An interview with Aaron Fogleman, Content Manager/creative guru behind the awesome As-Tech Multimedia website!
As I've mentioned before, there are a lot of amazing creative people out there, and getting to know them, and their work, has been as much fun as creating Forging of a Knight. I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to showcase a few on this page - folks I've met through conventions, book signings, and literally from just bumping into them on a grocery trip! I'm humbled by their passion, ideas, and willingness to be interviewed here, and Aaron is no exception! A fellow Gen-Con attendee and friend, I'm pleased to share his brainchild - As-Tech! Read up on it below, and then go check it out!!
HN: Hi Aaron - thanks again for taking the time to be interviewed! Let’s begin with telling us a little bit more about who Aaron Fogleman is and what fueled the concept behind As-Tech!
AF: Ya know…I really hate the ask, “Tell us more about yourself,” hahahaha. But basically, I’m a dreamer. I have big ideas, big visions, and I have finally decided to try to see As-Tech Multimedia through to the end, whatever end that might be.
As-Tech Multimedia, put simply, is a platform for showcasing independent creators and content.
HN: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
AF: I don’t know that I ever decided I wanted to be a writer, it just sort of happened. It morphed as an extension of being a storyteller. I have been a GM for table top RPG games for a while, and I started to run a fantasy (D&D) game in a world I created, and as the adventures grew and gained more scope, starting to write about the world to tell the ongoing story, that isn’t part of the players main adventure path, just started. Like I said, it just kind of happened.
HN: How did you develop the concept/idea for As-Tech?
AF: Long story shortened; Years ago, I tried to start a little business, not much more than a side hustle, really. I would go and do things related to computers for people. I had just gotten out of the Air Force, and was taking some classes at the local university, started talking with another student and we get on the subject of computers since his wasn’t really powerful enough to help with his projects in his graphing design class. I told him; I could build him one that might last the rest of his program. I asked him what his budget was, and that was that. I started doing little computer service jobs around campus and in the community, Assembling of Technology (As-Tech) was born, and As-Tech, the name as brand, has pretty much stuck with me ever since. Years later, after I started writing and got serious about possibly publishing my stuff, I was going to self-publish, and found a couple of other people who were thinking about the same thing, I decided I wanted to build a space to help first time authors, no matter the genre or medium the write in, get their work out as well, now it has muted in to an idea for a multimedia platform for independent creators who want to expand their audience and not get caught up in the clutter of YouTube or Apple, Google, Stitcher, I-Heart Radio or whatever service and for people who may want to write…to start a blog very easily without having to build their own site or slug through other blogging platforms such as Tumblr.
HN: Which aspects were the most fun to develop? Which were the most challenging?
AF: Content! Creating content and figuring out what type of content we want on the site, at launch, is by far the most fun. Developing the concept. The most challenging, getting it to look the way we want it to. I’m not the person actually building the As-Tech Multimedia site, the person doing it is a programmer, working with the code in the back end, so he has to write the code, we see how it looks, I give him the go/no-go and we try move on from there. The site has actually been in development for almost a year, now and we will continue to make changes not only in appearance, but presentation throughout the site.
HN: What are your plans long-term for the website? Do you have additional/different works in mind?
AF: The first thing we are going to introduce to the site is a membership to As-Tech Multimedia. We want to put our own social media community tab to allow visitors to the site to keep in touch with either a specific piece of content, i.e. Our Own Little Corner of the Geekdom since there is not only the podcast but a companion blog, if one were to “follow” that, they would receive updates whenever new content was posted, or a specific creator, Sildark, for instance, is one of the hosts of the Geekdom podcast, and hopes to be writing posts for the blog, as well as starting his own unique blog (and videos, when that page is fully up and running.)
We aren’t stopping there, either. We are going to start an actual internet radio station, with regular programing and everything…as soon as we learn how all that is done. We have started a pseudo-radio show with As-Tech Multimedia Live! on Spreaker, but it’s not exactly what the endgame is for us. We are also going to be introducing an actual journalistic news outlet as part of the overall multimedia experience, and of course begin publishing books or comic/graphic novels or periodicals completing what began the transition of the idea of As-Tech from it’s roots to where it is now. I’m looking at building a mobile app (which is very different from building a website) and eventually, we want to do our own hosting for some of the content, even.
HN: As an author, I share the challenge of getting the word out on my books. What have you had to do to win broader exposure and branding for As-Tech?
AF: Right now, just word of mouth, and social media, really. As we generate revenue from the website and expand our operations over there, we will bring in other advertising stream, increasing our online presence and appeal, hopefully. As-Tech Multimedia will always be looking to increase the number of creators we support as well as including our own social media community to the site which will help increase our ability to get our creators out there. It’s a process, that is really just getting started. We are excited to see where things go in the future.
HN: This question will start off sounding like an old joke – a person walks into a bar (or convention or bookstore) and bumps into Aaron Fogleman – what would be your elevator pitch to showcase your work?
