The retirement of Five Question Interviews; Interview with Grady Bailey of RT SideQuest!

Hello, dear readers!

Thank you for being a part of an amazing journey over the past few months with Five Question Interviews! We learned a lot about some very interesting people, but I always knew the journey would be leading somewhere bigger, somewhere better. So over the past months, I talked to a total of 12 guests (with one repeat guest, Caleb Denecour), and I gradually honed my interview conducting skills.

I always knew the eventual future of Five Question Interviews would be an audio format of some kind, so it only seemed natural that I found myself in the midst of starting a podcast last month. I asked my co-hosts about the possibility of integrating my interview format into the broader podcast format, and we decided that we would, in fact, have guests on the podcast every few weeks, and that our listeners would have a chance to tell us what questions they would like for us to ask our guests… sound familiar?

So with that, I would like to present to you the brand-new Player 4 Podcast, where four crazy gamers talk about video games, TV/movies, comics, anime, internet culture, and, of course, Rooster Teeth! You can find us at:

• YouTube: Custom url pending; click this link!
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/player4podcast
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Player4Podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Player4Podcast
• Rooster Teeth group: http://roosterteeth.com/groups/profile.php?id=19007

We currently have five episodes under our belts, and Episode 6 will be released this Friday, March 13. In fact, our guest this week will be none other than Grady Bailey of SideQuest, who also just so happens to be the last guest I ever interviewed for Five Question Interviews…

And with that said, here is my interview with Grady Bailey!

==========

Five Question Interviews: Grady Bailey, UT SysAdmin, RT SideQuest Coordinator, RTX Guardian, and RT Forum Mod

Name: Grady Bailey.

Occupation: Systems Administrator at the University of Texas.

Hobbies: Watching football, playing games (video, card, and board), and running RT SideQuest.

==========

Grady Bailey.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

Grady: Looking forward to it!

J: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

G: I’m ready as I’ll ever be.

J: I hope so!

Question #1: Let’s start with your job at University of Texas. What is it like as a System Administrator at a large university?

G: Well, for one, my job is a bit unique in that I’m not just at UT, but a research institute. It’s the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. And working at a research institute means our department has a bit more freedom than most people who do IT at UT.

So, to answer the question, it’s a lot of fun. I get to work with incredibly smart people and make sure they have computers to do things like cure cancer, model hurricanes, map the human heart, etc.

J: Do they make any rockets?

G: While ICES is multi-disciplinary, I don’t think we have anyone in aerospace engineering around. Most of the centers and groups are based in the biomedical sciences or mathematics

The building across the street from ours is the aerospace engineering building though, so I guess I’m at least close by to rocket scientists!

J: Cool! Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s not rocket science,” and then you respond by saying, “That’s across the street”?

G: Not that I can remember, but I’ll have to remember to use that if it ever comes up.

J: It’s a real zinger. You can have it.

What’s the coolest project you’ve been indirectly involved in at the research institute?

G: Well, most of the research is abstracted away from those of us on the Sysnet (Systems and networking) team. Personally, the coolest project I’ve done is revamping our entire Mac management system over the last 9 months or so.

We haven’t had proper Mac management in 5 years or so, and I wanted to change that when I became the Mac sysadmin last February. I planned and implemented a full deployment, management, and update/upgrade system using a bunch of cool tools. It sounds boring to most people, but it was a ton of fun for me, because it involved a whole lot of learning new things.

J: How much of the UT campus and ICES is Macs, and how much is PCs?

G: I’m not sure about the entire campus, but I know at ICES we’re pretty unique. Not representative at all, because we’re primarily a Linux shop. We’re probably about 80% Linux, 15% Macs, and 5% Windows.

J: What is the advantage of using Linux as a researcher?

G: Honestly, I can’t say specifically because I’m not a researcher. I just know it certainly makes our lives easier from a management and security perspective to have all of our students and researchers on Linux machines instead of a bunch of Windows boxes.

J: Finally, who is your supervisor? Or if that’s not applicable, who do you answer to? Or, who is your daddy and what does he do?

G: Haha… My supervisor’s name is Stew, and he’s the ICES IT Manager. Above him is the associate director, and then the director of the institute.

J: How long did it take to get where you are now, as the Mac sysadmin?

G: Well, I finished school and started working full-time in May of 2011, and became the Mac sysadmin in February 2014, so not too terribly long. I took a weird path though…

I started working for ICES in the fall of 2010 as a student technician. When I finished school, it just so happened that a full-time desktop support position opened up. The previous desktop support guy moved up to a sysadmin role, and I took the desktop position. Eventually I took on more responsibilities and became a senior desktop support specialist. Then, because I was his backup on everything, when the last Mac sysadmin left I was able to slide into that role.

So it was a whole lot of very fortunate timing and falling upwards.

J: Sounds like it! What’s next after being a sysadmin?

G: I’m not really sure. Honestly, I really like my job and the perfect opportunity would have to come along for me to leave. I’m not super ambitious when it comes to my job or money or anything.

J: Well, when you have a good thing going, sometimes that’s the last thing on your mind.

G: Yep!

J: How many people do you supervise?

G: None. Our team is really small. It’s just the IT Manager, myself and two other sysadmins, one desktop support guy, and usually one or two student workers.

J: So you all report to the IT Manager?

G: Yes.

J: Makes sense!

Question #2: In the Rooster Teeth Community, you are perhaps most known for your role as the coordinator of RT SideQuest. What is SideQuest? Many people know about the events at RTX, but does SideQuest have other events throughout the year?

G: RT SideQuest is the result of an idea that Count3D (Dominic) had before the first RTX in 2011. He wanted to plan some meet-ups at Austin area restaurants that the RT crew had talked about on their podcast. The idea was to welcome not only RTX attendees, but also any RT fans who weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket to that first, very limited, RTX [500 attendees].

I reached out to him early on in the planning process and asked if he wanted some help, because he lives in Canada but I’m actually in Austin. I started helping him out, planned some evening events that weren’t just going out to eat, and it was a huge success.

Since then, we’ve expanded into doing charity work as well as hosting parties at other events besides RTX.

J: Was it called SideQuest at that point?

G: Yes, it was.

J: Wasn’t there an event a few years ago that was much like Dominic’s idea? What was it called… Rooster Feast?

G: I think so. Honestly, that was before I became really involved in the community.

J: As Coordinator of SideQuest, what are your responsibilities?

G: A bunch of things, and it seems to change every year. Since we incorporated in 2013, I’ve served as both the President (Head of our “active” officers that handle day-to-day things) and CEO (Head of our board of directors, which makes high-level decisions for the organization). I also serve as the event director.

So let’s break it down by each position: As CEO, I run our board meetings and set high-level goals and plans. Like our goal for how much we want to raise for charity this year and things like that. As President, I’m tasked with implementing those things with more practical plans and such. More nitty-gritty details and stuff. Then as event director, I plan all of our events and make sure they go off without a hitch.

J: Besides RTX, where does SideQuest host events?

G: In the past, just at PAX East and PAX Prime (PAX SideQuEAST and PAX PrimeQuest). However, this year we have plans to host events at PAX South, PAX East, PAX Prime, SXSW, and San Diego Comic Con… As well as a series of livestreamed gaming marathons for charity hosted at a local game store here in Austin every few months.

All in all, I think our calendar has 12 events on it this year, up from five or so last year.

J: If someone wants to become involved in helping with SideQuest, where do they need to start?

G: The best place to start is by applying to be an RTX SideQuest Spectre, which are like the Guardians/Enforcers/Minions of RTX SideQuest. Applications aren’t open yet, but they’ll open up soon.

We’re also exploring other ways to let people get involved

J: Where will the announcement be for applications?

G: We’ll make sure everyone sees it. Typically we try to post everything on the Rooster Teeth community site, our website, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr (if I remember to post there).

J: Finally, should a convention-goer apply to be a Spectre if they are also an RTX Guardian?

G: Probably not. We’ll most likely only accept non-Guardians as Spectres, because we really want people to be dedicated to one thing or another. We know that some people are capable of doing both (Because they have in the past) and in those special cases we’ll consider it, but odds are it’ll be one or the other.

And of course, I’m a total hypocrite for saying that.

J: That is actually something we will talk about in a little bit!

Question #3: A few months ago, you and a few other community members were asked to become Forum Mods on the Rooster Teeth website. What was your first thought when Caleb approached you?

G: My exact response to his message was: “Yeah dude, you know I’m down for it.”

J: Was there ever a moment of doubt?

G: Not one. I’m already so involved in the community and I try to be a role model. It was only natural to extend that to being a mod.

J: Had you thought about it before Caleb suggested it?

G: I had in the sense that I knew I’d accept if I was ever asked, but it wasn’t necessarily something I aspired to.

J: What do you feel is your primary responsibility as a Forum Mod?

G: Primarily, I think I’m supposed to represent Rooster Teeth within the community, to be a role model. Next, it’s to keep the peace on the community site and use forum powers if necessary. Ideally, I shouldn’t ever have to use my mod powers, because if I’m doing everything right and setting a good example, community members will look up to myself and the rest of the mods and emulate us.

But of course, this is the internet. Nothing is perfect.

J: What do you think made you a good candidate for the position as Forum Mod? Do you think it’s primarily your years of experience as a System Administrator, or your heavy involvement in community events, or a combination of these and other factors?

G: I think it was mostly community involvement. Besides just having experience working with people, I don’t think my “real world” job experience carries over much at all.

Question #4: Ok, let’s recap here. In addition to your day job, you are a Forum Mod on the Rooster Teeth community site, you are an RTX Guardian, through which you were in charge of RTX Registration for the last two years, and you are the RT SideQuest Coordinator. My readers want to know, how do you balance wearing so many hats? Are you at some moments Grady the SideQuest Coordinator, at other times Grady the Mod, and other times Grady the Guardian? Or are you all Gradys (Gradies?) at all times?

G: I definitely try to be myself in each of those roles, because I don’t see any way that I could separate them from each other.

J: When you leave the Austin Convention Center and start thinking about the next SideQuest event, do you have to put your Guardian responsibilities in the back of your head, or does it happen naturally – switching from one to the other?

G: I don’t really think I switch. I mean, during RTX, I’m always thinking about all of my responsibilities. What I have to do for RTSQ, what I have to do as a Guardian, what I have to do as a good human being, etc. I honestly think about all of them at once.

J: How much sleep do you get during RTX? Let’s be honest here.

G: So, I just turned to my wife to ask her that question. She burst out laughing.

J: That can’t be a good sign…

G: I’d say, for the whole weekend (Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night), it’s probably around 12-15 hours. But honestly, I don’t need a ton of sleep.

Most nights (outside of RTX), I sleep either 4.5 or 6 hours.

Question #5: Now, let’s take a step back. When you first joined the RT website, you were a self-described lurker. When did you join? How long did the lurking phase last, and what caused you to become more active in the community?

G: “Signed up: 10 years ago (10/03/04)”.

I remember the first episode of RvB I watched. It was episode 15, “How the Other Half Lives”. I still remember that was my first introduction to Halo. Which means, when I first got around to playing Halo, I was terribly confused because I thought there were some sort of class-based elements to the game.

Anyway, back to the question. I only became more active in the community in 2011 when Dom started putting together SideQuest. I was inspired around that same time by a panel at PAX East. On that panel, someone said, as a tip for finding a job you love, “Find something you’re passionate about, then go all-in.” So I decided that the RT community and making sure people had a good time at RTX would be that passion.

J: When did you decide you wanted to be an RTX Guardian?

G: As soon as the first call went out for applications. Kinda like the forum mod thing, it just felt natural.

J: As with everything, when it comes to being involved in the RT Community, there is never a shred of doubt. The question becomes, “When do I start?”

G: Yep.

J: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

G: Oh?

J: One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

G: Prepared is such a strong word.

So I guess my question would be… Of all the interviews you’ve done, what seems to be the most common thing between your interviewees that you didn’t know when you started the interview?

J: You mean something I wasn’t prepared for, or something that surprised me?

G: More like, just some common trait you discovered while you talked to each person.

J: Well, I’ve discovered that almost everyone likes to talk about their job. A lot. In fact, the longest parts of each interview is usually job-related, and then the parts where we talk about Rooster Teeth.

The least surprising part is just how passionate everyone is about the latter.

G: Cool!

J: I was also surprised not only by the wide scope of careers amongst everyone I’ve talked to, but not as surprised by how much overlap there is. You work with computers at a research institute. I’ve interviewed researchers before, and other IT people.

G: Very neat.

J: Again, thanks for meeting with me today. I look forward to what you guys have planned for the coming year of SideQuest. If I don’t see you before then, I’ll see you at RTX!

G: Thanks for having me! Have a great evening!

If you want to know more about Grady Bailey, you can find him at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GB330033
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/GB330033

To know more about RT SideQuest, check out these links:

• Website: http://www.rtsidequest.org
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rtsidequest
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rtsidequest
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/rtsidequest
• Tumblr: http://rtsidequest.tumblr.com/

Introducing the Player 4 Podcast!

Hey guys, great news!

This week, my friends and I unveiled the Player 4 Podcast, a podcast about media and internet. We uploaded Episode 1 yesterday, and I would like to share it with you!

In addition to Subscribing to our YouTube, you can Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Soundcloud. Thanks for your support!

Five Question Interviews: The return of Caleb Denecour, Community Manager of Achievement Hunter!

Name: Caleb Denecour.

Occupation: Community Manager of Achievement Hunter, and Content Manager of Game Kids, at Rooster Teeth Productions.

Hobbies: Ultimate (Frisbee) – Playing, coaching, watching.

==========

Caleb Denecour (from the Achievement Hunter RTX 2014 panel intro video).

Joseph: Welcome back to Five Question Interviews, Caleb! How have things been since we last saw you?

Caleb: They’ve been really good. Mostly busy with work and Ultimate. So not much of a change I guess.

How have you been?

