Reporter Veronica Belmont keeps fans — and geeks — informed
Written by Jeff McGinnis | | jmcginnis@toledofreepress.comBeing passionate about geek culture comes naturally for tech reporter Veronica Belmont. You could almost say that it runs in the family — her mom is a former vice president of famous game/toy company Coleco.
“I’ve been excited about technology and gaming for as long as I can remember,” Belmont said in an interview with Toledo Free Press Star. “My parents were extremely supportive of my more tomboyish pursuits as a kid, so it never seemed weird. I was always pulling things apart and breaking things, putting them back together, etc.”
Veronica Belmont
Nowadays, Belmont pulls apart elements of the technology and entertainment worlds with incisive reporting and analysis via her numerous online projects. Between her work as the co-host of Revision3’s popular show “Tekzilla,” co-host of the sci-fi/fantasy literature podcast “Sword and Laser,” and the new video version of “Sword and Laser” airing on Felicia Day’s “Geek & Sundry” YouTube channel, fans the world over get a lot of their news from Belmont.
Her positioning as one of the champions of geek culture comes as a pleasant surprise to Belmont. “I went to school for audio/radio production, so I always assumed I’d go into live sound or studio production. Turns out it was a good introduction to podcasting, before I even knew what that was,” she said.
Indeed, it was through podcasts that Belmont began to establish herself with an audience. She began work with tech website CNET as an intern and an eventual producer of video segments and the podcast “Buzz Out Loud.”
“We were just trying to make videos that were informative and interesting,” Belmont said. “People love their tech, and they want to know how to use it. I think I really made a connection with the podcasts, since they were so much more personal than the videos were. I could really be myself and share my opinions and personality.”
Her career has taken off since, with her gigs at “Tekzilla” and “Sword and Laser” making Belmont a prominent name in the technology and fantasy communities, with an additional role as the host of the PlayStation Network gaming show “Qore” also on her resume.
“It doesn’t necessarily put a lot of pressure on me, but it’s been great that people are enjoying the shows. We just try to make the best content possible,” Belmont said.
Belmont believes her own interest in the issues she reports on is crucial to her success. “I hope the reason is that people see my genuine passion for the topics. I’m very fortunate that I can work on shows that keep me excited and interested.”
The popularity of “Sword and Laser” led to its debut in video form as one of the first shows on “Geek & Sundry,” a new YouTube channel launched in April. Airing every other week, the new show features Belmont and co-host Tom Merritt discussing news and interviewing big names in fantasy literature, such as a recent talk with “A Game of Thrones” scribe George R.R. Martin.
“It’s been a blast!” Belmont said of the new show. ‘Geek & Sundry’ gives us full control over the content, of course, and it’s nice to actually have a budget to work with. It’s reaching a whole new audience as well, and I’m happy that we’re exposing people to some great authors and books that they may not have discovered otherwise.”
Like many who work in modern media, Belmont keeps regular contact with fans though social networks like Twitter — though even someone as tech-savvy as she is can find pitfalls in being so accessible.
“Sometimes you forget what’s appropriate to share or keep private. I’ve had to learn to filter myself a little bit! It’s fun having conversations with the viewers, and sometimes they’ll remind me of things I’ve said or done that I never would have remembered. I’m like … ‘I said that?! When?’ And then they show me. It’s a bit trippy.”
Belmont’s already full plate promises to get even more packed in the months to come — with several new projects she can’t talk about very much yet, and others she can’t say much about in a family newspaper.
“Hopefully I’ll be working on a new tech show with Revision3 in the coming months, but I can’t say too much about it yet. There’s another big secret project on the horizon that I started working on this summer that I hope we’ll see soon. I’m also voicing a character named Grotessa in a new YouTube cartoon called ‘Superf*****s.’”
Tags: Revision3, Sword and Laser, Tekzilla, Veronica Belmont
