UltraCreatives Interview #19: Kent Nichols of “Ask A Ninja”

September 20, 2008

UltraCreatives LogoWelcome the second half of J.C.’s UltraCreatives conversations with the creators of “Ask A Ninja.”

Today, J.C chats with writer/producer/director Kent Nichols, who in 2005 — along with co-creator Douglas Sarine — debuted a very strange, very funny and what would soon become a very influential video podcast called “Ask A Ninja.”

Since 2005, the show has been downloaded more than 100 million times, and has helped Kent and Douglas launch projects in mainstream publishing and filmmaking — including the recently-released The Ninja Handbook, and the upcoming remake of the awesome cult classic comedy, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Kent chats about both of those projects here today.

Also in this interview, Kent discusses the beginnings of “Ask A Ninja” — which was originally envisioned as an animated project — its success, finding one’s way in the filmmaking and new media spaces and a lot more. Whether you’re a fan of “Ask A Ninja” or an aspiring creator, Kent provides plenty of insight into the creative process, and the business of entertainment.

Find Kent Nichols on the World Wide Everywhere*:

PROMOS:

Coming next week: The return of J.C.’s 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short story antholgy!

*Yes, this line was shamelessly swiped from an AAN episode.

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #18: Douglas Sarine and the “Ask A Ninja” Ninja

September 18, 2008

UltraCreatives LogoIn this incredible episode of UltraCreatives, J.C. chats with Douglas Sarine and the Ninja, both from the chart-topping “Ask A Ninja” video podcast.

While Douglas and Kent Nichols (whose own UltraCreatives interview will debut tomorrow) are credited as co-creators of the show, the Ninja reveals in this interview how he recruited the duo to bring Ninja Knowledge to the world, after receiving permission from ninja Grand Master Kudamono to do so.

Douglas and the Ninja also discuss the success and history of the “Ask A Ninja” podcast, the awesomeness of being a ninja, and the now-available The Ninja Handbook, the official guide to becoming a near-ninja (which was painfully transcribed by Douglas and Kent). The book is the embodiment of all that is Awesome.

During this interview, the Ninja also reveals the name of his ninja clan, the design of his clan’s flag, how his life has changed since the podcast debuted … and shares all of this wisdom while doing battle with fierce creatures.

Find Douglas and The Ninja on the World Wide Everywhere*:

In the episode intro, J.C. announces the imminent return of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, and that it will conclude in three weeks.

PROMOS:

Coming tomorrow: The second “Ask A Ninja” UltraCreatives interview with Kent Nichols!

*This line was shamelessly swiped from an AAN episode.

 
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Ultracreatives Interview #17: Mur Lafferty

August 19, 2008

Playing For Keeps coverAfter an unexpected — and shame on him, unnannounced — micro-hiatus, J.C. Hutchins is back with a new UltraCreatives interview. This episode features the triumphant return of author and podcaster Mur Lafferty.

There have been some tremendous developments in Mur’s career since she last appeared on the show back in February. J.C. and Mur discuss her novel Playing for Keeps, and how it was recently purchased by indie publisher Swarm Press for mainstream release. Mur also chats about the reactivation of her “Stories of the Third Wave” podcast, her ambition to rush the Amazon.com charts on August 25 and much more. It’s a fun, fascinating interview.

Find Mur Lafferty on the World Wide Everywhere:

In the intro to this episode, J.C. also explains just where the hell he’s been for the past three weeks, what commitments have kept him from releasing 7th Son: OBSIDIAN content, and when that content will return to the feed. (Hint: It’s goddamned soon.)

As promised, here are links to some important sites (including MINE, J.C.’s new pop culture blog project) and some writing he’s done in recent weeks.

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #16: Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine

July 28, 2008

UltraCreatives LogoWe’ll soon dive back into 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, but it’s time for another killer UltraCreatives interview, this one with novelists Tee Morris and Philippa “Pip” Ballantine. These authors have got a first-ever publishing promotion to talk about, as well as writing in the Fantasy genre, their love of history, and a lot more.

