In this episode, Jason Hsieh sits down with James Cole, a graphic artist who turned decades of creative work into a self-published board game success story. James shares how his background in zombie art, including flyers he created for death metal bands in the nineties, gave him a surprising competitive advantage when launching Zombie Survival Infection on Kickstarter.

The conversation covers how he managed every part of the business alone, from designing 96 original art pieces to navigating a shipment that went missing at the Port of Los Angeles. James opens up about the hardest parts of solo publishing, what worked on Kickstarter, and how game designer communities gave him the support he needed to keep going. Whether you are thinking about launching your own game or just curious about what it takes to pull it off alone, this episode delivers honest insights from someone who has been through it all.