to be happy and they want you to be healthy and they want you to succeed.[00:20:13] But you were UN you were unstoppable, you were just kept at it. And you had this love of art and story and you said, you, you said you studied journalism as well. So was like, what was your first paid gig as someone who put words on a paper? Was it journalism? Was it for a newspaper.[00:20:31] Nilah: It was journalism. It was, I think it was a food review. I think it was a restaurant review. Yeah. I worked toward the arts and entertainment department of a Western Maryland newspaper chain, which no longer exists sadly. But I got this job while I was in college. They were looking for interns and I got the internship.[00:20:52] And while I was interning the, the editor who hired me was like; "By the way, do you wanna do some writing?" And, looking back I'm like, what was the other part of this internship? Cuz all I remember is the writing. Like they, they definitely asked me to write in addition to interning, but I don't remember what the interning part was.[00:21:15] I do remember. The early writing gigs. And she was just like; "Hey, why don't you try doing a couple of food reviews?" And that was really cool. I got to go to restaurants and review, write a review. [00:21:27] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:21:27] Nilah: And then that summer there was there, was like a regime change at the paper and my editor rage quit.[00:21:37] And I was like; " I guess that's it for that job!" And so I was like that was fun. I worked for the newspaper for a few months. And then the editor who took our place called me and was like; "Hey, so I found your name on this list of freelance writers. Do you wanna keep writing for us?" And I was like; "Yeah, sure!"[00:21:59] and so he kept feeding me jobs and I didn't review restaurants again, but he would send me out to review gallery openings and to talk to local musicians and I speak to like local, owners of dance companies and theater companies and just this wide array of things. And I, my mom bought me a car cuz it was freaking her out.[00:22:24] I was basically walking around town at night to get to these jobs. And so she bought me a car. So I wouldn't do that. And so I was driving all around, Maryland, reviewing, like writing for this paper. And I did that for two years, through my junior and senior year of college. And then after I graduated and I did it up until the point that I got a full time job and just didn't have time anymore.[00:22:49] And yeah.[00:22:51] Jarrett: Moms are gonna mom forever. Never not gonna be your mom. Never not gonna be your mom looking out for you. And so you know that - granted you were pursuing degrees, but... it sounds like that was also like a whole other master's degree in, in learning about the arts. So you were studying... [00:23:08] Nilah: Yeah.[00:23:08] Jarrett: You were studying the stories of so many people who were you self-employed or making a go at, making a living via a non-traditional means. It's true. You must have met so many interesting people. I can't even, I'm sure that just yeah. Soaked into the fabric of who you became.[00:23:24] So what was your fulltime job? You said you had a full-time you said you had a full-time job. So you left that. What was your full-time case? [00:23:30] Nilah: I was a marketing writer for a health nonprofit. [00:23:34] Yeah. Sounds exciting. Was that super exciting? [00:23:38] Yes... [00:23:39] Jarrett: No? [00:23:39] Nilah: It was amazing. No, it was. So it was in like the DC Metro area and the commute was very long.[00:23:47] It was 70 minutes, one way. Ooh. On the DC beltway. And I'd have to leave home at, what, 4:30, 5 in the morning to get there before rush hour. And it was, it was a fine gig. This nonprofit runs a trade show. I think they do it every other year in Chicago. So while I was there, I got to go to Chicago and help coordinate this giant trade show which was actually that part was really cool.[00:24:17] It was, it was a fine job. It taught me, about the corporate space. It was pretty close to what I went to school to do. And they paid me well for a nonprofit. Like I had a competitive salary. It was, it was my first taste of money. [00:24:36] Jarrett: Yeah. Which is important to pay for things.[00:24:39] Nilah: Yeah.[00:24:40] Jarrett: like your basic needs and enjoyment for sure. [00:24:44] Nilah: And, at the time I was outlining this future and marketing and PR and that was gonna be it. But wow. I still, I still had this bug where I wanted to draw and write and working in marketing wasn't fully fulfilling it. And so I decided I wanted to give it another go.[00:25:06] I wanted to, I started just like poking at, looking at art programs, just, experimentally and ended up applying a lot faster than I thought I would and ended up going a lot faster than I thought I would. [00:25:25] Jarrett: And is that for a master's degree? Is that...[00:25:28] Nilah: No, a bachelor's. [00:25:29] Jarrett: For oh, for a bachelor's![00:25:31] Nilah: I have two bachelors and it feels so pointless.[00:25:35] Jarrett: Oh, here I am thinking like... Oh, I, my, like I'm always concerned. I'm not being a good listener... No, you went and got a second bachelors. [00:25:43] Nilah: I went and got a second. No one needs two bachelors. [00:25:45] Jarrett: Nilah Magruder. How are you? [00:25:49] Nilah: I'm doing pretty good. How are you? [00:25:52] Jarrett: Hangin', it in there Nilah, you will forever and ever be iconic in my home because your picture book, "How to Find a Fox" has been read so many times. So many times. In our home that it is held together by like scotch tape and like bubble gum.[00:26:14] Our son, we must have read that so many times. [00:26:18] Nilah: Oh my God.[00:26:18] Jarrett: Huge home run pal and I remember we met at Comics Crossroads in Ohio and we were tabling next to each other and, like we just were chatting the whole day and I'm always looking for something to bring home to the kids to make up for being gone.[00:26:31] And wow that book, man, I'm telling you like, iconic like that, that we will read that. I will read that to my grandkids, my wife and I will be reading that to our grandkids someday. So thank you for stop and a chat with us. But of course I what the show is all about of [00:26:47] course is about getting to know how creative people in comics got to be doing what they're doing.[00:26:54] And so I like to start at the very beginning cuz I, I love the idea and I also love the idea of imagine. A young author, an artist and getting to, to hear those stories directly from some of your favorite creators. My first question for you and it might really be the only question I ask and then we're gonna get into a conversation, but what was life like for you as a kid?[00:27:15] What was your home like? What was your family set up? What kind of art and stories were you consuming? What sort of laid the groundwork to create Nilah Magruder? [00:27:25] Nilah: My home life as a child, I grew up in a house in the woods in a small community back in a time where it was largely forest and largely rural.[00:27:38] And I think that had a lasting impact on how. I think visually in how I view story, the sort of stories that I'm interested in. A lot of the things I was interested at interested in as a kid were very pastoral and natural. I loved anything featuring animals and, honestly, I was isolated for a lot of my childhood.[00:28:05] This is something that you and I have in common. I had an alcoholic parent and as a kid, I didn't like to bring friends home because then they would see my dad and, whatever state that my dad was in, it was really unpredictable. I never quite knew what I was bringing friends into. So I didn't, bring friends here very much.[00:28:30] And I didn't go to friends' houses very much. And so a lot of my time was spent at home, but we were surrounded by this woodland, all of these trees and animals and so much nature. And that's really where I spent my time as a kid. Now, what I was interested in, like what I was ingesting, we had a small video rental store in the community, and this was long before Netflix.[00:29:04] This was even before Blockbuster. We didn't have a Blockbuster within driving distance. I'm not even sure if Blockbuster existed back then. And so we had this local mom and pop rental store and they would bring in videos from all over the world. A lot of imported... movies and television series.[00:29:29] And as a kid, I was interested in anything animated. If it was a cartoon, if it was drawn, I was there. And so like any cartoon that they had, I'd be like, mom, can we get this please? And I remember once I showed her one video that I hadn't watched yet, and I was like, mom, can we get this? And she looked at it, she looked at the cover and was like, no.[00:29:50] And she put it back and we never spoke of it again. and years later, like I was an adult on the internet and I saw this title called when the wind blows and I was like, oh, that's familiar. And I looked at the summary. I looked at the art from the movie and I was like, oh my God, that's it. That's that one movie that my mom wouldn't let me watch.[00:30:13] And so when the wind blows is a British animated film about nuclear fallout, And it's about it's about this couple. I think it's like a rural couple and there's this big catastrophe in England. And the government sends pamphlets out to everyone and is every, they're just like, don't panic everyone. It's fine.[00:30:40] Just stay at home. And so basically this couple they're older, they're very trusting. They're like the government knows what's best. So we'll just stay home. And eventually radiation reach reaches them and they get sick and die. [00:30:56] So... [00:30:57] Jarrett: what a prude! What a prude! What a...[00:31:00] Nilah: I know wouldn't let me. And then another time she was also a teacher and one day she brought home the animated Animal Farm.[00:31:08] Jarrett: Wow. Yeah.[00:31:09] Nilah: And, my thing is animals, of course. And she looks at me and she's do not watch this. And then she leaves it out. [00:31:17] Jarrett: Oh... [00:31:19] Nilah: And so one day when she wasn't there, I popped it in the VCR and watched it. And I think I was like nine or 10 at the time. And I loved it. So all that to say when I was a kid, I would just watch anything.[00:31:34] And so I was, and we had this rental store that would bring over anything. And so I was getting to watch animated movies from Japan and England and Russia and Canada, like Canada had a really great experimental animation program that was supported by the government. [00:31:52] Jarrett: Yeah.[00:31:52] Nilah: And so they were producing just like wild animated shorts and half the time, I didn't understand what I was watching, but because it was moving pictures, moving drawings, I was fascinated.[00:32:07] And a lot of the stuff that I look back on that I loved as a small child, it's very experimental and dark. And then I lived in this woodland that was also creepy, a lot of animals lived here and also a lot of people in the community were like fascinated cuz our home was situated secluded.[00:32:30] And so people would come drive through late at night just to, see the house or they'd, walk through, like it was a public park here. [00:32:41] Jarrett: Oh. [00:32:41] Nilah: So I had this experience as a child of just like constantly our space just constantly being invaded by strangers. And it was like scary, you're in bed at night....