In this terrific chat, Tee and Pip discuss their new promotion called “Double Trouble,” and how you can help them make an impact at Amazon.com on August 8th. It’s a double whammy of awesome.

Find Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine on the World Wide Everywhere:

J.C. serves up a teaser regarding future author announcements (free swag is coming!), and encourages folks to visit JohnAlphaForPresident.com to snag a free “John Alpha ‘08″ bumper sticker…

PROMOS:

Coming up tomorrow in the podcast feed: A fun OBSIDIAN short-short starring the cast of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd!

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #15: Matthew Wayne Selznick

July 1, 2008

UltraCreatives LogoIt’s the second UltraCreatives interview for you this week, and this one’s packed with history-making exclusive news from author Matthew Wayne Selznick.

Matt is the author of Brave Men Run: A Novel Of the Sovereign Era, a groundbreaking novel that was released in several forms — including print — in 2005. Now nearly three years later, independent publisher Swarm Press has picked up the novel for mainstream release. In this conversation, Matt chats about Brave Men Run and how he’s promoting it. He also shares his scrappy artistic roots and how they greatly influenced his lifelong “Do It Yourself” philosophy.

Coolest of all, Matt announces some exclusive information about his ambitious plans to rush the Amazon charts on July 13 (the book’s release date), the incredible all-day event he has planned … and something truly special that he hasn’t yet announced in the podosphere. It’s history making stuff, and you’ll hear about it here first in this UltraCreatives interview.

Find Matthew Wayne Selznick on the World Wide Everywhere:

In the “talky talk” introduction to this episode, J.C. Hutchins reveals some developments in his own creative world, including:

  • An upcoming interview on OnThePod, and a recent interview on Slice of Sci-Fi
  • An update on where he stands in the editing process of the new novel he’s co-writing, Personal Effects: Dark Art
  • The release date for the new novel, and how that affects the release of 7th Son: Descent
  • A not-so-coy reveal on who’s “blurbing” the book

Coming up next in the podcast feed: FINALLY, the two “Voices From the Darkness” episodes J.C. owes listeners, and then more 7th Son: OBSIDIAN goodness as we roll into mid-week!

PROMOS:

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #14: J.R. Blackwell

June 29, 2008

UltraCreatives logoIt’s the fourteenth episode of the UltraCreatives Interview Series; this one’s an incredible conversation with the brilliant multifaceted artist J.R. Blackwell.

J.R. is a writer, photographer, singer, podcaster, blogger, contortionist and performer. She’s incredibly gifted at all of these art forms, many of which skew toward the fantastical and horrific. In this interview, J.C. and J.R. Blackwell talk not only talk about her many projects, but also what  informs and unifies her creative style throughout these different media. It’s an incredible conversation, and J.C. was thrilled to have her on the show.

Find J.R. Blackwell on the World Wide Everywhere:

This is the first of two UltraCreatives interviews for this week. Watch the feed on July 1, when J.C. drops his interview with Matthew Wayne Selznick, author of the novel Brave Men Run.

Coming up in the podcast feed: Two “Voices From the Darkness” fan-created 7th Son: OBSIDIAN episodes, and then the first part of Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff’s epic OBSIDIAN story.

PROMOS:

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #13: Chris Miller

June 8, 2008

UltraCreatives logoWhile the power’s been out (and chaos has reigned) in the first week of the 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short story anthology, things are fine in UltraCreatives Land! Welcome to the thirteenth episode of the UltraCreatives Interview Series. This week, J.C. chats with the insanely awesome codeshaman, Chris Miller.

Chris Miller is the co-founder of Podiobooks.com, a lead developer at Mahalo.com, a writer, podcaster and a personal friend. J.C. considers Chris Miller one of the kindest and smartest people he’s ever had the privilege to meet. This interview conversation covers the gamut: topics include Chris’ writing and podcasting, but the centerpiece of this conversation focuses on programming. You’re going to enjoy the twists and turns this conversation takes.

