MattBrady
03-13-2007, 01:59 PM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/cover_t.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a><i>by Chris Arrant</i>
Told in an "inside baseball" style that has been popularized by the television shows of Aaron Sorkin, <B>The Homeless Channel</B> turns the spotlight inward as a fledgling cable television channel with a politically-sensitive yet universal subject matter: homelessness. Led by a longtime television producer with her own stake in the subject matter, the graphic novels follows her struggle in how to accurately depict homelessness while trying to keep the channel afloat in the volatile work of television programming. All that, and she finds herself in an unexpected romance.
Behind this graphic novel is the first-time graphic novelist and cartoonist Matt Silady. One-time school teacher who took the leap into writing with a cross-country move and enrollment into a prestigious college writing program, Silady met the challenge of comic-creating head-on. When deliberating on trying to find an artist, Silady decided to draw it himself in a photo-referenced style that has become popular in comics and in the recent movie <B>A Scanner Darkly</B>. Both his graphic novel and his story in making it are stories worth telling, and stories worth reading.
<B>Newsarama:</B> Before we talk about the book itself, let's discuss how it made it to be a book in the first place. The first chapter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> debuted as a minicomic for the 2005 Alternative Press Expo (APE). How did it go from self-published minicomic to graphic novel from AiT-PlanetLar?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage16.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage16.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><B>Matt Silady:</B> I think everything really started back in 2004 when I first checked out the Alternative Press Expo and the Isotope Mini-Comics Award Ceremony and promised myself I'd be back with an entry and a table of my own. So, it was the following year that the opening chapter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> first caught the attention of [AiT-PlanetLar Co-Publisher] Larry Young. The main thing that I remember about the 2005 Expo was having a ball working my table and leaving the show with no doubt that the comic book industry was where I wanted to be.
Since I was going to school at the time, the second chapter wasn't completed until just before APE 2006. That's when Larry really started talking up the book to other people. When he made an offer to publish the whole story as a single trade, I put all my energy into finishing the book. Working with Larry has been fantastic. Both he and Mimi [Rosenheim, AiT-PlanetLar Co-Publisher and Young's wife] have a knack for saying just the right thing whenever I've started to doubt myself. He's been very patient with me. I ask lots of questions and he's really committed to helping me make the creation of the book an enjoyable experience. He's also been generous in sharing the ins and outs of the publishing side of things. Years before I met him, I picked up his book, <B>True Facts</B>, and it had a lot to do with why I got off my ass and self-published in the first place. I'm definitely a student of Larry Young U.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage49.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage49.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a><B>NRAMA:</B> [laughs] I can see that. Going into the book itself, the title refers to a fledgling television network that documents the lives of homeless people in the United States. It seeks to shed new light on the plight of homeless people. Can you tell us how it works?
<B>MS:</B> I suppose it's a bit controversial in how it works. The Homeless Channel is a for-profit television network. Ratings and revenues play as big a role as Darcy Shaw's more philanthropic ideals. At conventions, when people first pick up the book, they often ask, "If it's for homeless people- how are they going to watch the shows?" But that's like saying The Food Network is for hamburgers or that Animal Planet caters to a reptilian demographic. The programming ranges from celebrity centered talk shows to sketch comedy. The centerpiece of the channel is a series of late-night live feeds from the street. It's voyeurism at its best or worst depending on how you look at it.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The lead character of this story is The Homeless Channel's founder and runner, Darcy Shaw. What's her background leading into the foundation of the channel?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage80.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage80.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><B>MS:</B> The character already has a background as a television producer and at the beginning of the story she's taking the leap to head up her own network. Darcy's reasons for creating The Homeless Channel are both deeply personal and selfishly professional. That's part of what the story examines: the fine line between philanthropy and exploitation. That and how much she's doing this to better the world versus dealing with her own personal issues.
<B>NRAMA:</B> But she's not the only notable person in the cast; can you tell us about the others?