[00:32:57] And headlights reflected on your wall. Yeah. And you're a little kid and you're just like, oh my gosh. [00:33:04] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:33:05] Nilah: I have this, like I have this just this little, knot from my childhood, that's very, just creepy and wild and mysterious. And then I write children's books. [00:33:19] Jarrett: Yeah. It's not easy to be a creative kid who then you when you have worries, because then your creativity, which I've only realized now as an adult, like your imagination really creates scenarios in your head.[00:33:36] Nilah: Yeah![00:33:36] Jarrett: And I wanna point out to the listeners that it's remarkable. That you had access to VHS tapes of cartoons from other countries in that time period. Sometimes when I'm book touring and I talk to readers and they said; "did you love anime when you were a teenager?" And I didn't really have access to it.[00:33:55] I grew up in a suburban, urban area and my rental shop, which was another mom and pop rental shop. They didn't have that creative, curated collection. So how remarkable that, whoever it was that was down the street from you who had this, you know, who had an appetite for this flavor of creative cartoons, because otherwise you would've just been seeing like just Disney and nothing else.[00:34:21] That's, this kinda was the only game in town back then. [00:34:24] Nilah: Yeah. [00:34:24] Yeah. It is like looking back on it. I think that too, it's very odd. [00:34:29] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:34:30] Nilah: Like, how we had so many dubs at the time, but also that this little, this little spot in rural, Maryland was getting all of these videos and yeah, it was pretty, and this was before cable too.[00:34:47] Like we didn't have cable at the time, a lot of my access to animation was through this little rental shop. [00:34:56] Jarrett: Wow. Wow. And so did you love to draw before or after? Can you, or was it simultaneous love of animation and drawing for you? [00:35:06] Nilah: I think the animation came before and I always tell people that I was.[00:35:13] Bad at art at that age. And I'm talking about when I was in kindergarten, so five or six , who's good at art at that age? But it was this I was really bad at coloring in the lines. [00:35:25] Jarrett: Oh, that showed, that did show - sorry to cut you off - but all that did was show promise.[00:35:30] Nilah: Yeah.[00:35:31] Jarrett: All that did was show promise in your work. So it sounds like you had someone somewhere to say, no, you're supposed to color in the lines. And then you're like, oh, what?[00:35:38] Nilah: It was my peers, I remember sitting at a table in kindergarten and I'm coloring. And one of the little girls next to me was like, "Nilah, do you want me to do that for you?"[00:35:50] And that, that devastated me. [00:35:53] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:35:53] Nilah: And so from a very young age, I was like, wow, I have to get better at this cuz that's embarrassing. And so from five or six years old, I was just making this conscious effort to study and practice and be better at art. And my first subjects were animals cuz that's what I was interested in.[00:36:16] We had this magazine series called ZooBooks. And it was full of photos and illustrations of animals. And I would copy these, copy this art and learn animal anatomy from that. Later we got cable and I would watch discovery channel. And then I could see like animals in motion, and I love the Peanuts.[00:36:39] I love Charlie brown and Snoopy taught me how to draw animal toes. As a kid, I was, I would draw them wrong. And I knew they looked wrong, but I didn't know why. And so I would look at Snoopy's feet and how Charles Schultz drew Snoopy's feet. And I started drawing my feet more like that.[00:37:01] And... eventually, I came to understand why the way I was drawing feet before was wrong, anatomically and like that really, that really helped me take my drawings to the next level.[00:37:15] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:37:15] Nilah: And so it wasn't until much later that I really made the connection between animation and my own drawing, I just like watching cartoons and, I also love to draw.[00:37:27] And so as I got older, I, I did process drawing as a storytelling tool and would start drawing, drawing my own stories. And much, much later I got into anime, and... Also Disney started putting out those, like "Making-Of" specials [00:37:52] Jarrett: Yes! [00:37:53] Nilah: Where they talked about how they made animated films.[00:37:57] And that's when I started to learn; " Oh, people are drawing these movies." And that made, that kind of bridged things for me that you can, like that people make comics, people make animated cartoons, like people make children's books. And, I didn't understand where those illustrations came from or anything, but like seeing the process helped me connect the dots like; "Oh, I, as a person can also do this. I can, create stories with art."[00:38:30] Jarrett: And so growing, coming up then. You had art supplies you were drawing and what were your parents' reaction to that? Do they, they thought it was cute and then you'll outgrow it? Or what was that? What was that dynamic like for you? [00:38:51] Nilah: Oh, they thought it was real cute. My dad actually was known as an artist for a while.[00:38:56] He was in the military and I think... I'll have to ask my mom this. I think the story is that he actually considered going to college for art and he went into the military instead. And...[00:39:12] Jarrett: Those are two vastly opposite things![00:39:15] Nilah: Yeah. [00:39:16] Jarrett: Right?[00:39:16] Nilah: Yeah. And so he could draw as a kid, I found some of his some of his old sketches.[00:39:21] And he had a life drawing book, and he did a mural down in the basement that terrifies my nieces, now! It's this pirate face on this cinder block wall in the basement. And I guess when my nieces were growing up, this terrified them and they still don't like it. But so my dad drew and that's something I learned a little later.[00:39:45] It's not really people saw me drawing and they were like; "Oh, your father drew too." And so I learned about it that way. [00:39:52] Jarrett: Wow. [00:39:53] Nilah: My mom was a teacher, and so she would bring home reams of paper for me, and pencils, and drawing was a way to keep me quiet. So when we're at church or when we're out in public, she would just hand me and my brother like drawing supplies and we would go to town and, we would...[00:40:16] Be behaved. And so she, she liked that aspect of it. And then I got a little older and I would keep drawing and that fascinated small children. So it also kept other children quiet.[00:40:35] Everybody, everybody was like; "Yeah, Nilah! Keeping the peace, keeping everyone disciplined!" And that's all, it was for a long time until I was in high school. And I said; "Hey, I think I wanna go to art school." And then things took a turn [00:40:47] Jarrett: And they were like; "Wait a minute."[00:40:49] No, exactly. That's always the interesting thing, where it's supported. And then and it, what I've come to, to learn since years have passed since I was that age, that it comes from love. It comes from fear. Which is love for the kid of how is this kid gonna grow up to support themselves?[00:41:09] Nilah: Yeah. [00:41:10] Jarrett: Especially if it's a world that the parent or caretaker doesn't fully understand or know. Where and maybe and could be read between the lines, but, I don't never knew your dad never didn't know his childhood, but he chose what you know, was more, would be a more practical path.[00:41:25] So while that, that, like history was echoing in you then getting to that age and you went to art school, did you went to college to study art? [00:41:33] Nilah: I did. Yeah. [00:41:34] Jarrett: What, and what was your study? What did you study when you were there? [00:41:36] Nilah: Computer animation. [00:41:39] Jarrett: Oh yeah. And so animation was your... animation was like, that was your goal then?[00:41:43] Nilah: Yeah. [00:41:44] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:41:44] Nilah: Yeah. That was ever since I was 13. That was the end game for me. [00:41:50] Jarrett: And then, so you went to, you went to college and then you graduate from college and I'm sure your parents were like; "And now do you go to work at an office? Do you get a pension? Do you get a, do you get a 401k?" [00:42:02] Nilah: Yeah they didn't understand it for a long time.[00:42:04] And it didn't really materialize for a long time. And my mother was always very honest that she could offer me no advice. Cause vice cause when she was growing up, a black woman in the forties and fifties and sixties, she would say there were three options for us. Be a nurse, be a house cleaner or be a teacher.[00:42:27] And she picked teaching. Nowadays women and black women in particular have so many more options. And I would call home about my internal struggle about what I should be doing. And she'd be like; "Yeah, that sounds hard." [00:42:43] Jarrett: But she's, " I have nothing for you because I haven't walked that path,[00:42:46] other than, being a black woman who's dealt with society." And so... Right. Exactly. And so there, so yeah, there must have been so much fear. Obviously eventually... Oh yeah. You assuage those fears because you became very successful.[00:42:59] You became the first... [00:43:00] Nilah: So... [00:43:00] Jarrett: Yeah. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. [00:43:01] Nilah: Yeah. Yeah. [00:43:02] The thing, so basically, my, my parents could never stop me. From doing what I was gonna do. And they both knew that. So they put the pressure on, but ultimately, the reason I ended up going to art school is... So we, we tried an animation, like an art trade school, art institutes, and that didn't work out.[00:43:27] And so I went with my mom's plan and did the whole four year college thing. I actually studied journalism and public relations. And when I finally went to Ringling College and studied animation, like I was an adult, I, at that point had a job. I had my own money. I had my own credit. And at this point my parents couldn't stop me.[00:43:52] So I went to art school under my own power and they just had to sit back and wait and see how things turned out. And yeah, there was a lot of fear and totally legitimate fear because we live in this culture that really doesn't support the arts as a career. [00:44:12] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:44:12] Nilah: Even now it's really hard to be an artist because, it's hard to get paid what we're worth. We're, we're still fighting this like societal image of artists as poor and free loaders and just an unnecessary expense. We're in a society where the arts in schools and arts foundations are constantly being defunded, and people don't really understand how much art and design impacts their everyday lives.[00:44:44] And and then, on top of that I think when you're a marginalized person, like your parents are always looking at where, what are the jobs? Where are the careers that people that look like us are thriving. And. That was not entertainment for black people. You don't see, you didn't see black people in those Disney specials. You... And nevermind that I was growing up on the east coast and we really didn't have an entertainment culture here, at least not in TV and film. Yeah. It's different in if you're growing up in California and you're surrounded by studios, who's working in those studios, but here, like there was no window to see where somebody with an animation degree could get a job.[00:45:29] Jarrett: And it's all, it is also, different when you're white, like growing up, I never had a search for characters that looked like me. I never had a search for seeing those specials. And so even though I was on the east coast, I was like; "Oh that's something I can do."