Steve Zaragoza is synonymous with the word nerd. From helping launch the YouTube channel SourcefedNERD, to sharing his very strong opinions on Star Wars and comic book movies, Steve has become an expert in the nerd world and I had the honor to ask him some questions about the nerd world.

Jason: How did you start your career on YouTube?

Steve: In an unconventional way. I answered a casting call for a "man on the street" style YouTube gameshow called "Curb Cash", (a short-lived show that was featured on the SourceFed channel in the beginning) which became an audition for "20 Minutes or Less", the flagship SourceFed show. This was back in December of 2011.

How important is a platform like YouTube to the expansion of nerd culture?

As important as any other social media platform. Nerd culture thrives on its ability to quickly spread information, trailers, reviews, unboxings, discussions, etc. YouTube is a perfect platform for geeking out, being yourself, and meeting others who share in your fandom.

How do you think nerd culture has changed in the last decade?

The advancement of social media has changed everything. The ability to instantly voice your opinion or share a trailer across dozens of different social media platforms is amazing and awful at the same time. By awful I mean, we've seen what social media and nerd culture can do with movies like Ghostbusters 2016.

What does it mean to you when you hear the word nerd?

I grew up in a time when it wasn't so cool to be a nerd. I was made fun of and bullied for loving Star Wars. Star Wars! Which is now a widely accepted mainstream part of our culture. It's definitely now cool to be a nerd to some extent. I feel the negative impact of the word is mostly gone.

What do you think of nerd culture becoming more mainstream?

I'm one of those old nerds who's totally ok with it. A lot of people complain about their "super cool secret underground nerd thing" now being popular. But it just means we get to see more of it, and the people who created it get more money. Win win!

What moment in you life did you geek out the hardest?

Anytime I'm at San Diego Comic Con. Or when I'm at Disneyland.

What do you think of comic book movies and shows moving towards "universes" like the MCU and Flarrowverse instead of doing stand alone movie and shows?

I think it's a bit much right now. It seems like every studio is trying to beef up their franchises to expand into "universes" and it's all fine and good if it works. But I think even with Star Wars we're going to start to see a bit of overexposure. I feel like it's already kind of happening with the MCU.

What are you most passionate about in the nerd world?

Comedy and movies. Comedy is my life. Laughter, jokes, bits. It all leads to smiles one way or another. And that's a good thing.

Why do you think people get so passionate about nerdy things?

At the core of nerdom you've got science fiction right? And fundamentally science is analytical. The fiction part just makes it more interesting. Science can be boring, but add superhuman abilities, time travel, multiverses and aliens into the mix and you've got more interesting things to think about and analyze. I think we see these larger-than-life characters and settings, and we see the hero's journey, and we can't help but see ourselves escaping into these worlds. And the science part makes it all seem possible, as impossible as it may seem. So we analyze, and dream, and wonder. And all of that creates passion.

Where do you hope to see your career progress in the next few years?

I hope to see my career grow and migrate a bit into television and film. But as long as I'm making people laugh in any form of entertainment, and in turn entertaining them and making them happy, I'll be just fine.

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