<B>MS:</B> Sure, there's Peg, a producer - who in many ways plays Darcy's conscience. There's the guys from "On the Road" (a Homeless Channel program about two college grads who agree to cut their ties to their jobs and see if they make it out on the streets.) There's Grady O'Connor - the face of the corporate interests in the network. And there's the ever-present specter of Darcy's sister, Mary, who in spite of all Darcy's efforts, goes from shelter to shelter often living on the streets.
<B>NRAMA:</B> This book approaches the subject matter from a very insider-ly approach; 'inside baseball', as some people would call it. Did all this come to you as an educated fan of television, or did you go further than that?
<B>MS:</B> It's hard not to notice that there are some weird things going on in television right now. From the creation of strange niche networks to the marketing power of shows like Extreme Home Makeover where, with a single Oprah-rific snap of their fingers, corporate America can find a way to make everyone's problems go away. My mind has been on the subject for awhile.
Once I had the idea for <B>The Homeless Channel</B>, I realized I had a great chance to revisit one of my own favorite television programs: Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night. The real spirit of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> comes from my love of that show. I've tried to create a similar insider-feel with a few brushstrokes here and there. But this isn't a television production procedural, by any means.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage145.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage145.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>The behind-the-scenes action of the television industry does intrigue me though. A year or so ago, I attended one of Karen Kennedy's plays in LA and ended up at the Beverly Hills Hilton later that night to celebrate her show. I couldn't resist peeking my head into the ballroom where they hold the Golden Globes each year and snapping a few pictures. I'm definitely an outsider in terms of the TV industry. For a real insider take on something, I'd have to do a comic book about teachers.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The Homeless Channel is your debut work. Have you done any unpublished comics work before this?
<B>MS:</B> As far as comics go, this is my first full length project. Years ago, I dabbled with a little six page autobiographical thing that eventually was turned into an EXPO anthology submission. I'm glad the EXPO submissions editor had the good sense to say, "thanks, but no thanks." It's something that doesn't ever need to see the light of day.
It's been an interesting transition going from comic book fan to comic book creator. I think I enjoy comic books even more now. It's sort of like the difference between being a passenger and a driver. Now that I'm behind the wheel, I think I'm understanding the lay of the land a lot better. I love watching other writers and artists work a page in ways that are unexpected and new. Or looking back at Will Eisner nail a bit of dialogue. There's a depth to this medium that demands more and more of my respect every day.
<B>NRAMA:</B> Looking at the subject matter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B>, it's quite daunting especially for a debut work in the comics field. Why'd you go with this story?
<B>MS:</B> Part of it was to stick out from the crowd. But part of it comes from my background in prose fiction. While in the writing program over at Davis, I never thought about what would and wouldn't work in the comics market. I just wrote stories that pleased me. I emerged with a stack of ideas conceived completely outside the context of the comic book medium. I think one of the main reasons that comics are gaining wide spread appeal isn't just the Hollywood blockbuster connection. When you walk into a store now and see Project X's <B>Cup Noodle</B> and <B>Blankets</B> and <B>Louis Riel</B> and <B>Optic Nerve</B> and <B>Pyongyang</B> and <B>DEMO</B> and <B>Y: The Last Man</B> and well, I could go on and on- but I think people who traditionally only read prose are just finding more stories that they'd naturally be interested in. So far, some of my biggest fans are mothers who brought their <B>Naruto</B>-crazed kids to a comic convention and when they walked past my table, they saw something that appealed to them.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The artwork on this book is done in a photo illustration manner, using real photos as the basis for line-traced drawings. What led you to go this route?
<B>MS:</B> It began as a way to take the search for an artist out of the equation. Of course, that meant I had to tackle the art myself. Without much background in illustration, the photos allowed me to start bringing the story to life without having to sit and stare at a blank white bristol board and resort to stick figures. But more and more, I'm realizing that the process really taps into a love of acting and directing that dates back to high school. The directors I worked with back then, Chuck Berglund and Donna Burke, were huge influences on me. It turns out, when using actors for photo reference, it's a lot like directing a silent movie. You can give stage directions and feed the actors lines while snapping the shots. This process lead to some great collaborative moments when the actors would start to relax, really exist in the moment, and do something totally unexpected. A surprising number of these out-takes became pivotal shots in the book.
