Black and Snerdy Podcast

Sep 8 · 1h 19m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo "Kid" Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome filmmaker and musical artist Marck Angel to discuss the making of his film Seraphim: The Motion Picture, tracing its origins back to the Trayvon Martin verdict and his 2019 album Angel Dust. Marck Angel walks through the film's COVID-disrupted production, the diverse cast and crew he assembled, and the specific influences behind his lead performance, citing the Nina character from Love Jones and Dow Stevens' role on Noah's Ark. He also details the musical lineage behind the Seraphim soundtrack, naming Janet Jackson's Reformation, Michael Jackson's Bad and Moonwalker, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Prince's Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times, and Beyoncé's Break My Soul and Lemonade as touchstones, alongside his father's early introduction to Alvin Ailey's choreography.The conversation moves into a mental health check-in where Mo "Kid" Licorish speaks about living with bipolar II disorder and Marck Angel discusses the exhaustion of a four-year independent film process. A news segment follows in which Marck Angel raises the case of Nolan Wells and the absence of Black-led queer films at the Toronto International Film Festival, while Ode covers the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday amid plagiarism accusations, a lost publishing deal for Southern Methodist University student Jerry Falade, and ongoing disaster recovery in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Cuba. The episode closes with a tribute to actress Hayden Panettiere and her past work on Remember the Titans, Bring It On, and Heroes, along with details on where to stream Seraphim: The Motion Picture on Deku through Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.

Sep 4 · 1h 10m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo "Kid" Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome Dominic Jordon, founder of Slevin Studio, for a bonus episode of Black and Snerdy. Jordon traces his path from an early clothing brand and freelance photo and video gigs into founding Slevin Studio, drawing a comparison to the HBO series How to Make It in America along the way. He points to his manga-style photo book, Tei Travels Volume One: Tokyo, Japan, styled after the visual work behind Your Name and Weathering With You, as the project he is most proud of, and offers advice to aspiring Black creatives about building community through Facebook and Discord groups. The conversation turns to anime-inspired tattoos, with Jordon explaining a Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood piece pulled from a Roy Mustang scene and naming A Silent Voice as a story about forgiveness that shaped his outlook, while Mo shows off a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure tattoo of his own.The Watch Out Now segment breaks down the first three episodes of the English dub of Ghost Stories, tracing how the anime flopped in Japan before American voice actors were given free rein to rewrite it, with comparisons made to Dragon Ball Z Abridged, Bleach Abridged, and Bob's Burgers before Jordon, Ode, and Mo each score it out of five snerds. A One Piece trivia game called Emoji Me Senpai follows, running Jordon and Ode through emoji clues built around characters including Luffy, Nico Robin, Trafalgar Law, Shanks, Mihawk, Big Mom, and Orochi. The Big Mad segment covers the industry's move away from physical media following the Funimation and Crunchyroll merger, ongoing MTA service disruptions, and concerns about AI tools such as Claude replacing literacy and critical thinking in education and medicine. Making Us Happy closes things out with the Kingdom Hearts 4 release window, an SVU return that may include New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson by way of Mariska Hargitay, and a family conversation Mo describes as difficult but rewarding.Dominic Jordon (aka creative_teddy7) is the founder and creative lead of Slevin Studio, a media production company based in Ogden, Utah. He specializes in cinematography-driven storytelling, helping brands and organizations create meaningful, high-quality content for digital platforms.Drawing on a background in both cinematography and photography, Dominic blends strong visual composition with intentional narrative to help businesses communicate who they are, what they stand for, and why it matters. His work spans branded films, social-first video content, and authentic behind-the-scenes storytelling — always aiming for visuals that feel human, cinematic, and purposeful.www.slevinstudio.comdominicjordon.myportfolio.comConnect with the Snerdy Crew:Watch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠

Sep 1 · 57m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo "Kid" Licorish (@licorishislegit) are joined by stand-up comedian and film critic Rallo Boykins for a conversation that moves through his path from Howard University to stand-up comedy and Instagram film criticism, including his takes on I Got the Hook Up, Christopher Robin, and the difference between Joker and its sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. The discussion turns to Marvel's recent handling of Black characters, covering the cancellations of Wonder Man season two, the long-delayed Blade project starring Mahershala Ali, Ironheart, and Iron Wars, alongside the fallout from Jonathan Majors' exit from the Kang Dynasty storyline and the newly cast Maya Boyd as Storm in the upcoming X-Men film. Ryan Coogler's outsized role in Marvel's Black-led projects and the franchise's post-Endgame slump, including Shang-Chi and Black Widow, also come up as part of the larger conversation about representation.The group then reviews House Party, breaking down the film's cast of Kid 'n Play, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, John Witherspoon, and the late Robin Harris, along with its lasting cultural footprint and the age gap between the actors and the high school characters they portrayed. Rallo Boykins shares frustration over Jonathan Majors' MCU exit and praises his performance in Magazine Dreams, while Mo "Kid" Licorish closes the episode with an extended look at the manga and anime Dandadan and how its use of assault as a plot device is discussed within anime and manga fan spaces. Rallo Boykins closes out by pointing to his channel, Rallo TV, and his upcoming series, See Me in a Madden.Rallo's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ralloConnect with the Snerdy Crew:Watch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠

Aug 28 · 55m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo "Kid" Licorish (@licorishislegit) sit down with author and world traveler Phil the Blerd Explorer to unpack his journey from a university job board ad to nine years teaching English in South Korea, and eventually a second career as a licensed ESL teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. Phil explains how teaching pay, employer-covered housing, and currency exchange rates worked while living abroad, describes the housing discrimination foreign and Black expats can run into in South Korea, and details getting his Washington, D.C. and Georgia teaching licenses within days of each other. The conversation also covers his Black Travel Guide Series, upcoming travel plans across Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, and Botswana, and his advice for staying safe while traveling in countries dealing with visible poverty.Phil then joins the Anime or AniNay game, guessing alongside Ode whether Mo's anime synopses are real or invented, with titles including One Piece, Berserk, Code Geass, Food Wars, Violet Evergarden, Kill la Kill, and Steins;Gate all coming up in play. Big Mad covers Phil's missing teacher badge, Ode's long-running frustration with never learning to drive paired with a breakdown of MARTA and transit expansion in Atlanta, and Mo's criticism of social media platforms failing to flag graphic content for users. Making Us Happy closes the episode with Phil's excitement for Dragon Con and an Atlanta book festival, Ode celebrating friends' pregnancies, and Mo sharing a correctly guessed gender reveal.Phil the Blerd Explorer can be found on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_blerd_e...and TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@theblerdexplo...IndieGoGo: https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects...Connect with the Snerdy Crew:Watch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠

Aug 25 · 1h 28m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo AKA Kid Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome Davies and Tiffany of the Anime Nokori podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on Black and Snerdy. Tiffany opens up about how Fruits Basket helped her rebuild her sense of self after ending an engagement she entered right out of high school, while Davies credits Princess Mononoke with expanding his imagination beyond Western fantasy storytelling. The four also trace their earliest anime memories back to Kiki's Delivery Service, Cowboy Bebop, Akira, and the original Dragon Ball, before Tiffany and Davies offer newcomer recommendations including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Samurai Champloo.The group then runs through two original games built around anime trivia, correctly identifying characters like Naruto, Goku, Deku, Shinji Ikari, and Edward Elric, along with real-versus-invented plot summaries for shows including Bleach, Sword Art Online, Devilman Crybaby, and Ergo Proxy. During the Big Mad segment, Tiffany describes having her laptop and hard drive stolen at DreamCon, while Davies and Ode dig into Sony's move to gatekeep Crunchyroll's physical media behind paid tiers and the broader frustration of streaming platforms splitting shows across services. The episode closes on lighter notes, with Davies detailing a new Claude-powered editing workflow built with Audacity and Tiffany celebrating the arrival of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Aang movie on Paramount.The Anime Nokori Podcast is An Anime Discussion Podcast that talk about series from the past and present.Instagram: Anime NokoriTwitter: Anime NokoriBlusky: Animenokori.comYoutube:@AnimenokoriConnect with the Snerdy CrewWatch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aug 22 · 1h 6m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo "Kid" Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome comedian and podcaster Kendrick Tucker, host of I Kennot with Kendrick Tucker, for a bonus episode built around reality TV debate and career advice. Kendrick traces his path from watching Unsolved Mysteries as a kid to launching his own podcast during COVID, and discusses topics from Real Housewives reunions to X-Men '96 on his own show. He explains why he'd only do a low-effort competition show like Big Brother or The Traitors, and weighs in on The Circle's move from Netflix to Hulu and its new Hunger Games-style voting mechanics. The three also debate the merits of networking horizontally versus chasing viral moments, building on a quote from Issa Rae.The episode's centerpiece is a five-round This or That built around iconic Black reality stars, pitting NeNe Leakes against Kenya Moore, Karen Huger against Gizelle Bryant, Jocelyn Hernandez against Cardi B, Stevie J against Benzino, and RuPaul against Bob the Drag Queen, with debate touching on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Potomac, Love & Hip Hop, and RuPaul's Drag Race. Big Mad turns toward a July jobs report showing 23,000 lost jobs and the difficulty of being hired without prior expert-level experience, while Making Us Happy covers Kendrick's nonstop eating with visiting coworkers in Memphis and closes with direct advice from Kendrick to both hosts about relocation and trusting one's instincts in friendships.Connect with the Snerdy CrewWatch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aug 18 · 1h 12m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo aka Kid Licorish (@licorishislegit) sit down with Coach Toci, founder of Mompreneur Academy, for a conversation on entrepreneurship, branding, and mental health. Coach Toci traces her hustle back to selling CDs and candy as a child, then walks through her path into motherhood in 2021, a home birth experience, and the realities of Black maternal and infant mortality that shaped a decision to build a business centered on staying home with her children. Coach Toci unpacks the message behind stop being the best kept secret, arguing that most entrepreneurs struggle not from a lack of talent but from a lack of visibility, and points to Susan Jeffers' book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway as a resource for pushing past hesitation. The conversation moves into pricing psychology, covering why women and mothers routinely undercharge for their work, and cites business coach Lamar Tyler of Traffic Sales and Profit on the importance of tracking real sales numbers rather than relying on instinct.Coach Toci then turns her attention to Black and Snerdy itself, running a live audit of the podcast's presence across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X, flagging hashtag strategy, an inactive-looking X profile, missing YouTube live content, and the case for building an owned email list instead of relying on any single platform. A mental health check-in follows, where Mo discloses living with bipolar disorder while currently unmedicated and Coach Toci discusses navigating a divorce alongside the value of therapy during major life transitions. Big Mad brings frustrations over recurring Apple account charges, rising inflation, and a wave of AI-generated YouTube channels producing fake WWE wrestling news and scraped commentary on shows like The Wire and The Sopranos, including AI-generated music using the likeness of artists such as Timberland. The episode closes on a lighter note with an update on food creator Cabinet Carl.join.mompreneuracademy.biz Instagram: @mompreneuracademyofficial Facebook @mompreneuracademyofficial Connect with the Snerdy CrewWatch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aug 14 · 1h 22m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo AKA Kid Licorish (@licorishislegit) sit down with Keith and MarkDub of the Blerd-ish podcast for a wide-ranging bonus episode marking Blerd-ish's ten-year anniversary. The conversation traces the show's start around the release of Black Panther, its roots in an earlier basketball podcast called Basketball and BS, and its growth into a platform for independent Black comic creators, with mentions of Tribe creators Todd Johnson and Larry Stroman, whose X-Factor designs recently showed up in an episode of X-Men '97, along with Chew and Farmhand creator Rob Guillory and voice actors Phil LaMarr and Kevin Conroy. Keith and MarkDub also walk through the friction of running a Black-centered vendor table at a regional Comic-Con, a debate over whether Image Comics still counts as independent, and book recommendations from independent authors Milton J. Davis and Jason Reeves, including Davis's novel The Black Rose.The second half shifts into current events and anime. Keith, MarkDub, and Mo AKA Kid Licorish discuss a racist incident at DreamCon in Houston involving a cosplayer dressed as Frieza, while Ode covers a Tennessee news story involving a mother named Kendra Scott who was charged after shooting a man found in her daughter's room. On the lighter side, the group recommends Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, new episodes of My Adventures with Superman and X-Men '97, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Zom 100, Rooster Fighter, and the new series Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider, with Mo "Kid" Licorish also announcing plans to rewatch Gurren Lagann from the beginning. Keith and MarkDub close things out with where to find Blerd-ish online and news of an upcoming appearance at Anime Conclave in New Orleans.Check out Blerd-Ish Podcast on there LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/blerd.ishConnect with the Snerdy CrewWatch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aug 11 · 1h 37m

Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo AKA Kid Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray of Queue Points podcast for a bonus crossover centered on Netflix's The Greatest Night in Pop. The conversation traces the recording of We Are the World, covering the roles played by Harry Belafonte, Ken Kragen, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones in assembling the session, along with standout moments involving Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, and Al Jarreau. The group also discusses points of frustration with the documentary, including Prince's absence, the treatment of Sheila E., and Patti LaBelle missing the recording the year before her own breakout. Before the review, DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray walk through the origins of Queue Points tracing the show's start back to the Salt-N-Pepa Lifetime biopic and the public dispute involving Spinderella. A Time Capsule segment rounds out the front half, with selections including Valentino's 1975 recording of I Was Born This Way, Earth Wind and Fire, A Tribe Called Quest's Stressed Out, and the full catalog of Destiny's Child.The back half of the episode moves into a hypothetical modern version of the recording, with the group debating a 2026 lineup that includes Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, The Weeknd, and Questlove. Big Mad turns to the impact of the Canadian wildfires on air quality, commentary on Dame Dash carried over from a previous live show, and frustration with anime fans who argue that shows like One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood contain no political themes. Small Joys closes things out with DJ Sir Daniel's vinyl copy of Black Milk's Ceremonial, upcoming DJ sets at Stereo Atlanta and JB's Record Lounge, and Ode's read of Jessica Cage's Accidents Happen series. DJ Sir Daniel and J-Ray close by pointing to QPoints.com for the weekly podcast and Thursday night Queue Points Live sessions.Queue Points is the Black Podcasting Award and Ambie Award-nominated music podcast and media platform that celebrates Black music history and culture through smart, entertaining conversation. Hosted by DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray, the show blends music commentary, music history, and pop culture analysis to explore the evolution, impact, and cultural significance of Black music across genres. Facebook: https://facebook.com/queuepointspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/queuepointspodLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/queuepointspodBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/queuepointspod.comYouTube: https://youtube.com/@queuepointspodConnect with the Snerdy CrewWatch, Listen, or Sponsor the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.ai/blackandsnerdy⁠⁠⁠⁠