Writer Ernie Cline proves his “geek cred” as this episode’s featured guest, and is the author of the New York Times Bestselling Novel Ready Player One and writer of the film Fanboys.

Learn about the inspiration for Ready Player One, getting Wil Wheaton to read the audiobook, and the experience of selling his very first screenplay and having Fanboys made in to a major Hollywood movie, and how that lead to writing Ready Player One.

Plus, learn about how he got in to writing, his very unique vehicle, what inspires him creatively, and the geekiest thing he’s ever done.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:02 — 27.6MB)

Links:

• Follow Ernie Cline on Twitter
• Neuromancer by William Gibson
• Snow Crash by Neal Sephenson
• EverQuest
• Star Wars: The Old Republic

Magician and podcaster extraordinaire Brian Brushwood proves his “geek cred” on this episode. Brian wows colleges across America with his award-winning bizarre magic show and hosts Scam School on Revision3 and co-hosts NSFW, Frame Rate, and Game On! on TWiT.

Brian talks about how he discovered magic, his transition from magic in to podcasting and new media, the importance of his connection with the online community, and how he connected with co-host Justin Robert Young. Plus, learn what drives him creatively, why it’s okay to suck, and the geekiest thing he’s ever done.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:42 — 34.6MB)

Links:

• Follow on Twitter
• Like on Facebook
• Circle on Google+
• BBpedia
• iTricks

Comedy music duo Paul and Storm are this episode’s featured guest. Learn about their journey from Da Vinci’s Notebook to Paul and Storm, touring with Jonathan Coulton, the origins of w00tstock, their creative process, and more.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:01 — 34.9MB)

Featured Music: “Frogger! The Musical”

Links:

• Bob and Tom Show
• Jonathan Coulton
• w00tstock
• Wil Wheaton

Artist and podcaster Len Peralta, the genius behind Geek A Week is this episode’s featured guest.

Go behind the scenes of Geek A Week, including his process, collaborating with Paul and Storm, and beyond.

Plus, learn about his creative process, the geekiest thing he’s ever done, and more.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:15 — 32.4MB)

Links:

• Geek A Week
• Buy Geek A Week Cards on ThinkGeek
• Len Peralta on Twitter
• Geek A Week on Twitter
• The Assembly Line
• Monster By Mail
• Flipface
• Paul and Storm
• Jonathan Coulton

Geek Cred is back, with a new look and new interviews!

This episode features Jonathan Strickland, Senior Writer at HowStuffWorks.com and co-host of TechStuff. Learn about what it was like growing up the son of a science fiction author and interacting with legendary genre writers, his geeky tattoo, and more! Plus, go behind the scenes of HowStuffWorks, including how Jonathan’s beginnings there, his research and writing process, and beyond.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:14 — 30.5MB)

Links:

• HowStuffWorks.com
• TechStuff Podcast
• TechStuff on Twitter
• TechStuff on Facebook
• Stuff You Should Know
• Dragon*Con
• Watch “Four Days at Dragon*Con” Documentary
• Atlanta Radio Theatre Company
• Follow Jonathan on Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:07 — 23.1MB)

In this special Geek Cred, to celebrate the milestone of 42 episodes, long-time friends of the show Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe take over and bring something a little different by turning the tables and putting me in the hot seat!

Links:

• Technorama
• Mackie Onyx 1220i
• Shure SM7B
• Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (Mac/Windows)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:41 — 32.8MB)

This episode features an interview with Kc Wayland and Shane Salk, the co-creators of the audio drama We’re Alive, which chronicles the struggles of a group of survivors amidst a zombie apocalypse.

Kc and Shane talk about the potential of the audio drama medium, the zombie sub-genre, and what differentiates We’re Alive, the inspiration and the genesis of the series, and go behind the scenes of the process of bringing the series to life, including not getting enough sleep, along with why We’re Alive is not like LOST, what fans can expect in the new season, and much more.

Whether you’re a fan of audio drama, zombies, or an engaging story, you’ll want to check it out!

Sponsor: Solve technical issues faster with GoToAssist Express. Try it FREE for 30 days.

Links:

• Chapman University
• We’re Alive Forum
• We’re Alive @ iTunes

Note: Trivia is currently on indefinite hiatus.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:47 — 27.4MB)

This episode of Geek Cred features an interview with P.C. Haring, author of the cyberpunk adventure podcast novel Cybrosis. P.C. talks about his background, the inspiration and genesis of Cybrosis, and more.

Sponsor: Solve technical issues faster with GoToAssist Express. Try it FREE for 30 days.

Links:

• Tee Morris
• Scott Sigler
• Mark Jeffrey
• J.C. Hutchins
• Mur Lafferty
• J. Daniel Sawyer
• Chris Lester

This episode of Geek Cred features an interview with filmmaker Shane Felux, director and producer of  the science fiction action web series Trenches, which takes you to a war-torn planet where two factions battle for control, but when the smoke of battle clears, these enemies must put aside their differences and work together if they are to survive a danger beyond their worst imaginings. Shane previously directed the Star Wars fan films Revelations and award-winning Pitching Lucas, and he talks about the genesis of Trenches, the production process behind the scenes, what took so long to be completed, what it was like working within the studio system, and more.

Sponsor: Try GotoAssist Express free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoAssist.com/techpodcast

Links:

• Watch Trenches on Crackle.com!
• Star Wars: Revelations
• Pitching Lucas
• Trenches on IMDB

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:18 — 50.7MB)