The Playing God-cast

Ep. 6 - Sustainable Creativity with Xalavier Nelson Jr. Xalavier Nelson Jr. -- the mind behind such games as Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs, and El Paso Elsewhere. Xalavier is a writer, business owner, and a true man of God and Games. Topics for this episode include: Avoiding burnout, the sacrifices of working in entertainment, Castlevania, Game Development, and rapid iteration Follow Xalavier online: https://twitter.com/WritNelson https://www.patreon.com/StrangeScaffold

Ep. 5 - Heavy Metal and Mental Health with Johnny Crowder Johnny is the creator of Cope Notes - an SMS Text-based mental health company, which has impacted over 20,000 lives. He is also the lead songwriter and frontman for the Metal band Prison, which you may have seen on tour with The Acacia Strain or Korn. Topics for this episode include: Mosh pits, Aaron Carter, Tech Start-ups, and Tattoos. Follow Johnny online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnycrowder/ Check out Johnny's Work:  https://johnnycrowder.com/ https://copenotes.com/ https://prisonfl.bandcamp.com/

Ep. 4 - Listening and Leaps of Faith with Documentary Producer, Mary Beth Minnis Mary Beth is a film producer based in Austin, Texas, and began by telling the story of her friend through a short film for a local Christian Organization. Ten years later she was producing feature-length documentaries with the likes of Steph Curry and Katie Couric. Her films include Unforgivable -- which examines reconciliation in the wake of the Genocie against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and Jump Shot -- a profile of the creator of Basketball’s most commonly used technique. Topics for this episode include: Miracles, Journaling, Listening to God, Vegetable Soup, and Basketball. Follow Mary Beth online: https://twitter.com/MaryBethMinnis Check out her Projects: http://returntomogadishu.com/ http://imbafilm.com/ https://towerdocumentary.com/ https://en.imperdonabile.it/ https://www.jumpshotmovie.com/ https://www.refugemovie.com/

Ep. 3 - Human Value in Digital Worlds with Game Developer, Jay Tholen Jay Tholen is the creator of two beloved video games - Hypnospace Outlaw, a game which simulates an alternate-universe web-browser in 1999, and Dropsy the Clown, the so called “point and click hug-venture,” published by Devolver. When he’s not making games, Jay is a musician, creating beautifully bizarre 70s prog-rock worship music. Topics for this episode include: Call Centers, Empathy, Clowns, Discord Church, Singing Toilets, and Mountain Dew. Follow Jay online: https://twitter.com/jaytholen https://twitter.com/odd_church

The Playing God-Cast Ep. 2 -  Horror and Holiness with Filmmaker Andrew Allen Andrew Allen is an indie writer/director in Los Angeles. If you follow their work, you know two things: they are an absolute encyclopedia of cinematography, and they have very strong feelings about how belief affects media and politics. We met at the last Pre-Covid Austin Film Fest, and I’ve been enraptured by Andrew’s posts and thoughts since. Topics for this episode include: Horror Filmmaking, Evangelical Belief, Martin Scorsese's Silence, Darren Aronofsky's Noah, and Fantasy Storytelling Follow Andrew online:  https://www.instagram.com/a_b_allen/ https://twitter.com/A_B_Allen

The Playing God-Cast Ep. 1 -  Actor and Priest, Christian Anderson Before he was an ordained priest, Christian Anderson was a professional actor with appearances on Key and Peele, Graceland, and iCarly. He currently hosts the Radio Show “A Priest and a Rabbi,” and the YouTube show “Christian and Anastasia.” Topics for this episode include: One Man Shows Discerning the Priesthood Cocaine at Nightclubs Donald Trump YouTube Star-dom Check out Christian’s projects! Christian & Anastasia - Culture Clash Gone Awesome: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1cEA6gprijC5z896aKKd8Q A Priest and a Rabbi Podcast https://apriestandarabbi.podbean.com/ Jesus Was Not A Doorman - One Man Show https://www.jesuswasnotadoorman.com/

Ep. Zero - Meet Your Host Is art adding value to the human condition, or are we just helping distract people in a world circling the drain? Join me, Trevor Whitaker Black, as we explore Belief in Entertainment. What is it like to work on games, movies, or TV as a believer? What is it like to believe in the power of those forms of entertainment. We'll chat with Actors, Game Devs, Directors, Authors and more about their faith journey, their professional work, and the mysterious space in between the two.  New episodes every Wednesday.  Follow the show on twitter and instagram: @PlayingGodcast Follow your host on twitter: @TrevorWBlack