Story x Story

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome indie video game developer Graham Reid about his journey as a solo creator. We get into the realities of life since deciding to leave his job at Snapchat to become a full time developer, and what he has learned from his previous "9 to 5" role. Graham gives us great advice on starting small as a creator, and how he overcomes imposter syndrome to be a positive ex...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome writer and photographer Mark Ōu Chéng for a deep dive into the fast-moving action comedy Bullet Train! We get on board this black comedy and its unique setting to debate where the stylised adaptation works and where it falls short of the station. With so many quirky characters and stand out moments, we have a lot of fun with this discussion...and even more fun...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome Producer Mike Anderson to talk about his journey into the video games industry. We have a deep conversation as Mike discusses the path that led him from Quality Assurance (QA) through to his current role at the London-based indie game studio Ustwo Games. He breaks down what is involved in being a Producer as he recaps what made their breakout hit Monument Valle...

This week on the podcast, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by writer Gary Swaby, also a member of the entertainment website The Koalition. We get into the 29th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Love and Thunder...and do our best to stay positive. It's safe to say we weren't impressed but managed to find many (so many) storytelling lessons in the shortcomings of Thor's latest adventure. Thi...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii take a trip to the legal side of the video games industry with Rahul Gandhi, a game lawyer at the media and technology law firm Sheridans. We get into the journey to advising and negotiating for game companies and creators at all levels, before taking a tour around several key legal topics. We discuss indie contracts with jakefriend, before talking about the mistakes t...

Story x Story is back from the mid-season break with a brand new deep dive episode! This week, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by film producer and screenwriter Jed Shepherd to discuss the multiversal delight that is Everything Everywhere All At Once. We delve into this truly unique cinema experience to determine what makes this absurdly chaotic plot work so well, and why a film with an Asian-led cas...

This week's Rewind episode is part 3 of our July Mid-Season Livestream Special on Twitch. Nigel and Tazziii are joined by cosplayer and content creator Snickerdoodle Chan! We share one more round of the stories we've been enjoying so far this year including JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Kotaro Lives Alone and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. We also get to talk cosplay and get caught up e...

This week's Rewind episode is part 2 of our July Mid-Season Livestream Special on Twitch. Nigel and Tazziii are joined by Twitch Partner and Host Trista Bytes! We get into more of the stories we've been enjoying so far this year including She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Sakamoto Days and Arcane: League of Legends. We also get into some video game announcements, giving our thoughts on news that...

This week's Rewind episode is from our 2022 midseason Twitch livestream! We're talking about our favourite stories of the year so far and in this first segment, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by NGI Events founder Rayokarna. We reveal some of the stories we've been enjoying recently including Super Sentai, Odd Taxi and Top Gun: Maverick...plus debate whether Nigel plays games or not! Stay tuned to h...

In this week's Rewind episode, podcast co-host Tazziii leads an inclusive discussion with cosplayers from across the globe about the craft of cosplay. Tazziii is joined by Kotta Kitty (UK), Sonia Pinciaroli (Italy) and Black Bettie (United States) to discuss how everyone got into cosplay, what each has learned during the pandemic and why cosplay is and should be for everyone. Stay tuned for Season...

This week we have a Rewind episode from our Twitch livestream series, Casual Conversations with Comic Creators. Nigel speaks with fellow British manga creator Shango Edunjobi who tell us how he became a dancer before being a comic creator! He shares his thoughts on manga versus western comics as well as what drew him to anime while growing up. We also get into the craft of storytelling and debate...

It's our last episode before our July recording break! This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome an esteemed panel of video game professionals to discuss the summer of games so far. Content Creators BillieTrixx and Miabyte along with Game and Narrative Designer Brenden Gibbons are all on hand to help us break down the most interesting stories around the industry, and share the video games they're enjoy...