J: I’ve been keeping busy doing interviews, playing video games, playing piano (my job), writing music. You know, diversifying.

C: I wish I could play the piano! It’s a dream I have and hopefully one day I’ll make it happen.

J: Maybe one day I’ll teach you a thing or two!

You already know all about the format of Five Question Interviews, and I’ve gotten a lot of questions for you from my readers. So let’s get started!

Question #1: Last time you were here, we went in-depth about your responsibilities as the Community Manager for Achievement Hunter. I have a few follow-up questions on the subject. First, on a typical day, how much of your day is spent simply reading and replying to inbound messages for Achievement Hunter?

C: That one is tough to answer as it changes drastically from day to day. Sometimes I come into work with only 5 messages in my inbox (e-mail and RT) other times it’s been 500. I would say the current average is around 20-30 messages per day and it takes me about two hours to get through. Granted it really does change a lot day-to-day.

J: Is there a particular pattern for when e-mails and messages tend to spike, like after a Let’s Play gets uploaded?

C: The biggest spikes come after we release content that people find controversial. Other times it’s because someone in AH makes a post about upcoming videos, needing ideas, feeling overworked, etc.

J: How has the growth of Achievement Hunter (and Rooster Teeth at large) changed your job, or the way you do your job?

C: In the early days (I’ve been here for over 3 1/2 years now) I had a lot more time to search out what people were saying on social media using tags and keyword searches. The more we grew, the more people contacted us directly which took away that “extra” time. I still try to do this once and a while, as it’s one of my favorite aspects of being Community Manager, but it never seems like enough.

J: How advantageous is it to stay on top of what’s trending on social media, in regards to Achievement Hunter content?

C: It’s good to be tuned into anything the community is chatting about. It helps us look into what videos were successful, which jokes are funniest, what people do/don’t like, etc. It’s a large part of what I do.

J: That’s very interesting!

What is the office vibe like now that things have settled in with the new hires? Has a rhythm been established between everyone?

C: At this point I don’t think it really feels like we have new hires. Matt and Jeremy have been around since July and are family at this point. It feels like they’ve been around forever, maybe too long… (kidding). Really the only recent hire we have is in the Game Kids department so his being around doesn’t affect AH’s day-to-day.

J: I have noticed that the Let’s Play crew has made efforts to talk about Matt, Jeremy, and the rest of the build team as much as possible, like in the recent Let’s Build. I imagine that’s kind of important when trying to integrate them into the familiarity of everyday viewers.

C: While I agree it’s important to integrate them to everyday viewers, I don’t think we really did that. While we do talk about them in content, we never really set a plan to bring them in slowly. We really just plopped them down and they became part of our everyday. Now that I think about it, we should have put an effort into their integration.

J: A good plan for the future! I look forward to seeing more of Matt and Jeremy.

Question #2: You are very passionate when it comes to Ultimate. Has your increased workload with the expanded Achievement Hunter office (and Game Kids, which we’ll talk about a little later) affected your participation in Ultimate, and other hobbies?

Caleb Denecour and a fellow Ultimate player jump very, very high to catch the frisbee. (Photoshop by RedeadLauren)

C: Sadly it has. Taking on Game Kids was like adding a second job. I went from working 8 hour days to working 10-12 hour days (and also had to cut back a bit on my community involvement to make more time for Game Kids). It wasn’t until mid-November when we hired Trevor that my work load went a bit back to normal (I’m now working 8-10 hour days). This increase interfered with my recreational play as I could no longer take long lunches to play pick-up. But worse, it made it difficult for me to make practices for Doublewide (club team I play for) and Trainwreck (college team I coach). To compensate for  that a bit, I would skip the team track workouts which were normally around 6:30pm and run them alone in the mornings before work. I also went a good two months without social activities. Now that we’ve settled down and gotten into a rhythm it’s looking better though. Not sure I’ll ever get back to playing lunch pick-up twice a week though.

J: That’s unfortunate! We talked in our last interview about the possibility of hiring an Assistant Community Manager. Is that still a possibility, or maybe a Community Manager for Game Kids?

C: Game Kids is not large enough for a separate Community Manager. I’m also the Content Manager for that channel so I don’t think a CM would be much of a help for me there. As for AH, I would have wanted an ACM, but when we hired Trevor to edit for Game Kids, I also asked him to run the AH Community Channel for me as that is where we hired him from. That freed up a couple hours of each day. Down the road, I don’t think we would ever hire me an assistant, but if Game Kids grew enough, I would most likely need a replacement.

J: That makes sense. It also makes a lot of sense that with Rooster Teeth expanding so quickly, there are times that someone might be doing two jobs at once while waiting to see if there is enough need to justify a new hire.

Question #3: In our last interview, you mentioned that before you got into Ultimate you were a competitive Halo player. Are you currently playing any video games during your free time?

C: I recently picked up FIFA ‘15 to play for fun and I have the Halo: MCC to play through if I ever have time (I only want to solo legendary it all). Aside from that the only gaming I’ve done recently has been recording for Game Kids / AH and prepping for those recordings (100+ hours in Disney Infinity and 100+ hours in Destiny). I sadly don’t have much time for gaming anymore. I do miss it though.

Oh, I did play a match in the Halo 5 Beta. I was terrible!

J: What was the first FIFA you ever played?

C: World Cup ‘98 for N64 (might not actually be FIFA, but it is EA). I still play it from time to time. One of my favorites!

J: That was actually my first one too! FIFA ‘98 for PC. I played it all the time with my dad. We got ‘99, ‘00, and ‘01 as well (then I went to college), but ‘98 was always my favorite.

C: I play that one and 2006 World Cup still. No there have really been worth getting to me, until FIFA ‘15. And even then it was half off with a ton of bonus stuff

J: Sounds like a good deal.

Is Halo: MCC as good as everyone says?

C: No idea, haven’t had a chance to play. Still waiting for a time I can sit down and grind the campaigns.

J: The remastered Halo 2 looks pretty sweet, although I haven’t had/made time to get my hands on Halo: MCC. I’ve only seen it in the Sponsor Play with Kyle and Miles.

By the way, would you happen to know when we can expect to see more of the Halo 2 Sponsor Play?

C: No idea, that’s really a Kyle question as he manages all sponsor content. I do know he is getting very busy with RvB though.

J: That’s right, pre-production for the new season is underway. Well, I’ll have to wait patiently then!

Question #4: For any readers who don’t know, you and a few others at Rooster Teeth have started a new YouTube channel called “Game Kids”. What exactly is Game Kids, and is it affiliated with Rooster Teeth in any way?

C: Game Kids is our new family-friendly gaming channel. The aim of the channel is to create a place where parents can feel comfortable letting their kids watch gaming content. While the channel is under the RT umbrella, we are not using our resources to promote it. We are trying to build a new audience with this content and we don’t want kids watching our videos and then finding easy access to AH or other RT products that are inappropriate.

J: So it’s created by Rooster Teeth, but packaged as a separate product?

C: Yes.

J: Briefly, what kinds of shows are on Game Kids? And how big is your audience so far?

C: Right now we have about 60,000 subscribers, many of which aren’t really in our target audience, but we are working on growing. As for the shows, right now we have four and release a videos  days a week.

Monday: Sims Sisters

– Join Millie, her nanny Chelsea, and occasionally her parents Geoff and Griffon, as they explore their creativity in the world of Sims.

Wednesday: Kids Play

– Matt, Webb, and Mills or Burnie, JD, and Teddy come together to play video games and strengthen family relationships.

Friday: Bro Gaming

– Join Caleb and his younger brother, Jordan, as they test the limits of their 21 years together through cooperative gaming.

J: What can you say about the structure of the administrative side of Game Kids? Who edits the videos, who uploads them, etc.? You said earlier you are the Content Manager, but what does that job entail?

C: As Content Manager, I run the channel. Think of me as the Geoff of Game Kids. I make sure we have content for each day by keeping tabs on Matt, Burnie, and Geoff. Trevor edits all of the content for the channel. The uploading is 50/50 between Trevor and I pending who has more time that day. So really, Trevor is the only full-time Game Kids employee and I make the decisions for the content and channel direction. I do consult with Geoff a lot though as the idea of the channel is his.

J: Just so my readers know (and as a Community Manager, you would be the person to ask), where is the appropriate subreddit to discuss uploads from Game Kids? Does the channel have its own subreddit, or is the Rooster Teeth subreddit appropriate?

C: We do have our own subreddit and we’d prefer discussion there for Game Kids: http://www.reddit.com/r/GameKids/

As community manager of AH, I’d actually prefer no discussion on reddit at all and people come use our website.

Caleb and his brother, Jordan Denecour.

J: Good point. Oftentimes the subreddit is filled with speculative questions that most people on the Rooster Teeth website either already know the answer to, or don’t really care about. Or other times, it’s a lot of hurtful comments.

C: I also respond to questions on the RT site, so if people want answers all they need to do is ask.

J: Sometimes people forget that, haha.

Question #5: You and your brother Jordan have a show on Game Kids called “Bro Gaming”, and in the first episode of your Minecraft videos you mentioned that you had previously recorded videos together. Are they on YouTube somewhere?

C: They were, but I took them all down. Some of the content (language) we had up went past the lines I believe are acceptable for Game Kids. So unless you were one of the few 1000 people who watched them a couple years ago, the footage will never be seen.

J: Would you ever consider a “highlights” video that only has appropriate content in it? I am very interested in seeing more of Game Kids.

C: Maybe, but back then only I had a capture card and our audio quality was lower. It be hard for me to justify putting out an inferior product. Maybe if we ever have a panel one day some old content will pop up.

J: That would be pretty cool!

How has recording for Game Kids changed your relationship with Jordan? How far away do you live from each other right now, and how much do you stay in contact outside of recording? What is the age gap between you and Jordan?

C: I think recording brought us closer. Growing up, Jordan and I weren’t really close. In fact, we argued a ton. I was always mad cause he would copy me, and I treated him poorly because of it. It also drove me insane that he wouldn’t admit to copying me. It wasn’t really until he went to college that we got close.

Right now, he is in San Francisco and I am in Austin, so about 1,500 miles apart. We do talk just about every day via text though and we sometimes travel to play Ultimate together. In 2014 we played tournaments in Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and Italy together. We are 4 1/2 years apart.

J: Wow, that must be a lot of fun getting to meet up to play in tournaments! When did Jordan become interested in Ultimate?

C: A few years after me (such a copycat). When I first started playing in 2007 he made fun of me. Then, in 2010 when he started college, I found out he joined his college’s team. He went on to captain the team for 3 years and was selected as an All-Region player (award voted on by opponents based on skill).

J: You must be very proud of your brother then!

C: Very much so. He still has a ways to go to play at a National level in the US, but he’s been able to join me in some fun tournaments and in Italy where we represented Mexico in the World Championships.

J: Final question. What does Jordan have against snow golems? Was his Minecraft family murdered by snow golems, or does he have some other reason for disliking them? Are they as bad as daffodiles? Would he serve their kind if they walked into a Mos Eisley cantina and he was the bartender?

C: I don’t know why Jordan has such prejudice. Franklin tries so hard to be his friend but Jordan always pushes him away. You would think he has a reason, but to my knowledge he doesn’t. I’m actually concerned he would refuse service.

What are you trying to say about daffodiles? They are a kind and peaceful creature!

J: Do you think the laws of your Minecraft village would allow him to refuse service? Who is the mayor of your village?

C: Last time we had a village he murdered everyone. I’m not sure he cares for the rules.

Funny you ask about who the mayor is. We actually have plans to hold elections down the road!

J: I can’t wait!!

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

C: Thank you for the wonderful questions!

J: As you remember, at the end of the interview you get to ask me one question. In your first interview you asked me about my beard. Since this is your second time around, you get to ask me another question. Lucky you! What have you got for me?

C: This is probably cliché, but I’m genuinely curious. If you had the option to interview any person on the planet (alive or dead) who would it be?

There is also a follow-up question after you answer.

J: I want to say Stephen Hawking, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t know enough about science to carry a conversation. So I would have to go with Igor Stravinsky, the composer.

C: Who would be third?

J: Either C.S. Lewis or Mark Twain. Hmm… I think I will go with Mark Twain.

C: Ok, so Stephen Hawking, Igor Stravinsky, and Mark Twain. Wed, bed, behead. GO!

J: Darn you, Caleeeeeeeb! I shake my fist at you.

I think being married to Mark Twain would be interesting, to say the least. I really don’t want to say this, but I will have to behead Stephen Hawking.

C: So you are going to knock up Igor?

J: Can’t you imagine little Igors running around? They can be friends with Franklin and his family.

C: Haha. Hope my question was interesting enough for you

J: It definitely gets points for originality.

Again, thanks for meeting with me today. I look forward to seeing Achievement Hunter and Game Kids grow and prosper in the future!

C: And thank you for the awesome interview!

If you want to know more about Caleb Denecour, you can find him at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/calebdenecour
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/calebdenecour
• Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter: http://www.achievementhunter.com/caleb

To know more about Game Kids, check out these links:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/gamekids
• Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/GameKids/

Have a question for Caleb that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Caleb return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Five Question Interviews: Lauren “OboeCrazy” Urban, Professional Musician and member of the Glib Shark Podcast

Name: Lauren Urban.

Occupation: Professional musician (oboist).

Hobbies: Video games, Dungeons & Dragons, crochet, and sampling root beer.

==========

Lauren Urban.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

Lauren: Thanks! Burn away!

J: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

L: I’m as prepared as I think I can be.

J: You make it sound so fun!

L: Well I am an expert in myself, so I figure I should at least score above average on this test.

J: As long as you remember to fill in your name, I think you’ll do fine!

L: WIN!

Question #1: Let’s start with music, shall we? As a professional oboist, what is a typical day for you? Do you work at several different venues, or are you full-time at an orchestra?

L: At the moment I play freelance in a lot of different orchestras, as well as hold down a “day job” working at a stage theatre. So my typical day is a bit different then what it would be if I was making all of my money just being an oboist.