[00:45:43] Nilah: Yeah. [00:45:44] Jarrett: But when growing up obviously that's ingrained if you don't see it. And because of your parents lived experience, there were, so there was, so the odds were so stacked against their daughter's favor and they want you to be happy and they want you to be healthy and they want you to succeed.[00:45:59] But you were UN you were unstoppable, you were just kept at it. And you had this love of art and story and you said, you, you said you studied journalism as well. So was like, what was your first paid gig as someone who put words on a paper? Was it journalism? Was it for a newspaper.[00:46:16] Nilah: It was journalism. It was, I think it was a food review. I think it was a restaurant review. Yeah. I worked toward the arts and entertainment department of a Western Maryland newspaper chain, which no longer exists sadly. But I got this job while I was in college. They were looking for interns and I got the internship.[00:46:38] And while I was interning the, the editor who hired me was like; "By the way, do you wanna do some writing?" And, looking back I'm like, what was the other part of this internship? Cuz all I remember is the writing. Like they, they definitely asked me to write in addition to interning, but I don't remember what the interning part was.[00:47:01] I do remember. The early writing gigs. And she was just like; "Hey, why don't you try doing a couple of food reviews?" And that was really cool. I got to go to restaurants and review, write a review. [00:47:12] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:47:13] Nilah: And then that summer there was there, was like a regime change at the paper and my editor rage quit.[00:47:22] And I was like; " I guess that's it for that job!" And so I was like that was fun. I worked for the newspaper for a few months. And then the editor who took our place called me and was like; "Hey, so I found your name on this list of freelance writers. Do you wanna keep writing for us?" And I was like; "Yeah, sure!"[00:47:45] and so he kept feeding me jobs and I didn't review restaurants again, but he would send me out to review gallery openings and to talk to local musicians and I speak to like local, owners of dance companies and theater companies and just this wide array of things. And I, my mom bought me a car cuz it was freaking her out.[00:48:10] I was basically walking around town at night to get to these jobs. And so she bought me a car. So I wouldn't do that. And so I was driving all around, Maryland, reviewing, like writing for this paper. And I did that for two years, through my junior and senior year of college. And then after I graduated and I did it up until the point that I got a full time job and just didn't have time anymore.[00:48:35] And yeah.[00:48:37] Jarrett: Moms are gonna mom forever. Never not gonna be your mom. Never not gonna be your mom looking out for you. And so you know that - granted you were pursuing degrees, but... it sounds like that was also like a whole other master's degree in, in learning about the arts. So you were studying... [00:48:54] Nilah: Yeah.[00:48:54] Jarrett: You were studying the stories of so many people who were you self-employed or making a go at, making a living via a non-traditional means. It's true. You must have met so many interesting people. I can't even, I'm sure that just yeah. Soaked into the fabric of who you became.[00:49:10] So what was your fulltime job? You said you had a full-time you said you had a full-time job. So you left that. What was your full-time case? [00:49:15] Nilah: I was a marketing writer for a health nonprofit. [00:49:20] Yeah. Sounds exciting. Was that super exciting? [00:49:24] Yes... [00:49:24] Jarrett: No? [00:49:25] Nilah: It was amazing. No, it was. So it was in like the DC Metro area and the commute was very long.[00:49:33] It was 70 minutes, one way. Ooh. On the DC beltway. And I'd have to leave home at, what, 4:30, 5 in the morning to get there before rush hour. And it was, it was a fine gig. This nonprofit runs a trade show. I think they do it every other year in Chicago. So while I was there, I got to go to Chicago and help coordinate this giant trade show which was actually that part was really cool.[00:50:03] It was, it was a fine job. It taught me, about the corporate space. It was pretty close to what I went to school to do. And they paid me well for a nonprofit. Like I had a competitive salary. It was, it was my first taste of money. [00:50:22] Jarrett: Yeah. Which is important to pay for things.[00:50:25] Nilah: Yeah.[00:50:25] Jarrett: like your basic needs and enjoyment for sure. [00:50:30] Nilah: And, at the time I was outlining this future and marketing and PR and that was gonna be it. But wow. I still, I still had this bug where I wanted to draw and write and working in marketing wasn't fully fulfilling it. And so I decided I wanted to give it another go.[00:50:52] I wanted to, I started just like poking at, looking at art programs, just, experimentally and ended up applying a lot faster than I thought I would and ended up going a lot faster than I thought I would. [00:51:11] Jarrett: And is that for a master's degree? Is that...[00:51:13] Nilah: No, a bachelor's. [00:51:15] Jarrett: For oh, for a bachelor's![00:51:16] Nilah: I have two bachelors and it feels so pointless.[00:51:21] Jarrett: Oh, here I am thinking like... Oh, I, my, like I'm always concerned. I'm not being a good listener... No, you went and got a second bachelors. [00:51:28] Nilah: I went and got a second. No one needs two bachelors.  [00:00:00] Jarrett: So hold up, you went and got a second bachelor's degree. Like...[00:00:05] Nilah: I went and got a second bachelor's.[00:00:07] Jarrett: And in what? So your first bachelor, your first bachelor's was in computer animation. [00:00:12] Nilah: My first bachelor's was in... Communications. [00:00:17] Oh...[00:00:18] Yeah.[00:00:19] Jarrett: I see. Then yeah. Two bachelors, but they're completely different.[00:00:22] Nilah: Completely different. [00:00:23] Jarrett: And what a different experience too, of being, an older student you're not fresh out of high school, you I'm sure you, your approach to the academics and what you were learning were so different, right? [00:00:35] Nilah: Yeah. Honestly, I was an older student both times.[00:00:39] I, I skipped a year when I when I graduated high school, me and my mom fought over the art school thing. And then I ended up not going to college that first year. And so I was older when I went to that first four year college, hood college. It was actually a women's college at the time.[00:00:56] So I was entering, I think at 19 instead of 18. And then when I went to Ringling, I was 25. So I was... Much, not the oldest adult student there, but I was older than all the 18 year olds coming in. Yeah. And it, it definitely, it's a different perspec- perspective for sure. This was not my first career attempt, it wasn't, at 18, like there's so much pressure to choose a career, choose it now and go to college for that career and stay in that career.[00:01:28] So you can pay back those student loans. And I didn't have that. I, animation was like I had my plan B already. I had my fallback career. Like I had my degree in marketing that I could always fall back on if the animation thing didn't work out. So animation was just like a fully like personal choice that I was making.[00:01:52] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:01:53] Nilah: Everything I did at that point, I, I did it as, a fully consenting adult. [00:01:58] Jarrett: And you, so then you had your second graduation and your family; "Didn't we do this seven years ago?" And... [00:02:05] Nilah: Yeah. [00:02:05] Jarrett: So you're like launching into the world a whole second time. That's like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly twice.[00:02:12] Yeah. [00:02:13] Nilah: Yeah. It was very it was very interesting. [00:02:16] Jarrett: Yeah! [00:02:16] Nilah: But... [00:02:17] Jarrett: Yeah so you, but you wow, but amazing that you had the foresight to say; "Okay, let me reset. Let me really follow the passion." Like you...[00:02:27] Nilah: Yeah. [00:02:27] Jarrett: And you learned a lot in that corporate space too, because we're artists.[00:02:31] But we still have to deal with the corporations who publish the work or help promote the work. So what was your, so then what was your first paid gig after getting a degree in animation? [00:02:42] Nilah: My first paid gig was in publishing because I couldn't get an animation job. I entered Ringling at the start of the recession.[00:02:50] Leading up to 2006, 2007, all of the feedback coming out of Ringling was come to this school and you'll get a high paid job in animation and... [00:03:06] Jarrett: Speaking of marketing. [00:03:10] Nilah: Right. And then I entered Ringling that, that year, 2007, And like we're in school, we're just watching on the news, all the jobs dry up.[00:03:24] Jarrett: Oh. [00:03:24] Nilah: And so it was basically for all of us, it was like this three or four year, wait to see, will there be jobs when we get out. And for me there wasn't. So my first job out of Ringling, I graduated in 2010, was a publisher in Maryland. And I was falling back on my previous career for that, I had, because of my earlier experiences, I had the credentials for this job.[00:03:56] I stayed for seven months. It was, it was a position that ended up being, not as advertised. And... [00:04:06] Jarrett: Yeah, yeah. [00:04:07] Nilah: And during this year that I was home was, it was difficult. My aunt died that year. And so my family needed me at home, but also so it reignited that fear my mom had of me leaving.[00:04:24] And so I was really trying to stay in Maryland. And at the same time, like there was just this thought in my head that I hadn't given animation, like a full try. Like I was trying to find work while being at home. Cuz I, I had nowhere else to go knowing that all of the work was in California. And no one would hire me here in Maryland, because most places they wanted someone right away.[00:04:59] And like, why hire someone in Maryland and wait for them to move out when you can just hire one of these thousands of people hanging around LA looking for work. So I ended up just packing all my things into my car and moving to LA that summer 2000 that fall 2011. And so at this point I'd been out of school for over a year and still did not have a job in animation.[00:05:31] And I was writing completely on my savings and the savings. Once I got to LA the savings dried up very quickly, I was completely broke and I was applying everywhere. And getting, getting nowhere. I got so desperate that I was applying for retail and that wasn't working out either. I couldn't, it was so dry.[00:05:55] I couldn't even get a retail job. I applied for a, an unpaid internship and I didn't get that either. I couldn't even get a job where I worked for free. And I was ready to throw in the towel, but I didn't have enough money to afford to move back home.[00:06:20] Jarrett: You couldn't afford to even buy the towel to throw it at that point.[00:06:23] Nilah: Yeah. [00:06:24] Yeah. Like my mom start, my mom was paying my rent. [00:06:27] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:06:28] Nilah: And she could have barely afford that. Like my parents were both retired and in January, 2012, I... I happened to see a listing on Ringling's job website for a little company in Burbank. And I got an interview there. They were, they did mostly live action work, but they were hiring their first in-house artist.