Welcome to another exciting interview on The Phoenix Remix! You will remember a while ago we interviewed YouTube Channel Hey It’s Kate Show, well now we have had exclusive access and interview with new YouTube Channel Thesp! To tell you more about the channel we got an exclusive interview with Sadie Thesp.

Hello Sadie, so before we get started tell us a little about yourself

I grew up reading DC comics, playing video games, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and performing in musicals. I desperately wanted to collect DC action figures but never had enough pocket money to buy the ones I wanted. So instead I read every comic I could get my hands on at school and in the library. I loved the stories on those pages and knew that I would spend my life creating and sharing stories of my own.

I always wanted a career in the entertainment industry and so I studied drama and media studies at college. I planned on becoming an actor or presenter and spent all my time training. Unfortunately at the age of 17 I developed a crippling disability which put an end to any hope of an acting carer.At that point the teenage me gave up on my dreams of performing and instead turned my attention to a career in the media.

I went to Bournemouth University to study Interactive Media Production, and spent my time learning how to develop games and excel at digital creation. I loved the course and the people I worked with but I knew in my heart that I belonged on a drama degree. So after a 2 month stretch in hospital I decided to leave BU and took a place on a BA(hons) in Applied Drama. After that I gained my teaching degree and I am currently a drama teacher in a school near Bristol.

In my spare time I am still a gamer, a comic book nerd and sci fi lover, only now I can afford all the toys I want and get to go to comic and anime conventions several times a year, in full cosplay. But now I am adding YouTuber to my CV and am at the beginning of my online career, finally believing in myself enough to put who I am out there and share my passions with the world.

“People should subscribe to my channel because I am honest. I am not pretending to be someone I am not.” – Sadie

Why did you decide to set up a YouTube channel?

I have been a long time fan of Playstation Access’s channel. They recently did a video talking about how they each got into YouTube and it really inspired me. As I have said I always wanted to present or perform and YouTubing has been a constant ambition of mine that I was never brave enough dip into. After watching that video and learning that Hollie went from being a midwife to a community manager at Bandai Namco, before becoming Playstation Access’s Social Media Manager (sorry if that is not the right title Hollie) I realised that the only thing holding me back was me. She turned her love of gaming into a career and if she can do it why can’t I? Hollie and the whole Access team really inspired me.

Gaming and general geekery have always been able to make me smile when times get tough and so it made sense for me to centre my channel around my nerdisms. I want to make others smile by sharing my passions and personality with them. My students already enjoy chatting to me about gaming, anime and superheros so now  I will share that with the YouTube community too.
What is your channel about?

There are loads of channels out there featuring epic gamers who ace every play through, know where every easter egg is hidden and provide flawless walkthroughs of every game they play. Similarly there are tonnes of channels with hosts who have read every comic imaginable and can tell you exaclty which Flash issue Barry Allen first kisses Iris  in or knows what is going to happen in the season finale of Gotham this year. That’s not me.

My channel focuses on an average girl and her geekdom. I don’t pretend to know everything and I fully admit that I am not the best gamer, in fact sometimes I suck. But I love it and will laugh at myself when I screw up. That or rage quit, depends on the level of tension in the game haha. My videos will hopefully make people laugh and you will most definately learn what not to do in a game through watching my fails.

I am passionate about the games I play, comics I read, the shows I watch and the anime I enjoy.  I want the channel to give the feeling of chatting with your geeky friends, rather than listening to someone lecture you on why a comicbook movie sucks for straying from the source material. I am aiming to make my audience smile and hope that the comment section will be a place where like minded people can chat about the things that hey love.

“That is what I love about anime the way that a person can be moved beyonds words by art and to me that is true storytelling.” – Sadie

What sort of episodes can we expect in the future?

Content wise you can expect: Let’s Plays, reviews, top 5 lists, OMG moments, competitions and geeky chats.

At the moment I am experimenting with my first Let’s Plays. I just got my hands on Uncharted 4, so you can watch me fail at that whilst I get used to chatting to noone on my headset, which sidenote; is really weird to do.

I am going to do an OMG moment video once a week discussing my stand out moments in the TV shows I watch. Currently these will revolve around the DC TV universe. With shows such as The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow dominating the comics scene right now I wouldn’t be the nerd I am if I didn’t discuss them! In the coming months I will also include shows like Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black in these videos.

I am yet to decide upon a schedule for my content as I want to see what people enjoy before making up my mind on when to post certain videos. So will be releasing a bit of everything for the first few weeks to see what you all enjoy. Please let me know in the comment section of my YouTube videos what you would like to see more of.
How did you get into anime and comic book films?

As a kid I was never interested in Barbies of baby dolls. I wanted to play with my brothers action figures and make them rescue people. Superheroes have always facsinated me and I  grew up watching X-Men and Spiderman cartoons on Live and Kicking. I started reading Superman and Batman comics and spent a lot of time at the local library cramming in as much DC time as I could before and after school. When I was 12 Smallville started and I became obsessed with it and soon after that comic book movies became cool and I went from being a total loser to being a cool geek. Suddenly liking heroes was cool.

