Over the years I've gotten to know a few standards about Paul. 1. He's super creative and has a really intense way of pulling out his ideas into actual, tangible art (music, drawing, writing, I could go on...). 2. He LOVES pancakes. 3. He plays bass in a (brace yourselves) Simpsons-themed, Ramones cover band. Basically he's super fun and super cool.
Paul took a break from his busy day to let me ask him a bunch of questions and to let me take random pix of his workspace. I sat down with Paulie to talk about his latest project, Robots With Coffee, here's what he had to say:
What IS Robots With Coffee, and how did it come about?
Robots With Coffee started when I was taking pictures of various action figures I had next to coffee mugs or takeout cups, and I would share it on Facebook. I would get a response from friends that I hadn't gotten for other things, such as the music I had made or general life events I'd share. People I hadn't heard from in a long time would text or call me about it. So I made a facebook page and called it Robots With Coffee, as a joke, and then I woke up one day and I had 300 "likes." (I now have over 600). I created a Twitter account, as a little more serious way to promote the facebook page, and I have 600 followers. It has allowed me to connect with people all over the place, and I had FANS. Who weren't my mom. A lot of response was from fan artwork of specific pop culture related things, but I decided that as this grew (organically, I've done one paid ad on Facebook as a test), I should switch the artistic content that I generate into a comic strip about characters I created, with backstory as to why these strips look the way they do, as opposed to something based on the works of others. I created a website late last year to organize these strips, create a platform for me to discuss things I'm into, and prepare for bigger stories I have planned for Robots With Coffee.
What is the name of your business and how long has it been operating?
Robots With Coffee, and about two and about three years. It started off as a joke, just me taking pictures of my action figures with coffee. Maybe about six months later is when I started drawing pop culture related comic strips for it. But it was October 2014 when I decided I would make it original content (comics of my own characters) with reviews, with plans for video projects; hopefully soon it'll be a multimedia blog as an added bonus to the the comic strips.
Who or what are two things that influence your work the most?
This is hard to nail down to just TWO, but the big thing is the need to not waste more evenings bingeing on TV, so part of this is the feeling that I accomplished something, even if no one reads it. Goofing off on the internet is more fun if I'm the one creating the content people (maybe) forward.
The other thing that influences the work I do is the work I've done before. I've edited & written for a rock magazine, I've played in a lot of bands, I've done a lot of hands on fringe work for fringe theater, and everything I do I take to the next thing I do. HOW well they were done is another issue, but I've always been on shoestring budgets to produce hobbies into real things.
The other thing that influences the work I do is the work I've done before. I've edited & written for a rock magazine, I've played in a lot of bands, I've done a lot of hands on fringe work for fringe theater, and everything I do I take to the next thing I do. HOW well they were done is another issue, but I've always been on shoestring budgets to produce hobbies into real things.
But I grew up on daily comic strips like Bloom County & The Far Side, I watched a lot of cartoons, I quickly discovered cartoonists like Peter Bagge and Evan Dorkin when I got into comic books, and I listen to a lot of awesome rock n roll. Space Ghost Coast To Coast is one of the strangest and funniest shows ever and had a huge impact on much of my writing for a long time. The whole robot thing is related to an infatuation with a ridiculous 80's cartoon about shape changing robots.
What type of project/client is your favorite to work with?Any project with an end goal I can describe is the best, I guess. It takes a lot of preparation which I need when I have to translate my enthusiasm & frustration with whomever I'm working on it. I made an album knowing exactly what it should sound like (and what the CD packaging should look like) and it came out really close. "Really close" isn't 100% but usually the other option/result is "total disaster." I have been making comic strips on a personal blog for a while, but Robots With Coffee has a goal and I'm working to make it happen, starting with this comic.
What three things could you not live without (not people)?
I had to move suddenly, and gave away my beloved stereo and speakers. Just dropped it off at a Salvation Army. Things come and go, so I don't know if I would refer to ideals, goals, or a world of stuff that keeps inspiring me, or if there were actual things. Music is a huge part of my life, right? That stays. I need my pens. People who need drawings of farting robots.
What's the biggest misconception people have about the work you do?
What type of project/client is your favorite to work with?Any project with an end goal I can describe is the best, I guess. It takes a lot of preparation which I need when I have to translate my enthusiasm & frustration with whomever I'm working on it. I made an album knowing exactly what it should sound like (and what the CD packaging should look like) and it came out really close. "Really close" isn't 100% but usually the other option/result is "total disaster." I have been making comic strips on a personal blog for a while, but Robots With Coffee has a goal and I'm working to make it happen, starting with this comic.
What three things could you not live without (not people)?
I had to move suddenly, and gave away my beloved stereo and speakers. Just dropped it off at a Salvation Army. Things come and go, so I don't know if I would refer to ideals, goals, or a world of stuff that keeps inspiring me, or if there were actual things. Music is a huge part of my life, right? That stays. I need my pens. People who need drawings of farting robots.
I tell people I draw. They take a look. "I thought you said you were an artist." No, I just said that I draw. I never said how well. I don't mind it being an acquired taste. Several of these people who wince eventually "get me" and then they're won over. Actual, serious, amazing industry pros have taken their personal time to give me pointers and advice, so that's great.
Someone gifts you $1M, what's the first thing you do for your business? Call the people who want to help me and let them know that a minor hurdle may have been vaulted over, and then call an accountant or business planner. I have PLANS, I tell you! The comic strips are fun but they're the tip of the iceberg, and what's below the surface could be a more elaborate story to be told in different ways. I still plan on doing those things in some way even without the money but that would be swell. Time is the real foe in our plans.
What are you working on today/right now?
I'm finishing up a commission for a 1st grader's birthday party. Some people give me a family injoke and I turn it into a six panel adventure, which often gets reread to the kids as bedtime stories (from what I hear). These help pay for the website and printing the comic. I'm slowly working on my first superhero comic, Sad Vigilante. Beyond that, it's preparing the next Robots With Coffee comic (a coloring book) and researching more movies to review and things to write about on robotswithcoffee.com.
What does the next five years look like for you?
I have to redesign the board game "Life" so that I don't end up BANKRUPT or whatever the non-TYCOON ending is. Hopefully within this year some of the plans for Robots With Coffee start taking shape. In five years they could have come to fruition or I could just still be drawing bickering robots.
Someone gifts you $1M, what's the first thing you do for your business? Call the people who want to help me and let them know that a minor hurdle may have been vaulted over, and then call an accountant or business planner. I have PLANS, I tell you! The comic strips are fun but they're the tip of the iceberg, and what's below the surface could be a more elaborate story to be told in different ways. I still plan on doing those things in some way even without the money but that would be swell. Time is the real foe in our plans.
What are you working on today/right now?
I'm finishing up a commission for a 1st grader's birthday party. Some people give me a family injoke and I turn it into a six panel adventure, which often gets reread to the kids as bedtime stories (from what I hear). These help pay for the website and printing the comic. I'm slowly working on my first superhero comic, Sad Vigilante. Beyond that, it's preparing the next Robots With Coffee comic (a coloring book) and researching more movies to review and things to write about on robotswithcoffee.com.
What does the next five years look like for you?
I have to redesign the board game "Life" so that I don't end up BANKRUPT or whatever the non-TYCOON ending is. Hopefully within this year some of the plans for Robots With Coffee start taking shape. In five years they could have come to fruition or I could just still be drawing bickering robots.
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