In general, when people say, “I’ve got nothing to do today,” they usually aren’t referencing things like eating, sleeping… it’s just implied. For me, it’s also implied I’m going to work on the oboe for a while. Lots of reed making. I’m a musician, but because of my instrument I spend a LOT of time whittling my own reeds.

When gigs are scarce I’ll just play whatever makes me happy, or create stuff to post online.  When I’m busy (like in December when I had three weeks where I played half a dozen different concerts plus a few dozen rehearsals) it’s a lot of driving around the area to play.

J: Did you have a particular day or week during the holidays where you had to do a lot of driving between gigs? Say, halfway across the city just to get from one gig/rehearsal to another?

L: Furthest I had during the holidays was with the Federal Way Symphony. I play 2nd oboe with them, and we had two different concerts over the course of 2 weeks. Right now I live about 45 minutes away from the rehearsal/concert location… and that’s without traffic! So that was a lot of driving.

But the furthest I’ve had lately was when I played with the Olympia Symphony.  That was an hour and a half… each way!

I also had a church gig at the same time.  So there were a few Sundays where I got up at about 6am, drove about 45 minutes to the church to do a rehearsal and then the service, hung out for about 2 hours, drove another 15 minutes to play with Federal Way, then drove another hour home.

Long days. But fun!

J: I know what you mean! I had a Sunday like that before Christmas.

L: I’m sure everyone has long days before the holidays.

J: Especially musicians.

L: They’re just work days for me! I make more money in December then I do most of the rest of the year. It also usually means I don’t have a lot of time off with friends and family. But we make up for it. I was busy enough this year during the month that I actually didn’t take a Christmas Eve gig

I had Christmas off for once! It was kinda nice.

J: When you say you are a freelance musician for multiple orchestras, do you mean you are a go-to oboist for each orchestra, but they only hire you on a seasonal basis?

L: A bit of both.

For example, my position with the Federal Way symphony is that I’m a regular. I AM their second oboist. However, they don’t do a full year-round season. A full-time symphony plays a concert a week. FW does 5-6 concerts a year.

On the other hand, I substitute for a lot of other orchestras. Subs are common. If a musician can’t make even one rehearsal, they need to find a sub, because there are usually so few rehearsals before a concert. Most of my jobs are sub jobs; go play here for one concert, go play there for another.

You end up doing a lot of schedule juggling.

J: When did you first decide you wanted to do this for a living? What did you have to do from then until now to make your dream a reality?

L: I’m STILL trying to make that dream a reality!

I’ve played oboe almost all my life, started in 3rd grade. Super young. But for most of grade school I wanted to be an astronomer. Somewhere around High School I discovered that astronomy is more than just looking at pretty pictures in the sky… it’s a lot of math. And while I’m really good at math, it’s not something I enjoy.

I’m an idealist. I’d rather do something I love, even if I don’t make a lot of money, than do something I hate and be wealthy. And I loved playing the oboe. So I went to college, then went to graduate school, then moved all over the country taking gigs, and jobs, and learning, and growing, and being really poor.

And as I said, I’m still working on it. Every year I make a bit more money playing the oboe, or teaching oboe lessons, or doing something in music.

J: What has surprised you the most about being a professional musician?

L: Hmm… That’s an interesting question. I don’t know, as I’ve been in this world so long it feels normal to me.

I’m surprised occasionally by divas… the old school way of being a professional musician. That the conductor is a tyrant, that your peers are your rivals, that you can be a horrible person and still get gigs because you’re talented. That might have been true decades ago, but today you need to be a good person as well as a good player. And 99% of the time my colleagues are wonderful and generous and amazing people.

But every so often you come across a real jerk. And it’s a shock, because for every talented diva there are ten talented nice people. So I guess that’s a good kind of surprise… the kind where most of the time people are wonderful and so the one person stands out.

J: Was there ever a moment of clarity, or perhaps a reality check, when you realized just how hard it would be to make it as a musician?

L: I always knew it would be difficult. But there was a year when I was living in Florida, when everything fell apart.

I was making a decent living working at a stage theatre and doing gigs. And then the Miami Symphony went bankrupt. Just up and died. I remember playing an opera gig, and one the cellists in the group was talking during the break about this news article that came out. She was a member of the Miami Symphony and knew they were in debt. But she insisted the players were told it was only 2.5 million, not the 25 million the news article was saying.

A few months later, the symphony folded. It was huge… just a gigantic blow to the orchestra community, and a lot of players fled the area because Miami is an expensive place to live and without the symphony they didn’t have a job. There’s usually one major symphony in a city. When it folds, it’s not like you can find another full-time symphony down the road.

So players fled. Smaller groups feeding off the Miami Symphony cut back… everything just fell apart. I’d been considering moving back up north anyway, as Florida didn’t agree with me. Then that happened and my gigs dropped from 1-2 a month to nothing… And then four hurricanes came through… And the next thing I know I’d packed up my car and driven to Buffalo to stay with my parents.

J: The nail in the coffin, so to speak.

L: Oh yeah! Plus “No Child Left Behind” was just RUINING the music programs, especially in huge lower/middle class school districts that had to cut music to fund math and science because they’d lost all kinds of government money.

I’d lost oboe students because suddenly they didn’t have a band to play with or an instrument to play on. It was horrible.

Lauren Urban and her Glib Shark co-hosts at RTX 2014.

Question #2: On the internet, many people know you because of the Glib Shark Podcast, and you’ve even had panels at RTX for multiple years. In a similar vein as my last question, what has surprised you the most about Glib Shark’s rise in popularity? Was there ever a moment when podcasts first started to become popular that you thought to yourself, “I want to be on a podcast someday”?

L: I was lucky to be in radio a bit just when podcasting started.

One of the bright spots of living in Florida is I ended up on this nationally syndicated radio show called “SciFi Overdrive”. Old school radio, in a studio with headphones and everything! We interviewed all kinds of celebrities, talked geek news, science news… it was loads of fun. This was early 2000s, not long after podcasting started.

When Jenga started doing his thing, I was lucky enough to be a guest on one of the early episodes, something in the first ten or so. He was looking for people to join his team, and knew about my radio experience, and I had this idea of “This Week In Geek”. And I like to talk.

As far as what surprised me about its popularity… Jenga and Roadblock are awesome. Nothing surprises me about people loving them.

J: When did the three of you decide it would be a cool idea to have a panel at RTX?

L: Probably the instant RTX was announced!

The hardest part was getting all three of us in the same place. I think the last time we managed it was when all of us were at PAX Prime. We just set up the mics in a lobby of a hotel and talked and grabbed people as they walked by.  It was super fun. But we wanted to be a part of RTX because Rooster Teeth is such a big part of our lives and the show.

The hard part is having a “panel” that doesn’t just devolve into us doing an episode!

Roadblock does a lot of that work, especially last year’s panel. I was just along for the ride.

Question #3: You and Luke McKay have been together for quite a while now. What is life like, since you started dating an artist?

L: He’s just on his computer a lot. You should ask him what’s life like dating a musician! The artist part is easy. I totally get being passionate about your craft.

The CANADIAN part… well… that’s been tougher to deal with. For some reason the United States really doesn’t want people moving to America, and doesn’t trust anyone who says it’s for love. So long distance relationships… kinda suck. But we’re working on changing that.  Quite soon, actually!

J: That’s exciting!

L: I know, right?!

J: Is Luke nearby at the moment?

L: Yeah, he’s just in the other room. Is this now 5 Questions for Lauren… with a 6th for Luke?

J: Haha, well you already suggested the question!

Lauren: Oh! That’s right! Let me ask him…

Luke: Dating a musician is fairly easy, we both do arts professionally, just mine is visual and hers is audio. It’s nice to share a profession and find comradery in that, but also it’s different enough that we can have different perspective conversations and learn new things all the time and be interesting to one another.

J: I can imagine that the dynamic can spark some very interesting conversations. Although I wonder… Are there ever times where Lauren – because she likes to talk – starts off on a tangent about music terminology, or maybe the proper process of crafting oboe reeds, where you are a little lost in the conversation?

Lauren Urban and Luke McKay at RvBTO 2011.

Luke: Only every time. But that’s the fun part… you should hear me talk to her about photoshop filters.

J: I was actually about to ask if you get her back by talking about in-depth artistic stuff!

Luke: Only all the time.

J: I would be very interested to find out if one such back-and-forth results in a moment of brilliant inspiration for one or both of you. Maybe you etch a cool design into a reed.

Luke: Not too much yet, but I’m sure we will.

Lauren: I’ve suggested a lot of stuff for him to draw, and he’s suggested a lot of stuff for me to play.

J: Thanks for hopping on with such short notice! I’ll have to get you on as a guest at some point in the future!

Luke: Danke schoen!

Lauren: And now the computer is mine again.

J: I have one more question while we’re talking about artsy stuff.

L: Go for it.  Luke is still around so I can always yell something out to him.

J: I know you have helped Luke whenever he has a booth at a convention. Have you had any opportunities to help him in a more direct way with his projects, be it inspiration, direct involvement, or some other contribution to the creative process?

L: He’s pretty brilliant, and funny, so a lot of the time I’m just a sounding board. We bounce ideas off one another a lot, especially for Balls 2 That. But I wouldn’t claim to be a direct inspiration.

He’s a writer, I’m a performer. You’d be surprised how different that can be.

I think the closest to helping him directly is less with his art and more with D&D. We both play, and he’s super interested in running a campaign. So I’ve helped a lot with rules, or ideas for settings, or suggestions for what to try.

J: You’re getting ahead of me!

L: I type fast.

Question #4: Another thing we have in common is we both lead regular roleplaying game sessions (Dungeons & Dragons or similar games). When you were just a fledgling player new to the roleplaying scene, what led you do try your hand at being a Dungeon Master/Game Master?

L: I wanted to bring D&D to people outside of my regular group of players, and the easiest way to do it was to be the DM for them. My first few experiences were short one-off adventures.  I ran a game for Luke for his birthday a while back, and then for Glib Shark for RTX, and at Portland for RvBOR. I wanted to bring that fun to those places, or those places wanted to play D&D, so I agreed to DM because I was the one with D&D experience.

My regular group has been together for a few years now. We’ve grown and shrunk and moved a bit, but we’re all still together. We rotate who’s the DM on a regular basis, to give people a break and to give others a chance. So after all these one-off adventures I wanted to try my hand at something more long form. And now I DM on a regular basis

J: Off the top of your head, what is one of the craziest incidents to happen in one of your games in recent history?

L: RTX last year…

I guess this is kind of a spoiler, because people can watch the whole game. We filmed it for Glib Shark and it’s up on YouTube.

But at the end of the adventure the party had beaten the final bad guy, and literally just had to walk down the road and deliver a flag to a castle and it would stop a century-long war. And instead they basically went evil… kept the flag, kept all the treasure they found, and took off.

It was one of those moments that, as a DM, I loved, because suddenly the players had done something awesome and unique and I had to just come up with an ending off the top of my head because I’d never expected them to GO EVIL. I’d had a few contingencies depending on a few things that happened, but never outright maniacal evil. It was awesome.

There’s a lot of moments of amazing dice rolls causing insane things to happen, and I’ve had characters die, and parties wipe, but that was the first time a purely RP (role playing) moment made my night.

J: I was going to ask you how often you get to be a player in someone else’s game, but you sort of answered that already. What type of character do you prefer to play? Do you like to specialize, or does being a Game Master lead you to play a more versatile character?

L: As a player on paper I min/max. I want someone who does one or a few things REALLY well. And then I build the character as we play.

One of my most favorite characters was Karian, my archer.  He could turn into a dog because of his race.  All he did was shoot things really well, so all of his skills were based on that core mechanic. He had amazing perception, was super dexterous, and really fast. He once saved the universe by playing fetch. But all he really could do was shoot things with a longbow. He was just super good at it.

J: So… Dogeye.

L: Kinda!

Question #5: What was the moment when you first decided to become involved in the Rooster Teeth Community?

L: One of my best friends, Linnea, got into Red vs. Blue early in the first or second season.  And she knew I loved playing video games, so she started sending me links to these videos. I didn’t own an Xbox, I played on my computer and on the PS2 most of the time, so I’d never seen Halo before.

But the episodes were funny, and I got a lot of the game references in general. Then the first RvBTO happened, and Gus and Burnie and Nico were all going to be there.  I was living in Buffalo at the time, just got myself an apartment and job… and that’s a very quick drive to Toronto. So Linnea came to visit for a long weekend, and brought her big brick of an Xbox. We played the entire Halo campaign co-op, and then drove up to spend Saturday at RvBTO.

A few days before we left I figured I should stop lurking and actually sign up for the site, since I was going to meet people up there. And the rest is history.

J: What’s your preferred console now?

L: The One. And the 360 before that. I really got into FPS games after Halo. I just don’t own a computer powerful enough to run games. And as much as I love the Playstation I don’t have the money for more than one console, and right now most of my online friends are on the Xbox.

J: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

L: Thanks, this was a blast! Holy cow do I type a lot!

J: One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

L: Well, Mr. Dunlap, I was curious if you have ever played a musical instrument? And if you could learn one what would you choose and why? Which is like three questions in one, because I’m sneaky.

J: I have a Bachelor’s degree in piano, and a Master’s in music theory and composition! I am also proficient in most brass instruments and auxiliary percussion, including mallet percussion. In fact, I recently did a gig at a church that was doing a cantata and played mallet percussion.

During college, I kind of swapped around in marching band and concert band based on what they needed, but in jazz band I played trombone almost exclusively.

L: Do you have a spit towel? Because all good brass players bring a concert black spit towel.

J: Funny thing, my jazz trombone is kind of old and it endured a lot before I got a hold of it, so it actually doesn’t have a spit valve. I don’t mean to say it wasn’t made with one, but rather the spit valve was completely missing when I got it. So I have to keep scotch tape over the opening and pull the slide completely off to empty my spit.

