Just Make It

Just Make It

By Mayke StudiosEducationHow To
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Just Make It episodes

  • 047: Taking Your First Comic Issue From Start to Finish

    Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

    Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

    Inside Episode 047: You need two things to take your first comic script from start to finish: perseverance and grit.


    Key Takeaways
    • The most pivotal moment in writing your first issue is understanding that it’s not going to be what’s in your head the first time it gets on paper. It’s going to be very sloppy and very bad—and that’s the way it should be.
    • Perfection isn’t found in inactivity.
    • If it doesn’t exist, you can’t make it better. Start writing.
    • Motivation is found in the doing. You can’t sit around and wait to be inspired. You have to start. You have to execute.
    • Get your script on paper. That will forever and always be the catalyst behind moving it to completion.
    • Elevate your script with each revision. Your job isn’t to make it perfect on the first try. Writing is an iterative process.
    • Get your script in front of people who are going to give you positive, constructive criticism. You’re not looking for compliments or kudos at this stage.
    • Don’t try to justify everything once you’re given feedback. This feedback is to help elevate the first draft of your comic. Apply it where it matters to move it forward.
    • Surround yourself with talent, not people. Quality over quantity.
    • Invest.
    • At the beginning stages of building a brand, by no means should the words ‘cheap’ come out of your mouth.
    • Stand on the principle of value in all you do.
    • Fold story into every single aspect of this process from start to finish.
    • Story doesn’t start and end at the script. It has to go into everything else
    • 38 min
    • 045: Don’t Rush the Process. Trust the Process.

      Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

      Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

      Inside Episode 045: You’re going to wish that you were further ahead, wish you had more money, or even question what you’ve gotten yourself into. But it all happens for a reason and we’re here to tell you in this episode to not rush or lose faith in the process.


      Key Takeaways
      • Once you set your vision and make it clear, have enough faith to walk the road before you and trust you’ll get to the end of it.
      • Stay out of your feelings. You aren’t always going to feel like doing this, but push through.
      • Invest today, reap the benefits tomorrow.
      • Don’t be afraid to play the long game.
      • You’re going through what you’re going through to learn something. Without going through it, you won’t get to the next level.
      • Growth and maturity comes with the process.
      • 32 min
      • 044: You Have To Set Bigger Goals (This Is How We Got To New York Comic Con)

        Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

        Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

        Inside Episode 044: You have to set bigger goals. Once you’ve set them, you have to devise a plan on how to achieve them. It isn’t enough to plan. You and your team have to execute on that goal and it needs to be executed on as a single, cohesive unit.


        Key Takeaways
        • You have two choices. Believe in you goals or fear your goals.
        • Your bigger goals should be ambitious and scare you a little bit.
        • Don’t let goals sit in the idea stage. Execute on them. It’s not enough to just talk about it.
        • Learn how to reverse engineer your goals.
        • Reverse engineering is the process of building the goal backwards to see the steps it would take to get there.
        • When your team meets in person, the relationships should elevate.
        • Meeting in person allows conversations and ideation to continue. Online discussions start and end when the connection is started and then shut down. In-person allows for spontaneity of ideas and creativity.
        • Your team should meet at least once a year to create these bonds and experiences.


        • 1 hr 10 min
        • 043: The 8 Most Insightful Lessons & Things We Learned at New York Comic Con

          Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

          Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

          Inside Episode 043: It’s con season and if you’re preparing to get to one, we’re positive this episode will give you some insight and information on how to make the most out of your experience.


          Key Takeaways
          • Artist Alley and Cosplayers are the lifeblood of conventions.
          • Art is a business. You need to treat it like such if you’re going to be at a table or booth.
          • There’s a level of customer service required of you if you’re selling your products to the public. Learn to engage with people.
          • The Rule of Reciprocity still applies. Give before asking. Don’t make it all about you and don’t look for hookups. Support others first.
          • You should always be representing yourself. Leave the Marvel and DC t-shirts home. Invest in your own merchandise and business cards.
          • You have to nail your pitch. Practice it. Go back and listen to Episode 28 for guidance.
          • Opportunities are everywhere. You have to be the one to open your mouth or make the first move to obtain them.
          • 33 min
          • 042: Finding the Time To Do What You Love

            Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

            Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

            Inside Episode 042: In this episode, you’ll learn some of Brent’s tips as he shares his advice so you can improve your time management skills to make room for what you truly love to do.


