Interview With Myself

April 24, 2012 by Josh Selig

JOSH: Thanks for making time for me today.

JOSH: Of course.

JOSH: So, how long have you been writing this blog for Kidscreen?

JOSH: I have been writing the blog since October 6, 2008 but I ran out of things to write about on June 25, 2010.

JOSH: So why do you continue?

JOSH: Well, when I was a kid I used to quit things quite often. For example, when I was seven years old, I was very into rug hooking. I asked my mother to buy me this very large pattern and lots of yarn. I only hooked about two feet of it and then I quit. A few years later I quit coin collecting, then magic tricks, then Little League Baseball. My mother became concerned and she told me I was in “real danger” of becoming a “quitter.” That conversation stayed with me so now I don’t quit anything, not even the things that I should quit, like watching Dog The Bounty Hunter.

JOSH: What have been some the highlights for you of writing the blog?

JOSH: Outlasting Jeff Gomez. He’s a really good writer so when he got a Kidscreen blog and started adding all of his hyperlinks and YouTube videos I got a little freaked out. I felt that my own blog, by comparison, was very Beatrix Potter. But then Jeff quit after a few months – (as many Kidscreen bloggers do) – and I was relieved. I almost sent Jeff a note warning him that he was in real danger of becoming a quitter but then I realized that it wouldn’t make sense to anyone but me. For the record, I consider Jeff a friend and a visionary and I’m always amazed that he can add dissolves and camera moves to his Power Point presentations.

JOSH: Does it bother you that your blog regularly makes the “Most Popular” list on Kidscreen.com and yet you only average about 2.5 comments per blog?

JOSH: It used to bother me but then I realized how much I hated leaving comments on other people’s blogs. There’s just such pressure to be clever or quippy when you leave a comment. It’s like a form of stage fright. With all that said, I would be lying if I told you I didn’t check my blog a few times a day to see if I got any new comments. Comments are to bloggers what doubloons are to pirates.

JOSH: You seem to be very into words. What are your two favorite words?

JOSH: Mary & Buffy.

JOSH: And what are your two least favorite words?

JOSH: Toyetic & Edutainment.

JOSH: Which brings me to the Small Potatoes. Is it true that one broadcaster initially passed on the Small Potatoes because they said Nate looked too much like a penis?

JOSH: No comment.

JOSH: Fair enough. In just a few short months, the “Small Potatoes” have amassed 750,000 international fans on Facebook, mostly teenagers. How?

JOSH: 783,163. But who’s counting. The teen thing really caught us all by surprise. What we’ve discovered is that teens just find the Small Potatoes to be irresistibly cute. Their postings are very similar to the ones you’ll see on the popular “Hello Kitty” Facebook page. We think we may have inadvertently cracked the elusive 2 – 20 demographic.

JOSH: Kudos. But does your constant and – dare I say it – shameless self-promotion of the Small Potatoes bother you even a little bit?

JOSH: Not so much. www.facebook.com/thesmallpotatoes

JOSH: I know you dislike this question but I have to ask it anyway: Where do you get your ideas for your shows?

JOSH: I plagiarize my unconscious.

JOSH: Last question: What do you do when you can’t think of anything whatsoever to write about for your blog?

JOSH: I typically fall back on a fake interview structure. It’s fast and easy. And when I’m really hard up I’ll even resort to interviewing myself. It’s very sad. I know.

Carla

I love it! I’m totally going to interview myself this afternoon, it looks like fun
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1532837577 Debra Moffitt

Here’s to upping your 2.5 comment average. This was a gem of a line: Comments are to bloggers what doubloouns are to pirates.
John Collins

Nice interview, Josh. You had him up against the ropes at one point, but clearly he’s such a pro he managed to wriggle free. He’d make a great politician.

If you see him again, tell him John says hi…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1059990429 Natalie Dumoulin

I’ve heard that Brain scans reveal striking similarities in the thought pathways of highly creative people and those with schizophrenia…:)
Jamie Waese

“I plagiarize my unconscious.” I might need to plagiarize that one…
kelly

Embarrassed myself in public by laughing out loud more than once. This post is a gem! I too must join The Rug Hooking Hall of Shame. What it does to the psyche….
Ddunnboysen

Josh: I always love reading (and commenting) on your blogs. It is nice to see that you are comfortable enough in your own masculinity to admit you were into rug hooking. (Ha! Ha!)
Kristy

You crack me up Josh! … come to think of it… Nate does look a little phallic
Donna

Hey Josh, thanks for introducing us to Josh. Seems a little crazy, but I like him!
Juli

Love this, Josh! Brilliant idea. We are huge fans of the Small Potatoes, too! What will you think of next?!?
Jamie

!! ver’ funny !!
http://kavitaramchandran.wordpress.com/ Kavita Ramchandran

lol. LOVE it!
http://seetroisewrite.wordpress.com/ Chris Troise

I loved this line: “I plagiarize my unconscious.”
Carin Greenberg

Hi, Josh. It looks like you bested your 2.5 comment per blog average, but I wanted to add mine just so you know your blog is read and appreciated.
Reynaldo Marchezini

Funny and clever!
Oliver Brown

Josh,

This is so great. I am now going to give myself an award and get very emotional then interview myself! Are you going to the 30th at NMH? Cheers oliver
Brenda

Very funny Josh! We should all interview ourselves once in a while!
Poor Nate.
http://twitter.com/360KID Scott Traylor

Well done Josh, and great interviewing prowess Josh. Toyetic and edutainment bother me too, along with transmedia and gamification. I hope you never have to spend time with those words. Congratulations again on Small Potatoes!
Katie B

Awesome blog post – very funny and clever and I felt compelled to comment as I, too, am a blogger and know how a comment can make your day. I loved all the questions, but my all-time favorite Q & A was this:

JOSH: You seem to be very into words. What are your two favorite words?JOSH: Mary & Buffy.Nice.
Colleen

There was definitely an audible “awww” at the “Mary & Buffy” answer �
Yay potatoes for reaching 800,000!
Modeana

Hi Josh,
My kindergarten class here in California LOVES the Small Potatoes! One of your animators at Little Airplane, Kyle Anderson, was a student of mine when he was a little boy. Every year, when he visits the west coast, he squeezes in time to volunteer for a morning and do a little art lesson or clamation session with my class. He was here this year just after Imagination came out, and now my class can’t get enough of the Small Potatoes. They especially love Potato Train and their absolute favorite is when they get to take out their rhythm sticks, and maracas to do the Small Potato Conga!!! I wish I could post a video for you of them marching around the room because they really are good at it (unfortunately it’s against district policy to put our kids on the internet). Do you think you could put a version with a longer “conga” section in it on youtube? I always have to play it at least three times!
Thanks for making kindergarten a fun place to be!
Modeana

Photos

MIPCOM 2012 - Beautiful view from the Croisette