Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 13: The Ladies We Fangirled Over at WonderCon 2018 Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

This is a jam-packed episode! Victoria interviews seven guests at WonderCon 2018 to get their perspectives on being fans and being creators for fans. Our lovely guests are: Amy Mebberson, illustrator and licensed Disney artist known for her Pocket Princesses comics -- and now working with Disney, her fangirling hasn’t gone away. Amy emphasizes the importance of posting and sharing your own artwork to gain exposure, like she did. Chrissie Zullo also gives advice to aspiring artists on how to get a break in the industry, and shares her own path to success. Chrissie was discovered through a talent search at a San Diego Comic Con, where she submitted designs to be reviewed. Aimee Steinberger started her professional career on Futurama, where she did character layout. Though she’s an illustrator and artist for by trade, she still delves into creative endeavors for her hobbies like recreating historical and fantasy costumes. She shares about how balancing the creativity between work and play. Lindsey Reimer is a gamer, artist and illustrator for mobile games. She now works with fellow artists and game developers she admires, and notes the importance of having a supportive and collaborative environment, especially in a traditionally male-dominated field like gaming. Crystal Kan is a story artist and comic book writer, with storyboard credits that include Marvel’s Spider-Man. Crystal talks about the need for diversity in storyboarding and on creative teams, which not only help develop new, exciting stories but would also inspire the next generation of creators. Melissa Pagluica is the creator of the web-comic Above the Clouds, which plays with the idea of a writer’s struggle to tell a story while a fan becomes engrossed with the work. Melissa shares about the creative process from both sides the viewpoint of both of her lead characters -- and how important it is for artists to have the support to keep the story going. Ashley Eckstein is the founder of Her Universe and voice actor best known for her role originating Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars The Clone Wars. Ashley reflects on how far fangirling has come, particularly in the way there are more strong female characters front and center, and inspiring young fangirls to be proud of the things they love. Follow the Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @ybfgpodcast, and on Tumblr at yourbiggestfangirl.tumblr.com. Find more shownotes and links at yourbiggestfangirl.com

Episode 12: Passion to Profession with Star Trek Fan & Screenwriter Brian Millikin Apr 03, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the writer's room of your favorite shows? This week our guest, fanboy turned sci-fi screenwriter Brian Millikin, takes us behind the scenes! He shares how he became a Star Trek fan and how his passion for the show got him his start in Hollywood working for one his heroes, Star Trek: The Next Generation showrunner Michael Piller! We discuss not only meeting but working for your heroes and whether you should “hide your crazy” in professional situations. Brian also takes us inside the writer’s room of the many sci-fi TV shows he’s written on such as Haven, Teen Wolf and Shadowhunters to name a few, and elaborates on creative process as well as the relationship between the writers and the fans. He also reveals that they’re just as big of fans as their shows and characters as we are!

Episode 11: Walking through the West Wing with Claire Handscombe Mar 20, 2018

Show notes

This week, Victoria and Kristen are joined by West Wing fangirl and fellow podcaster Claire Handscombe! She’s so much of a fan that she credits the show as a major reason she moved from Europe to Washington, D.C. So how does a drama about American politics and the intricacies of the White House attract fans from across the pond? Claire shares her own story and those of other fans, which she compiled into an anthology called Walk With Us: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives. And that’s not Claire’s only book; her upcoming novel Unscripted highlights the fangirl dream of making your fave fall in love with you. She knows a thing or two about that last bit - Claire spills all the details on how she scored a lunch date with her onscreen crush Bradley Whitford! Claire is also the host of the Brit Lit Podcast, where she gives all the news in British books and publishing.

Episode 10: Superhero Therapy with Dr. Janina Scarlet Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

We have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Janina Scarlet, a fellow fangirl and licensed Clinical Psychologist this week! As a scientist and writer, she has used her own struggles and training to develop Superhero Therapy, which incorporates characters from geek culture into evidence-based therapy for managing anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Dr. Scarlet gives us an overview of going through your superhero training using the method, while sharing her own origin story that seems straight out of a comic book. As we dive deeper, we look at which heroes have been inspirational to her and how she looks at a new film or show as both a psychologist and a fangirl.

