“The BEST Aussie comics podcast…”
Ryan K. Lindsay (writer, Headspace, Negative Space)“The Behind the Panels lads are twelfth dan Masters of Pop Cultural Arcana, specialising in weapons-grade geek punditry deployed with rakish, pants-tighteningly debonaire aplomb! I cannot get ENOUGH! ”
Garth Jones, Home Brew Vampire Bullets Brains Trust“The spectrum of Behind the Panels is vast. They have interviewed the greats of the comic scene, featured the most commercial of works, and yet afford equal support and exposure to local and/or independent creators. This is not to be taken lightly. The show is professional, informative, incisive and the three hosts bounce off each other adding compliment or critical remark where they see fit, which is refreshing. This is not just a standout pop-culture podcast, it is a standout podcast in its own right.”
Paul Bedford (writer, The List)“Behind the Panels isn’t just a comic book podcast for Australia – it’s one of the best anywhere in the world. Funny, in-depth, and more insightful than most shows.”
Larime Taylor (writer/artist, A Voice in the Dark, Image Comics)
If you have a suggestion for something we should read on the show, feedback or anything you want to throw at us, be sure to hit us up at feedback@behindthepanels.net
Here’s a list of all the episodes to date, and what’s coming up.
THE SHOW
BEHIND THE PANELS is one of Australia’s premiere comic book and pop culture podcasts, entering its third year on the local and international scene, with over 100 episodes and specials under its belt. Run by a team that has over a decade of experience in podcasting, live radio, film and comics commentary around the world.
Hosted by Richard Gray (The Reel Bits, Newsarama), David McVay (Geek Actually) and Dave Longo (Damn Good Cup), BEHIND THE PANELS has been lovingly described as being “like Oprah’s Book Club – but for geeks.” Showcasing the latest news, clips and weekly releases, each episode features a new, classic or audience requested Pick of the Week.
Produced by the Geek Actually Podcast Network, BEHIND THE PANELS is part of a stable of almost 500 episodes totalling nearly 600 hours (or 25 days!) of online content! The network also includes the highly successful Geek Movie Club (“GMC”), as well as previous shows Geek Actually, Film Actually, Tech Actually and Platforms. The Geek Actually Super Feed, the single best source for all of the network’s shows, has been featured on iTunes for all of 2013 and 2014 to date. Attracting thousands of downloads a week; it is featured on a network of websites that reach an estimated audience of over 100,000 unique readers a month.
Dedicated to showcasing local events such as Oz Comic-Con, where we have performed several live shows, Supanova and SMASH!, BEHIND THE PANELS appear as accredited media to interview star guests and cosplayers alike. Across the shows, special comic guests have included Marvel legend Chris Claremont (X-Men), superstar writers Jeff Lemire (Green Arrow, The Underwater Welder) and Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly), Switzerland’s J.P Kalonji (Ningen’s Nightmares), artist Phil Jimenez (The Invisibles, Savage Wolverine), rising star Larime Taylor (A Voice in the Dark) and local legends Tom Taylor (The Deep, Injustice), Nicola Scott (Earth 2), Paul Bedford (The List), Tristan Jones (TMNT, Hoax Hunters), Justin Randall (Changing Ways) and Christian Read (The Eldritch Kid). At their respective websites, the three hosts have interviewed a range of stars and filmmakers from Australia to major Hollywood blockbusters, including J.J. Abrams, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Sarah Silverman, John C. Reilly, Jason Segel, Brad Bird, Simon Pegg, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Morgan Spurlock, Benicio Del Toro, Christopher McQuarrie, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Hugh Grant, Steve Carell, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and many more.
Podcast Pillowfort recently spotlighted the show where we discuss our history and process.