[00:06:58] And the company was run by Florida state alums. I think it's Florida state. I can't remember now wow it's been a while, but oh, that's embarrassing if they watch this. But they had this Florida connection. So they, when they were hiring for this position, they decided to put a listing on the Ringling job site because Ringling is also in Florida, and I got the job.[00:07:26] Jarrett: Yes![00:07:26] Nilah: And that was my first LA job. It was the company is called Soapbox Films. and at the time they were doing a lot of like marketing and live action production, mainly for Disney. So if you ever heard of like Movie Surfers in like the early two thousands, I think they, the Disney channel had this program called Movie Surfers and Soapbox, like back in that day, Soapbox was the one developing that.[00:08:01] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:08:02] Nilah: They do a lot of production with the Muppets. They're one of a handful of studios in LA that are equipped to work with the Muppets. [00:08:10] Jarrett: Whoa. That's not an easy thing to get.[00:08:13] Nilah: Yeah, and they do what is called toolkit for animated films. Toolkit is like just it's a package of assets that the studios will use to advertise their animated films and to develop toolkit.[00:08:32] You need a storyboard artist and that's what they hired me for. [00:08:39] Jarrett: That's fantastic. So now you're getting paid to draw pictures that tell stories. [00:08:44] Nilah: Yeah. [00:08:44] Finally getting paid, just draw pictures. [00:08:47] Jarrett: You're on your way moving right along Fozzie and Kermit saying as they're driving across country. [00:08:52] Nilah: Yeah. [00:08:53] Jarrett: Oh man. And so that must have, that must have led to other things, right? [00:08:57] Nilah: It allowed me to stay in LA. [00:08:59] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:08:59] Nilah: They were, this was this was the conflict My time at Soapbox was great. I stayed there for three years, but it wasn't, it allowed me to tread water in Los Angeles, but it wasn't a stepping stone really to the next thing, because everything that I did there was so specific to what Soapbox did.[00:09:24] It didn't translate well to other jobs at other studios. So I couldn't use anything I was doing there in my portfolio. So if I wanted to, if I wanted to work in TV and film, which was still the goal, I had to develop my portfolio pieces outside of work. At this time I was, I had my day job at [00:09:50] Soapbox, but I was also still figuring out what is my career though.[00:09:55] Yeah. And there were times like I'd go through this cycle at Soapbox where I would try really hard to get out. So I'd be submitting my storyboarding portfolio to other studios and nothing would materialize. And I'd give up after six months and I'd say, you know what, let me just hunker down and focus on my time here at Soapbox.[00:10:17] And maybe this can become a long term career. And so I would really like put all of my energy into being like the best Soapbox employee I could be. And then after six months, I'd be like; "I can't take this. I can't do this anymore. I have to get out." And so I'd re-up and put all of my energy into storyboard portfolio stuff and try again.[00:10:43] And I did this for three years and meanwhile I fell into comics in children's books a little bit. Cause at this point, I was so desperate for money I was so desperate. Like I was just like clinging on by my fingernails. And I just needed something to work. And so I was, utilizing the skills I had, which were basically writing and drawing.[00:11:11] And I started a web comic and I started, I joined society of children's book, writers and illustrators, so I could learn how to make children's books. And I was doing picture book dumies and trying to write novels and looking for an agent and drawing this web comic in my spare time outside of Soapbox.[00:11:34] And, also, putting storyboard portfolios together. And so I did this for three years and then finally in 2015, everything changed. I submitted my web comic to the Dwayne McDuffy award for diversity and won that. I... [00:11:55] Jarrett: And hold on. You were the inaugural winner too! [00:11:58] Nilah: I was the inaugural winner.[00:12:00] Jarrett: You were the first person ever to win that award. [00:12:02] Nilah: It was bonkers. Yeah. I, and I was so used to losing at that point that and the competition was so stiff. I was like, I got nominated. And I was like that was a fun experience, but I'm never gonna win a little web comic with a very small following is not gonna win against all these like actual comics.[00:12:28] I was up against Ms. Marvel, and I believe Shaft by David Walker, and Hex 11. And I was just like, that's the end of the road. And, but it won MFK one. [00:12:41] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:12:41] Nilah: And it, it was the start of a very different... It was the start of things for me. [00:12:47] Jarrett: Yeah. Yeah. And and I do think film, and graphic novels, they do have a lot in common.[00:12:53] I look to film to inspire how I, I write my graphic novels and yeah. I have to say so a couple months ago, I was just, just binge watching some shows on Disney plus and they have this show that's about the history of Marvel. And then there was one episode about the women of Marvel and the women who've written for Marvel and how certainly they were there in the beginning, but they weren't necessarily writing the stories.[00:13:18] They were, they, it was everything back then in the world of comics, like most of the world too, and most of the country was, chauvinistic. And so I'm just watching and I'm so fascinated hearing these stories of these pioneers. And then you pop up on the show. I was like, wait a minute.[00:13:36] I don't need to see the, I didn't need to see the little name at the bottom. Like I know that's Nilah. And you became the first black woman to write for Marvel comics. [00:13:47] Nilah: Isn't that bonkers, like... [00:13:50] Jarrett: It is bonkers! Tell me about that. Tell me about your mom's reaction because there is something you said in something you'd said in the show was something about your back in the day.[00:14:05] Was it like your mom's was your mom's friends giving her flack or something? [00:14:09] Nilah: Oh yeah. [00:14:10] Yeah. I don't even know if I've told my mom that I'm the first black writer for Marvel, because some things I say about my career just mean nothing to her. [00:14:18] So... But... [00:14:21] Jarrett: Like I said: moms are gonna, mom.[00:14:23] Nilah: Moms are gonna mom.[00:14:24] Jarrett: No matter what.[00:14:26] Nilah: But, I didn't realize the extent of this coming up, but when I decided to go down this path like my mom's older black lady, friends in, Maryland middle class, Maryland were really judgey about it. And like one of them once asked me because I, the art school thing had not yet materialized.[00:14:46] And she was like; "Oh, so are you finally over that art hobby yet?"[00:14:51] Jarrett: Oof. [00:14:53] Nilah: And I, I didn't realize this either, but there's this other family friend that we don't speak to anymore. And I thought that we just drifted apart, but turns out like going to art school was like a point of contention for her.[00:15:08] Jarrett: Wow. [00:15:08] Nilah: And. And it's such a weird thing to think about that she would distance herself from our entire family over, over a personal choice that I made. [00:15:17] Jarrett: It's not witchcraft! It's not witch... I mean like sacrificing rabbits on the full moon or something. I don't...[00:15:24] Nilah: Right.. It's, yeah, but... [00:15:27] Jarrett: Wow. Wow. [00:15:29] Nilah: So like my mother, wasn't telling me about this.[00:15:33] She wasn't telling me that like her friends were coming down hard on her and she had to defend me [00:15:41] Jarrett: Wow![00:15:41] Nilah: And defend my choices. But when I started working for Dreamworks and Disney, she finally got her vindication, cuz she would say; "Hey, my kid works at Disney now." And they understood that. [00:15:55] Jarrett: Yes they, they certainly did.[00:15:57] Nilah: Yeah. [00:15:57] Jarrett: And run us through some of your credits of, cause I know you from the book world and I know that you've done stuff for Dreamworks and Disney, but what kind of jobs have you done over these years? [00:16:07] Nilah: So I was a storyboard revisionist on Dino Trucks at Dreamworks, and Dino Trucks is a Netflix show.[00:16:17] You can watch it on Netflix. It's just what it sounds like. It's dinosaur trucks. And it's based on a children's book.[00:16:23] Jarrett: And it's based on a children's book. You can't escape now. We're bringing you over just the same. You're in this publishing game too! [00:16:32] Nilah: At Disney, I hopped onto Tangled, the series. [00:16:36] Jarrett: Oh.[00:16:37] Nilah: Which is based on the movie. [00:16:38] Jarrett: Yeah. We love that show in my house. What did you do then? [00:16:41] Nilah: Yeah. [00:16:41] Jarrett: What did you do on the show? [00:16:43] Nilah: I was also a storyboard revisionist there. And so storyboard revisionists... They're basically the support team for storyboard artists. So they, the storyboard artists do their thing and storyboard revisionists help make sure that the storyboards are ready for the next process in the pipeline.[00:17:04] Jarrett: Okay. [00:17:05] Nilah: So we it's a lot of drawing. It's a lot of support drawing just to, to tighten things up for the animators. God what happened next? I was a writer for Cannon Busters produced by LaSean Thomas. [00:17:21] Jarrett: Wow.[00:17:22] Nilah: I was a writer for Polly Pocket.[00:17:27] Jarrett: Nice. [00:17:27] Nilah: Which is based on... [00:17:29] Iconic!. [00:17:30] Yeah. Yeah. Poly pocket is still around [00:17:33] Jarrett: Iconic. That's wild. Yeah. And you illustrated the Rick Riordan and Heroes of Olympus books too. [00:17:42] Nilah: Yeah![00:17:43] Jarrett: Goodness like that is huge. For you, you don't get bigger in publishing than Rick Riordan. [00:17:50] Nilah: It's true. Yeah.[00:17:52] Jarrett: And, And animals and fantasy. And you illustrated the covers for our friend Daniel Jose Older, the Dactyl Hill Squad books.[00:18:01] Nilah: That was my first time drawing dinosaurs in my life. [00:18:05] Jarrett: Really? I, would've never known that. I had never known that. [00:18:08] Nilah: Aside from Dino Trucks, but that was a very different thing. [00:18:11] Jarrett: Yeah. Those are more trucks than dinosaurs, right? Yeah. [00:18:13] Nilah: Yeah. It was wild. Like I had to learn dinosaur anatomy. [00:18:18] Jarrett: And so where in, where did all of that did Marvel come calling? [00:18:21] Nilah: So back in 2016, I think it all happened very fast. This was after the Dwayne McDuffy award and I never got a clear answer on how they found me. It might have been Twitter, but an editor from Marvel reached out one day and said; "Hey, would you like to write a short story for us on this new series called the Year of Marvels?" And they pitched a Rocket Raccoon -Tippy-Toe Squirrel team up and of course animals.[00:18:59] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:19:00] Nilah: So...[00:19:00] Jarrett: It's your wheelhouse! [00:19:01] Nilah: Yeah. Yeah. So I took it of course. And that kind of got things rolling. Once you're, once you write for a Marvel you're in the Marvel family. So...[00:19:09] Jarrett: Yeah. [00:19:10] Nilah: I didn't, I did that and didn't, work with them for a long while after that. And so it just so happened. I didn't know this at the time I was completely unprepared. But that ended up being their first writing credit by a black woman. And so 70 years into Marvel's history and it was just this little short di

