Mad Props with Chris Schnabel

Welcome to Mad Props. Today, we are joined by author and filmmaker E. L. DuBois at Comicpalooza in Houston for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, Hollywood, filmmaking, the Ransom series, and using entertainment to tell stories that actually mean something. E. L. opens up about how her own experiences with trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, homelessness and survival eventually pushed her toward storytelling. Rather than presenting recovery as a simple happily-ever-after, she wanted to create stories that reflected the complicated reality of surviving trauma and rebuilding a life afterward. That journey eventually led from her memoir into fiction. E. L. explains the inspiration behind Ransom, her paranormal series set against the isolation of West Texas, and how her love of Batman, horror, thrillers, action movies and dark humor influenced the universe she created. She also discusses her writing process, building playlists for her books, creating antiheroes and why she has little patience for filler in the stories she consumes or creates. Chris and E. L. also dive into the realities of being an independent author, the importance of social media, maintaining creative control when Hollywood becomes interested in your work and why she has been unwilling to simply hand over the rights to her stories. This interview is also the final installment of Mad Props' Comicpalooza interview series. Join the Discord - https://discord.gg/dYhnmwQANb Follow Mad Props Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madpropspod X: https://www.x.com/madpropspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madpropspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MadPropsPod Follow Chris Schnabel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisschnabel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.schnabel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chris.Schnabel Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Mad Props & E. L. DuBois 02:17 – Comicpalooza, Hollywood & Celebrity Stories 09:24 – Social Media & Life as an Independent Author 13:56 – Turning Real-Life Experiences Into Stories 17:31 – Creating Ransom & the West Texas Horror Universe 22:09 – Survival, Advocacy & Life After Trauma 25:02 – Hollywood Stories & Meeting Celebrities 29:21 – Maintaining Creative Control in Hollywood 33:26 – Writing, Comfort Shows & Creative Inspiration 38:19 – Audiobooks, Movies & the Stories That Shaped Her 47:57 – Journey & Using Film to Tell Difficult Stories 50:09 – The Power of Impactful Storytelling 53:13 – Final Thoughts & Mad Props Outro

No guest this week — Chris Schnabel is opening up the Mad Props mailbag and answering your questions about the podcast, sports, Marvel, Nintendo, favorite guests, behind-the-scenes stories and more. Chris kicks things off with his thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and why taking Spider-Man back to a more street-level story is exactly what he wanted to see from Tom Holland's version of the character. From there, the mailbag goes everywhere. Chris looks back at more than five years of Mad Props, including the interviews he immediately knew were special, guests who surprised him, embarrassing production mistakes, episodes that never made it to air, the interviews that required the most preparation and the guests he still keeps in touch with today. Want your question featured in a future Mad Props mailbag? Send it to [email protected] or reach out @MadPropsPod on social media. Join the Discord - https://discord.gg/dYhnmwQANb Follow Mad Props Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madpropspod X: https://www.x.com/madpropspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madpropspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MadPropsPod Follow Chris Schnabel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisschnabel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.schnabel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chris.Schnabel Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to the Mad Props Mailbag 02:29 – Spider-Man: Brand New Day 04:48 – Favorite Interviews & Mad Props Stories 06:26 – Can the Yankees Win the World Series? 08:23 – Production Mistakes & Surprising Guests 12:03 – Building the Perfect Yankees Team 13:46 – Underrated Mad Props Episodes & Podcast Growth 15:24 – Interview Preparation & Behind the Scenes 19:35 – Guests Chris Still Keeps in Touch With 22:13 – Sports, Yankees & Orlando Magic 25:37 – When Mad Props Became a Legitimate Show 28:01 – The Mad Props Episodes That Never Aired 28:53 – Nintendo NEEDS a New Mario Baseball 30:19 – Chris' Personality & Growth as an Interviewer 32:46 – What Happens With Guests Before Recording 33:32 – Interviewing Childhood Icons 34:50 – Dream Guests & "How Did I Book Them?" 36:53 – Outro

Welcome to Mad Props. Host Chris Schnabel throws it back to June 22, 2022, when legendary comic book artist Scott Koblish joined the show to talk Deadpool, Marvel, comic book movies, his career as an artist, and a lifetime spent in the comic book industry. Chris originally met Scott at Lilac City Comic Con in Spokane, Washington, where Scott drew Chris and Mary as Deadpool. A few weeks later, Scott joined Mad Props for what became Episode 40 of the podcast. Scott dives into his years working on Deadpool and why the character gives artists and writers a level of creative freedom that characters like Superman and Spider-Man simply can't. He discusses the challenge of making comedy work in comics, his work on The Secret History of the War on Weed, and creating new characters without the restrictions that come with decades of established continuity. The conversation expands into The Boys, Umbrella Academy, X-Men, Justice League, Marvel and DC as Scott and Chris discuss how superhero storytelling has evolved beyond traditional comic books. Scott shares his perspective on comic book movies, adaptations that improve upon their source material, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the incredible transformation of superhero entertainment from older television adaptations to the modern era. Later, Scott reflects on the late George Pérez and the enormous influence Pérez had on him both personally and professionally. He shares memories of their relationship, Pérez's impact on generations of comic creators, and what it meant to spend time with one of his heroes near the end of Pérez's life. Originally recorded June 22, 2022. Join the Discord - https://discord.gg/dYhnmwQANb Follow Scott Koblish Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottkoblish/?hl=en Follow Mad Props Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madpropspod X: https://www.x.com/madpropspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madpropspod Follow Chris Schnabel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisschnabel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.schnabel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chris.Schnabel Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome & The Story Behind This Throwback 03:00 – Scott Koblish Joins Mad Props 04:53 – Traveling the World Through Comic Conventions 13:17 – Drawing Deadpool & Why the Character Is Unbreakable 15:28 – The Secret History of the War on Weed 17:09 – The Boys, X-Men & Breaking Superhero Rules 24:10 – Comic Book TV, Movies & Adaptations 28:23 – How Superhero Movies Changed Comic Book Culture 31:04 – Comics, Mythology & Why Superheroes Endure 38:47 – How Scott Koblish Became a Comic Book Artist 47:36 – Remembering the Legendary George Pérez 56:53 – Scott's Current Projects & What's Next 59:26 – Outro