WHAT THE AUDIENCE ARE SAYING
★★★★★
(average rating on iTunes)
“As someone who hasn’t read many comics, this has been my “way in” to the worlds of Marvel, DC & the independents. If it happens in the world of comics, Richard, David … and Dave talk about it, and make it funny”
“I really love this show”
“This is one of the few that finds the balance, delivers the humour and stays on topic”
“Articulate, intelligent, funny stuff. I highly recommend it”
“I could just listen to it again and again”
“Most [people] wanna meet celebrities, I just wanna meet these guys”
Behind The Panels recording – (L-R) David McVay, Dave Longo and Richard Gray . Photo by Amy Barker
THE HOSTS
Richard Gray – Site editor, Host and columnist, Behind the Panels
Richard began his career as a humble reporter in the DVD Bits salt mines, before graduating to reviewing. Having scared everybody else off, Richard served as editor-in-chief to the DVD Bits machine. In 2010, Richard launched The Reel Bits, aimed at the latest cinema reviews and film festivals. BEHIND THE PANELS began as a podcast for Geek Actually in 2011. After starting the columns Cover Story and Graphic Bits for The Reel Bits, the BEHIND THE PANELS website launched in early 2013.
In addition to the ones on BEHIND THE PANELS, Richard writes comic reviews for Best Shots at Newsarama, one the largest sites of its kind on the web.
You can hear Richard weekly on the BEHIND THE PANELS podcast, and fortnightly on Podcast Pillowfort. He has previously appeared on Film Actually and semi-regularly on the ABC Radio Overnights program. He is also available for opinion pieces on radio and other media, having also appeared on ABC Local and Eagle FM.
Richard’s writing has also been published in places as diverse as Filmink, AUSTAR Magazine, Blockbuster Interaction, ArtsHub, METRO Magazine, SBS Film’s Social Review, the official Japanese Film Festival site, and the KOFFIA program. Richard has also written and taken photos for FasterLouder, one of Australia’s leading live music sites, and was a regular contributor to AtTheCinema. In 2011, Richard was one of the Publicity Assistants on KOFFIA, helping to launch their first official blog as the KOFFIA Blog Editor. In 2012, Richard was a member of the jury for the KOFFIA Short Film Competition.
Available for: Columns, radio and camera appearances, public speaking, juries, interviews and media commentary. Please contact via email for any media enquiries or for bookings.
Email | Twitter | Behind the Panels Portfolio
David McVay – Owner, Host, producer and administrator
David McVay launched GeekActually.com onto the World Wide Web on July 2nd 2008. The site was originally intended as just a host for our podcasts but over the years it has become so much more, it really has taken on a life of it’s own. Geek Actually is dedicated to all things geeky but our primary focus has always been on movie geekdom. Our motto has always been “Film and Tech from a Geek’s Perspective” and although tech plays less and less of a role on the site, we still have regular video game reviews and some of the major tech issues are covered on the site.
On July 28th, 2008 the first Geek Actually Podcast was released, with David McVay and Jacob Oberman hosting the show, and although it went through a few format, and host, changes (see the About The Podcasts page at Geek Actually) over the years it is still going strong with Behind the Panels. The podcasts are audio shows, but since episode 41 (recorded on the of 27th of June 2009) most were recorded live on a live video stream (geekactually.com/live). David has produced seven different shows (The Geek Actually Podcast, Platforms, Tech Actually, Film Actually, The Geek Actually After Show, the newly reformatted Geek Actually and currently The All-New Geek Actually Podcast and BEHIND THE PANELS).
Geek Actually has come a long way over the years and since our humble beginnings of obscurity. We are now listed on Total Films’ “600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed” and we are invited to media events on a fairly regular basis. Even though we have good relationships with the movie distribution companies and PR firms, we still remain fiercely independent and our opinions and reviews are fair and un-biased.
If the shows sound great every week, it’s because David has mastered the entire sound spectrum in his custom-built studio.
Email | Twitter | Behind the Panels Portfolio | Geek Actually Portfolio
David Longo – Host and contributor
Dave joined BEHIND THE PANELS in early 2013, already the editor and writer at his own film website, DamnGoodCup.com. He has been writing since 2008 for Cinefools.com and saltypopcorn.com, and through his own ventures has interviewed many of his heroes and been quoted on film posters and advertisements. With his degree in Visual Arts from Sydney College of the Arts, where he majored in film production, he has put his film efforts into freelance production. Dave has shot dozens of short films, advertisements and short documentaries, most notably a profile of Tibetan artists for the Willoughby City Council. In 2013 he completed production on an independent feature film that he also directed, and it is currently in post-production. He is current in production on several short films.