If I ever get any professional gigs as a brass player, I will definitely have to invest in a spit towel, though. During college it was never a big deal, of course.

L: Your spit needs are HUGE!

J: Fortunately I never build up a lot of spit!

This is definitely the grossest ending for an interview, ever. Thanks for that.

L: I WIN!!

I knew you were a musician… I just never imagined we’d dive into spit!

J: Let me be perfectly clear… We did NOT dive into spit.

L: I’ll ask Luke to draw that. He can make that happen.

J: I am SO getting you back when I’m on Glib Shark tomorrow.

L: I look forward to that gross moment!

J: Ugh… Anyway, thanks for meeting with me today. I honestly don’t know what to say after that.

L: My pleasure! It was an honor to talk shop with you. I’m gonna go make reeds.

J: Have fun!

If you want to know more about Lauren Urban, you can find her at:

• Website: http://www.oboecrazy.com/
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/OboeCrazy
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/OboeCrazy

Have a question for Lauren that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Lauren return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

==========

Update: The day after this interview was held and published, Lauren released this image announcing her engagement to Luke McKay. Congratulations to them both!

Michael at the Park

This week I took my son, Michael (nearly five years old) to the park for a quick photoshoot. I gotta say, you feel awfully weird taking pictures of your son at the park when joggers are passing by. Anyway, I have a nice camera I wanted to try out, and I have photogenic children who are complete hams. It seemed like an ideal combination.

Here was the result.

Five Question Interviews: Mary McDowell, Office Jockey and Forum Mod

Name: Mary Louise McDowell.

Occupation: Office jockey and Rooster Teeth Community member (Forum Mod, RTX Co-Head Guardian).

Hobbies: Playing video games, nail painting, working conventions.

==========

Mary McDowell.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

As this will be published shortly after Christmas, it is only fitting that I interview someone named Mary, especially since my name is Joseph. Points for style!

Mary: Haha, yes!

J: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

M: I am very prepared!

J: You are not prepared! (WoW reference #1)

Question #1: You are a self-proclaimed “office jockey”. What is an office jockey? Is it a kind of food?

M: As much as I love food, it is not a food… BUT I have a cozy office job where I validate cell phone contracts all day. No customers, no sales… just me and my lovely manager in my office adorned with Rooster Teeth posters!

J: Is your manager also a fan?

M: No, but she loves the fact that I’m such a passionate fan. In fact, her boss asked me all about Rooster Teeth during my job interview! He saw all my Rooster Teeth and RTX job experience and wanted to know all about it… proving that RT has pretty much touched everything I do in life.

J: I envision being a desk jockey as being somewhat similar to RTX Guardian work. Is there any similarity there?

M: Not at all.  I get to sit all day.  You don’t get that luxury as a Guardian! Also, my job is so not exciting. It’s good work and I love my job, but certainly not as engaging and physically active as being a Guardian.

J: On one hand, helping coordinate a convention. On the other… validating cell phone contracts. I can see what you mean there!

M: One thing both jobs have in common is helping people.  Not too shabby!

J: It’s a good thing to be passionate about!

Question #2: Vidya games! What are you currently playing?

M: My big three at this very moment are World of Warcraft, Minecraft (on multiple platforms), and Sunset Overdrive.  I’m actually taking a break at a LAN party for WoW to do this interview!

Mary McDowell and Ray Narvaez, Jr. at Pax Prime 2014.

J: Oh no! Maybe we should have done this through World of Warcraft messages!

Weirdest interview ever. “Hold on, fighting a boss. Almost… We wiped, never mind. I’ve got about 15 minutes to talk now.”

M: HA! I’m terrible with it come to in-game chat. Too many pretty colors distract me OH LOOK LOOT!

J: What is the goal of today’s LAN party?

M: Play with local friends we haven’t seen in a while, eat good food, and help find cool gear for future instances.

J: So is it powerleveling day or Heroics day?

M: Normal instances. We are all new 100s. We were toying with the idea of taking some 90s out for questing, too. The night is still young!

J: “The night is young, now let’s do some dungeons guys!”

Is there a Minecraft server you prefer to play on?

M: I don’t know if it’ll ever come back online again, but a group of Guardians had a server that was fun to build on. I have a private server that my better half, SirNarvy, is building a Dungeons & Dragons level on.  But I usually play by myself either in a private game on PC or on the Xbox One…because playing Minecraft on a couch is AWESOME. Lately if I play Minecraft on the One, I’ll stream it on Twitch. No goals, just digging, building, and talking to people who might come across my channel.

J: Out of all the projects you’ve worked on or built in Minecraft, which are your favorites?

M: I once made a house to look like the head of Bender from Futurama!  Sometimes I go into a Minecraft game with big plans, but all I end up doing is digging, collecting, and farming. It’s such a zen game.

J: The most important question I have to ask you, though, is this: Do you have a Tower of Pimps?

M: EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I build one the moment I have all of the materials! What’s funny is that I hadn’t watched the AH episode where the Tower of Pimps was born, but I caught on quick. I cheered when I found out that the beloved Tower is now canonized in Minecraft on Xbox in the training level.

The Tower of Pimps cracked me up so much, I made sure to buy the hoodie the moment it went up in the RT store.

J: Briefly, what do you enjoy about Sunset Overdrive?

M: It’s like Left 4 Dead, Jet Set Radio, and all of the Saints Row franchise had a big ol’ baby. It’s fun, self-aware, and doesn’t punish the player. If things get too tough, your character can “die” and respawn without the boss or mobs regenerating life. It’s got great dialogue, great voices, and is just so much chaotic fun!!

J: But does it have a dubstep gun like Saints Row 4?

M: I haven’t come across dubstep yet… It’s mostly punk, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some dubstep hiding in Sunset Overdrive.

Question #3: One of your hobbies is painting your nails. Do you paint any cool patterns or pictures?

M: I try to, but I usually go for a glitter topcoat, a color changing polish, or cool nail wraps from Espionage Cosmetics. Sometimes, if I have the patience, I will paint the kill numbers and names of the Red vs. Blue characters. I’ve done Caboose, Sarge, and Simmons so far.

J: Favorite color for polish?

M: It all depends on mood. I can narrow it down to three: glossy true red, matte blue (by DigitalNails on Etsy), and black with rainbow holo microglitter. Those are my favorites and I can wear them any day for any occasion.

J: What is your preferred color or pattern for RTX?

M: Depends on the shirt. At RTX 2014 we wore blue. I wore a true blue with black and white confetti topcoat.

Question #4: When you first signed up on the Rooster Teeth community site, it was right around a year before the first RTX. How would you describe your journey as a community member from being a new member of the site to where you are now, one of the Head Guardians for RTX and a Forum Mod on the community site?

M: What a weird, unexpected, wonderful journey this has been… and I see it continuing this way for as long as the internet will exist!! Unexpected really is the best way to put it. I came to be a member after lurking for a year, devouring content. I got involved as best I could online. I shared people’s projects because everyone seemed so interested in what other community members were up to. I met the RT crew at PAX Prime 2010. SirNarvy and I were invited by Gus to RT’s PAX party. We sat and talked with everyone we could. Geoff and Burnie were asking us, “Would you guys be interested if RT were to have their own event in Austin?” OF COURSE! We went to the first RTX and had a blast. It was like DISNEYLAND for me. Most of the time, I wondered how we could be volunteers for the next RTX.

My first actual RT volunteer gig was at PAX 2011, working the Achievement HORSE booth at HaloFest. I have Caleb to thank for that opportunity.

Mary McDowell and her husband, Chris, at RTX 2013.

Barbara approached us about volunteering for RTX 2012. We GLADLY accepted. Chris did Security and I did Registration. Because of our convention experience with Emerald City Comic Con, Barbara asked if we would be her second-in-command when things got hairy and we, again, enthusiastically accepted. After that, she made us the Head Guardians…and I wake up every day so thankful.

Working RTX is something I wish I could make a career out of because I love it so much!

J: There are so many more like you who want to help make every RTX amazing! Which leads me to my final question…

Question #5: As we are conducting this interview, you are currently deluged in a pile of Guardian applications for RTX 2014. What can you say about the selection process that you and your husband will have to go through during the next few days/weeks?

M: That is a really good question!  So, the applications are up. Chris, Barbara, and I will go through all of the applications… Every. Single. One. We will look at experiences and reasons why folks want to work RTX. We will look at shift and team preferences. We will look at availability. We will look to see if folks actually filled out the application! We got a lot of applications last year that were practically BLANK with just “I really want to help” in the text fields. As much as we super appreciate people wanting to help, we need actual detail and reasons and skills you can bring to the table.

Since the application will be open longer this year, we expect lots of applications to read. I LOVE reading applications! It’s the thrill and pride of seeing the RT Community want to come together to run an excellent and unique event. So many people want to give up their weekend to RTX

J: What is the ideal work experience for a potential Guardian?

M: Retail, customer service, working any sort of event/concert/convention, Disney park/resort experience, any team-focused work, teaching/mentor experience, personal and/or executive assistance, manager experience, and if you’ve ever worked the dreaded Black Friday and/or Boxing Day in retail… that is an experience that is pretty much like working a convention.

J: How many Guardians are you hoping to select for the coming summer? How does that compare to previous years?

M: I know that it will be more than last year. Every year, we grow! But I don’t have that number yet.

J: I understand! I’ll just have to have you on again when RTX gets closer!

M: Absolutely!

J: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

M: You are welcome, and I’m ready for more!

J: One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

M: What do you love most about the Rooster Teeth Community?

J: The fact that it is a community in every sense of the word. If I meet someone through the Rooster Teeth community site, there is an immediate bond of friendship that you won’t feel somewhere else. I have made friends with community members simply because they were a part of the site and I wanted to get to know them.

For example, when I went on vacation to Corpus Christi with my family, I posted on the RT site that I was going to Corpus in case anyone wanted to meet up with us. We ended up having supper with a guy from the site I didn’t even know, and now we’re friends. And this kind of thing happens all the time. We were in Austin the week after RTX 2014 and met up with a guy I knew from the site who was passing through the area.

The RT Cast & Crew are truly a part of the community as well. It’s not just fans. I’ve become friends with several crew members through the years through gaming, Twitter, etc. They are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

While I’m not one to bash Facebook all the time, there is often stuff on Facebook and other social media that you don’t really care about. When I go to the RT site, I truly enjoy seeing what everyone is up to, their hopes, their dreams, their projects. The way everyone encourages and promotes each other. On Facebook, there is way too much self-promotion and not enough people who actually enjoy the things their friends are working on.

M: I love that everyone I have asked has pretty much the same exact answer. It warms my heart and makes me so proud to a part of this community. I have made lifelong friends and done things I never ever thought I’d do in my lifetime because of the RT Community and Rooster Teeth.

J: What a heartfelt ending to a great interview!

Again, thanks for meeting with me today. Enjoy your LAN party, and good luck with the Guardian selection process!

M: Thank you for having me!  it was a pleasure and an honor.

If you want to know more about Mary McDowell, you can find her at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sailortweek
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/SailorTweek

Have a question for Mary that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Mary return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Five Question Interviews: Brandon “Newbs” Newberger, Structural Engineer and Forum Mod

Name: Brandon Newberger.

Occupation: Staff Engineer at a Structural/Geotechnical Firm in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, specializing in soils and foundations.

Hobbies: Running, beer, video games, organizing, and hanging out with friends.

==========

Brandon Newberger.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

Brandon: Why are we here? Also… hi!

J: What is life?

B: Is it the real one? Or is it the fantasy one?

J: I sure hope we don’t get caught in a landslide.

B: …

J: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

B: I’m ready!

Question #1: First thing’s first. You are a structural engineer specializing in soils and foundations, and you work for a structural/geotechnical firm. What exactly does your job entail? How does that fit into the general scheme of what your company does?

B: My job basically is a testing specialist/project manager/field engineer…a lot of things. I work for a company where we are called onto a construction site to inspect the soils that will be supporting foundations of new structures, testing the concrete for said foundations or walls, and testing masonry materials.

I am one of the guys that my company is currently training to be a project manager, so that when I get to know all the inner workings of the testing that we do, I will be able to help out newer technicians/engineers in maintaining a good work ethic in the field.

J: So whenever another company starts a contract job at a construction site, your company is brought in to test the foundation and the factors that affect the foundation?

B: Bingo. We’re the testing agency that is called to make sure what the construction crews have done was done correctly to the specifications

J: Sounds like good, steady work. Always plenty of foundations to test.

B: It can be very much so. Sometimes I’ll have to go to five different sites in one day, some none.

J: What do you look for in a good, well-founded soil?

B: Something that isn’t susceptible to frost, or prolonged settlement once a building foundation is placed. Basically, when the footings/columns/foundation is placed, it’ll stay there and not sink into the earth.

J: Otherwise they won’t be able to close the bathroom door in a few years. What types of soil are susceptible to frost?

B: Ha, yeah. Usually if settlement occurs in bigger doses, then sides of the building start to sink, and you get cracks in the floor tiles or offset rooms.

Typically organic soils such as sandy lean clays, silt ridden areas, and areas that have organics in it such as tree roots.

J: That could get nasty.

Do you ever get involved with the way piping and wiring is laid out beneath the foundation?

B: We typically will test the soils or materials that are placed for utilities like water mains, sewer ducts, and things of that nature. Usually that has to be engineered fill made to have a specific function like water drainage or non-permeable soils.

J: You said something about testing masonry materials at a construction site. Can you remember that last time you deemed such materials to be insufficient?

B: Not really. Typically with masonry testing, the materials are engineered to a point where unless the contractor installing the material messes up, they come out positive. More so a part of the job that can sometimes be deemed “pointless” due to the rare moments where it fails, but…yeah.

J: When you begin training the new hires, will you be covering specifics when it comes to soil testing and so forth, or is that something they’ve already gone to school for?

