VODKA O’CLOCK 1530
SHAWN PRYOR
CROWNTAKER STUDIOS “CASH + CARRIE”

Shawn

 

AMBER LOVE 13-JULY-2015 Now you can sponsor Vodka O’Clock and AmberUnmasked.com through PATREON. Just go to Patreon.com/amberunmasked to pledge as little as $1.00 per creation which could mean per Vodka O’Clock episode or through written content. It’s an honor to have SHAWN PRYOR as my guest for the episode that’s recording during my in-house #CaicoCon.

Download on iTunes, Stitcher or listen here. (The audio on my end was little filled with noise from my air conditioner. Sorry! I needed to have it on.)

SHAWN PRYOR and I met through the Comic Geek Speak podcast and thus an eternal friendship was born. I’ve watched Shawn’s career evolve from a creator who made comics with friends to a podcaster to an industry executive and now to small press creator under a new label, Crowntaker Studios.

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF SHAWN PRYOR

Shawn opened up to me about how he felt burned out in comics. This was something that happened after he had been with Action Lab for a while. His own quality of life was suffering and he didn’t feel as connected to the job anymore. Plus, he had things going on personally dealing with loss in his family, all while holding down a day job.

He took a long hiatus from social media. In this interview, Shawn explained how he came to that decision and what his routines are like now. He unplugs from the noise of social media, gets out to meet with local friends, and has enjoyed seeing a therapist.

THE COMICS INDUSTRY

Shawn and I share our thoughts on how people can feel pigeonholed as “writer” or “artist” or “editor” instead of being seen as versatile.

“It’s always good to be more than one thing.” ~ Shawn Pryor

Shawn said point blank that he didn’t feel accepted by the comics industry as a whole. People have told him he’s too outspoken about finding representation for minorities.

Looking back through where he started in making comics, when Shawn worked on books with his friends, he fell into the problem that he’s spoken up against – making books without people of color in the leading roles.

“You look at that All-New, All Different Marvel – 45 titles – not one black writer.” ~ Shawn Pryor

CASH + CARRIE

There’s a short couple seconds that Skype cut out when Shawn was introducing his partners on CASH + CARRIE comic. The writer is Giuli Speziani and the artist goes only by Penny.

CashCarrie-cvr

It’s great for young readers. The tone is cheery, not too dark. The colors feature a lot of soft pastels. I hope CASH + CARRIE finds success in the kids’ comic market.

Shawn describes what their working process is like and why they are all co-creators/co-owners with a stake in whether the book succeeds. After pitching the idea to Giuli and Penny who make the comic, Shawn sees himself now in the role of editor and leaves them creative flexibility.

This little comic was a digital download and then Shawn printed off 25 copies for a con. When they sold out, he decided to take it to Kickstarter for funding a bigger issue and get more copies made.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Shawn shared a list of people in comics that have been supportive, encouraging, and helpful mentors and friends in the business.

LINKS

@ShawnRPryor

@GSpeziani

@PennyLoafing

Crowntaker Studios

HHWLOD.com – The Black Box Podcast

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