WE MADE IT TO SEASON 2! We open with Andy Cohen, BBL's, and Taylor Swift on TikTok. Today's videos are Catch Me Outside by Ski Mask The Slump God, Designer by Erica Banks, Damn! by Chet Hanx, Splash by Tyga ft. Moneybagg Yo, and Jam by Kim Kardashian. First, Our segment "Do You Remember?" where we talk about some nostalgic things that were around when music videos were on tv. This week: Zoobooks! Those one magazines our parents never got us. And our segment "Rap Libs" where we freestyle and remix some of today's hottest songs. This Weeks Rap Libs is "Barbie Dreams" by Nicki Minaj. First Ski Mask The Slump God trying to get money on the streets in Vegas. Then Erica Banks stole a hat *gasps* Then Chet Hanx made @joeistherealest MAD Then Tyga is that one North West Tiktok. Then Kim Kardashian done tried EVERYTHING. CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS FOR YOURSELF & WATCH ALONG WITH US! Ski Mask The Slump God - Catch Me Outside (Directed by Cole Bennett) - YouTube Erica Banks - Designer (Official Music Video) - YouTube Chet Hanx - DAMN! (Official Video) - YouTube Tyga - Splash (Official Video) ft. Moneybagg Yo - YouTube Kim Kardashian - Jam (Turn It Up) [Extended Music Video] - YouTube Dont forget to Like and leave a review! Subscribe to our YOUTUBE - VIDEO VIRGINS and follow our Instagram @VIDEOVIRGINSPOD and our personal instagrams @JOEISTHEREALEST and @RITUALRYANN. DM us and Leave us some video's to experience for the first time! WE DO NOT OWN THE MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO. ALL MUSIC USED IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND RIGHTS BELONG TO ORIGINAL ARTISTS AND COMPOSERS. Sponsorships: on for this episode