<B>NRAMA:</B> After teaching school for six years, you took the big leap into professional writing by enrolling in the MA Program of Creative Writing at the University of California-Davis. What pushed you to make the jump, and why'd you choose that particular program?
<B>MS:</B> I love teaching and I loved teaching 8th grade in particular. It was really hard to let go and move out west. But each summer, I was working on my writing and I was in a vacuum. I needed somewhere to work that would put me in close contact with other writers. When my girlfriend was heading to Davis for a food science degree, I consulted with my undergraduate writing professor about west coast programs. Without mentioning my girlfriend's plans, he immediately recommended looking into Davis. And I'm really happy I did.
The Davis program offered me two things: a writing community and a chance to continue teaching. When you're in a creative writing program, there's really not anyone standing there telling you, "this is how you become a great writer." What you do is attend a lot of workshops with your fellow writers where you turn in twenty pages of new prose one week and show up the next, only to sit in the room while everyone talks about your writing as if you weren't there. It toughens you up and really forces you to take an honest look at your own work.
<B>NRAMA:</B> What do you have planned now that you've finished <B>The Homeless Channel</B>?
<B>MS:</B> I'm starting my next book! One of the first things I do when I begin a new story is fire up iTunes and make a soundtrack for the project. Get in touch with my inner-Zach Braff and all that. Then, I'm heading to Vancouver for a week where I'll try to knock out a good chunk of the script. I'm really excited about the plot. It's going to be a heck of a thing to draw.
<I>Matt Silady's <B>The Homeless Channel</B> graphic novel is scheduled to be released in May 2007 by AiT-PlanetLar. Priced at $12.95 with a 168 page count, it can be pre-ordered from your local comic store with the Diamond Order code MAR07 3086, or your traditional bookstore with ISBN 1-932051-49-X. For more information, visit www.thehomelesschannel.com.</I>
Told in an "inside baseball" style that has been popularized by the television shows of Aaron Sorkin, <B>The Homeless Channel</B> turns the spotlight inward as a fledgling cable television channel with a politically-sensitive yet universal subject matter: homelessness. Led by a longtime television producer with her own stake in the subject matter, the graphic novels follows her struggle in how to accurately depict homelessness while trying to keep the channel afloat in the volatile work of television programming. All that, and she finds herself in an unexpected romance.
Behind this graphic novel is the first-time graphic novelist and cartoonist Matt Silady. One-time school teacher who took the leap into writing with a cross-country move and enrollment into a prestigious college writing program, Silady met the challenge of comic-creating head-on. When deliberating on trying to find an artist, Silady decided to draw it himself in a photo-referenced style that has become popular in comics and in the recent movie <B>A Scanner Darkly</B>. Both his graphic novel and his story in making it are stories worth telling, and stories worth reading.
<B>Newsarama:</B> Before we talk about the book itself, let's discuss how it made it to be a book in the first place. The first chapter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> debuted as a minicomic for the 2005 Alternative Press Expo (APE). How did it go from self-published minicomic to graphic novel from AiT-PlanetLar?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage16.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage16.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><B>Matt Silady:</B> I think everything really started back in 2004 when I first checked out the Alternative Press Expo and the Isotope Mini-Comics Award Ceremony and promised myself I'd be back with an entry and a table of my own. So, it was the following year that the opening chapter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> first caught the attention of [AiT-PlanetLar Co-Publisher] Larry Young. The main thing that I remember about the 2005 Expo was having a ball working my table and leaving the show with no doubt that the comic book industry was where I wanted to be.
