Welcome to 5Qs4U (as in, five questions for you), a new feature on MappingTheEdge!
5Qs4U is a series of mini interviews I conduct via email with fascinating people in and around (and sometimes just passing through) the art world. We kick things off with something from the dark side. Since the subject is a bigger part of my life than many people realize, let me set the stage.
I grew up on dark art. H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe taught me to read. I grew up as an only child. Sometimes when I had the house to myself, I turned off every light and played recordings of eerie and creepy sound effects, including sounds of torture. Yes my mom and dad bought me those things. They were good to their little monster maker.
Mom didn’t want my drawings hanging on her refrigerator when company came. Forty-something years later and the story hasn’t changed much. My wife doesn’t feel comfortable being alone in our house with some of my art on display when I go away on travel.
OK. You get it.
Here is our first 5Qs4U with Eva Layne, the relentless talent and puppet master behind DarkMediaCity (DMC). DMC is an interactive and informative online resource for fans and makers of horror and the macabre in media. As the site says, it’s a free social network for those who like it dark!
Thanks Eva for your time! Read on…
Q1: How did a nice person like you get involved in DarkMediaCity? DMC is truly, for me, what I’d call a labor of love. The idea evolved, and continues to evolve, from a personal desire to have a place where people with all kinds of backgrounds and interests can come to share ideas, build a community and be truly entertained by everything the “darkness” has to offer. From horror entertainment to gothic literature to alternative rock music to what I think is very exciting paranormal research being done in the media today, I’m thrilled to be involved in a project that facilitates a connection to all of it — and more. It’s a place I really enjoy being, and I think others do too.
Wait. I’m nice?
Q2: Can you explain what DarkMediaMagazine is? DarkMediaMagazine is what I’d like to think of as the Daily Planet to DMC’s Metropolis. Not only can you find the latest interviews with some of the most incredible authors, filmmakers, musicians and industry professionals there, we also provide reviews and articles which are often generous contributions from the members of DarkMediaCity. It’s truly been a community effort — and something that is constantly growing and changing. I’m consistently amazed by the incredible response we’ve had, and hope people will not only enjoy it, but come to view it at it as a strong industry resource.
Q3: Your website is one of the most interactive and media-loaded sites out there. Yet somehow you’ve managed to keep it free for users and void of annoying advertisements that would kill the mood of the site. How did you pull that off, or do you have a pay model that shall stay one of your many dark secrets? I think this is a good opportunity to say that DarkMediaCity is, and will always be, a free site for its members. Also, it’s a personal choice of mine to keep the site as aesthetically “clean” as possible, because I know how quickly a misplaced ad or two can ruin the whole picture. What I’m currently striving to do is provide the community with ad space that will not only help them spread the word about their own labors of love, but make it possible to maintain and support the costs associated with running a site like this. That aside, I love DMC and have always considered it a good investment of not only my time, but my money as well.
Q4: Do you ever sleep? As I’m sure many people in the arts and entertainment industry know, insomnia can be your greatest ally. Sleep is overrated.
Q5: What would you be doing with yourself if DarkMediaCity and its many followers did not exist? Sleeping? Haha. No, that’s a lie. I’d definitely still be doing something in the realm of the arts and media. I’m not sure exactly what that would be, but I can’t seem to stay away for long. I’ve tried.
(And since I have trouble following my own rules, here’s question six of five!)
Q6: What is the best review of Batman: Noël you’ve ever read, and who wrote it? Why, that would be the review currently featured on DarkMediaCity.com written by… you! 🙂
And I wasn’t bribed to say that.
I don’t think.
Twitter: @DarkMediaCity
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