Alex and Lex finish the first season of The Spectacular Spider-Man and acquire the Zoobooks tiger poster. YOUR HOSTS: ALEX: https://twitter.com/ArthriticJester LEX: https://twitter.com/shatterball TIMESTAMPS: Intro (0:00) Basic Facts (1:31) Plot (3:56) Fun Facts (1:59:29) Overall Thoughts (2:01:40) Outro (2:04:54) NEXT WEEK: The Spectacular Spider-Man [Part 3] (2009) WRITE TO US: spideysignalspodcast@gmail.com https://twitter.com/SpideySignals

Twelve issues of animals! Twelve of them! Can you name them all? Aaron Littleton is your host this week and That’s the promise of Zoobooks where you are going to learn about these specific animals or die trying. If you survive, you get a cool tiger poster, thee centerpiece to any elementary school child’s room.… Read more S5:E20 – Zoobooks (original commercial)

In which we spend WAY to much time talking about the anatomy of the hydra, and also Zoobooks. We are heading into the Sea of Monsters, and there’s no going back! Social: @camphalfpod Email: camphalfpod@gmail.com

This week, Lindsay and Halle revisit a few favorite '90s and '00s infomercials. Between Muzzy, the alien that tried to teach kids to speak French, Pure Moods, which gave us our first introduction to Enya, and Zoobooks (fingers crossed for the free tiger poster), there's a lot to obsess over. Plus, stay for the end of the episode where Lindsay and Halle have a special joint modern obsession and chat about WandaVision.

