SIX QUESTIONS WITH BRANDON T. SNIDER
Dreams Come True...
Brandon T. Snider is the best-selling author of the award-winning Dark Knight Manual, as seen in Entertainment Weekly, Time, Forbes, and Wired as well as the Avengers: Infinity War: The Cosmic Quest series.
Additionally, he's written books featuring Cartoon Network favorites like Adventure Time and Regular Show, Marvel's Spider-Man and Black Panther, plus pop culture icons such as Justice League, Star Wars, and The Muppets.
Brandon has also written for and appeared on Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer. As an actor he's appeared on High Fidelity, The Deuce, Bull, Rachel Dratch’s Late Night Snack, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Law & Order: SVU, as well as various commercials, plays, and short films. Brandon lives in New York City, where he's a member of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA.
1 - Which writer who came before, do you admire the most?
James Baldwin was a radical truth-teller and we should be deeply grateful he used his voice while he was on this plane of existence. His work forces you to pay attention. There are certain writers who expose human beings for what they are and Baldwin's fearlessness in doing so is a beautiful, uncomfortable thing. There's a smartness and efficiency to his words that leaves nothing on the table.
2 - Which teacher(s) had the most profound effect on you?
My high school drama teacher Cathy Ransenberg gave me the confidence to pursue an acting career without question. Not only did she give me opportunities to develop my skills, she pushed me to be better. Without her support, I wouldn't have gone to college and pursued a theater degree which is where the path to my life as an artist began.
3 - Besides writing, what’s your favorite hobby or passion?
Acting has always been my first passion and writing is an outgrowth of that. Pursuing an acting career is tough and I wasn't creatively fulfilled when I first moved to NYC so I took improv classes, joined a sketch comedy group, and experimented. My writing work began to grow. Eventually, I quit my day job to be a full-time writer/actor. As for hobbies, I have way too many action figures and superhero toys.
4 - What is something that those who don’t write fiction do not know or understand about it?
Inspiration is only a fraction of the process.
5 - Can you think of a key breakthrough moment in your work, for you, that you’d be willing to share?
I don't know if this exactly counts but when I was a kid I used to love Mad Libs. They made me laugh like nothing else on the planet. Even in college, I used to do them on road trips with friends. When I got hired to write my first Mad Libs it was a huge deal. Truly a dream come true. The kid in me still can't believe I get paid to write them.
6 - What’s next for you?
Right now I'm writing the Rube Goldberg and his Amazing Machines series for Abrams/Amulet. I've got two new Mad Libs coming later this year- Batman and Richard Simmons. Past that, we shall see!