            Key Takeaways
            • Learn to prioritize. And to do this, you’re going to have to learn how to start saying no to certain things and people.
            • Understand the difference between important events and urgent events.
            • Stop reacting to urgent events. The important events should take priority.
            • Be proactive with your time instead of reactive.
            • Stop treating your time like it’s on autopilot.
            • Focus on important tasks that contribute to your long term goals such as school, work and also the time for your passion.
            • Ask yourself throughout the day: Is this the best use of my time right now?
            • Find out what works best for you. Meaning if setting timers on your phone helps you balance your tasks, priorities, and life, do it. If writing everything down on a whiteboard better suits you, do that instead.
            • Do one thing at a time. Focus on that one thing, enjoy it, then move onto the next. Do not split your focus across multiple things.
            • Focus your energy on what matters most.
            • 32 min
            • 041: 8 Marketing Mistakes You’re Making On Social Media

              Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

              Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

              Inside Episode 041: The biggest lesson you need to learn is that you have to give and share value to others. We’re talking about the Rule of Reciprocity again. Give before asking,


              Key Takeaways
              • Mistake #1: You only keep talking about YOU. We are inherently selfish and like the be the hero of our own story. You can’t be the hero of your audience’s story. Put them in the spotlight.
              • Mistake #2: You don’t engage with others. It’s still all about you. You only want people to click and share your things but never return the gesture.
              • Mistake #3: You aren’t visual. You just keep posting walls of text.
              • Mistake #4: You’re not curating. You just keep posting all of the things and not making yourself part of the conversation by doing so.
              • Mistake #5: You’re trying to be on every social network. Go where your audience is. You aren’t required to be on everything.
              • Mistake #6: You have no strategy.
              • Mistake #7: You aren’t giving and sharing anything of value.
              • Mistake #8: This is the big one: *You may not be ready to be on social media.
              • 1 hr
              • 040: Starting Your Studio | Community (Part 6 of 6)

                Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

                Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.


                Key Takeaways
                • We’re tribal by nature. We form communities even when we aren’t thinking about it. We just like being around like-minded people who shame the share affinity towards something as we do.
                • Getting in a community of like-minded people is where you have the opportunity to grow.
                • There’s an invisible language barrier when you aren’t in a community of your own. Thinking big around small thinkers is intimidating to those small thinkers.
                • Thinking big around big thinkers leads to bigger ideas.
                • 22 min
                • 039: Starting Your Studio | Collaboration (Part 5 of 6)

                  Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

                  Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

                  Inside Episode 039: Collaboration—true, diverse collaboration—is your opportunity to get talented people around what you’ve built and multiply it by 10. It isn’t a gathering of opinions, feedback and criticism. It’s an opportunity to expand what you’ve done and take it to a higher level.


                  Key Takeaways
                  • The whole point of collaboration is to create a better, smarter solution than you could with one perspective.
                  • Collaboration is the gateway to bigger, better ideas that wouldn’t come about through your one perspective.
                  • True collaboration is bringing together people of different perspectives, experiences, cultures, races, ethnicity, genders, etc.
                  • If you all come from the same place, with the same perspective, with the same world-view—that isn’t collaboration. That’s groupthink.
                  • Getting phenomenal people around your project leads to expansive, ambitious ideas; better stories; newer characters; and territory you would’ve never explored on your own.
                  • 25 min
                  • 038: Starting Your Studio | Leadership (Part 4 of 6)

                    Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

                    Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

                    Inside Episode 038: In this episode, we dive into the importance of leadership and how to go about doing it for projects like this. Ed shares his experiences leading from the front and Brent shares his experiences of working with Arclight and how the leadership allows each team member to perform their best work, as well as unlock their potential so Arclight can continue delivering content.


                    Key Takeaways
                    • Leadership is about sacrifice, not calling the shots.
                    • You have to lead from the front. Leading from the back isn’t inspiring or motivating anyone.
                    • You are required, by design, to do more as the leader. Never should you ever ask anyone to do more than what you’re willing to do.
                    • You cannot put expectations on others that you haven’t put on yourself.
                    • Leadership is a skill not intended for those who only want to be in control or in charge. You have to be benevolent, not a dictator.
                    • It is important to constantly communicate your company’s story, challenges, values, and directives to the team.
                    • Team buy-in is important. They should feel like they have some ownership in the grander vision.
                    • 40 min
                    • 037: Starting Your Studio | Creating Stories & Characters (Part 3 of 6)

                      Before Mayke Entertainment, we were Arclight Comics! Tune into the re-release of The Arclight Podcast and get insightful tips, info, and advice on how we make comics. We shared everything we learned from 2009 to 2016. Learn how we branded our company, handled legal issues, character design, story development, and more!

                      Disclaimer: Please be advised, some of the information, advice, and practices may be outdated and no longer be in use by Mayke Entertainment.

                      Inside Episode 037: In this episode, we talk about how both are a really important part of your company, your brand, and the overall experience the audience will have, while also sharing what you need to start creating engaging characters that aren’t carbon copies of existing mainstream properties.


                      Key Takeaways
                      • Your characters represent the brand at large. They are the face of your company.
                      • You cannot give us average, mediocre characters that instantly make a connection to an already existing character.
                      • Characters are living, breathing logos for you brand that set up the marketing and advertising vehicles.
                      • Stories and characters are connected to your need and vision.
                      • Stories and characters are products of your comic universe’s infrastructure. That infrastructure determines the kinds of characters and stories that will be allowed to live inside that world.
                      • If your characters and stories are average, the need, vision and infrastructure—no matter how great—won’t support them.
                      • Characters and stories are on the front end of your brand. Everything else is on the back end.
                        48 min

                      About Just Make It

                      From the publisher's feed

                      A team of storytellers and creators strap up their boots and hike the journey of making their own comic studio, universe, and characters. Get storytelling, character development, and more insights…