AF: Elevator pitch:
“Hey, how are ya? I’m Aaron, the Creator and Content Manager for As-Tech Multimedia. We are interested in promoting smaller or new creators and their content. Head over to http://astechmultimedia.com/ see what we’re all about. We have a lot of great content and always looking for new creators to join the team.”
HN: As an author, it’s sometimes difficult to finally say a product is finished, no matter how many times you review or edit. Is there anything you would go back and change in your completed works? Where there ideas you had in mind for the website and then decided NOT to include?
AF: Oh, definitely! I have been working on a script for a graphic novel for years. I’ve finished it scrapped it, in it’s entirety, re-written it, scrapped that, and started on it again and changed the format, so much stuff, for me It’s never right. It happens less with podcasts and short form blog posts, though, but those feelings linger.
Sometimes, I’ll go back and listen to an old episode of a show and think, “…yeah, maybe I should have cut that,” or “Oh, dang it, they never finished that point,” or event the occasional, “Whoops, there used to be something there, I wonder if I should have cut that…” but it’s trial and error sometime. Ultimately, you make the decision and you do it.
As far as the website goes, I had plenty of plans, that got taken out. They weren’t completely dismissed though, and we are planning to put all of those into the site moving forward. They just were feasible in these early iterations. As I’ve said, As-Tech Multimedia has some growing left to do.
HN: I have an 8 year old son, and structuring time around him can be challenging! I’ve lost count of the times he nearly pressed the delete button on something I was working on…how do you find time to carve out your ideas?
AF: Luckily, my ideas are my work, right now. I’m dedicated full time to running the site and creating content for the site.
Provided life doesn’t get in the way.
HN: Do you have a certain method you use when you write – i.e., a certain room, music, mood, etc., to help get you in the right writing frame of mind?
AF: No, and I probably should develop one, haha. It would probably help me be more productive. I write when the inspiration hits me. I might see or hear something, and it spurs a idea for a scene, and that’s when I get to work writing my fiction, when it come to my articles, it’s all about reaction to outside stimuli.
HN: What are you reading right now?
AF: Right now, I’m doing a re-read of Aqua from Tracy Korn before I start on the rest of her Elements Series books. I just finished Hal Elrod’s, The Miracle Morning. Then I plan on moving to the rest of your series, Forging of a Knight.
AN: Where can people go to find out more about Aaron/As-Tech?
Go to the website, http://astechmultimedia.com/ to see the latest post available are. If you have an idea or something you’d like to share with us and become part of the Team, send us an email to astechmultimedia@gmail.com
You can also check us our on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/As-Tech-Mult...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AsTechMultiNet
You can find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/afogleman/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/geekynerdbo...) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/A_M_Fogleman)
HN: Hi Aaron - thanks again for taking the time to be interviewed! Let’s begin with telling us a little bit more about who Aaron Fogleman is and what fueled the concept behind As-Tech!
AF: Ya know…I really hate the ask, “Tell us more about yourself,” hahahaha. But basically, I’m a dreamer. I have big ideas, big visions, and I have finally decided to try to see As-Tech Multimedia through to the end, whatever end that might be.
As-Tech Multimedia, put simply, is a platform for showcasing independent creators and content.
HN: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
AF: I don’t know that I ever decided I wanted to be a writer, it just sort of happened. It morphed as an extension of being a storyteller. I have been a GM for table top RPG games for a while, and I started to run a fantasy (D&D) game in a world I created, and as the adventures grew and gained more scope, starting to write about the world to tell the ongoing story, that isn’t part of the players main adventure path, just started. Like I said, it just kind of happened.
HN: How did you develop the concept/idea for As-Tech?
AF: Long story shortened; Years ago, I tried to start a little business, not much more than a side hustle, really. I would go and do things related to computers for people. I had just gotten out of the Air Force, and was taking some classes at the local university, started talking with another student and we get on the subject of computers since his wasn’t really powerful enough to help with his projects in his graphing design class. I told him; I could build him one that might last the rest of his program. I asked him what his budget was, and that was that. I started doing little computer service jobs around campus and in the community, Assembling of Technology (As-Tech) was born, and As-Tech, the name as brand, has pretty much stuck with me ever since. Years later, after I started writing and got serious about possibly publishing my stuff, I was going to self-publish, and found a couple of other people who were thinking about the same thing, I decided I wanted to build a space to help first time authors, no matter the genre or medium the write in, get their work out as well, now it has muted in to an idea for a multimedia platform for independent creators who want to expand their audience and not get caught up in the clutter of YouTube or Apple, Google, Stitcher, I-Heart Radio or whatever service and for people who may want to write…to start a blog very easily without having to build their own site or slug through other blogging platforms such as Tumblr.
HN: Which aspects were the most fun to develop? Which were the most challenging?
