The Pencil Pushers Podcast

The Pencil Pushers Podcast celebrates the art of hand-drawing. Produced by MRC Brand Design Studio, it features interviews with illustrators, animators, comic artists, and other talented individuals. Hosted by Mike Rosado, an artist, musician, and designer, the Podcast aims to showcase artists' work and provide insights into their creative process. Join Mike as he chats with his friends and idols in the world of illustration, animation, and comic art.

The Pencil Pushers Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by MRC Brand Design's Mike Rosado, with 90 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

MRC Brand Design's Mike Rosado hosts The Pencil Pushers Podcast, a arts show with 90 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #23

  Nathaniel Long: Comic Book Artist and Author

  Aug 14, 202650 minS6

  Host Mike Rosato welcomes illustrator/designer/comic artist Nathaniel Long, a South Carolina-based creator from the Winston-Salem area whose early Spider-Man obsession and grandfather's drawings sparked a lifelong pull toward hand-drawn craft. Long talks about choosing traditional tools for their tactile reality, studying cinema production at Bob Jones University to sharpen visual storytelling, and working full time at BJU Press on motion-graphic illustration projects like an animated "Mask of the Red Death." The conversation digs into how comics are built—outline first, then thumbnails, pencils, inks, and even physically cutting and gluing word balloons—while reflecting on shifting convention culture and the value of process. The episode spotlights Long's Kickstarter for "Moon to Earth," a 24-page, retro-inspired space adventure one-shot he writes, illustrates, and traditionally inks, aiming to raise $3,000 by August 29, with tiers including a $15 comic and a $30 comic-plus-exclusive print. Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepencilpu... MRC Brand Design: https://mrcraleigh.com/ Host: Mike Rosado ( mrcraleigh.com ) ( instagram.com/ekimodasor ) Post Production: Max Trujillo ( instagram.com/trujillomedia ) Sponsors: MRC ( mrcraleigh.com ) and Burny Wild's ( burnywilds.com )

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  Episode #22

  Andrew Fairclough: Illustrator & designer

  Jul 27, 20261h 44mS6

  Andrew Fairclough grew up skateboarding on the northeast coast of Australia, copying boards out of Rad Magazine, and winning a drawing contest in a skate publication at 12 years old. He went on to build a career designing for Nike, Billabong, and Rolling Stone before founding True Grit Texture Supply, whose brushes and textures are now used daily by some of the best illustrators in the world. In this episode we cover Andrew's winding path from a beach town in New South Wales through the snowboard industry in Canada, commercial design agencies in Sydney, and eventually into the illustration career and business he runs today. He breaks down how his signature pulp sci-fi and skateboard-influenced style developed, how a Skillshare class with 30 million Facebook views launched True Grit, and why delusion is the most underrated skill a young creative can have. We also get into what it means to build tools that empower artists without replacing them, the balance between running a business and staying creative, and where he sees the hand-drawn arts heading. Plus a Smashing Pumpkins deep cut that perfectly sums up why craftsmanship still matters. This episode is sponsored by Musgrave Pencil Company- use code PENCILPUSHERS at MusgravePencil.com for 10% off! Listen to the full episode: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/08WtvMb... Follow Andrew Fairclough: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindred_stu... True Grit Texture Supply: https://www.instagram.com/truegrittex... Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepencilpu... MRC Brand Design: https://mrcraleigh.com/ Host: Mike Rosado ( mrcraleigh.com ) ( instagram.com/ekimodasor ) Post Production: Max Trujillo ( instagram.com/trujillomedia ) Sponsors: MRC ( mrcraleigh.com ) and Burny Wild's ( burnywilds.com )

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  Episode #20

  Jon Contino: Iconic Brand Designer

  Jun 8, 20261h 45mS6

  Host Mike Rosado welcomes designer/illustrator/author Jon Contino to the Pencil Pushers podcast to discuss Contino's upbringing on Long Island, his parents' craft-driven influence, and his early path from band flyers, cassette art, and self-taught HTML to charging for creative work at 14. Contino explains how his lifelong obsession with lettering, failed graffiti attempts, Photoshop experimentation, hardcore/grunge culture, and New York's grime shaped his "organized chaos" style, later balanced by a problem-solving approach to branding inspired by figures like Paula Scher. He describes career growth from a 2005 studio and a handmade clothing brand to building Contino Studio, shifting from illustration trends into larger storytelling and branding work, including Toyota, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and sports. They debate commercialization of "handcrafted," carbon-copy styles, and AI's threat, emphasizing human mistakes and youth rejecting "AI slop." Contino shares his remote studio model, intense family-driven schedule, rare client friction, flexible discovery through live conversation, a move from paper to iPad/Procreate for speed, heavy use of Figma/Framer, and excitement about revitalizing Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's brand. Host: Mike Rosado ( mrcraleigh.com ) ( instagram.com/ekimodasor ) Post Production: Max Trujillo ( instagram.com/trujillomedia ) Sponsors: MRC ( mrcraleigh.com ) and Burny Wild's ( burnywilds.com )

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  Episode #19

  Ian Wenstrand: Artist & Illustrator

  May 19, 20261h 3mS6

  Mike Rosado interviews Raleigh-based illustrator and designer Ian Wenstrand about his highly detailed, vibrant illustrations blending cityscapes, technology, and imaginative world-building. Wenstrand describes drawing constantly as a kid, studying studio art at University of the Cumberlands (recruited to swim), and moving from production artist retouching roles into graphic design before illustration work organically became steady freelance. He self-published a children's book inspired by artists like Graeme Base and cross-section illustrators, then gained momentum through public art opportunities including a 2018–2019 Citrix window mural and later a major Film NC tourism brochure project featuring five regional illustrations packed with 50+ movie Easter eggs. He outlines his process (two sketch phases in Procreate, then Photoshop for color), time demands, work-life balance with two kids, and the importance of tight contracts to prevent scope creep. Wenstrand shares influences (IC4 Design, Moebius, sci-fi film aesthetics), discusses collaborative "Easter egg" client input, and explains why he avoids using AI, adding an AI clause to contracts and valuing the human creative process. Host: Mike Rosado ( mrcraleigh.com ) ( instagram.com/ekimodasor ) Post Production: Max Trujillo ( instagram.com/trujillomedia ) Sponsors: MRC ( mrcraleigh.com ) and Burny Wild's ( burnywilds.com )

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  Episode #18

  Jake Weidmann: Master Penman & Artist

  Apr 20, 20261h 5mS6

  Host Mike Rosado welcomes master penman Jake Weidmann to the Pencil Pushers Podcast to discuss his path from lifelong, largely self-taught drawing and sculpture to becoming the youngest certified Master Penman (at 26, in 2011). Weidman recounts being rejected from Biola University's art program, then regaining momentum through major commissions (including carving a family crest into moose antler) and learning how market feedback and viewer response complete the creative process. He explains discovering copperplate calligraphy after a classmate requested wedding invitations, attending penman conferences, and earning certification by executing his own ornate certificate. Weidmann details his process and materials (including gouache-based ink), handling mistakes (and a major vellum restoration), balancing intense work with raising four kids, collaborating with Apple for the first iPad Pro, and arguing that human craft and meaning remain vital amid digitization and Ai. Host: Mike Rosado ( mrcraleigh.com ) ( instagram.com/ekimodasor ) Post Production: Max Trujillo ( instagram.com/trujillomedia ) Sponsors: MRC ( mrcraleigh.com ) and Burny Wild's ( burnywilds.com )

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