Q&A: Eric Smith Of Geekadelphia
This weekend, the 2nd Annual Philly Geek Awards are upon us. The event, hosted by Geekadelphia, seeks to honor and recognize the local best and brightest in multiple varieties of technological and media advancements (and general nerditude). We spoke with Eric Smith of Geekadelphia to learn more about the event, and, more accurately, get another picture of that secretly awesome Halo suit. Full interview after the jump, and remember, the Philly Geek Awards are this Friday, August 17th, at–where else?–The Academy Of Natural Sciences.
So, tell us a little about The Philly Geek Awards.
The Philadelphia Geek Awards were started last year. We wanted to honor the local geek scene. Not just for the awesome work constantly streaming out of it, but for the attention they bring to our fine city. The first year sold out. And now we’re in our second year, which is exciting! That means it’s like, a real event!
What can we expect from them this year?
A much more diverse selection of categories, that’s for sure. We polled the local tech / geek community for suggestions on how to make the awards better, and we came away with a lot great ideas. We’re hoping that our categories this year really showcase the local scene in a better way than they did year one. We’ve also got a ton of surprises in store for people at the actual ceremony… but I’m afraid those are secret.
How does Geekadelphia select the nominees?
We had the community send in suggestions for… what was it Tim, nearly two or three months? We launched the new website during Philly Tech Week in April. We told people to send in their suggestions for nominees over our social networks, through the blog, via the new website for the Philly Geek Awards, etc. Then we selected our nominees, pooling through all the suggestions as well as our own picks. We chose people that not only did great work in the city, but drew attention to the community (geeks as a whole or their specific niche) in a positive way. We also roped in some help from friends, like Technically Philly and Social Media Club Philadelphia, for selecting nominees.
How would you describe Philly’s geek scene?
Passionate. Enthusiastic. Kind. They constantly embrace new ideas and new people. It’s easy to feel welcome.
What do you hope for its future?
The Geek Awards or the Geek community? When it comes to the awards, I hope they continue! I’d like this to be an awards show that lasts. The Barrymore Awards are in their… 18th year, I think? We can do it. As for the future of the geek community… I’d just love to see more attention showered down on them. So many great things are going on in this city. They deserve all the praise and hype they can get.
If you found yourself at Comic-Con, and you HAD to be in costume, what would you wear?
If you found us (myself and fellow Geekadelphian Tim Quirino) at Comic Con, chances are you’d see us dressed like this. Because that’s actually us. I’m the Master Chief (Ed. note – Philebrity wrote about Eric and his costume before, as mentioned above, here), and Tim is the Biker Scout. Our friend Jo Anna is dressed as the TARDIS. We’ve gone to conventions dressed up before, and it’s just a ton of fun.
For more information on the awards, sponsors and presenters, visit the event’s website. The 2012 Philly Geek Awards take place this Friday at 6:30 PM sharp. Be there! And remember: “‘Nerd culture’ is mainstream now. So, when you use the word ‘nerd’ derogatorily, it means you’re the one that’s out of the zeitgeist.” So haters to the left.
