Welcome, True Believers. We’re presuming that you are here because you are a geek. We do not say this because we wish to insult you – far from it. It is a high complement, referring to someone who is unusually interested in something that your average person isn’t all that interested in. Gaming, movies, Anime, comics, high technology – all these things are part of the more traditional geek mindset. And all of these things are major building blocks of the program known as Geeks With Issues.

At its core, Geeks With Issues is a one hour community television program, set in the “Basement of Dreams” at the Pittsfield Community Television Studios in Pittsfield, MA. Created and produced by Matthew Tucker, Geeks With Issues (or “GwI” as it is lovingly referred to) is the discussion that you and your friends remember having in your friend’s basement. Tucker, as moderator, guides friends and fellow hosts Jon “Ogre” Henry, Mollie Simon and Trevor Flagg in a discussion about the latest developments in the geek world.

But Geeks With Issues is not about the news and information – in fact, as a bi-weekly program, GwI chooses not to compete with a world that communicates the latest geek information at the speed of light. The most vital part of Geeks With Issues is the discussion. We ask the questions that you would have asked your friends when chilling in your geek place. What’s your opinion of all this information, and the changes it signifies? How does it affect your life? And just how cool is this? These are the questions that can inform you, and can help you develop your own thoughts. You could agree with one of our Geeks…or even better, disagree. We invite you to make us the first word in your discussions, but never the last.

Our podcast, Geeks With Issues Online, extends those discussions past the realm of the show. In the Producercast, Tuck talks about what it takes to create Geeks With Issues, as a producer. He addresses the technical aspects of the show, the logistics of what it takes to create a community access television program, and then tops it off with a reassertion of his latest geeky distractions. End Times, which is produced by Mollie and Trevor, shoves as much of the news that they can, stuff that we couldn’t stuff into the latest two episodes of the show. And the Geeks On Site, such as our coverage of the New York Comic Convention, allow us to do what the rules won’t allow.

And then there’s Geeks With Issues United, where you drive the discussion. One of the few social networks build specifically to support a website, GwI United is a MySpace or a Facebook specifically for our fans. This is your chance to connect to the people who watch, listen to and love Geeks With Issues. It’s an opportunity to chat with all of our Geeks directly, and talk with each other. And it’s part of the meaning of what we do.

Then, there is one of the most exciting parts of this show: It’s 100% volunteer. Not one of the Geeks With Issues cast or crew is paid for their contributions. We do this not for gold and jewels, and admittedly, we barely do it for fame and glory. We do it because we love sharing our opinions, our insights and our experiences with you, our viewers. Sure, there are other websites that do it faster, and likely do it in a more organized fashion. But there are none that do it with their only payment being the love of the geek, and the appreciation of our fans.

We hope you enjoy Geek With Issues. And we hope it starts the discussions that form your lives, as it joyfully does for ours. Cheers, geeks, and welcome to the show. As Actuator Omega-One, our robotic webmaster, likes to say on our podcast, Geeks With Issues is now.

Yours In Geeking,

Matthew Tucker (right)
Executive Producer, Moderator, Weblord, Etc.

Chris Chamberland (left)
Director, Associate Producer, Producer of Record for Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Etc.

The Geeks With Issues