Ladyvader99 interviews Sherie Bryant, Exec. Producer for Geek & Sundry!

On April 2nd, Premium YouTube channel Geek & Sundry debuted and features the best of indie geek culture and the internet’s foremost geek voices. Founded by the producers of the hit web series “The Guild”, Geek & Sundry offers a diverse lineup of shows that create a hub for fans of comedy, gaming, comics, music, and literature around the world. Through compelling content and its powerful social media presence, the channel cultivates a thriving community amongst its viewers, allowing them to immerse themselves in nerd culture and connect with each other both online and off. Spearheaded by prominent geek figureheads, Geek & Sundry features original content by Felicia Day (“The Guild”, “Dr. Horrible”, “Eureka”), Wil Wheaton (“Star Trek”, “The Big Bang Theory”), Veronica Belmont & Tom Merritt (“Sword & Laser”), Paul & Storm (“w00tstock”), and Dark Horse Comics. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sherie Bryant, one of the co-creators and executive producer about what Geek & Sundry has to offer.

L: You’re executive producing Flog, one of the six new original series alongside Felicia Day. How is it working with someone the geek community is enamored of?

SB: Working with Felicia is a blast.  She keeps us all on our toes!  Felicia is one of the most driven and smart people I know, and very loyal to her fans.  These things combined make a lethal cocktail of efficiency!  So I’m enamored with Felicia, but perhaps in a different way than her fans, because I respect her immensely for her work ethic and intelligence.   

L: Will you be helming any of the other series, such as the Dark Horse motion comics that premiere every Wednesday?

SB: We, meaning Kim Evey, Felicia and I, supervise all of the shows.  We have a very specific vision for the Geek & Sundry channel and the fans in our community.  Dark Horse is a bit of an anomaly because their motion comics are based on properties that are already known.  I mean, who wants to mess with the genius of Hellboy or Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo?

L: Veronica belmont, Wil wheaton, Tom Merritt, Paul & Storm, & Felicia…that is a lot of comedic talent. What’s your most fun memory with any of these stars?

SB: Besides Felicia, I’ve worked the most with Wil, who is a very sharp-witted guy.  While on the set of “TableTop” he made me laugh constantly, but mostly when he’d make a mistake and have to re-do a certain take.  The stuff that came out of his mouth was totally unpredictable – we are going to have some great blooper reels!

L: What do you hope to accomplish as exec producer on such a geek oriented channel?

SB: I hope to accomplish quality.  Our goal at Geek & Sundry is to provide our community with amazing new television, programming you’ve never seen before, and to bring new geek fans into our circle.  We’re lucky to be given this opportunity, and are grateful to have another platform under which we can provide our community with fun and diverse programming that might propel them to try something new, whether it be play games with friends, pick up a comic book, or try some of the zany things that Felicia will be introducing fans to!

L: Tell us about the premium channel, cost, etc.

SB: YouTube decided to make a move into original programming in a big way last year.  Last Fall they took pitches from hundreds if not thousands of Hollywood and NY producers who wanted to have their own premium channel whether it be in regards to Food, Extreme sports, News, or Geek culture.  We were lucky to be one of the channels chosen (they picked just under 100).  These new channels will elevate YouTube’s programming to another level, and give viewers a lot of great new choices to what’s currently on television and online.  Convergence has arrived!

L: What right off the bat, are you most involved with?

SB: My strong suit in addition to producing is business development.  So I am handling a lot of that for the channel, including brand growth, acquisitions, and distribution.  But the three of us are truly partners and are very collaborative on all fronts across the board.

L: Is the sense of community the biggest aspect of G&S?

SB: YES!  And I say that in caps because that is truly the philosophy of our company.  We love our fans and feel a large sense of loyalty to them.  They’ve supported us so much in the past, and we want to continue to give them quality entertainment and a forum for discussion of all things geek!

L: Felicia’s Flog, is your personal project, yes? I’ve seen how amazingly random she is via social media, so do you think this would be around that vein?

SB: Random it is!  But isn’t that the charm of Felicia Day?  I don’t want to give any spoilers but she does a lot of very  funny and eclectic things in the show that I think fans will really respond to.  Part of the reason Felicia created The Flog was to show fans that if someone like her can, for example go carve an ice culpture, they can too!  Adventures can take many forms besides in a video game!

L: What age group is it aimed at?

SB: There is no age group for our channel.  Just anyone who enjoys geek culture! 

Sheri, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. I’m excited to constantly check out Geek & Sundry and am stoked for what Felicia has in store for us all!

Be sure to check out the channel, subscribe and all that fun stuff…..it’s worth it!