Imaginos Workshop is a creative engine featuring a diverse group of creators. Our media ranges from comics to podcasts to scripts. As our company motto simply states, "We Make Cool $h!t!"
Our latest featured creator is a long time member of Imaginos Workshop: Jeff Lilly
A member of the rock star creative team responsible for the ongoing webcomic, The Extras, Jeff is a treasured part of Imaginos. His experience with the educational environment isn’t limited to the fictional School of Saints Java and Hellbender though. Jeff lived in Japan for over a decade teaching in small town public schools. Those cherished memories from his time as an educator continue to influence the universe of The Extras along with his other works.
While his webcomic work is amazing on its own, Jeff also works together with the scriptwriting team at Imaginos to craft gripping screenplays and other writings. One of his written works, the Erin Tarn Chronicles, is available for free reading in the Writings section of our website.
Not only is Jeff a kickass creative engine on his own, but he partakes in a curious hobby: repairing antique radios. Initially, he only collected a few radios, but after a while, began to ask “Could I make these work?” He took a deep dive into learning more about the mechanics of antique radios and is now president of the Michigan Antique Radio Club.
To help learn more about this amazing creator, we asked him a few questions about his work over the years, where he hopes to go, and how he got into the cool hobby of repairing antique radios.
Q: You lived in Japan for over a decade teaching in public schools. What led you there and how has that time influenced your creative career?
A: I graduated with a degree in East Asian Studies. I followed a classmate to the same company and planned on staying in Japan for a year just to see a bit of the world. The private English school I worked for placed me in a local junior high and I fell in love with teaching in public schools. So I stayed on, and on.
Living abroad, especially in a culture very different from your own, is a real opportunity for personal and creative growth. It makes you aware of your actions and how you present yourself, because the cultural ground rules you never normally have to think about are suddenly different. Everyday life becomes surprising, because there are little things to discover, beautiful new details to notice. It encourages you to be mindful and curious and see things in a new way, which is brain fuel to every creative person.
Q: What was some of the inspiration behind "The Extras"?
A: On a story level, The Extras is inspired by classic boarding school tales, ranging from recent works by Gordon Korman, back to Victorian times by authors like Angela Brazil. I’m also influenced by various slice-of-life comics and shows. On a personal level, I’m inspired by the students I taught, their quirks and interests and the everyday adventures that make adolescence such a richly confusing time- alternately challenging, scary, joyful, and fascinating.
Q: Repairing antique radios is a pretty cool hobby! How did you get into doing that?
A: I collected a few Bakelite radios for the design, and then wondered if I could make them work. I sought out other collectors and was lucky enough to find the Michigan Antique Radio Club. I learned from my new friends there firsthand, as well as studying books, online materials, and original correspondence courses from the time period. Plus lots of trial and error. It’s very satisfying to make something that’s been sitting idle for over half a century work again.
Q: Alongside working on The Extras, you also work on screenplays and teleplays. What's one of your favorite ones that you've written?
A: My current favorite is a project called The Flea Market that Mark, Nik, and I developed. It’s a comedy, which is always fun to write, especially with those two. It’s also completely unique in many ways and I think it will make quite a splash.
Q: What are some of your Imaginos-related goals for the next few years?
A: First and foremost, sell the scripts we’ve been developing. Teach good writing and keep on editing so that creators in Imaginos Workshop can produce the very best stories possible, and they can teach others in turn. On a personal level, keep learning all I can. Continue to write The Extras and possibly get it to a larger publisher. Use the revenue to hire other artists at good wages to work on some other stuff I have waiting in the wings.
Imaginos Workshop has collaborated with several individuals and businesses throughout the years. Through these partnerships, we have been able to bring quality media to both SE Michigan and the broader online community. Take a moment to check out our partners and their awesome products.
Partners
Shining Otaku Comics L.L.C. serves to publish the best manga content in the world in terms of passion, structure, and effort depicted through the synchronization of artwork and story-building. We strive to not only connect the community of awesome fans of manga and the authors who provide interesting stories, but also to reach out to various people who only portray manga as material for “children” or content that “revolves around few genres” so that all mangas may have a greater chance at being recognized worldwide as masterpieces. We provide multiple genres of works done by various authors whether they are newcomers or professionals. Shining Otaku Comics essential purpose is to be a sanctuary where MANGA BURNS BRIGHTLY!!!
Comfort and Adam are an award-nominated husband and wife comic creating team. They write, draw, color, letter, and design all their work together as an equal duo. Comfort and Adam made their name as professional self-publishers with their acclaimed series The Uniques and Rainbow in the Dark. They also wrote a massive how-to book for Random House called The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Comics and the internet-exclusive series Kitty Game (with artist Corinne Roberts).
Detroit Tradecraft is a forum to advance and promote detroit area comic, animation and film graphic artists and writers-and showcase their work
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Alpha Omega Animation Design is an exciting Michigan based venture into the realm of entertainment design and animation..
Alpha Omega specializes in Traditional Animation, 2d digital animation, storyboards and concept creation and design for film, television, commercials, internet, toys, gaming and more.
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GENERATE COMIX was created to generate, highlight and develop new science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy & horror from our Cultural and personal Vantage points. Our goal is to bring creatives together to generate exciting new comics, graphic novels, illustrated screenplays and film properties. In short, to generate the next level of Urban pop Entertainment/culture.
Creating new worlds alive with vibrant strangeness, unique visual aesthetics, and the illusion of history. Giving fictional characters fascinating places to call home. Designing mechanical works with an understanding when convention is necessary and when it isn’t. This is the central online hub of Vulne Pro, a small development studio focusing on creative properties for television animation, web, and print media.
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