Sometimes the curtain drops and you get a glimpse of what usually stays off-stage. Due to popular demand, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes tour of my office and podcasting studio. Think of it as breaking the fourth wall, podcast-style, where the quirks are revealed and the gear that makes it work finally gets its moment in the spotlight.
Recently, several people on AuthorMedia.social have asked for a tour of my office, so I figured, why not?
Let me show you around.
I’ll start with the bookshelf.
On the top row, I’ve got the collected works of Mark Twain. Below that is a 1986 World Book Encyclopedia set. Underneath that, I have a 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, which is probably my fanciest encyclopedia set. Next is a Book of Knowledge, and on the bottom shelf, I have another Encyclopedia Britannica along with the Christian Writers Market Guide.
My one-year-old loves sneaking in here and pushing in all these books.
On the other shelf, I’ve got the Left Behind collection and my Brandon Sanderson Kickstarter collection. I also have an Encyclopedia Americana and a modern reference encyclopedia. As you can tell, it’s mostly encyclopedias.
On the third shelf, I have the Annals of America, which is an American history series. On this shelf, I feature new books that listeners send me, and these are the books you usually see on camera.
On the bottom shelf, I have comic books in faux book containers, which I found at an estate sale. It’s a nice way of presenting them.
Over here is some wonderful art by my children.
This painting is one of the coolest I’ve ever found. I discovered it at an antique shop. It’s full of symbolism, and every square inch has meaning. I love this portrayal of Jesus from Revelation. I also keep a verse nearby as a reminder.
Here is my desk. I use three primary monitors and an Elgato prompter in the middle. This is my Rodecaster Pro, which my microphone plugs into. I run everything live right here.
There’s one more bookshelf in the back. It’s mostly filled with books from listeners and authors I’ve worked with recently. I’ve actually run out of room since so many listeners send me their books, which I really appreciate.
So that’s the tour of my office for all five of you who care. And yes, these are real books. It’s mostly encyclopedias.
I loved seeing your office! I especially liked seeing your equipment setup and how you arrange things to work for the sound. Is your room void of windows or do you have them covered with the black sound foam squares? What other specific equipment do you use? Love that you also have your kids’ artwork in there with you. You stated that readers send you books – do they ever send you children’s books for your kiddos? If so, how do we do that?
The blackout curtains cover the window. This keeps the lighting the same regardless of when I record. It also helps reduce sound reflections.
I think his windows make a curtained appearance in the first picture.
Ok… so… what comic books do you have? 🙂
Thanks for the tour Thomas. Do the babes come into your office and pretend their you? 🙂