Oh Hey, Meet the Team
Oh hey, we’re really excited to finally introduce ourselves. We’re a small team with big personalities. We’re going to take a moment and give you, dear reader, a chance to get to know us better! Keep an eye on our blog for a new interview every month.
First up, Charlie Visconage.
Charlie was born in 1986 and lives in Washington, DC with his wife and dog. He’s an artist, a gamer, a runner, a motorcycle & car enthusiast, and he loves getting up early. We got up early too and hit him with the big questions, enjoy!
Hi Charlie! We’ve got a bunch of questions prepared by our studio audience. Have a seat, let’s chat. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? If so, elaborate.
Some dumb shit like getting hit by a car while running somewhere I shouldn't be probably like on the shoulder of a narrow road in another country. I've had a few close calls in the past, like inadvertently running through a whole Romani camp in a small town in Slovenia or on a tiny little road in Malaysia. I don't want to seem like a marathoner or anything; I usually top out at 4-5 miles per run. But when I travel, exercise is a must so I make it work. I mean ideally in a peaceful sleep at home surrounded by friends, but who knows. I've been a lifelong poor predictor of the future.
The Romani probably cursed you to live forever. Bummer. What book or books had a significant impact on you and why?
My own reading has ebbed and flowed over the years, but when I studied abroad in Australia in 2008 I was insanely lonely, so I read 30 books in the course of five months. Two from that period I think about all the time are D.H. Lawrence's "The Boy in the Bush" and Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I think those stuck with me because they are chiefly fish out of water stories, which was where I was at then.
So you love books. That’s very cool. We’re all about reading and communication. We’re also all about the spice of life. Are dipping sauces important to you? If you could only choose two for the rest of your life, what two would that be and why?
YES THEY ARE. I'd go with ketchup and some sort of garlic-butter sauce. In terms of flavor profile and overall versatility, I think those two would give me the best bang for my buck in this hypothetical bleak T2-opening machine stepping on a skull two-sauce only future.
Ketchup is a pretty universal choice. Very not controversial. Your answer to these next questions might be controversial. Let’s find out. Which card, made by you, are you most proud of?
I'm extremely proud of the Birthday Selector. At best, I want my cards to read like a mix of silly and sincere, and that one covers both.
Makes sense. Great card. Which card, -not- made by you, is your favorite?
I love the X-15 in the Space Pioneers collection. As a lifelong aviation nerd, it ticks all the right boxes and looks like it belongs in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum or Udvar Hazy Center gift shop. Hey wait a minute....
Hey wait a minute indeed. Complete this sentence - If someone says _____________ is their favorite movie, it’s a giant red flag for me.
Love, Actually. It sucks, actually.
What’s wrong with Hugh Grant?
…
*incoherent mumbling about Four Weddings and a Funeral and shuffling notes* Moving on, what did you learn this past year that you want to live out fully in this next year?
Giving is important. I'm consciously trying to be more giving, whether that be my time, my information on how to do things, things like that.
Giving is the best. Also understanding. Giving and trying to understand. Are you a crier? Do movies or TV shows make you cry? If so, what triggered it?
I'm a big time crier. I often cry when painting, not because I'm so overcome with the majesty of what I have made or something, but because I believe my own best work comes from being in a vulnerable, emotional place so I listen to music to get me there. My most recent entertainment-related cry was from Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch", which has many beautiful and moving parts. The only games to ever make me cry are "Red Dead Redemption 2" and "Death Stranding". Both of these games benefitted from the medium's ability to let a creator tell a 50-70 hour long story where the character's journey to change somehow is believable.
We get you. Those first 11 minutes of Star Trek [2009] are 🥺🥺🥺. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
My life objectively does not suck. I have somehow found a band of friends who are all on their own creative journeys, a great spouse and home life, extended family nearby, and life continues to offer interesting opportunities to make things that didn't previously exist. So all that.
Interesting if true!
Ok everyone, that was the interview, we hope you liked it! We’ve got three other team members to ask the exact same questions so stay tuned for all the excitement!
Love each and everyone of you who read this far. Fuck the quitters. Buy Cards! Send Love!
Oh Hey, Fuck You.