This week we have a Rewind episode from our Twitch livestream series, Casual Conversations with Comic Creators. Nigel speaks with South African Comic Creator Marius Smuts about how he became a comic fan at an early age before moving to the UK, plus some of his favourite creators and stories. Marius takes us through his approach to making comics from the perspective of a writer, director and docume...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome costume maker and cosplayer Sarah McClintock. They work across film, theatre, and TV for some of the biggest corporations around, and also make costumes for cool anime characters they want to dress up as at conventions. We get into Sarah's journey from Belfast to film sets and how they have used resources both in and out of education to build a career in an exc...

This week on Story x Story, Nigel and Tazziii welcome G.Sus Coplay on for a deep dive into the incredibly animated world of Belle. We get to explore the real world of the rural Japan where trauma leads to growth, as well as the virtual world of U with all its parallels to our own online lives. This week's storytelling tip is all about creating stories that exist in two different worlds. Other stor...

Welcome to Story x Story! This week we have a rewind episode from the May livestream of our Casual Conversations With Comic Creators series. mayamada co-founder sits down with comic artist Renee Rienties for an open and honest conversation about the craft of comic storytelling. We get into topics like dealing with burnout and self-doubt as a creator, as we discuss Renee's latest anthology project...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome (the other) mayamada co-founder Lao K for a discussion on the state of video game subscription services. We take a look at the efforts of the current major platform holders and debate how Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo's services stack up and what each has to offer in the space. Then we consider what impact game streaming and live services will have on video game...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii have a bumper panel of guests for a dive deep into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We're joined by Jason & Rich from Woo Long Talks along with Vik Deluca from Mega City Comics shop in London. We debate the progression of Wanda Maximoff's character arc in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release, its horror aesthetic and the brutal introduction (and...

In this episode of Story x Story, Nigel and Tazziii welcome Taylor Campbell and Yasin Ali, two-thirds of the indie game developers known as Orthors. We talk about the group's London roots and developing their gaming startup and what they have learned along the way. Taylor and Yasin tell us how they are making waves in gaming industry and what diversity means to them. We also find out why they star...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome Bish Loves Mish from the Get A Life Podcast for an in depth discussion about the animated classic Spirited Away. We've discussed Hayao Miyazaki's work many times on the podcast and discover something new each time, even in this 20+ year old release! We dive deep into the story's themes that are still relevant today. From capitalism to toxic work culture and the...

Podcast co-host Nigel sits down with Dutch comic creator Sabrina Koojimans in this week's Story x Story episode. Sabrina tells us about their journey as a comic creator and how they discovered the world of manga through Akira! A discovery that lead to a life of comic art and storytelling, all the way to being a published comic creator! We talk about having confidence in your work, knowing where to...

Nigel and Tazziii welcome back to of the biggest Batman fans we know for a deep dive into Matt Reeves' The Batman. Annabel Ashalley-Anthony of Melanin Gamers and Greg Driver of Ace Comicals help us break down the latest film adaptation of the Caped Crusader. We discuss some great performances, narrative themes and get into the debate around the film's length...was it too long or just the right len...

It's our first ever, second time returning interview guest! Nigel and Tazziii welcome back Dutch comic artist Renee Rienties for her second "Behind The Story" episode. We catch up with what she has been up to since we first spoke at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Renee tells us about the challenges faced as an artist during COVID-19, her new comic anthology project and which anime character sh...

We're officially members of the Triple Digit Club and for the 100th episode of Story x Story, Nigel and Tazziii take a deep dive into Pixar's Turning Red. We tackle the controversy that surrounded the film as we also examine its characters and narrative themes. Then we reflect on the last 99 episodes of the podcast to discuss our highlights from story discussions over the past three years. You'll...

This week, Nigel and Tazziii interview another awesome creative professional as we welcome cosplayer and Twitch Partner Jahara Jayde! Despite being new to both industries, Jahara has had an incredible rise and lets us in on her journey from Japanese Tutor to streamer cosplayer inspiring young BIPOC girls to enter the gaming and cosplay industry. She talks about finding what you love to do and the...