Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanako M. Ricks.
Hi Hanako, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to talk about things we now consider “fandom”: TV, movies, books, fictional worlds and characters, etc. In 2005, I got in the Harry Potter fandom pretty heavily, and my love for that fandom started the path that led me to where I am now. A friend of mine told me about a contest for an online entertainment site that was conducting a search for a “Harry Potter” blogger. I entered the contest, had an interview, and was told that I’d won based on my sheer enthusiasm for the fandom. The assignment was meant to only last until the release of the last HP film, but I ended up staying on for another six months or so writing the blog. After that, I started writing for another website, and I started my own blog as well. Around 2007, after I started attending Dragon Con, a friend of mine introduced me to a friend of his, Cat – another young, Black nerdy female who had started her own podcast revolving around science-fiction/fantasy. At that time, I had never heard of a podcast and didn’t know what it was, but she was interested in hearing me talk about Harry Potter and my experience at Dragon Con and so invited me as a guest on her podcast. From there, I made a few more appearances over the next couple of years, and eventually moved up to a “guest host” spot on the podcast.
In the meanwhile, some friends that volunteered at Dragon Con asked if I would sit on a panel or two about Harry Potter. I did, and it was so much fun to be able to sit in a room full of fellow geeks, on a panel with other fellow geeks and talk about geek stuff and not be looked at as if I was weird… it was an amazing feeling and I was hooked. I started appearing on more panels at Dragon Con and a few other fan conventions I’ve attended over the years. – anywhere that I could talk about my favorite shows, movies, books, etc., While I was co-hosting on her podcast, Cat began to encourage me to start my own, especially since some of my interests in TV and film weren’t really discussed on her show. I debated about it for years, feeling as though the market was already oversaturated with enough of the same type of show and I didn’t need to add another of the same. However, every time I appeared on a panel, or talked with other people about my interests, people always told me that I needed to do my own podcast to share my enthusiasm for fandom with others. Then, Covid-19 happened.
As it was with most everyone, my workplace shut down and I began to work at home. My youngest child graduated from high school three months later, and I spent a lot of time watching TV and movies, and just bursting at the seams to talk about it with someone – anyone. The podcast I was on was taking longer breaks in between recordings because every one of us were in different stages of life and just had a hard time catching up with each other. My plans to attend five fan conventions had all been cancelled due to the pandemic, and it got to a point where I was dying to talk about what I had been watching, shows/movies that were due to come out, and other things related to fandom. I started thinking “why should I have to wait for a convention, or another person’s schedule to talk about what I love?” At that point, I reached out to Cat to pick her brain about how she started her podcast. After talking with her, I posted a status on my FB page asking my friends if they thought I should start my own podcast, and if anyone would be interested in being a part of it. I got a lot of encouraging feedback from my friends, and three of them messaged me with interest in participating. These three were friends that I went a long way back with, and had talked to all of them extensively about geek/nerd stuff over the years, and I knew that we would all have a great rapport on a podcast. So, with a team in place, we discussed logistics: what shows we would initially cover, how often we would record, etc. The Fandom Hybrid Podcast launched on September 28, 2020. We cover an average of three TV shows per month, discussing and reviewing the shows on an episode-to-episode basis. As of this interview, we have released 71 individual episodes covering the TV shows and a few films. Aside from myself, there are four others on the FHP team: Michael, Anthony, Lorrie, and Kacey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The past ten years has been a road of ups and downs, that has gotten me to this point. I went through an ugly separation/divorce of a 15-year marriage, a layoff that resulted in being unemployed /underemployed, and losing my father – all within a three year period. I struggled a lot with self-doubt and a lot of days where I felt worthless and like I had not accomplished anything to be proud of. I had to do a lot of soul-searching and learning to let go of things that were not in my control. I had to unlearn a lot of unhealthy behaviors, and ways of unhealthy thinking; I had to learn that my worth was not something to be determined by what anyone else thought of me, or by following society’s standards and timeline for where I should be in my life. I had to learn to stop making myself feel small, and to have confidence in myself, and in my voice. It is something that I have to fight for every day, but one of the most important things I have learned is that positive thinking really is a powerful force to reckon with. In every difficult situation, I try to look for the lessons to be learned, and something good that can come out of it, and I hold on to those things so that the next time I am in a difficult situation, I am reminded of everything I’ve already come through. Every single time I fight a bad situation with a positive outlook, there has always been something good to come out of it. Whatever energy you put out there into the universe, it really does come back to you, so I try to keep mine positive.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Over the past 12 years, I have written for three online blogs and appeared on over 30 panels at fan conventions – all dealing with TV, movies, books, and fan/pop culture. I think one of the things that stands out about me is that I genuinely love to talk about the things that I love, and I am passionate and enthusiastic about it. People tell me all the time that they have watched a show or movie, or read a book because of the way I have spoken about it; I am very animated and I think that draws people in. My hope is that you can feel the love I have for things when I speak; whether it’s about fandom or fictional worlds, or about the people in my life.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My kids (25, 23, and 18); because with everything I’ve gone through in the past ten years – divorce, layoff, financial difficulties – they could have turned out so many different ways. But they are all brilliant young people; strong-willed and intelligent and compassionate, creative people. They have the benefit of growing up in this world where their generation is the one teaching us older ones how to be more open-minded, accepting, tolerant; they are paying attention to what is going on in the world and they are making changes, teaching others, and leading by example. Doing what I do – the panels, the podcasting – talking about the brilliance of the creative minds that come up with the stories and worlds we want to escape to, that also makes me happy. These stories are also teaching a lot of us about the world, about the people in it, and about wanting to be better and do better. Entertainment media has a way of connecting people that would otherwise have nothing in common. For a lot of people, a common interest in a TV show or movie franchise can show us other ways of the world that maybe we were never taught or had a chance to see, and I believe it can also break down barriers and create some of the strongest bonds of friendship and family. I know that it has for me.
Contact Info:
- Email: fandomhybrid@gmail.com
- Website: www.fandomhybrid.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/fandomhybrid
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fandomhybrid
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fandomhybrid
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmWUzxXSo2Or74Cg8GxrV_g
- Other: https://podfollow.com/fandom-hybrid-podcast
Image Credits
Hanako M. Ricks