Find Chris Miller on the World Wide Everywhere:

In the intro to this episode, J.C. explains why he won’t be on Twitter for a while, and suggests that you reach him here via blog comment, email or by calling the Clone Line at 206-984-2566.

PROMOS:

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #12: Cory Doctorow

May 4, 2008

UltraCreatives logoAfter a week hiatus, the UltraCreatives Interview Series is back! This week, J.C. Hutchins chats with Cory Doctorow, co-editor of BoingBoing.net, activist and author of the new novel, Little Brother.

Cory is best-known as a pioneer in the Open Media movement and the “giving it away is okay” philosophy — releasing free versions of his fiction to evangelize and enhance the exposure of his printed work. He’s a trendsetter and visionary in this field. In addition, Cory is an activist, consumer advocate, and a co-editor for the culture blog, BoingBoing.net.

In this interview, Cory chats about his career as a writer, his activism, and Little Brother, which debuted in bookstores last week. Stick around after the interview: you’ll hear an excerpt from the novel, which is also available as a DRM-free audiobook from Random House Audio.

Find Cory Doctorow on the World-Wide-Everywhere:

Also mentioned in this episode:

  • J.C. Hutchins has completed rewrites on his new novel (nicknamed “Code Phantom”)!
  • The novel debuts next March
  • Expect a full announcement regarding Code Phantom in the weeks ahead
  • Later this week in a “Beta Clone Army Update” podcast, J.C. will explain why he’s been mum about the project so far

Spiffy reminder: The groundbreaking 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short story anthology debuts later this month! Catch up by listening to J.C.’s sci-fi thriller 7th Son podcast novel trilogy, found here.

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #11: Mark Jeffrey

April 16, 2008

UAs J.C. Hutchins promised in his last UltraCreatives episode, this is podcast #2 for today — an interview with the amazing author Mark Jeffrey. Outside the realm of podcasting, Mark is a Silicon Valley success story: he’s an entrepreneur, a savvy networker and a visionary.

But within podcasting, Mark is best known as an author, and one of the first three “inventors” of the podiobook. In early 2005, his book, The Pocket and the Pendant, debuted alongside the works of Scott Sigler and Tee Morris, and set a standard for story and production quality that’s still heard today.

J.C. chats with Mark about The Pocket and the Pendant, how he wrote and podcasted it … and also discusses some of his business ventures, and how they helped shape his novel writing career. Best of all, Mark has an exclusive announcement for the podcasting community and beyond. The UltraCreatives Interview Series is the first announcement of this anywhere, and J.C. was thrilled that Mark came on the podcast to share the news.

Expect a “Beta Clone Army” update episode later this week.

Find Mark Jeffrey on the World-Wide-Everywhere:

Promos:

 
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UltraCreatives Interview #10: Jared Axelrod

April 16, 2008

UltraCreatives logo It’s an UltraCreatives “two-fer” today: You’re getting TWO interview episodes for the price of one! Today’s first episode is with Jared Axelrod, a podcaster, writer, actor, director, puppetmaker, costume maker — there’s very little this man can’t do, which is why it was a thrill having him on the podcast.

In the podcasting community, Jared is best-known for his “Stories from Free Planet X” podcast. J.C. Hutchins and Jared speak at length about that and his other creative endeavors. It’s a hoot, and you’ll learn a lot about the life of a multi-faceted artist.

There’s tons of news for listeners to learn about, including coverage in The Washington Post and the groundbreaking “audience participation” invitation for all 7th Son listeners for the 7th Son: OBSIDIAN short story anthology … but there’s no time to do it in this episode. Expect an informal “Beta Clone Army Update” episode in a day or two.

Find Jared Axelrod on the World-Wide-Everywhere:

Promos:

 
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