ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Creative careers rarely begin with careers.
They begin with enthusiasm. With discovering the work that excites you, meeting people who share that excitement, and making things together before anyone knows—or particularly cares—where any of it might lead.
In this episode of the Story First Podcast, Brian McDonald talks with his longtime friend and collaborator Derek Thompson about the experiences that helped shape both of their creative lives. Their conversation moves through art school, comic books, Batman, Aliens, Comic-Con, Stan Winston's creature shop, and the early projects they created together.
But underneath those memories is something larger: the importance of finding your people.
The friends, mentors, collaborators, and creative communities we encounter along the way don't simply help us build careers. They help us discover who we are as artists.
Sometimes the beginning of a creative life is as simple as finding someone else who loves the same things you do—and deciding to make something together.
