Story x Story

This week, Nigel sits down with Learning & Community Curator Leah Dungay to explore Behind the Screens, the National Videogame Museum’s new exhibition opening in summer 2026, which aims to transform how UK videogame heritage is collected and understood. It’s a response to the challenges of preserving video games and takes a people-centred approach, with community-led partnerships that reflect...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by Community Manager of Out Making Games Dan Finch and GamesAid Vice Chair Dom Shaw for our summer video game roundtable (from 26:19). We dig into the newly revealed Steam Machine pricing, whether the hardware is worth it, and what it says about gaming becoming too expensive. Then we get into a little game called GTA VI launching without a disc, how much Roc...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii sit down with Nareice Wint, a producer and game developer at Miami Avalon, to discuss her journey into games and finding her way from AAA to indie development. We look at the differences and realities of two very different landscapes, from the structure and scale of AAA studios to the personal responsibility and creative freedom of building something independently. Nar...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii live, die, and repeat once more for a dive deep into All You Need Is Kill (from 25:06), with Comic Creator and WIP Comics Member Lara Callaghan. We compare this new anime adaptation to earlier versions (including Edge of Tomorrow) and explore whether it brings anything new to the table. From there, we dig into the film’s distinctive visuals and its more internal, chara...

In this special episode of Story x Story, we’re sharing the audio from our Anime in the Mainstream panel at MCM Comic Con London (May 2026). Anime is no longer as niche as it once was, and is now defining entertainment for a whole generation. Our panel explores what makes anime land emotionally, how streaming and social media are accelerating its rise, and what is at stake as Hollywood and global...

Nigel and Tazziii head to the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham for a special in-person episode recording! We're hitting the track for a deep dive into 100 Meters (the anime adaptation of Uoto’s manga). This is an existential story that asks one central question: “Why do you run?” and then explores multiple answers through characters whose ambitions, anxieties, and identities collide in su...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by executive producer Jerome Mazandarani - the producer behind Cannon Busters - for a behind-the-scenes industry look at how anime has gone from niche subculture to mainstream global entertainment. We dig into Jerome’s journey producing Cannon Busters, what it actually takes to get an anime made, and what it’s like navigating Japanese production pipelines an...

In this Rewind episode, we’re revisiting a great conversation from Casual Conversations With Comic Creators with Rachael Smith who is back for her third visit to our livestream series. Rachael breaks down what goes into making a successful Kickstarter, with the recently funded Nap Comix as a real-world case study. We dig into the behind-the-scenes work that helps a campaign succeed, from planning...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii set sail into One Piece Season 2 (from 26:11), joined by our crew of guests Dom Shaw, Lao K and Louise Karunwi. It’s a wide‑ranging discussion with some views you might not expect, as we get into how faithful the live‑action adaptation feels, what changes land (and which ones don’t), and whether a story this big can ever truly make the leap to live action. We also dig...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii sit down with Mereida Fajardo, a Bristol-based comic and zine-maker, illustrator, and arts facilitator, to explore her journey and deep relationship with the physical medium of comics. Mereida shares how The Dark Knight first got her into comics, and the critical education decision that saw her follow her passion rather than what was expected of her by others. We also...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii dive deep into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (starting at 25:29) with script editor Sashi Gopalakrishnan and Games Aid chair and member of Games London's Ensemble Sara Veal. We talk about the franchise’s incredible success in film form, even as the sequel’s narrative can feel loose and under-structured, and what that trade-off means for its different audiences. From...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by CEO of Kunta Content, Dean Gichukie, for a conversation about video games as a way to explore culture. We get to dig into the legacy of games that take players into worlds inspired by diffeent places, histories, and mythologies beyond our own, and what it looks like when studios get cultural exploration right…as well as the pitfalls that come up when they...