Since I was going to school at the time, the second chapter wasn't completed until just before APE 2006. That's when Larry really started talking up the book to other people. When he made an offer to publish the whole story as a single trade, I put all my energy into finishing the book. Working with Larry has been fantastic. Both he and Mimi [Rosenheim, AiT-PlanetLar Co-Publisher and Young's wife] have a knack for saying just the right thing whenever I've started to doubt myself. He's been very patient with me. I ask lots of questions and he's really committed to helping me make the creation of the book an enjoyable experience. He's also been generous in sharing the ins and outs of the publishing side of things. Years before I met him, I picked up his book, <B>True Facts</B>, and it had a lot to do with why I got off my ass and self-published in the first place. I'm definitely a student of Larry Young U.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage49.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage49.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a><B>NRAMA:</B> [laughs] I can see that. Going into the book itself, the title refers to a fledgling television network that documents the lives of homeless people in the United States. It seeks to shed new light on the plight of homeless people. Can you tell us how it works?
<B>MS:</B> I suppose it's a bit controversial in how it works. The Homeless Channel is a for-profit television network. Ratings and revenues play as big a role as Darcy Shaw's more philanthropic ideals. At conventions, when people first pick up the book, they often ask, "If it's for homeless people- how are they going to watch the shows?" But that's like saying The Food Network is for hamburgers or that Animal Planet caters to a reptilian demographic. The programming ranges from celebrity centered talk shows to sketch comedy. The centerpiece of the channel is a series of late-night live feeds from the street. It's voyeurism at its best or worst depending on how you look at it.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The lead character of this story is The Homeless Channel's founder and runner, Darcy Shaw. What's her background leading into the foundation of the channel?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage80.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage80.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><B>MS:</B> The character already has a background as a television producer and at the beginning of the story she's taking the leap to head up her own network. Darcy's reasons for creating The Homeless Channel are both deeply personal and selfishly professional. That's part of what the story examines: the fine line between philanthropy and exploitation. That and how much she's doing this to better the world versus dealing with her own personal issues.
<B>NRAMA:</B> But she's not the only notable person in the cast; can you tell us about the others?
<B>MS:</B> Sure, there's Peg, a producer - who in many ways plays Darcy's conscience. There's the guys from "On the Road" (a Homeless Channel program about two college grads who agree to cut their ties to their jobs and see if they make it out on the streets.) There's Grady O'Connor - the face of the corporate interests in the network. And there's the ever-present specter of Darcy's sister, Mary, who in spite of all Darcy's efforts, goes from shelter to shelter often living on the streets.
<B>NRAMA:</B> This book approaches the subject matter from a very insider-ly approach; 'inside baseball', as some people would call it. Did all this come to you as an educated fan of television, or did you go further than that?
<B>MS:</B> It's hard not to notice that there are some weird things going on in television right now. From the creation of strange niche networks to the marketing power of shows like Extreme Home Makeover where, with a single Oprah-rific snap of their fingers, corporate America can find a way to make everyone's problems go away. My mind has been on the subject for awhile.
Once I had the idea for <B>The Homeless Channel</B>, I realized I had a great chance to revisit one of my own favorite television programs: Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night. The real spirit of <B>The Homeless Channel</B> comes from my love of that show. I've tried to create a similar insider-feel with a few brushstrokes here and there. But this isn't a television production procedural, by any means.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/THCpage145.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/AiT/HomelessChannel/t_THCpage145.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>The behind-the-scenes action of the television industry does intrigue me though. A year or so ago, I attended one of Karen Kennedy's plays in LA and ended up at the Beverly Hills Hilton later that night to celebrate her show. I couldn't resist peeking my head into the ballroom where they hold the Golden Globes each year and snapping a few pictures. I'm definitely an outsider in terms of the TV industry. For a real insider take on something, I'd have to do a comic book about teachers.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The Homeless Channel is your debut work. Have you done any unpublished comics work before this?
<B>MS:</B> As far as comics go, this is my first full length project. Years ago, I dabbled with a little six page autobiographical thing that eventually was turned into an EXPO anthology submission. I'm glad the EXPO submissions editor had the good sense to say, "thanks, but no thanks." It's something that doesn't ever need to see the light of day.