This week, we’re talking traditions, chickens, cancelling Pepé Le Pew, Space Jam 2, that uncomfortable thing with Captain America that no one talks about, Fortnite and Papa John. Oh and ZooBooks. Gather ‘round, listeners. Fanbyte Podcast Network (Hear more shows from the entire Fanbyte crew!) Follow us on Twitter (Stay up-to-date with our articles, live streams, game guides, and all things Fanbyte.) Talk to us on Discord (Join our amazing listeners to catch community events, post-podcast discussions, and more.) Twitch Live Streams (Hang out on our virtual couch every week as we play games LIVE.) Rate and review our show (Please show us your support by rating and reviewing our show to help spread the word.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beware the Wildebeest! Get ware, beware, and stay ware! We read New Teen Titans (Vol 2) #36. Topics of discussion include: jerk disambiguation, job rankings for Curlys, Zoobooks, and gnu entrapment. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materials, please consider donating at patreon.com/ttwasteland You can get into touch with us at ttwasteland@gmail.com or Titan Up the Defense PO Box 20311 Portland, OR 97294

Zach and Lexi dive into the most specific childhood television watching memories: the raddest and saddest of As Seen on TV Products.

From the ZooBooks tiger poster to Jamster's Crazy Frog ringtone ad, Giacomo revisits some memorable TV commercials from the 90s and early 2000s. Source

From the ZooBooks tiger poster to Jamster’s Crazy Frog ringtone ad, Giacomo revisits some memorable TV commercials from the 90s and early 2000s.

Now your child can visit steamy jungles, grassy plains, and the dark depths of the oceans! To meet and learn surprising facts about the magnificent animals that live there. All through the captivating, colorful pages of Zoobooks, the publication that's specially created for young readers. Each monthly issue of Zoobooks is packed with breathtaking, full-color photos and scientifically accurate illustrations. Plus games and puzzles. Today, through this exclusive TV offer, you can get 12 fascinating issues of Zoobooks for the special price of $19.95! When you call and use your credit card, we'll include the Elephants issue as a gift! Plus, you'll also get this colorful collection of animal stickers and the Tiger Poster! So order Zoobooks today and send learning and fun to a child you love! To order 12 fascinating issues of Zoobooks for $19.95, call 1-800-441-2400. When you call, we'll include the bonus Elephants issue, stickers, and Tiger Poster with your order. Call 1-800-441-2400. You must be 18 years or order to call. By the way, we would love for you to send us questions, comments, concerns, tips, tricks, nitpicks, pejorative statements, quips, podcast topics, interesting ideas, CinemaSins™ or anything else that pops into that beautiful mind of yours at thedownloadpod@gmail.com! Also, we would love for you to join our Discord, follow us on the podcast network of your choice, and rate our podcast! Links to all of these things can be found here: https://linktr.ee/thedownloadpod --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-download-podcast/support

the boys want ZooBooks back.