Episode 09: Representation in Fandom with actress Alex Taylor Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

Alex Taylor is a New York-based actor and fan of musicals, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel. An old friend of Victoria’s, Alex adds some much-needed discussion of representation of race and queer identities on film on the Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast -- pointing to how the only Disney princess that would represent her was Tiana, when she was an adult, no less! We look at Black Panther and the importance of the film being an unapologetically black film, particularly an African one. Alex also discusses other fandoms including RPG video games that integrate non-heteronormative relationships. (This episode was recorded before the release of the film, so there are no spoilers of Black Panther beyond the first trailer! )

Episode 08: Geeks, Novels & Nerd Love with YA Author Sarvenaz Tash Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

Fangirls everywhere can relate to that insatiable need to meet your favorite author or artist, the anxiety of not knowing if you’ll make it to the next panel, or the thrill of being among fellow fans to celebrate one fandom. Add in a little romantic tension between best friends and you’ve got Sarvenaz Tash’s The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love! On this episode, Victoria and Kristen introduce listeners to the novel and to Sarvenaz herself! Sarvenaz is a children’s and YA author whose third novel (The Geek’s Guide) was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year and a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. We chat with Sarvenaz about her inspiration for the book, what it feels like to be fangirled AT, and her own experiences at New York Comic Con. Sarvenaz also gives us the scoop on her new short story that’s set to debut in the upcoming anthology The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes, and Other Dauntless Girls, coming out in March 2018!

Episode 07: Convention Cheer with Fellow Fangirl Ashley Cox Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

Victoria and Kristen welcome guest Ashley Cox as the three of us are reunited in Chapel Hill! When she’s not writing or going to acting classes, Ashley is a dedicated fangirl of Arrow. Kristen and Ashley share their journey to Atlanta for the Heroes and Villains Fan Fest, regaling tales of meeting Stephen Amell and the casts of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow for photo ops. HVFF was one of Ashley’s first conventions, and she notes which rules from the 10 Rules of Fangirling were most helpful for her. Kristen and Ashley learned firsthand the amount of money a fan can spend at a convention -- but who does it go to? We discuss a Hollywood Reporter article detailing the amount stars can make from convention appearances -- and whether or not the cost is worth it for fans.

Episode 06: Super Magical Girls with Fashion Photographer Lauren Nakao Winn Jan 09, 2018

Show notes

Our guest this week is New-York based fashion photographer Lauren Winn! She’s a fellow Tar Heel like Kristen and Victoria, and their self-described fandom “baby” - a lover of both Sailor Moon and Superman! Lauren offers helpful advice on mixing fandom with your professional life (she once got assist a Sailor Moon themed shoot) and she loses her chill with Tori talking about our favorite Super men -- Tom Welling and Henry Cavill! In our discussion this week and we dive deep into the trope of the “magical girl” in anime and debate if Kara on the CW’s Supergirl can be considered a magical girl, and why we haven’t seen many magical girls in Western media.

Episode 05: Reunion in Chapel Hill! Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

Usually our podcast is a bi-coastal operation, but this week Kristen and Victoria are reunited in Chapel Hill! We compare notes on the fandomesque architecture of our alma mater and take a stroll down memory lane sharing a few of our finest hours of fangirling. Kristen reminisces about her Supernatural convention experience where she and her friends became the first ever people to get a photograph of Winchester father-son duo Gil McKinney and Matt Cohen together in flower crowns, while Victoria’s story takes us across the pond: she recounts her stage door experience on London’s West End meeting late-blooming babe Neville Longbottom (or Matthew Lewis as he’s known to Muggles). They also tackle the stigma against friendships forged online in their discussion this week.

Episode 04: Voice-Over and Cosplay with Stephanie Sheh and Stephanie Csongor Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

This week on the podcast we have not one lovely guest, but two -- both named Stephanie to boot! You might recognize Stephanie Sheh’s voice from animated series such as Sailor Moon, Legend of Korra, and DC Super Hero Girls. Stephanie Csongor is an actress, gamer, and proud fangirl. They discuss what it’s like being female fans in male-dominated spaces like video games and conventions, and experiencing a con from a guest on a panel to a cosplayer on the convention floor. We even get them to share a few of their finest hours of fangirling with us!

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