It's been an interesting transition going from comic book fan to comic book creator. I think I enjoy comic books even more now. It's sort of like the difference between being a passenger and a driver. Now that I'm behind the wheel, I think I'm understanding the lay of the land a lot better. I love watching other writers and artists work a page in ways that are unexpected and new. Or looking back at Will Eisner nail a bit of dialogue. There's a depth to this medium that demands more and more of my respect every day.
<B>NRAMA:</B> Looking at the subject matter of <B>The Homeless Channel</B>, it's quite daunting especially for a debut work in the comics field. Why'd you go with this story?
<B>MS:</B> Part of it was to stick out from the crowd. But part of it comes from my background in prose fiction. While in the writing program over at Davis, I never thought about what would and wouldn't work in the comics market. I just wrote stories that pleased me. I emerged with a stack of ideas conceived completely outside the context of the comic book medium. I think one of the main reasons that comics are gaining wide spread appeal isn't just the Hollywood blockbuster connection. When you walk into a store now and see Project X's <B>Cup Noodle</B> and <B>Blankets</B> and <B>Louis Riel</B> and <B>Optic Nerve</B> and <B>Pyongyang</B> and <B>DEMO</B> and <B>Y: The Last Man</B> and well, I could go on and on- but I think people who traditionally only read prose are just finding more stories that they'd naturally be interested in. So far, some of my biggest fans are mothers who brought their <B>Naruto</B>-crazed kids to a comic convention and when they walked past my table, they saw something that appealed to them.
<B>NRAMA:</B> The artwork on this book is done in a photo illustration manner, using real photos as the basis for line-traced drawings. What led you to go this route?
<B>MS:</B> It began as a way to take the search for an artist out of the equation. Of course, that meant I had to tackle the art myself. Without much background in illustration, the photos allowed me to start bringing the story to life without having to sit and stare at a blank white bristol board and resort to stick figures. But more and more, I'm realizing that the process really taps into a love of acting and directing that dates back to high school. The directors I worked with back then, Chuck Berglund and Donna Burke, were huge influences on me. It turns out, when using actors for photo reference, it's a lot like directing a silent movie. You can give stage directions and feed the actors lines while snapping the shots. This process lead to some great collaborative moments when the actors would start to relax, really exist in the moment, and do something totally unexpected. A surprising number of these out-takes became pivotal shots in the book.
<B>NRAMA:</B> After teaching school for six years, you took the big leap into professional writing by enrolling in the MA Program of Creative Writing at the University of California-Davis. What pushed you to make the jump, and why'd you choose that particular program?
<B>MS:</B> I love teaching and I loved teaching 8th grade in particular. It was really hard to let go and move out west. But each summer, I was working on my writing and I was in a vacuum. I needed somewhere to work that would put me in close contact with other writers. When my girlfriend was heading to Davis for a food science degree, I consulted with my undergraduate writing professor about west coast programs. Without mentioning my girlfriend's plans, he immediately recommended looking into Davis. And I'm really happy I did.
The Davis program offered me two things: a writing community and a chance to continue teaching. When you're in a creative writing program, there's really not anyone standing there telling you, "this is how you become a great writer." What you do is attend a lot of workshops with your fellow writers where you turn in twenty pages of new prose one week and show up the next, only to sit in the room while everyone talks about your writing as if you weren't there. It toughens you up and really forces you to take an honest look at your own work.
<B>NRAMA:</B> What do you have planned now that you've finished <B>The Homeless Channel</B>?
<B>MS:</B> I'm starting my next book! One of the first things I do when I begin a new story is fire up iTunes and make a soundtrack for the project. Get in touch with my inner-Zach Braff and all that. Then, I'm heading to Vancouver for a week where I'll try to knock out a good chunk of the script. I'm really excited about the plot. It's going to be a heck of a thing to draw.
<I>Matt Silady's <B>The Homeless Channel</B> graphic novel is scheduled to be released in May 2007 by AiT-PlanetLar. Priced at $12.95 with a 168 page count, it can be pre-ordered from your local comic store with the Diamond Order code MAR07 3086, or your traditional bookstore with ISBN 1-932051-49-X. For more information, visit www.thehomelesschannel.com.</I>