B: I went to school as a Civil Engineer, and that generally incorporates a generalization with what we do as a company. So you go into the job knowing a little, and you have to get training involving being on a site. Other than that though, yeah usually it is just different aspects of the job on a case-by-case basis.

Question #2: Let’s talk video games. What is your current game of choice and/or addiction?

B: Usually when I pick up a game, it means I know I will be able to play with friends, drink, and laugh. Games like Halo, Destiny, Mario Kart, Minecraft.

So social gaming to a tee… haha.

J: Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, Soul Caliber?

B: Bingo. Couch co-op is how I got into video gaming back on the N64 with Bomberman 64, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros.

J: Halo has always been a great co-op game. Over the years, who have you done the most Halo co-op with?

B: Custom games, for sure. Playing different games that the Halo community has made over the years with people from the RT community and my college friends has always been the best experiences and most time spent. I think in Halo 3 I played over 2,000 custom games, and only 800 ranked/social games… haha.

J: Custom games are the best. I made a custom 1v1 game with plasma pistols and encouraged screen peeking. You got 2 points for killing, 1 point for dying, and extra points for killing with style.

B: … Dear God that sounds fantastic!

J: I called it… Plasma Peeks.

B: Hahaha perfect. Those games and things like Minotaur and Crash Em Up Derbies are the best. Game types where there is half actual shooting/fps matchmaking, and then the other half adds an amazing twist like just running for your life, or you need to get a melee kill.

J: You also mentioned Destiny and Minecraft, so let’s talk Destiny for a moment. Have you been hitting it hard since the release?

Brandon Newberger and his girlfriend, Laurin Crozier.

B: I didn’t hit it too hard upon release. Just treated it as a new game to play, and was a precursor to Halo: Master Chief Collection. But when MCC came out and had a ton of issues, many enough to deter my friends from playing a lot of it, I started picking up Destiny again. Laurin, my lovely girlfriend, was really invested in the game and I basically picked up on it hard. Been going strong in it for the last couple weeks and loved it ever since.

J: What about the game appeals to you the most?

B: Shooting things and making their heads pop, haha. I love the aspects of getting new armor and upgrading, but it always feels good to shoot something in the head and watch it fly…a bit disturbing

J: Best gun in the game?

B: My hand cannon, The Last Word, was my first exotic weapon and I love using it as much as I can. I’ve gotten a few other exotics, and have had to set it to the wayside for a bit to upgrade the others, but yeah… it has a special place in my heart!

J: So, Minecraft… Is it a game you come back to when taking a break from other games, or are other games just a break from Minecraft?

B: More so the former. Whenever a new update comes out, I like to poke my head in and try it out. Other than that, it is used for a relaxation/mind numbing experience since I’ve been playing it since before the Halloween update back in 2009…I think that’s the correct year.

J: Do you typically play by yourself, or is there a server you play on with friends?

B: Myself usually, unless there is a server/XBL game going on between friends in Rooster Speak and the like.

J: Before we move on, one more question: Favorite character in Super Smash Bros?

B: Kirby, all the way. That pink fluff of fun is always ready to mess you up!

Question #3: We talked briefly about this prior to the interview. What is RT MN, for my readers who don’t know? What is your role in this event?

B: RT MN is a group of Minnesotan Rooster Teeth fans/community members who get together once a month to game/drink/eat/laugh at different locations in the Twin Cities area (or near there). I am the main organizer for the group, which basically entails me planning what to do every 15th or close to it of the month with the group. Been doing a good rotation of LAN Parties and Bar meet ups for the past year I think…

But we started in 2011, after taking over the RvB MN group

J: The 15th of each month… RT Community Day!

B: Bingo!

J: What are some of the most fun activities you’ve planned in the past?

B: The most fun we’ve had in the past are get-togethers at a bar/burger pub called Buffalo Tap. They sell a lot of great food, and also provide a great atmosphere for people to just chat and hang out. We’ve met a lot of people there and they’ve basically conglomerated into our group slowly but surely at that place!

J: How many people have you introduced to Rooster Teeth as a result?

B: Not many. Most that have come to RT MN events have known about RT and stumbled upon our group through the site or twitter promotions.

J: If someone from Minnesota wanted to get involved with your events, where do they need to go first?

B: Our RT group is likely the best place to go for that: http://roosterteeth.com/groups/profile.php?id=173. We typically update what we will be doing every month there first, if not we provide links to details to our upcoming events!

Question #4: So, you are now a Forum Mod for the Rooster Teeth community site, and a Moderator on the Rooster Teeth Twitch page. Five years ago when you joined the RT site, did you ever think would attain such a lofty status?

B: Ha, not at all. I just wanted to make comments on the regular comics and videos when I joined. Never thought I would be considered to have such a status as forum mod/twitch mod!

J: There’s always that moment when you make the transition from video commenter to active member of the community. When was that moment for you?

Brandon Newberger and Scott “Dopp” Carroll.

B: It was when a user named Dopp on the site started commenting on my stuff and suggesting I start chatting with people from the community on Skype and Team Speak. Basically dabbled in that for a few months, and then decided to get tickets to RTX 2011 and meet a lot of the people in this community that I call extremely close friends to this day.

J: I remember Dopp. Was the Team Speak in question the famed Rooster Speak?

B: It was before Rooster Speak came up, a group called RT Live. After the first RTX, it disbanded and Rooster Speak was born. I actually came up with the name for the group and was asked to be a moderator on the server when it started up!

J: I had a ticket to RTX 2011 but had to cancel plans due to money issues. Was it as hot as I have heard?

B: The last day when we were filming the zombie horde short was pretty bad, but it was a dry heat. A dry heat in the upper 120 degree weather…no less

That really sucks that you couldn’t make it!

J: I’m sure the following years were nothing compared to 120 degrees! Especially since they started using the Austin Convention Center.

B: Air conditioning is every nerd’s best friend!

J: Now that you are a forum mod and Twitch mod, how has your involvement in the community changed? Do you spend more or less time on the RT community site? Or is it about the same, but you spend your time a little differently?

B: It is roughly about the same, in regards to the site. I have always lurked forums and different areas and just never commented on things. So now I basically lurk…but police in a way the different areas of the site! As far as Twitch live streaming goes, I enjoy that task because it is very fast paced and extremely addicting.

J: Addicting as in seek and destroy addicting?

B: … Sort of. Just making sure everyone is having a good time, and no one is being creepy… haha.

Question #5: The dates for RTX 2015 have already been announced. Are you planning on going?

B: Absolutely!

J: No hesitation at all!

B: Haha, I have yet to miss one, why stop now!

J: Guardian applications went in this week. Did you apply this year?

B: That I did!

J: Have you served as a Guardian in years past?

B: I was a Guardian in 2013, and served as an Exhibitor Guardian.

J: How was the experience, overall?

B: It was tiring, to say the least. But also invigorating knowing that I helped make the convention run as smoothly as humanly possible for other RT community members!

J: What job would you love to have if you’re accepted as a Guardian for next year?

B: I applied to be either a Freelancer/Runner, or PA. Basically because with the way my real job runs, I can go from place to place and help out where ever I’m needed at ease, especially if it is work like RTX!

J: As an everyday convention goer, what is a typical RTX like for you? What do you try to accomplish, who do you typically make plans with, what places or panels do you try to hit up?

B: I usually try to attend different panels that my friends/acquaintances are appearing in, walk the exhibit hall, and then just hang out with my friends as much as humanly possible.

J: Is SideQuest a part of your plans each year?

B: Usually I try to make it to one or two events a year, last year I made it to the Charity Auction and that was quite a blast and fun way to kick off the weekend!

J: What was your favorite panel of all time?

B: Oh my… umm probably the Internet Box in 2013. Lots of laughs and fun were had.

Either that, or the Mega 64 panel from 2013 as well.

J: I bet that was epic.

B: It was side splitting with laughter… haha.

J: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

B: Thank you for having me! I’m ready for more!

J: One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

B: Ooo, alrighty. What is your favorite type of music? I’m a pretty avid music fan, and always love hearing what other people have as theirs.

Also, why is it your favorite?

J: Let’s narrow this down first. Are we talking about casual listening, deep, analytical listening, or just a general preference?

B: Lets go with more so on a deeper/getting lost in the groove type of music.

J: So just enjoying the experience.

B: Bingo

J: Lately that’s been Daft Punk’s soundtrack for Tron: Legacy. Also, Tyler Bates’ soundtrack for 300.

B: Ah I see, what about those gets you “lost” in the music… so to speak?

J: In Tron: Legacy it’s the different moods and grooves. In 300, it’s the different sounds. In some tracks it’s a full chorus with orchestra, in some it’s a lot of exotic instruments, and in others it’s an awesome rock groove. As a composer these are all things I enjoy sinking my figurative teeth into.

B: I remember seeing 300 in the theaters and there were some serious head banging moments to that soundtrack. Was almost… dare I say better than the movie itself haha. Tron: Legacy‘s soundtrack is just Daft Punk going… yeah we’re going to take you on a ride. Very fun to listen to as well.

J: As far as other genres I enjoy, when I just want to rock out I go to Incubus first. They are king when it comes to setting a groove. If I want something a little harder, I bust out the Apocalyptica.

B: Ooooooo Apocalyptica is amazing. Have seen them live and it is definitely an experience. Do you enjoy it when they have guest vocalists come in and add to their songs?

J: On occasion. I mostly prefer their instrumentals, but “Bittersweet” is an amazing vocal track. Pure gold.

B: For sure!

J: I still get goose bumps.

B: That one and some of the stuff off of Worlds Collide are really nice. Till Linderman’s appearance on the album was really chilling.

J: To fully answer your question, I will add that there are times when I want to go deeper than casual listening or head banging. As I mentioned, I am a composer, so sometimes I have to go way back and just get really deep into some Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, etc.

B: Yeah… that may be a bit too big for my britches to delve into. I just like head banging and jamming out whenever the mood fits.

J: Classical musicians and composers are no exception! There are famous conductors of large orchestras who spend their free time just listening to rock.

Again, thanks for meeting with me today. May your soils be always secure, and good luck on your Guardian application!

B: Hahaha, thank you very much, Joseph! Really enjoyed this chat, and looking forward to all that this next year has to offer! Hope to see you at RTX this coming year!

J: Same! Let’s make it an awesome year.

B: Here here!

If you want to know more about Brandon Newberger, you can find him at:

• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/Newbs
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Newbs28

Have a question for Brandon that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Brandon return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Five Question Interviews: Jenn VanGemert, Neutrino Physicist and RTX Guardian

Name: Jenn VanGemert.

Occupation: Scientist Extraordinaire: Neutrino Physicist, Pharmaceutical Chemist, Medical Device Regulatory Affairs Specialist.

Hobbies: Baking, cosplay, painting, making videos, world domination.

==========

Jenn VanGemert, aka LoZelda.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

Jenn: Bring it on!

JD: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

JV: Let’s get this party started!

JD: I think Pink would agree!

Question #1: What is your current occupation?

JV: At this moment I am a Regulatory Affairs Specialist for a medical device company.  I have a couple product lines assigned to me for tools and devices used in operating rooms, and any time a medical professional or patient has a complaint regarding a malfunction of one of those devices I have to evaluate it against the regulations put in place by the FDA (as well as the local competent authority in the case of international events).  I’m looking for whether or not it’s something that did or could cause an injury or worse to someone, and then report it to all of the appropriate authoritative bodies accordingly.

JD: Sounds like pretty in-depth work, every time something goes wrong. When you compare to the FDA’s regulations, are you looking to see if somehow the creators of the device missed something important?

JV: Fortunately, there are enough systems and checks in place that it would be nearly impossible for something to get missed in the creation and approval of a device.  Most things that “go wrong’ are a result of wear and tear or misuse, or sometimes a one-off manufacturing mistake.  We keep track of every malfunction that comes in (I see about 30 new ones a day across all my products) to look for trends in particular failure types to monitor for any widespread issues, but even medical devices are not infallible.  Sometimes things just break.

JD: So you’re more likely to see a problem in the manufacturing of a device than in its actual design.

JV: Correct.  When you’re cranking out thousands of devices between manufacturing and repair, and most of the assembly is done by hand, little things slip through the cracks.  The bright side is that most problems are more of an annoyance than an actual hazard to someone.  One device has a screw in it that has to be torqued into place, and there’s a spec for how tight it should be.  Sometimes it doesn’t actually get set that tight, so eventually the screw comes loose inside the handle and the device just makes a really awful, loud sound when you turn it on.  No one wants to use something that makes a terrible sound, so they’ll call it in, but it was never a danger to anyone.

JD: You have also described yourself as a physicist, pharmacist, and chemist. How often do you utilize your expertise in these fields?

JV: Not as much as I would like to anymore.  I have degrees in chemistry and physics, and my first job out of college was at a high energy physics lab working on a neutrino experiment.  When I had to move from that area to actually live in the same place as my now-husband, I got a job in pharmaceutical chemistry and worked that for 2 years before going where I am now.  I would love to eventually get back into a lab, but my skills aren’t going totally to waste in the regulatory space.  There’s a lot of technical work involved between coordinating with the engineers and repair techs on complaints and working with the FDA, so while I’m not directly mixing chemicals or tracking down neutrinos anymore, I’m able to use those backgrounds to better understand the device failures and navigate the regulations.

JD: That actually brings me to my next question, what degrees do you hold? What education did you undergo to get into the fields you’ve worked in?

JV: Look at me being all psychic and stuff!  I have bachelor’s degrees in both chemistry and physics, with a minor in math to round it out.  The running joke is that I thought I was getting too much sleep having just one major.  It’s certainly easier to get the kinds of jobs I’ve had with a masters or PhD under your belt, but there’s a lot to be said for being able to prove how hard you’re willing to work.  Having both degrees made it easy to showcase that, and gave me a diverse enough background that I can bend and fit into a wide variety of fields and jobs if I want to.

