Compulsive gamer, hoagie specialist, and former lonely homeschooled girl Felicia Day has achieved extraordinary success on her own weird terms.
A tireless entertainment mogul, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eureka, Supernatural) and “queen of the geeks,” Day brings together fans of gaming and geek culture with a strong message: embracing individuality fuels creation, community, and innovation on the Internet and beyond.
To celebrate the release of her new memoir, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), Day brings her take on women, sexism in the tech industry, and romance novels to JCCSF this Thursday. We caught up with the internet sensation before her live chat.
7x7: How did you get started working in the entertainment field? What were the challenges?
FD: I started by acting in plays as a child, mostly community theater. After college I moved to Hollywood and had a big adjustment in getting used to the "business" of entertainment. A lot of challenges in that career path lie in not having much control over your life, and always needing external validation to get a job. If you don't fit certain molds, you don't work. It was hard to deal with the rejection on a personal level.
7x7: What about gaming appeals to you?
FD: I was raised on gaming, a lot of the stories in my book are how online communities around gaming gave me a sense of belonging, of being able to show my love of games without feeling like an outsider. The community connections, the sense of escaping and immersing myself in other worlds, it's an amazing form of entertainment that I love to spread the joy of.
7x7: You’re constantly working on exciting new projects, how do you stay motivated? And what do you do when you need a break?
FD: I often need a break but don't take one because I've turned my passions into a career. That can sometimes be difficult to deal with. In my book I talk about burning out very badly and how I had to cope by saying no to things. I stay motivated though because every day I have fans who enjoy what I make, either in front of or behind the camera. That sense of community is so important to me, so it feels like I'm enriching people by making them laugh. I love that about the digital world and would never trade it for anything.
7x7: What is your favorite social media platform?
FD: I'm a Twitter addict, I love that it emphasizes writing above all else. Being witty in that small amount of space is a challenge!
7x7: Can you tell us a little more about your book club, Vaginal Fantasy?
FD: Vaginal Fantasy was created on a lark, when my friends and I discovered that we all loved genre romance novels but were too afraid to tell people about it. We discuss a book each month live on camera, while drinking wine. It's informal, but professing our love for something we were previously ashamed of is really liberating!
7x7: What prompted you to write a memoir?
FD: Over the years I've met so many people who learned about my story of picking up a camera and starting to shoot in my garage and making a career out of it, and told me that they were inspired to create themselves. I thought it was a great opportunity to tell my story in a more permanent way and maybe reach more people, to motivate them to embrace their weirdnesses more.
7x7: What is your favorite anecdote from the book?
FD: There are so many funny stories, and sad stories, but my favorite is the mime pictures I included because it's the most mortifying thing I've ever done and put on camera. Enjoy my shame everyone.
7x7: Any words of advice for SF women? Or women in tech?
FD: Stand firm in who you are, regardless of the pressure of peoples' expectation. If people try to push you into the world of cliches based on your outward appearance, that's THEIR ignorance. Educate them by showing them you don't need to conform to their worldview, stand firm in being you are exactly the way you are. You're not going away. So they'd better get used to it. It's not always easy, but no one will ever change their minds if they don't have to. Make them have to.
7x7: How do you deal with Internet trolls?
FD: The only way to deal with them is to ignore them, in my experience. Their negativity is coming from sadness, hatefulness, or outright prejudice. None of those things can be cured with engaging online, the feelings just rub off on you. Life is too short to take that on.
7x7: What are some of your favorite spots in the Bay Area?
FD: I'm a coffee addict, so I Yelp my way around the city drinking cup after cup. I particularly love Sightglass because the neighborhood is rad.
7x7: A great book you’re reading right now?
FD: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson has a great first paragraph that doesn't let you down for the rest of the book.
7x7: Favorite video game?
FD: I'll love World of Warcraft always. It introduced me to friends, it made me a creator.
7x7: Upcoming projects?
FD: I'm acting in Con Man, a wonderful web series that was created by Alan Tudyk (Firefly) and crowd-funded for over 3 million dollars. It's out in September on Vimeo and I'm in the first three episodes. It's hilarious.
7x7: An indulgence I would never give up is ….
FD: Coffee. I'm not supposed to drink it per stomach issues. Life is short.
// See Felicia Day this Thursday at 7pm at the Jewish Community Center San Francisco. Tickets are $27, Get them here.
