In chronicling information for the wiki, I decided it would be a good idea to reach out to some of the writers, crew, comic book artists, and even actors to get insights. I conducted 27 interviews over the years, sometimes getting good insight into show, sometimes understanding an actor’s motivations, always geeking out on a show I’m passionate about. One of the comic book artists, the incredibly talented Jason Badower, really appreciated my geekiness, and would throw Easter eggs in some of the Heroes comics for me, like naming nightclubs and hotels after me, or naming a character after me. What an awesome guy Jason is!
I got a call one day from a producer I had interviewed, and they wanted me to appear as a guest host on a new show they were starting on G4 called “The Post Show”. It was basically a recap of Heroes that aired after each episode. I was on four times, usually talking about what I predicted would happen next, or debating topics and conspiracy theories. What a trip that was, to set up a little studio in my living room, with a backdrop of original prints that Jason Badower made for me, and wearing my Heroes Wiki shirt! Total geekdom!
The producer wanted to hire me to do some digital writing for some of the online content on NBC, to help expand their expanded universe. I wrote texts that would go out furthering the story, online messages that helped guide fans, and content on some of the ability choosers that NBC created (kind of like the Sorting Hat at Pottermore). I did a ton of research for NBC, which was easy since I was drowning in information I had collected over the years. NBC asked me to write a choose your own adventure type story, which I did. I may or may not have named a character after my daughter! As a 6th grade teacher, it was fun to see the writing process in action, to watch all the drafts get passed back and forth, and to see how decisions were made for clarity, for creative content, and for legal reasons.
Heroes starts with Peter Petrelli asking the question that guides the entire series, “You ever get the feeling like you're meant to do something extraordinary?” I love this question, and I think it’s one that most people have asked at some point in their lives. I know doing research for NBC and writing about obscure characters in an extended universe might not be everybody’s idea of a super fun time, but for me it was! I didn’t save the cheerleader or save the world, but I was lucky enough to be hired to do something extraordinary.
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