JD: Would there ever be a reason to get any higher education?

JV: There is certainly reason to, but none of those reasons interest me.  I actually applied for graduate school two years ago, and got accepted into a pretty competitive PhD program for chemical engineering, fully funded by the school.  I wouldn’t have had to pay for anything, and they were actually going to pay me a little on top of that.  It was a really great offer, but after sitting on it for a while I realized I didn’t actually want to do it.  I was going to go because that’s what I thought I should do.  You go to high school, you go to college, you go to graduate school.  That’s the logical order of things.  When I really sat back and thought about it though, I had zero interest in taking my education any further.  I could do the kinds of things I wanted to do with the degrees I had, and the doors that would open with the higher degrees didn’t appeal to me enough to justify 7 to 8 more years of sleep deprivation and grilled cheese sandwiches.

JD: To be fair, grilled cheese sandwiches are kind of amazing.

JV: Especially mine.  I’m a terrible cook, but I can make an epic grilled cheese sandwich.

JD: But in response to the rest of your answer, I would say fair enough. That’s actually why I worded my question the way I did. Sometimes you get a master’s degree because you feel like that’s the next logical step, but you really need a reason to wait that much longer to start your career, or for most of us, rack up more student debt.

JV: Exactly.  I was ready to just get started and feel like a productive member of society.  I haven’t ruled out ever going back and doing an advanced degree, but it’s not something I feel I need to do right now and I’m happy with my current track and options.

JD: Seems like a legit segue into…

Question #2: In the area of science, physics, and chemistry, where do you see yourself in, say, 10 years from now? What is the ideal in your field? A research position? A teaching position at a university? A cushy job at a large company?

JV: The cool thing about these fields is there isn’t really an ideal.  There are certainly non-ideal places to be (sewage testing anyone?), but the top of the food chain is less of a step on a ladder and more of a wide platform.  Personally, I’d love to be in an R&D type position back in a lab.  I’m a troubleshooter at heart, and the most fun I’ve ever had was actually a project I published a paper on.  Someone showed up at my lab and said “this stuff keeps turning yellow and I have no idea why, help me!”  I got to dig into what was causing the change, what exactly was changing, quantify what effect it was going to have on their project, and come up with ways to combat and prevent it.  Being able to go back to that sort of role, but get the support and funding that comes with being in the field 10 years over 1 or 2, would be amazing.  The company I’m at now encourages finding your niche, and they’re currently in the process of building a lab to bring some of the testing we do externally back in-house.  To say I am keeping a close eye on its progress is an understatement!

JD: Sounds like an exciting prospect!

Can you tell us more about your first big research project?

JV: Of course!  My first big research project was at the physics lab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), when I was actually doing some more chemistry focused work.  When you hear about particle detectors, they’re sort of a black box of mystery to the average person.  They’re made up of several layers, each layer serving a particular purpose and being better suited to detecting certain types of particles.  Some of these layers work via scintillation, which means that every time a particle passes through them and interacts with the material they emit light.  Electronics are set up to detect that light, and based on its brightness and location, and the location of all the other light emissions, you can figure out what kind of particle you had and map its exact path.  Those scintillation materials have to be man-made by mixing special chemical compounds into various mediums (some are solid, some are liquid; which you use depends on exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and how much funding you have on hand), which is where I came in.

The compound that has the “best” scintillation properties for dark matter and neutrino experiments is tetraphenyl-butadiene, or TPB for short.  It’s super effective (insert Pokémon joke here) but super expensive, so finding the most efficient way to use it, and not letting any of it going to waste, is crucial.  A new dark matter detector was being built at the lab, and it was utilizing TPB as a thin layer of material on some quartz plates for their scintillation.  The plates all have to be handmade due to their fragile nature, and that’s a long process when you’re making thousands of these things.  They started to notice that the plates they had made first were starting to turn yellow, which when you’re talking about detecting light emissions can be a really bad thing.  So they brought it to my lab and asked us if we could figure out what was going on.   I got to learn all kinds of new equipment, and spent weeks taking these bad plates apart and testing them optically and chemically to see what changed from when they were made to when they “went bad”.  I was actually able to identify the actual chemical mechanism that was happening, give them a timescale of how long it takes for it to make an impact on their data collection, and help start them on finding different ways to mix up their solutions to stabilize the TPB to fight the degradation.

Man I tried really hard to not make that a book… My bad!

JD: While all of this really sounds fascinating, I’m mostly just nodding and smiling.

JV: Here’s a secret: I do that a lot too still.

JD: In fact, I feel like I’m in an episode of Breaking Bad! Cool!

When did you first become interested in science? Similarly, what was the moment when you knew that you wanted to pursue a career in science?

Jenn VanGemert with Mary McDowell, aka SailorTweek, at RTX 2014.

JV: I’ve always sort of been interested in science.  I was really good at it in school in my early years, and it was the only class I actually consistently paid attention in.  In the 6th grade we had to do a science fair project, and I ended up doing something that was ultimately a chemistry experiment, though I didn’t know it at the time.  I aced chemistry in high school and took the AP course for it, but oddly enough did not intend to go into science when I entered college.  I actually went to college to get a degree in music education.  Music was a big part of my life, and a lot of who I am now stems from that.  Even though I wanted to teach, it was still a requirement to audition for the music school as a performer, and I didn’t make the cut.  I had the option to re-audition the next year, so I decided to start my education courses and my general education classes in the meantime.  Of course, one of those was chemistry, and I quickly remembered how much I enjoyed it and, frankly, how good I was at it.  I decided it was sort of stupid to ignore the fact that I was actually really good at something, and dropped the idea of getting into the music school in favor of pursuing science.

JD: I didn’t even know you were a musician! Why am I always the last to know things!

JV: It’s all a big conspiracy. You weren’t supposed to find out this way!

JD: When you say it like that, I have this image of a musical instrument sneaking out an apartment window…

JV: Complete with bed sheet rope of course, yes?

JD: Nailed it.

Question #3: Recently, there was a rather important event called the LoZeldaThon, named after your Rooster Teeth Community name, LoZelda. How would you describe this event to readers who may never have heard of it?

JV: Magic.  I would describe it as magic.

To make the story as short as possible, shortly after RTX 2014 I was diagnosed with cancer.  Fun fact: even in the best of circumstances, cancer is kind of really crappy, and also kind of expensive to deal with.  Ilan, one of my good friends, a fellow RTX Guardian, and probably better known as the winner of the second season of The Gauntlet, thought it was ridiculous that anyone should have to worry about things like survival rates on top of essentially paying for better odds, so he organized LoZeldaThon.  It was a 24 hour gaming marathon he streamed on Twitch with the goal of raising money to help me pay for the treatments and surgeries.  It ended up being 26 hours of hilarious, emotional, ridiculous moments with guests, giveaways, and constant support both for him and myself.

JD: I hear there is actually a second LoZeldaThon scheduled for the near future, this time to help another RT Community member. In fact, the “LoZeldaThon” may become a semi-common event to help fellow community members in situations such as yours. How has the LoZeldaThon changed the way you view, or interact with, the Rooster Teeth Community? How would this be any different if you were on the outside looking in?

JV: There is a second one!  I am far from the first member of the community to have something so major affect their life, and I won’t be the last.  LoZeldaThon was not just a success for support my problem, but for showing how powerful a community can be.  If you totaled up the donations from every person who actually said the phrase “I’m sorry I can’t donate more” during that stream, it made up almost $1000.  Small gestures are still powerful ones, and they all add up.

I’ve always known the Rooster Teeth Community was special.  I’ve seen it in how they’ve pulled together for the company and for other community members.  Seeing the way the stream happened solidified that, and really proved that every time someone says, “This is the best community ever,” it’s not just a convenient phrase or pandering.  It’s 100% truth.

On the outside looking in, I’d like to think it would make someone go “wow, why aren’t I an active part of this?”  The internet is a weird and scary place.  To find a group of people who act like a family despite their relationships existing mostly in a digital format is uncommon at best, and we get to experience it daily.

Question #4: You’ve already described your experience as an RTX Guardian in a journal on your community profile, and you’ve given advice to people wanting to be a Guardian. So what I want to know is what insight have you gained on the convention as a whole through your experiences as a Guardian?

JV: Keeping a convention running smoothly is a beast, different than any other organizational nightmare you could ever imagine.  You are relying on people you just met, and even some people you will never meet who exist solely as a name on a piece of paper, to do their jobs and do them well so that the gears keep turning.  There’s a level of trust you have to have in people who haven’t done little to earn it, and the success of the event hinges on that trust.  There’s only so much anyone can do; even the almighty organizers are not immune to it.

Any Guardian you talk to will tell you the event is exhausting on a level few other people will ever experience.  After spending so much time behind the scenes with the cast as a PA [Michael Jones’s Personal Assistant] and seeing what they do, I can’t even begin to imagine what the last evening of RTX feels like for them.  They genuinely want every attendee to have a good time and would love to meet every one of them, and if it were up to them most of them would probably still be in that convention center signing things and taking pictures with fans.  Their dedication to their fanbase is incredible and awe inspiring.

JD: As evidenced by the fact that many were out on the streets giving autographs for hours after the fire alarm incident.

JV: Oh man, the fire alarm incident… that was a doozy!  There were several of us “working” to whatever degree we could well after it got dark out.  I’m not convinced the lead Guardians or any of the event organizers from Rooster Teeth itself actually went to bed that night.

JD: You may be right.

What advice would you give normal RTX attendees, based on what you’ve learned as a Guardian?

Jenn VanGemert meeting Kathleen Zuelch and Burnie Burns at RTX 2013.

JV: Be aware that there are literally tens of thousands of other people in the building who want to do the same things you do.  Thanks to the limitations of space and time, it just isn’t possible to do all of it.  In that spirit, the Guardians are there to try to keep things to a reasonable level of organized chaos.  We are well aware of the limitations of the timing of panels or size of rooms, and all we can do is try to keep things safe and as fair as possible.  It goes back to that trust thing: you have to trust we’re not making up rules for the sake of making them up, and we have to trust that you’ll follow the instructions you’re given.  As soon as that breaks down, everyone ends up unhappy.

The Guardians don’t get to really “do” RTX.  We work the whole weekend, and in exchange we get a t-shirt and a sincere thank you.  We’re not doing the job to hang out with staff (because even as a PA, that doesn’t happen), we’re not doing it because we get paid (because we don’t, unless you count a t-shirt as currency), we do it because we want to be a part of the experience.  We give up our RTX so you can have yours, and I just ask that you keep that in the back of your head.

Question #5: If you could change one thing about RTX, what would it be and why? If you feel strongly enough about the subject, you may give more than one answer if you feel so inclined.

JV: Wow, that’s a weighted question.  I’m heavily biased from my experiences this year, but I would change up the way autographs are done.  I think they should still be a part of the convention, because it is really cool to have that one-on-one interaction, no matter how brief it is, but they are constantly a logistical nightmare.  This year they moved them off the main convention floor, but they were still highly visible and led to a lot of “but they’re right there!” type of comments from attendees who wanted in to the line.  I’d love to see them moved to one of the rooms upstairs.  It’s an enclosed space, so not only do you remove the crew from view, you can more easily control the line and keep it to a reasonable length.

JD: That actually makes a lot of sense.

JV: I have my moments.

JD: Of course!

JV: Mathematically, it’s just not possible for every attendee to get a signature.  It’s a situation that has to be controlled in a fashion that is very “for the good of the many over the one or the few”.  And that’s something no one wants to hear.

JD: How very Star Trek of you. The best way to make that message clear to people is direct them to the way autographs happen at larger conventions, like Comic-Con. Nobody steps foot in the convention hall on a given day knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will get an autograph from X, Y, and Z.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

JV: I have a very, very important question for you.  One that could possibly alter the course of humanity.

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?

JD: Actually…

For me, neither.

JV: *gasp* What do you put on your sandwiches?!

JD: Meat, cheese, pickles, bread (of course). Now I’m hungry thinking about it.

JV: No condiments at all? Wow.

JD: Well, if I’m having a burger I’ll definitely have some ketchup on there. But if it’s just a slider (which we have at my house every once in a while) it doesn’t even need ketchup.

JV: I… I don’t know what to say.

JD: I know, I know, I’m a Philistine.

But now you’ve had us talking about grilled cheese, sandwiches, burgers…

JV: A lot of my diet consists of foods I can hold.

JD: That’s not such a bad thing.

JV: Tell that to my waistline.

JD: Again, thanks for meeting with me today. I apologize for ruining the mood with my lack of condiments. Seems like we’re ending on such a sad note.

JV: Obviously that just means I have to come back sometime.

JD: I hope you do! Good luck in your future endeavors in the world of medical device troubleshooting and neutrino physics!

JV: Thank you!  Good luck with your naked sandwiches!

JD: Omnomnom.

If you want to know more about Jenn VanGemert, you can find her at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MIGamerGirl
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/MadQueenZelda
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/LoZelda

Have a question for Jenn that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Jenn return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Five Question Interviews: Zack the Mod, Technical Support and Forum Mod

Sorry for the delayed release – I’ve been very sick this week!

==========

Name: Zack the Mod.

Occupation: Tech support for an intracontinental company.

Hobbies: Zack enjoys video games, movies, and reading.

==========

Zack the Mod and Jack the Dog.

Joseph: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

Zack: Ditto that.

J: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions, so prepare yourself!

Z: Alright!

Question #1: In a nutshell, how would you describe your job?

Z: My job is supporting the technical aspects of a school yearbook picture company, we support the schools that use our software as well as the employees across the company that are working with the schools to sell our product. we tackle everything under the sun. I also moonlight as an on call person supporting the systems that might crash. I am on call 24/7 when I have the phone, willing to reach out to the technicians that are able to fix the issue.

J: How many schools do you serve in a given year?

Z: We are a national company across the US and Canada, with over 100 offices probably, that is just a guess. It’s a far reaching company… I don’t even know a specific number of schools, but in the corporate office alone there are at least 700 employees to give you an idea of the size of it.

