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By Root 626 0

to provide something in return. Very important life principle alert In order to get, you must first give. That can be money or a split of the proceeds that may come from the final product, or teaching them about your thing. Never forget that you yourself are a commodity. If you are truly passionate and excited about what you are making, you will have an infectious quality that will inspire other humans to work with you to help you realize your—or a collective—vision. Examples!

WEB SOUP

■ Collaborate with writing staff. (Easy one. This is a TV show with a production budget.)

ATTACK OF THE SHOW

■ Same as above.

PODCASTS

■ Teamed up with a couple of Nerds I found in an old arcade at a Greyhound station: Matt Mira and Jonah Ray.

■ Podcast network: provide the production and delivery system for other people’s shows.

ANIMATED SHOW

• Cowrote script with Mikes Henry and Phirman.

• Cowrote music with Phirman.

• Partnered with animation ninjas Puny Entertainment.

NERDIST INDUSTRIES

• Formed equity partnership with Geek Chic Daily.

» I provide creative content.

» They provide business infrastructure (they do all of that marketing, business-y stuff that used to pull me away from comedy-writing).

• Programming nightly live shows at NerdMelt.

» Hired theater director Emily Gordon to run the space.

» Paying her with revenue generated from shows.

» Brought on five interns who are gaining experience in production and comedy.

NERDIST TEES

• Teamed up with graphics Jedi Chris Glass.

» I send him ideas.

» He designs and fulfills orders at Wire and Twine.

» We split revenue.

THE NODE

• Teamed up with Red Magnet, a great social media company.

» They provide infrastructure, I provide content and promotion.

» Fifty-fifty partnership.

These are just a few ways that Nerds can mash their talents together to create things. This was the founding principle behind the Node—it was conceived to be a collaboration network for like-minded Nerds to inspire and help each other make things (http://node.nerdist.com). Ask yourself how your skills and talents could serve your partner; you should make it your task to find ways to complement those around you so everyone wins. I’m SURE by now you must have written your skills and assets in your Character Tome, right? Maybe you should go back and check just to be sure. [winky emoticon]

CHARACTERCIZE

What types of things would you like to create but lack the skill?

Who do you know that might be able to collaborate with you?

If the above answer is “not a damn person,” what are some ways you could find someone?

What can you offer in exchange?

YOUR GREATEST HITS

If you’re going to shit on yourself when you fail, it is only right in the name of balance that you hug yourself when you succeed. Take the wins. Shut your eyes when they happen and just take a snapshot of the moment. FEEL what you have accomplished coursing through your veins. It is imperative that you start creating notches of appreciation for your efforts on your way to becoming someone who can manufacture goodness in the world.

In order to begin making any kind of improvements in my life I had to start writing stuff down. A complex writing system is our scepter next to the throne at the top of the food chain, so why not use it? You can laugh at your dog in a superior tone every time you do it. “Ha! I’m better at writing than you, Scott!” (My husky/Aussie shepherd mix’s name is Scott.) As someone who tends toward being mercilessly hard on myself, I found that it was easy to let the “win” of successes vacate my conscious mind fairly quickly. I had a very “what have you done for me lately” relationship with myself, not unlike the hit song “What Have You Done for Me Lately?” by Ms. Jackson (because I’m nasty).

At the conclusion of each Julian calendar year, I would get into a headspace of “GAH! I didn’t do ANYTHING this year. Still so far to go. So far . . .” Why it didn’t occur to me until last year to actually take