Welcome to Mad Props. Host Chris Schnabel sits down with legendary voice actress and musician Debi Derryberry for a conversation about Jimmy Neutron, Monster High, voice acting, music, conventions, and a career that has spanned decades of animation and entertainment. Known around the world as the voice of Jimmy Neutron, Debi takes Chris behind the scenes of landing one of Nickelodeon's most recognizable roles, from auditioning for the original project to seeing Jimmy Neutron grow into a movie, television series, and character that fans still love decades later. But voice acting is only part of Debi's story. She shares how her career began with a love of singing and playing guitar, moving to Nashville to pursue country music, working as a session singer, and eventually finding her way into voiceover. Debi continues to make music today through her country band Honey Pig and her children's music, including the Debi Derryberry Kids YouTube channel. They discuss children's music and YouTube, performing songs in character, conventions, interacting with fans, collectibles, Funko Pops, the unusual vocal techniques voice actors need to master, and why the voice acting community has remained so close. Whether you grew up with Jimmy Neutron, Monster High, Nickelodeon, animation, or simply want to know what life behind the microphone is really like, this episode offers a look inside the career of one of animation's most recognizable voices. Join the Discord - https://discord.gg/dYhnmwQANb Follow Debi Derryberry Website: https://debiderryberry.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debiderryberry YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DebiDerryberryKIDS Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C3JTRR3?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Follow Mad Props Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madpropspod X: https://www.x.com/madpropspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madpropspod Follow Chris Schnabel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisschnabel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.schnabel YouTube: @Chris.Schnabel Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to Mad Props & Introducing Debi Derryberry 07:01 – Auditions, Home Studios & the Modern Voice Actor 11:48 – Debi's Music Career & Moving to Nashville 18:02 – Building Debi Derryberry Kids on YouTube 25:06 – Singing as a Voice Actor 26:19 – How Debi Found Voice Acting 32:53 – Conventions, Fans & Iconic Character Voices 38:06 – How Debi Became Jimmy Neutron 41:09 – Final Thoughts

Welcome to Mad Props. Host Chris Schnabel sits down with writer Robert Saucedo at Comicpalooza in Houston to talk about Where Wolf, Curse of the Werewolf, horror-comedy, independent comics, monster movies, Texas storytelling, and the process of bringing a graphic novel to life. Robert explains the wild premise behind Curse of the Werewolf: a reporter goes undercover at a furry convention to stop a werewolf from eating everyone. Yes, you read that correctly. Robert shares how his love of monsters, horror, comics and animation helped shape a series he describes as Rick and Morty meets Scooby-Doo. He and Chris dive into the lasting influence of Scooby-Doo, the possibility of bringing Where Wolf into animation, and how Robert went from a lifelong fan to writing and publishing his own nearly 300-page graphic novel. They also get into the realities of independent comics, including finding the right artist, maintaining creative control, promoting your own work, selling at conventions, learning what actually gets people to stop at a booth, and using Comicpalooza to connect directly with readers. The conversation eventually goes well beyond comics as Robert and Chris discuss Houston, Texas, monster movies, killer whales, hurricanes, tornadoes, concerts, music, film festivals, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the random interests that can eventually become inspiration for a creative project. Whether you're into horror comics, graphic novels, werewolves, Scooby-Doo, independent publishing, Comicpalooza, monster movies or the creative process behind making your own comic, this episode is a look at what happens when you take a weird idea seriously enough to turn it into something real. Join the Discord - https://discord.gg/dYhnmwQANb Follow Robert Saucedo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robsauce2500/ Follow Mad Props Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madpropspod X: https://www.x.com/madpropspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madpropspod Follow Chris Schnabel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisschnabel TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.schnabel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chris.Schnabel Mad Props is a Schnabel Studios Production CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome Robert Saucedo 01:51 – Where Wolf, Scooby-Doo & Comicpalooza 05:09 – Conventions, Artist Alley & Connecting With Fans 09:00 – How Robert Became a Comic Book Writer 11:40 – Creating & Selling an Independent Graphic Novel 15:52 – Comic Books, Horror & Creative Influences 19:19 – Expanding the Werewolf Universe 23:21 – Killer Whales, Texas & Unexpected Inspiration 27:50 – Music, Movies & Pop Culture 32:13 – Film Festivals, Recognition & What's Next 34:21 – Outro