J: And your company deals primarily in a yearbook picture software. Who uses the software, and what does it do?

Z: The most used software is used by the schools, they use it to get their pictures out of our CD and into their database. Also it can print ID cards and certificates, etc.

J: So the software comes with the CD?

Z: Yes along with the pictures and names of the kids, along with any other data they provided us before the CD creation.

J: That’s pretty cool that the software can also print ID cards and certificates. How often do school utilize that function?

Z: Once a year unless our photographers go back to retake pictures which is common. But it can vary school to school.

J: How many schools do you think print ID cards with your software? Most of them, or just a handful?

Z: I would say a few, because we have yet another software that prints them for the schools. We also print them ourselves if the school pays for it.

J: You said that your company has its own photographers. So the photographers, the software and all its features, the tech support… all a package deal?

Z: Yep, although we typically don’t support the photographers unless it’s their work email account having issues.

J: But the photographers are employed by your company?

Z: Yes. They are seasonal based on the school year.

Adding in the photographers, the office employees all around, and the corporate office, I actually have no idea how big the company is, but I imagine it’s huge!

J: Interesting. I always had this idea that photographers were guys with cameras who went from school to school, and the software they had was given to them by a company they weren’t connected to.

You know, freelance.

Z: That probably happens with smaller companies.

Question #2: What is the worst tech support incident you’ve ever encountered?

Z: Hmmm.

The one I felt most horrible about was when we had to process a request for a child that died in a school shooting. As a courtesy, my company pushes those kinds of… what we call “jobs” to the head of the line and make sure they ship pronto, all for free. I took the call from the representative that worked with the school to pass this to our shipping team.

J: What was the request exactly?

Z: This particular student’s parents wanted the pictures so they could use them at the funeral/memorial service for the child.

J: Seems like your company views such requests as a no-brainer. Bravo to all of you.

What is the most interesting problem, but not necessarily bad, you’ve ever had to deal with?

Z: I was hoping you would ask this question, as I had an answer lined up.

J: Sweet!

Z: One time I had a call from a school that had a student in… what’s the name of it… where the government protects the identity of people for safety…

J: Witness protection.

Z: That’s it.

Yeah, I had someone with a request for a person in witness protection. They could not have their name printed on the picture, which is a feature we offer.

It was so crazy! I had never even thought of the minutia of witness protection and all the aspects it would affect.

J: Oh definitely. One slip-up and your life is in danger.

Z: Exactly.

There was another time I had a call with a deaf person. It wasn’t actually that interesting, since they had a translator. But how many people can say they talked to a deaf person on the phone?

J: I know I can’t!

Question #3: What are you currently reading?

Z: I am currently reading the third book in the Ender’s Game series, Xenocide.

J: For the first time?

Z: Yep. I read Ender’s Game for the first time before the movie came out, and kept going.

J: What’s your overall opinion so far?

Z: I would go back in time and just stick to reading the first book in the series. The others seem like he’s trying to recapture the feeling of the first and failing. The second book was a serious chore to get through, I don’t know how I did it. The third isn’t as bad, but I do not pick it up every day. It takes a while to pick up, but overall not a bad read. Although one gripe I have is that he has shoehorned a lot of religious aspects into it and it is very blatant. He is a known Mormon, and I am religious myself, but I do not find it tasteful how he went about it.

J: Pedantic and heavy-handed? Or preachy?

Z: I would say both, haha.

J: That’s a shame. But the first book, pretty good?

Z: The first book is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. Highly recommended.

J: While we’re on that subject… As an avid reader, what are some of your favorite stories, novels, or book series of all time?

Z: My favorite book of all time is Catch-22. I used to tell people it was my favorite before I had finished reading it. I also love The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And I take pride in owning the complete collection of Calvin & Hobbes. They never get old.

J: First off, I have to agree with you on that. Calvin & Hobbes never gets old. I grew up reading Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes anthologies.

Z: I was always bored in study hall and the teachers owned comic book collections… It was my favorite part of the day.

J: I also want to commend your good taste in The Lord of the Rings. You’re one of several guests I have had here that happened to be Tolkien scholars to some degree or another.

Z: Haha, thanks. I have only read the books a few years ago and only the once, but I can still appreciate them like the scholars can.

J: I had someone on last week who rereads them every year.

Z: That is crazy town. I would rather read something new, but I can appreciate the zeal behind it. I heard that Christopher Lee reads them every year as well, the actor that played Saruman.

J: Oh yeah, I remember reading at one point that he was a huge Tolkien scholar and insisted on correct pronunciations during the making of the movies. He didn’t catch everything, of course, but a lot was pretty spot-on.

Zack and JJ at RTX 2014.

Z: I love it when actors are huge fans of the works they are involved in.

J: You’ve also read The Hobbit, correct?

Z: Correct. Fun Fact: I own a third edition copy of the book!

J: Wow, lucky! I have an edition that’s been doctored up in the “Riddles in the Dark” chapter to make references to Sauron.

Z: Oooh, interesting

J: I only remember this because I’m currently reading The Hobbit to my 4-year-old son.

Z: Such a good choice to read to kids.

J: We briefly talked about rereading books. What have you spent the most time rereading?

Z: Through just a fluke, Catch-22 probably. Only because I kept stopping and never finishing the book. It would take so long between reads, that I started over. I don’t think that counts though. I actually don’t really reread much. I have intended to reread the Harry Potter series which I have never done all the way through (a second time), as well as listen to the Game of Thrones series audiobooks a second time to see if I missed anything.

J: You never know, you may have missed a few deaths. Maybe they added a few since the last time you listened.

Z: Haha!

Question #4: As of right now, what is your number one favorite video game?

Z: I would have to say the original Halo. I have never played a game so zealously!

J: I really have to agree with you. So many good memories of split-screen and LAN play with friends.

Z: It was exactly that that made me answer how I did.

J: C’mon 343 Industries, give us the original Sidewinder!

Z: Much agreed.

I remember “breaking the map” on Sidewinder. A ton of fun! I have never tried to take apart any game so much as I did with Halo. It wasn’t even malicious, it was just curiosity that drove me.

J: Any good memories from Halo 2?

Z: I remember driving home from the store with it in my car after the midnight launch… I remember playing a ton of Xbox Live games with people from the Rooster Teeth Community in the early days.

We would spend countless hours playing, and the later it went into the night, the more laid back we became. We played all the “user-invented” gametypes such as Zombies, before such a gametype existed.

We tried breaking the map (and succeeded numerous times) as we just chatted it up.

J: Have you played anything that has come close to the first two Halo games when it comes to playability and nostalgia?

Z: Maybe Zelda Wind Waker… The HD remake made me super nostalgic. Other than that, no.

J: We could talk video games all day, but I’ll wait until we have more time. For now, I just want to know…

How is Destiny?

Z: The first thing I preface my opinion of Destiny with is always this; I am super excited to play it, and even if not everyone thinks it’s the next Halo, my main reason for excitement is because the Xbox One (and PS4 for that matter) is starved for good, playable, fun games.

This game scratches my itch and then some. I am excited to play beyond what I accomplished in the Beta and see how much more there is to uncover.

Even now I have the game on pause and the music is just awe-inspiring to listen to in the background.

J: It makes me happy beyond all reason that Marty O’Donnell wrote the music.

Z: I woke up at 2am after a short nap to play the game, if that says anything. I went to bed after an hour and a half of playtime, to try to rest up for work. Didn’t really help, but it was worth it.

And it makes me sad he no longer works at Bungie! Wonder what he will move on to next.

J: Well, thanks for taking time out of Destiny‘s release day to talk to me. You’ve gotta be tired and at the same time, itching to keep playing.

Z: Haha, anytime! Well not any time, but you get the sentiment.

Question #5: You were a well-known member of the Rooster Teeth Community long before you became a Forum Mod. How has becoming a mod changed the way you interact with the community, compared to before you were a mod?

Z: It has probably made me more tired of the average newbie on the site than I would have been, but I try not to let anyone notice. It has also helped me hone my skills in deducting if a person is my friend for me or for my status. When I first became a moderator, I had an interesting psychological reaction. I instantly tried to become super-active on the site. In part because I wanted to show off the new MOD tag, but also to show that I was worthy of the title.

I don’t think it has affected my activity. What affects that more is my workday. I mostly browse it while at work, but on busy days sometimes I just have to step back and feed the master that pays me.

J: People friend you because you’re a mod?

Z: Every once in a while that happens, but not as often as I thought before I became a mod. Since being mod, I have become more careful about what I Like of others that will show up in the feed of all those that watch me. Before I might have been “Like” happy, but now I am more selective. Although I try not to factor that in too much.

J: I can see that. You’re more in the public eye.

Back in your pre-mod days, you were known simply as “Zatch”. Some might even say you had a good thing going. Why the change?

Z: Haha, ah yes, the identity crisis. It is still ongoing, I hope you know.

Edwin and Zack at RTX 2013.

The trigger was when Edwin changed his and I contemplated changing mine. He said I should because it would keep in the theme of my returning to the site. A new age.

J: That’s actually why I made a new account over a year ago. I could have just changed the name but my activity on the site had gotten so stale, I needed a fresh start.

Z: A fresh start, probably Edwin’s exact words.

J: Where did the name “Zatch” come from?

Z: My name is Zack, but on my birth certificate it states Zachary, like usual. It is a little weird to have a name that transforms when shortened, so usually people go with Zach.

But that never made sense to me, because of the CH. By putting the T in Zatch, I forced the reader to pronounce it how I saw Zach, in my head. My family calls me Zatch pretty frequently.

J: That is clever.

I know you’re a very active mod in the Rooster Teeth sponsors chat. What led you to brave that dangerous, scary place?

Z: I mentioned briefly before my celebration tour of the site after I became a mod, that no place was left untouched by my name. Sponsor chat was included and it just sort of stuck…as I realized the amount of power I wielded over the regular users. I never really abuse the power, but the option is interesting. It’s scary at times, but the chat moderator that was there before me has sort of abandoned the place so now I’m relied on to keep the peace.

J: I’m glad somebody is, wink.

Z: Just don’t look when I’m busy at work. It’s dangerous to go alone!

J: It’s dangerous to go alone, take this Zack!

Z: Got my reference! I didn’t complete it because lazy.

J: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

Z: What was the question and response from a prior interviewee that you most enjoyed and fondly recall?

J: I think the coolest moment that has happened so far in an interview was in my interview with Akash Thakkar, the video game composer who had a panel at RTX 2013.

Z: Whoa!

J: I asked him when he began composing, and it turned out that until college had only ever been a rock drummer and wanted to tour. Then he changed his mind and began to immerse himself in music composition and sound design. Like, square one. And now he makes a living as a freelance music/sound guy for video games.

Z: That is crazy, but gives hope for those with just the passion.

J: It stuck out to me because I see so many college students just throwing away their money, wasting their time with trivial things when they could be learning SO much. Most college students don’t even have jobs so it’s the ideal time to just LEARN, LEARN, LEARN.

But definitely, if you have a passion for something, pursue it with everything you have. And not only that, but find someone who knows more than you do and learn from them. I hear all too often that “the rules are meant to be broken, so why bother learning them.” But self-teaching only goes so far in some fields.

Z: That is one of the things I wish I knew before I went to college. Oh well, make the best of the decisions you make. It’s all you can do.

J: Hindsight is 20/20. Always has been, always will be.

It was in that same interview that Akash turned around and asked me what I would tell myself if I could send a message to myself right as I was starting college. I had a lot to say to my hypothetical self. So I know where you’re coming from.

Again, thanks for meeting with me today. Good luck in your future endeavors and adventures in the supporting of technical things!

Z: Thank you! -Your friendly neighborhood mod.

If you see injustice on the site, let me know!

J: This is by far the longest interview I’ve done so far, but we covered some ground and it was a lot of fun.

Z: That it was! Didn’t even feel like I needed to play Destiny.

J: Wherever there is injustice… Zack will be there!

Z: The watchful protector… the teal knight.

J: Wherever there is suffering, he’ll be there!

Z: Ok, now i feel like I need to play Destiny.

J: Have fun!

Z: Toodles!

If you want to know more about Zack the Mod, you can find him at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ZackBeNimble
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/Zack

Have a question for Zack that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see Zack return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!

Five Question Interviews: James Sidney aka Desayjin, Healthcare Economist, RTX Guardian, and Gamer

This week, I interviewed a Senior Healthcare Economist and RTX Guardian, James Sidney!

Name: James A. Sidney.

Occupation: Senior Healthcare Economist.

Hobbies: James enjoys RPGs, MMOs, and board games (Risk, Settlers of Catan, Munchkin). He plays Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition and is a Game Master for the Pathfinder game system. He enjoys cooking, he was involved in high school and college theatre and debate, and he plays classical piano and bass guitar. James has 11 years of martial arts experience (mostly Taekwondo and various styles of animal form Kung Fu), and he was ranked No. 2 in martial arts in the state of Pennsylvania in the early 2000’s. He is a fan of the Penguins NHL team and the Steelers NFL team. He is an avid reader and frequently reads Tolkien’s novels, although he typically only has time for non-fiction.

==========

James Sidney.

Joseph D: Welcome to Five Question Interviews! I hope you enjoy your time here, as we delve deep into the burning questions on everyone’s minds.

James S: I’m happy to be here and to help extinguish those burning questions.

JD: As you know, Five Question Interviews is a unique interview format in which you will only be asked five questions (excluding follow-up questions), derived from your own interests and fan suggestions. I have compiled some good questions from my readers, so prepare yourself!

JS: I’m good to go.

Question #1: Most of my readers want to know, first off, what exactly is a Senior Healthcare Economist? What is encompassed in your job description? What is an average day in the life or James Sidney?