As for anime, I admit, I was a late starter. At college we had a foreign film module as part of the Film Studies A Level, and my lecturer showed us Spiritied Away. I remember sitting there thinking “This is stunning!!”. My 16 year old mind was blown. After that I watched every Ghibli film I could get my hands on and when I met my partner Adam I was introduced to anime series. He shared with me his favourites like Gurren Lagann, Attack on Titan and Sword Art Online and since then we have spent a great deal of our spare time watching anime together. I recently watched the entire back catalogue of canon Naruto episodes and my god did it ruin me. I cried like a baby at that show, with both joy and sadness. Never have I loved a group of characters made from ink and paper so damn much. That is what I love about anime the way that a person can be moved beyonds words by art and to me that is true storytelling. You don’t need big name actors looking pretty on screen to tell a good story, you just need good writing and a love for your work. That is what I see in anime,beauty and passion.
You talk about you figure collection in the first episode- how many Pop Bobbleheads have you got so far, which ones are your favourites and how much have you got so far that your Boyfriend Adam, has to cope with?

So I originally collected anything and everything geeky. I bought everything from Batman bedsheets to Naruto soda, from Superman canvases to Assassin’s Creed gauntlets. But when I moved in with Adam and he soon realised that my geekery was taking over the house he was like SHTAAP! So we agreed I could collect Funko Pops and subscribe to a monthly geek box. I orignially started with Nerd Block’s classic and arcade boxes but after a whiles switched to Loot Crate’s classic and anime subs. Then I discovered the wonderous service that is ShipItTo and realised Icould get a DC Legion of Collectors box shipped to the UK and so canceled every other sub and sign on up for DC goodness.

I currently have 33 pops, which is pitiful when you see other collections. My faves so far are my Blue Lantern Flash and my 6″ Kurama (Naruto’s 9 Tails). I have ordered a super cute pink Harley Quinn from Pop in a Box and cannot wait to get her.

My fave non pop item in my collection is definately my PS4. I have the Ltd edition Batman Arkham Knight console and it is my baby, even though the game itself was a bit of a let down. Other than that I have some super cute Naruto Nendoroids, the Japanese chibi figures, which are ridiculously adorable.

I expect to be added a few items to the collection at the end of this month as I am off to MCM London, so watch the channel to see what I get.

“I want the channel to give the feeling of chatting with your geeky friends, rather than listening to someone lecture you on why a comic book movie sucks for straying from the source material.” – Sadie

What are your plans for the channel to take it further?

I actually watched an interview last night on Social Buzz Awards’ FB feed. Hollie from Playstation Access was on talking about how to grow your YouTube channel. She advised to watch as many videos as possible and to make a list of everything you like and everything you don’t. Stating that it is equally important to know who you don’t want to be as it is to know what your aim is. I have made a start on this and it is already helping me to shape my ideas.

I am also going to promote my channel on Instagram (@Supersades) and on Twitter (@Senseijarvis) . I am still learning about what it means to be a YouTuber, but I am already really enjoying it and can’t wait to see where it goes.
Who is your favourite comic hero and why?

My number one comic book hero is Superman. As a 90’s kid I was inspired by the Superman of my generation. Jurgens,Orway and Grummet are incredible writers and they showed me that no matter what life throws my way I have a stength inside that will see me through.

People hate on Supes for being “over powered” or a “boy scout”, but to me that is what makes him great. Imagine having all that power. How many of us can honestly say that we would be 100% good and just, using it selflessly to help others? I bet, not so many. Superman could have anything he wanted. Just lok as Clark Luthor of Earth 2, in Smallville. He uses his power to rule as Ultraman, giving in to temptation and darkness, leaving destruction in his wake. But Clark Kent, a man who could just as easily be king of the world, choses to stay in the shadow,  creating Superman as a symbol of all that is good, inspiring mankind to be the best versions of themselves. That is why I love Superman.
Why should people follow your channel?

People should subscribe to my channel because I am honest. I am not pretending to be someone I am not. So if you want an “I know everything about nerd life” channel then I am not for you. But if you want someone who will share their true self with you, adit their flaws and laugh at themeselves with you then I am your girl.

YouTube is a community and I want to be part of it. I want to laugh with you, game with you, chat with you, share my passions with you and also learn from you. So please subscribe and start this journey with me.
If people want to follow you where can they find you?

At the moment my channel is titled xx Thesp xx (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCech4XcdTL6p6cw_DNMNwaA) . However I am about to launch a competition to name the channel. There are some awesome channel names out there already like Emergency Awesome and Nerd Therapy, and I am struggling to decide on one for myself. So I am passing the task to you, the YouTube community. To enter you can leave your suggestion on the competion video on my channel or alternatively you can tweet me @senseijarvis using #Thespschannel . The competition will close in one month’s time and the winner will receive an exclusive geeky gift.

If you want to enter Sadie’s competition watch the video below! The competition ends midnight 16th June 2016