This episode has EVERYTHING: new friends, Shieldshock, hyena peens, animal husbandry, oatmeal raisin cookies...it's all here. Do not miss this deep dive into the sexy, wolfy, fantasy AU world of the ABO Trope and learn allllll the things your Zoobooks never taught you. Special thanks to Anne for being such a wonderful teacher and answering all of the questions your host has always been too ashamed to Google. Links: Star-spangled guarantee by dresupi Naps and Nests by GhostCrumpet Kinktober -Chapter 4- by Zephrbabe Support the podcast: Support via PayPal or Ko-fi Use our Amazon affiliate link Sign up for email updates / new episode announcements Follow on social: Tumblr Instagram Facebook Twitter Credits: I Ship It by Not Literally Cover image by our silent, smart (and don't forget sexy) producer, Jeremy Jeziorski. Prints of many of his photos are available over at the print store. Some of the links we include are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you use them. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ishipitpod/support

In this week, Anthony had a skiing accident (not really), so now it's just me and Enrique talk about Zoobooks, Paul the Sprint (aka Verizon) guy, cursive writing and Otter's delicious tenders.

When Mari McCabe, a.k.a. Vixen, learns of her ancestors' long-lost artifacts, extremely reliable Internet sources lead her to Wakanda. However, the king of Wakanda, Black Panther, holds the safety of his citizens at a paramount, and is there to greet Vixen when she arrives. Though she has claim to the apparently divine artifacts, he has the right to protect them from dishonorable hands. However could they possibly solve this dispute? As it turns out, with mystical claws! Miles wants you to be aware of Black Panther's cinematic success. Hub, from Titan Up the Defense, joins Dan to argue for all the animal powers you might've learned in Zoobooks as well as the comic animal powers you might not have considered. And MeganBob just wants everyone to be friends (though that might be too much to ask).

The ceiling is high for failure as we subject mild-mannered DJ Natey “The Human Submarine” Cox to a whole bunch of shitty band kids in space or whatever This week on Saturday Morning Tuesdays: Special Guest Nathan “A Haunted Cave of Doritos” Cox has a real thing for cartoon suction cups  •  Whiz pits his Cream Cannon against Zorac, the Hairdryer Monster  •  Guns that turn cats into trash cans •  We gently kiss open the door to an adult man’s toy room  •  Live-action Lionel Richie both does and does not make a cameo  •  Swamp crones teach us the wrong lesson about hot (or not) bods Today's Episode Sponsors: [none featured] [Kidd Video is advertising poison] THIS WEEK'S EPISODES Kidd Video ---S01E06 - “Cienega” ---S02E06 - “Starmaker” ---S02E07 - “Narra Takes a Powder” Also: ---Roger Dean painted some crazy nightmarescapes. Google em.

An excerpt of unused material taken from Episode 9: Ancient Chinese Home Alone, in which we discuss the disciplinary tactics of Captain Planet, making money as children, Skee Ball enlightenment, and propose a single zoom shot, globe-spanning animated film. If you like our show, find us online to help spread the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Support us on Patreon to help the show grow at www.patreon.com/wtfolklore. You can find merchandise and information about the show at www.wtfolklorepodcast.com.

Flipping through the pages, Rick and Ben talk about their favorite magazines throughout the years. Covering a broad range of topics, there was a magazine for every type of person and interest. From Rick's weirdly changing walls to Ben's boring fishing hobby, our hosts talk about the magazines that stuck out to them growing up. Plus Ben reveals his short lived career as a model.

This week on Random Assault, Mela Firefly joins us to talk about how she wants to eat everything in Zoobooks, about Sailor Moon Crystal, and a LOT of talk about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like... A LOT.

Description: The fifth episode sees the round table create a game that delves into the degrees of separation between actors, We discuss Dylans past career as a wheelchair pimper outer, Matt goes up against Zoolander while Voldemorte tries to crush Zeus and much much more Show Notes : Hosts This Week Cody Coleman Nikki Wright Matt Cruea Amber Leigh Dylan Frisbie CALENDAR Monthly Observances - National Child-Centered Divorce Month, National Wheelchair Beautification Month, National Black Family Month, Freedom From Fear of Speaking Month, Family Reunion Month Weekly Observances - Rabbit Week (15-21), Restless Leg Syndrom Education and Awareness Week (18-25), National Zoo Keeper Week (17-23), Comic-Con International takes place in Sandiego (21-24) Daily Observances - Get to Know Your Customers Day (21), Spooners Day (22), Gorgeous Grandma Day (23), Hot Enough For Ya Day (23), National Day of the Cowboy (24), Tell an Old Joke Day (24), Parents' Day (24), Barbie-in-a-blender Day (27), Walk on Stilts Day (27), National Milk Chocolate Day (28), National Talk in an Elevator Day (29) Video Games - Bastion (20th for Xbox 360), Toy Soldiers: Cold War (20th for Xbox 360), Catherine (26th for PS3 and Xbox 360), El Shaddai; Ascension of the Metatron (26th for PS3 and Xbox 360), Dragon Age 2 (26th for PC), Sims 3: Town Life Stuff (26th for PC), From Dust (27th for PC), Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (27th for Xbox 360), UFC Personal Trainer (27th for PS3) Movies - Captain America: The First Avenger / Friends with Benefits (22nd), Cowboys and Aliens / The Smurfs / Crazy, Stupid, Love / The Devil's Double (29th) SEGMENT/GAME OF THE WEEK The Joy of Separation WHO WOULD WIN BATTLES Fin (Adventure Time) Vs. Maximus (Gladiator) Matt Cruea (YNIN) Vs. Zoolander (Zoolander) Mario (Mario Bros.) Vs. Budnick (Salute Your Shorts) Invader Zim (Invader Zim) Vs. A Bear In A Suit With A Tommy Gun (Matt Imagination) Zeus (Greek Mythology) Vs. Voldemorte (Harry Potter Series)Running time: 1:18:55Part of the Ydoc Nameloc Interactive Network