November 21, 2014: The Daily Illuminator, Sam Kieth, Mike Mignola, June Lockhart, And Me

When I was asked to write about my experiences with the Daily Illuminator my very first thought was: "The Daily Illuminator changed my life!" One benefit to being late with my entry, though, was it gave me a chance to read some of the other remembrances that have gone up in the past week . . . which led to slightly changing my plans for today's post. After all, none of you want to hear how a Daily Illuminator posting in January of 1999 led to my sitting where I am today.

So instead I thought I'd take this chance to thank the Daily Illuminator for dropping me in exactly the right place to have memorable experiences with:

• Sam Kieth - You're either familiar with the work of comic artist and creator Sam Kieth or you just don't love incredible artwork and storytelling. During a convention in Atlanta I was invited on an airport run to pick up Mr. Kieth. Absolutely! The ride back -- which took roughly an hour thanks to timing and traffic -- was one I'll never forget as we talked comics and I got my first real peek into how the comic industry actually works. 
• Mike Mignola - A highlight of my time at Steve Jackson Games has to be the many months spent working on our Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game. I spent countless hours behind the scenes on the project, trading call after call with Mr. Mignola as we worked through the details. The final game book turned out incredible, and the experience taught me more about working with licensors than I could have hoped. I'd love to work on another Hellboy project one of these days. (Please!)
• June Lockhart - Lassie. Lost in Space. You know these and you certainly know June Lockhart. What you may not know is that at San Diego Comic Con one year I found myself extremely frustrated and upset with June Lockhart during a brief incident at a hotel. I'd go into details, but it's actually rather embarassing since I shouldn't ever yell at people. Really. Inside voice, Phil! Inside voice! Trust me, I'll never forget . . . I'd better not say. Find me at a con and if the stars are right I'll make you laugh.

Now these are only a few memories I've collected because of the Daily Illuminator. After over fifteen years working with Steve Jackson Games I've collected hundreds of experiences that I can honestly say would have never happened if not for the Daily Illuminator. It is amazing how sending one email in response to one online post can change a life, but that's exactly what happened to me.

Thank you, Steve, both for all of the great years of work and for keeping the Daily Illuminator running for two decades. I hope I'm here for the next two decades and I hope I can give others as many fantastic experiences as you and the DI have given me.

-- Phil Reed