AF: Content! Creating content and figuring out what type of content we want on the site, at launch, is by far the most fun. Developing the concept. The most challenging, getting it to look the way we want it to. I’m not the person actually building the As-Tech Multimedia site, the person doing it is a programmer, working with the code in the back end, so he has to write the code, we see how it looks, I give him the go/no-go and we try move on from there. The site has actually been in development for almost a year, now and we will continue to make changes not only in appearance, but presentation throughout the site.
HN: What are your plans long-term for the website? Do you have additional/different works in mind?
AF: The first thing we are going to introduce to the site is a membership to As-Tech Multimedia. We want to put our own social media community tab to allow visitors to the site to keep in touch with either a specific piece of content, i.e. Our Own Little Corner of the Geekdom since there is not only the podcast but a companion blog, if one were to “follow” that, they would receive updates whenever new content was posted, or a specific creator, Sildark, for instance, is one of the hosts of the Geekdom podcast, and hopes to be writing posts for the blog, as well as starting his own unique blog (and videos, when that page is fully up and running.)
We aren’t stopping there, either. We are going to start an actual internet radio station, with regular programing and everything…as soon as we learn how all that is done. We have started a pseudo-radio show with As-Tech Multimedia Live! on Spreaker, but it’s not exactly what the endgame is for us. We are also going to be introducing an actual journalistic news outlet as part of the overall multimedia experience, and of course begin publishing books or comic/graphic novels or periodicals completing what began the transition of the idea of As-Tech from it’s roots to where it is now. I’m looking at building a mobile app (which is very different from building a website) and eventually, we want to do our own hosting for some of the content, even.
HN: As an author, I share the challenge of getting the word out on my books. What have you had to do to win broader exposure and branding for As-Tech?
AF: Right now, just word of mouth, and social media, really. As we generate revenue from the website and expand our operations over there, we will bring in other advertising stream, increasing our online presence and appeal, hopefully. As-Tech Multimedia will always be looking to increase the number of creators we support as well as including our own social media community to the site which will help increase our ability to get our creators out there. It’s a process, that is really just getting started. We are excited to see where things go in the future.
HN: This question will start off sounding like an old joke – a person walks into a bar (or convention or bookstore) and bumps into Aaron Fogleman – what would be your elevator pitch to showcase your work?
AF: Elevator pitch:
“Hey, how are ya? I’m Aaron, the Creator and Content Manager for As-Tech Multimedia. We are interested in promoting smaller or new creators and their content. Head over to http://astechmultimedia.com/ see what we’re all about. We have a lot of great content and always looking for new creators to join the team.”
HN: As an author, it’s sometimes difficult to finally say a product is finished, no matter how many times you review or edit. Is there anything you would go back and change in your completed works? Where there ideas you had in mind for the website and then decided NOT to include?
AF: Oh, definitely! I have been working on a script for a graphic novel for years. I’ve finished it scrapped it, in it’s entirety, re-written it, scrapped that, and started on it again and changed the format, so much stuff, for me It’s never right. It happens less with podcasts and short form blog posts, though, but those feelings linger.
Sometimes, I’ll go back and listen to an old episode of a show and think, “…yeah, maybe I should have cut that,” or “Oh, dang it, they never finished that point,” or event the occasional, “Whoops, there used to be something there, I wonder if I should have cut that…” but it’s trial and error sometime. Ultimately, you make the decision and you do it.
As far as the website goes, I had plenty of plans, that got taken out. They weren’t completely dismissed though, and we are planning to put all of those into the site moving forward. They just were feasible in these early iterations. As I’ve said, As-Tech Multimedia has some growing left to do.
HN: I have an 8 year old son, and structuring time around him can be challenging! I’ve lost count of the times he nearly pressed the delete button on something I was working on…how do you find time to carve out your ideas?
AF: Luckily, my ideas are my work, right now. I’m dedicated full time to running the site and creating content for the site.
Provided life doesn’t get in the way.
HN: Do you have a certain method you use when you write – i.e., a certain room, music, mood, etc., to help get you in the right writing frame of mind?
AF: No, and I probably should develop one, haha. It would probably help me be more productive. I write when the inspiration hits me. I might see or hear something, and it spurs a idea for a scene, and that’s when I get to work writing my fiction, when it come to my articles, it’s all about reaction to outside stimuli.
HN: What are you reading right now?
AF: Right now, I’m doing a re-read of Aqua from Tracy Korn before I start on the rest of her Elements Series books. I just finished Hal Elrod’s, The Miracle Morning. Then I plan on moving to the rest of your series, Forging of a Knight.
AN: Where can people go to find out more about Aaron/As-Tech?
Go to the website, http://astechmultimedia.com/ to see the latest post available are. If you have an idea or something you’d like to share with us and become part of the Team, send us an email to astechmultimedia@gmail.com
You can also check us our on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/As-Tech-Mult...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AsTechMultiNet
You can find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/afogleman/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/geekynerdbo...) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/A_M_Fogleman)
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