JS: There are very few people who actually know what a healthcare economist does. Economists, generally, collect a lot of data on a variety of subjects and push that data through statistical models to discover trends within the data. A healthcare economist specifically looks at medical data, such as medical claims, prescription records, procedures performed by doctors, etc.

I wear a few different hats in my typical day: part of my time is spent doing research (mostly from other academics) to see what the latest, greatest, sleekest statistical models are out there.

Another part is helping my company assess the effectiveness of our targeted well-being improvement solutions with our customers. For example, John joins our program to get healthier. The economists are called in to see how much improvement John has made is due solely to our program, and not from other sources.

Lastly, I publish my own research based on the uses of the data my company collects. We’re part of the academic circle of life: 1) See what’s new in our field, 2) Try our new models with our data, 3) Publish new method for other people to use.

JD: I see. So a lot of your job is centered around ensuring that your company’s program continues to improve.

JS: That’s exactly right. With health and well-being improvement, there are so many new innovations coming out that our company needs a team dedicated to keeping up with the research and finding ways to implement it so that we can offer effective programs to our customers.

JD: What kind of education is typically required for a research job like yours?

JS: I have a M.A. in Economics and many of my colleagues have Masters in Economics, Psychology, Mathematics or PhDs in the same fields.

JD: PhDs? That’s insane!

JS: Oh yes. There are a lot of PhDs in our department (usually managers and higher). The MA/MSs are the grunts in the trenches building models and collecting the data. With so much complexity in our modelling, higher level degrees are required. Even thinking about my own education, there’s no way I could do what I’m doing today with my B.S. in Economics.

JD: No doubt.

I understand your job requires you to travel a lot.  Where have been your favorite places to travel to through your job?

JS: Paris, hands down. Our company has offices and partnerships all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, to Germany, and France. Paris was a great opportunity that could have only happened thanks to France’s medical privacy laws.

They do not allow their medical data to leave their borders, so for our partnership to start, we needed to send some economists over there to see what their data looked like so we could figure out how to best serve the French citizens.

JD: So your company actually serves multiple countries. What is your company’s goal?

JS: Our motto is “To build a healthier world, one person at a time.” I tell people that my company isn’t an insurance company, though we do a lot of work with them. We offer health and well-being improvement programs to insured persons. If you have a disease like asthma, COPD, diabetes, we have call centers staffed with RNs and nurse practitioners to help you manage your disease over phone/email/text, whatever you’re comfortable with. For those looking to live healthier lives, we also have call centers staffed with dieticians, physical therapists, and trainers to help you form a plan to eat better, exercise more efficiently, etc. We don’t tell you want you have to do, we make a plan based on what you want to focus on. What we do then is try to remove every barrier of resistance to you achieving your goals of a healthier life.

Question #2: This is another question readers really wanted to ask you. In as simple of an answer as you can give us, how have the United States National Health Care Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act changed how you do your job?

JS: It has given us more customers to be sure. We can only work with people with insurance since our company’s programs are usually a “perk” for joining a particular health plan or another “perk” for joining a company that offer XYZ insurance plan. From a strictly apolitical view, it gives me a larger pool of people to draw data from (don’t worry, because of US privacy law, I don’t see names, addresses or anything that would inform me of who’s who). With more data, it allows my models to be more accurate in determining trends, effects, and predictions of future health care costs and utilization.

JD: Do you believe that hospitals will be given enough government funding to hire good doctors AND good support staff, such as nurses and cleaning staff? Also, are doctors taking a reduction in their yearly salaries? If so, does this affect your company?

JS: As with most things in life, there are no simple answers or black and white; just a thousand shades of gray. Many hospitals don’t get direct funding for staff hirings; they indirectly get it from billing programs like Medicare and Medicaid. It’s really up to whoever owns the hospital to set the salaries of their staff. A lot of it also depends on competition in the local market. If you have three or four major hospital groups competing, you better believe those doctors and support staff are getting paid better because the hospitals want to have the best so to draw more customers in. Where there’s only one major hospital in the area, well they have a monopoly and they can charge, pay, and treat really however they want.

JD: That’s unfortunate, but very true.

Question #3: You have been a Guardian at RTX for several years now. Is being a Guardian as difficult as everyone says? Are the rewards proportional to the amount of work put into it?

JS: Unequivocally yes, it’s difficult work, but I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t rewarding to me. I got asked that question a lot this year, especially as Barbara Dunkelman’s PA, and for some people the reward of volunteering wouldn’t outweigh the costs and difficulties of doing it. I’ve always enjoyed volunteering so being Guardian was a natural fit given how much I love Rooster Teeth and its community.

JD: I think a lot of readers will want me to ask you this. How did you get to be Barbara’s Personal Assistant?

JS: I think it’s a combination of many factors. Being a PA requires a certain level of maturity. I have been in the community for a while now, plus my corporate background helped demonstrate that I can perform my duties in stressful, high stakes situations.

Being extroverted definitely helps too. You’re going to be interacting with a lot of fans, convention staff, and RT staff. The most difficult thing is for you to “check” your fandom because you have a job to do. It reminds me of the myth of Icarus. You’re given these wings, but fly too close to the Sun … or staff … and you’ll fall. You can’t get distracted that you’re next to Geoff or Burnie or Barbara; you have a job to make their lives easier so go forth and do it.

JD: Greek mythology… I love it. Thanks for being a new level of class to my blog.

JS: I do what I can.

JD: Many people have applied to be a Guardian so they could give back to Rooster Teeth and ensure that attendees have a good experience, but they have been turned down. Others have applied to be a Guardian simply so they can meet the Rooster Teeth Cast & Crew. What would you say to these people if given the chance?

James Sidney was Barbara Dunkelman’s PA at RTX 2014. She has clearly had enough of him.

JS: First I’ll address the people who just want to meet the Rooster Teeth staff and crew: don’t apply. The staff and lead guardians have so many applications from great and well qualified people that you’re wasting your time and more importantly, theirs. After a couple of years of running RTX, they’ve gotten good at weeding out those applications of people who just want to meet the staff.

For those of you who have good experience and didn’t get selected, it’s heartbreaking to everyone involved but they can only take on so many guardians. Every year they need more and more, but they get too many because it becomes more difficult to communicate effectively with all the guardians. I think this year for every one application that was accepted, 3-4 were turned away. Please don’t let that discourage anyone; apply every year because they’re always looking for great people for different positions as Guardians.

JD: Not only that, but some Guardians will stop being a Guardian so they can attend the convention the following year. So even more positions will be freed up when that happens.

JS: Exactly, the retention rate isn’t extremely high for the guardians. Some people don’t make it back because of costs, or timing with other events, or just want to be an attendee.

JD: What inspired you to take an active role in the Rooster Teeth Community? When did you first apply to be a Guardian, and why?

JS: I took on a more active role in the community when I got a little older and really appreciated how amazing the community is. Sufficed to say, I wish a place like Rooster Teeth existed when I was younger. It’s a safe place where you can be yourself and find others that share you interests, no matter how seemingly “weird” they are. Knowing and appreciating that, I wanted to help get the community be a warm and inviting place for others. The Guardianship seemed like a natural fit. I had attended the first RTX in the Austin Convention Center (2012) and I thought the whole time, “I wish I could help out.” In fact, as an attendee, I probably was helping out more than I should have because a lot of my RT community friends were Guardians. For RTX 2013, I applied and got assigned the store, which was a great experience. I reapplied for RTX 2014 and got assigned to Barbara. The funny thing about the application is that my 2014 application was probably double in length than my 2013. I didn’t assume that since I already was a Guardian, I was a shoe-in for next year. I think that’s an important lesson, especially to current first-time Guardians.

JD: If you could abuse your RTX Guardian power for one day (but we know you would never actually do), what would you most like to do?

JS: That’s a tough question because knowing my luck, Barbara will read it and give me my Guardian pink slip!

What I would do, keeping it very much in line with my profession, is set up a lot of social experiments and other technological changes to RTX to generate data. We had 30,000 people at RTX this year and I wish I could tag every one of them with a tracking chip so I knew what panels they were in line for, how much they bought, how often they ate, and how long they decided they would wait in line for something. If I had all that data, I could use it to figure out the most efficient RTX ever! I wouldn’t want to know anyone’s names, just their “convention patterns.” It would immensely help scheduling panels, autograph lines, and other fun events.

JD: That. Is. Epic.

Question #4: What sci-fi setting would you choose for Mankind’s future, if you could only pick one? This encompasses movies, TV shows, games, literature, comic books, and even sci-fi spoofs.

JS: I’m going to have to go with Star Wars. I’ve always been a bigger fan of Star Wars than Star Trek (yes I know Star Wars is Fantasy and Star Trek is true Sci-Fi… nerds!). A little more esoteric, I think a solid 2nd place would be Frank Herbet’s Dune series.

JD: So you choose, for the future of Humanity, a religious war that lasts for thousands (or millions) of years?

JS: I don’t choose, humanity did. Star Trek was always a little too Utopian in their portrayal of Earth and the Federation. Dune really just took humanity as it has shown to be, and put it in a sci-fi world. Star Wars … well it has all the strife of Dune, but it’s just more fun. Lightsabers! Need I say more?

JD: I’ve asked a previous guest this question, so I will ask you as well. Mandalorian, or Sith?

JS: Sith. If you remove the evil (from either of them), the Sith are more calculating and use all their mind, intellect, and cunning in concert with their physical attributes. Mandalorians, while immensely tough, are just that: immensely tough and that’s it.

And in that way, that speaks a little more to me (again, removing the evil; I really can’t stress that enough).

JD: Mandalorians have also shown a level of cunning. They’re just not as calculating as the Sith.

JS: Tactical cunning, perhaps, but when it comes to a galactic empire to manage, the Mandalorians just weren’t up to the challenge, hence their defeat in the prior to the great Jedi wars.

JD: Oh, of course. They were foolish to think they could.

I’m just glad you didn’t say Jedi.

JS: You should know better than that! We shed digital blood together on the Sith side of the Old Republic MMO!

JD: Yes we did! And we will talk about that the next time you’re on!

Question #5: You are currently in the process of starting up an educational program for people of the RT Community wanting to learn about finance, the economy, and economics as a whole. What would you like to share about this project?

JS: It’s been an idea of mine for a while now to bring that knowledge into the RT community. I have a faux-home on the politics and current events forum but it’s hard to give a well-researched and detailed answer when the conversation moves so quickly. Similar to the xckd.com section “What If,” I’d love to take a specific question from the community and do my due diligence on the research. I’d take the time to review it and clearly articulate the answer. I imagined, if it takes off, that I’d do a question a week. Seven days seems to be long enough to do the research and post a lengthy response while still having time to go to my day job and get in some gaming every now and again.

JD: If people reading this are interested in taking part in this program, how would you like for them to express their interest?

JS: They can ping me on the Rooster Teeth site or twitter (though 140 characters is hard to get a long question in). I envision using a journal on Rooster Teeth to post responses to questions and if it takes off, perhaps my own website. Burnie has always said that you should have your own website independent of social media sites because you’ll never know if they’ll still be in business. I hope RT will be around for a very long time to come.

JD: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! However, we’re not finished just yet.

JS: Bonus round?!

JD: Sudden Death!!

JS: Ah! If only I had enough data to build a predictive model to warn me!

James Sidney is a accomplished classical pianist.

JD: One of the unique elements of Five Question Interviews is that now that the interview is complete, you have a chance to ask me one question. What have you prepared for me?

JS: Well, I actually alluded to it earlier in the interview. We have played many MMOs together under the banner of Rooster Teeth and The Drunk Tanks. I would like to know which MMO you’ve gotten the most enjoyment from (not necessarily the ‘best’ game or even one that The Drunk Tanks have invaded; I’m looking for pure enjoyment).

JD: Hmm, good question. I have to start by saying that any game I played with The Drunk Tanks had added enjoyment because raiding with those guys was always a lot of fun. I always wanted Star Wars: The Old Republic to be better than it was, because I had SO much fun playing it. I still think about how much fun that game was during its first year. I’ve enjoyed playing WildStar with The Drunk Tanks, but it hasn’t been out long enough for me to say I’ve gotten the “most” enjoyment from it yet.

My first MMO was The Lord of the Rings Online, and I have a lot of good memories from that game. I’m still friends with a lot of the people I played with there, and it’s been years since I’ve played.

I would have to say World of Warcraft is the MMO I’ve gotten the most pure enjoyment from. It’s not the best MMO by some standards, but I’ve always come back to it in some capacity because it’s just so well-made. I enjoy the lore, I enjoy the characters, I enjoy the gameplay, and the music is just so amazing. It was also where The Drunk Tanks got their start with Jack Pattillo so many years ago, and I’ve enjoyed following TDT wherever they’ve gone under Jack’s, and Adam Baird’s, leadership.

Granted, I can’t stand the current expansion and I hope that the next one is better.

JS: All of those are great games. I’m a bit of a Tolkien scholar and LOTR-Online was a great game for bringing the books to life. It was great to experience the Middle Earth I grew up reading about.

JD: That’s actually what drew me to it originally.

JS: Having Jack start the Drunk Tanks in WoW was pretty awesome too. SW:TOR was a lot of fun too, but mine would actually have to be (and I’m dating myself here) Star Wars Online from SOE. It got panned a lot, but I suppose my reasons for loving that game will just have to wait for another time.

JD: Another time!

Again, thanks for meeting with me today. Good luck in your future endeavors, compiling numbers and making more numbers!

JS: It takes numbers to make up numbers! I was happy to be here and thank you for doing all the leg work on the research and soliciting questions!

JD: All the credit would have to go to my amazing readers!

JS: They are amazing! Kudos to you guys/girls/Sith/Mandalorians!

If you want to know more about James Sidney, you can find him at:

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justamiddleman
• Rooster Teeth: http://www.roosterteeth.com/Desayjin

Have a question for James that has not yet been asked? Do you want to see James return and answer more of your questions? Suggest more questions below! Did you enjoy the interview? Leave your feedback below, subscribe, and share with your friends!