In this Rewind episode, we're sharing the audio from a Story Club livestream where Nigel and Tazziii break down a great story with guests live. This episode sees us revisit the 2025 anime The Last Blossom with guests Lara Callaghan and Rayna Denison, exploring a film that moves with a thoughtful pace and flow. Even though the narrative is set in the world of the Yakuza, this story is less abou...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii dive deep into GOAT (starting at 29:28), with animator and illustrator Fahim Motahar. GOAT is a sports animation that feels nearly there with strong individual elements, but they do not always click together into a fully satisfying whole. We get into where the narrative works and doesn’t beyond its impressive look and all star cast. We also examine the sport itself and...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii sit down with Alizée Musson to explore her internationally winding path to a career in animation, and the making of her first published book, The Art of Writing Animation: Storytelling Craft for Writers & Animators. We dig into why she took on the challenge of publishing a book , the amazing range of animation talent she spoke to for it, and what she learned along...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii do a retrospective of Fallout Season 2 (from 14:35) with Content Creator Jack Mullen. After an excellent first season, we explore what makes the series so consistently high quality, from its world-building to its craft, and how season 2 adds depth to its protagonists as their motivations and arcs become more complicated and intriguing to follow. We also unpack the bala...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii sit down with Raquel Turner, Corporate Strategy Manager at Talkmind, to discuss her journey into mental health work and her passion for creating accessible mental health resources for people across pop culture. We get to explore her experiences creating the Talkmind zine, its reception at MCM Comic Con, and how she balances her professional work with her own mental hea...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii dive deep into Zootopia 2 (starting at 24:05), with writer and producer behind the Write for Animation channel, Pietro Schito. Disney's sequel to the wildly popular 2016 film returns with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde facing new challenges. We focused on how the film develops the relationship between the two lead characters, and how much change we expect from a sequel....

In this Rewind episode, we're sharing the audio version of The Studio77 Report livestream. It's our seasonal gathering where the creative community can check in on progress, celebrate wins, and learn from challenges on the creative journey. Nigel and Tazziii explore the spring theme of Renewal, before getting into some creative industry news with more examples of anime's mainstream suc...

NOTE: We recorded this episode before Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond left Microsoft. For Nigel and Tazziii’s initial take on that news, watch The Studio77 Report for Spring 2026 on the mayamada YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/9Tw-70R9as4?t=1805 Our first video game roundtable of 2026 sees Nigel and Tazziii sit with Mathew Allcock, Wayne Emanuel, and Janelle McCurdy to discuss the games they're...

In this Rewind episode, we've got the audio from the February 2026 episode of Casual Conversations With Comic Creators, where Nigel talks to comic creators around the world to explore their work and the craft of making comics. This series is all about highlighting the people behind the art as we uncover their unique stories, and this month features Corey Brotherson, an award-winning writer, ed...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii sit down with Jade Leamcharaskul, a composer and game audio producer, to discuss her journey from game development to focusing on music composition. We get open and honest as we talk about dealing with imposter syndrome, knowing your worth, and the value of networking to gain major opportunities. This is a great conversation with a long-time freelancer packed with less...

Were back from our recording break with Season 8 of Story x Story! This week, Nigel and Tazziii dive deep into F1: The Movie (starting at 23:53) with our guests: content creator Mavitivo plus filmmaker and inventor Jabril Muse. We explore how Brad Pitt's role in Hollywood may be reflecting the film's themes of redemption and the dynamic between experience and youth on the race track. Despi...

This week, we're sharing the closing roundtable from the 2025 "Do I Look Like A Gamer?" Next 1UP: End of Year Livestream. Nigel and Tazziii are joined by three prominent voices from the gaming community: Sally Sheppard (game educator and founder of Wyrdren Games), InDeeDee (content creator and community builder), and Daniel Morrison (founder of Creative Genius Games). This conversati...

In this Rewind episode, we're revisiting three gameplay interview segments from the 2025 "Do I Look Like A Gamer?" Next 1UP: End of Year Livestream, where Tazziii played indie games live while Nigel interviewed the developers behind them. First up, Vicky and Luxille from Studio Lavacado showcase their cosy tiling puzzle game Floramino. Then HaZ Dulull from Beyond The Pixels brings us...