Pixel Retentive Podcast

About Pixel Retentive Podcast

This is Pixel Retentive podcast, where Colorful Carl, an Artist and a Business Owner, discusses the art of business and the business of art. Here, we explore the intersection of creativity, business, marketing, and entrepreneurship with some of the leading minds in the space.

Publisher

Epic Made

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jun 2023

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

158 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Beyond the Book Launch: Barbara Caraballo on Building Author Platforms That Last Recording

   In this episode of the Pixel Retentive Podcast, Carl sits down with Barbara Caraballo, founder of Caraballo & Co. and strategist behind business book launches for Fortune 500 CEOs, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, Thinkers50-ranked thought leaders, and Harvard Business Review Press authors. Barbara breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions in publishing: writing the book is only half the job. The other half is creating the strategy, audience, positioning, marketing, and platform that give the book somewhere to go once it exists. Together they explore why authors should begin thinking about marketing long before publication day, how a book can build authority beyond simply becoming a bestseller, and why community is one of the most powerful assets an author can develop. Barbara also explains traditional versus hybrid publishing, how to validate an idea before turning it into a book, the role of AI in modern book marketing, and why a successful launch should be the beginning of a long-term platform rather than one week of attention. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn: Why writing a great book is only half of the publishing process The biggest mistake authors make when planning a book launch Why book marketing should begin before the manuscript is finished How authors can prepare for a launch while they're still writing Why publishing a book does not automatically mean people will discover it Why authors need to become comfortable talking about and selling their own work How a publishing strategist fits alongside publishers, PR agencies, branding teams, and other specialists Why book trailers are becoming valuable tools for reaching modern audiences The difference between launching a book and building long-term authority Why becoming a bestseller may be the wrong primary goal How a book can support speaking, coaching, consulting, and other business opportunities Why every nonfiction book needs a larger strategic objective How author branding, book branding, and business branding work together Barbara's perspective on assistive AI versus using AI to create the actual work Why the book itself may only be the beginning of the author's larger brand How to think about your book from the reader's perspective instead of the author's Why identifying the bookstore shelf your book belongs on can clarify your positioning Why not every good idea needs to become a book How to validate a book concept before committing years to writing it The difference between traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and self-publishing How community can sometimes bring publishers directly to authors Why publishers increasingly care about the audience an author already has What Alex Hormozi's book launches demonstrate about strategy, community, and positioning Why word of mouth remains one of the strongest ways to sell books Barbara's Find Your How approach to building a strategy around the author's actual ecosystem What an author platform really is Why even an audience of 100 engaged people can be a meaningful starting point Why a successful book launch requires a team How the right publishing model depends on the author's timeline and goals Why publication day should be viewed as the beginning rather than the finish line How a book can become a platform for years of business growth Guest Links 🌐 Caraballo & Co. https://caraballo.co (https://caraballo.co) 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaracaraballo/ Special Thanks A huge thank you to Barbara Caraballo for breaking down the part of publishing that authors often discover too late: the book needs a strategy beyond the book itself. Writing something valuable matters. But the launch, audience, positioning, community, partnerships, brand, and long-term business opportunities surrounding that work determine whether the idea disappears after publication week or continues building momentum for years. Barbara also gives a special shoutout to Carolyn Monaco, her mentor, former client, and business partner, whom she credits as a major influence on her career. She also recommends the work of former client and author Eric O'Neill, along with one of publishing's most useful and often overlooked resources: your local library. Connect with Epic Made For more conversations about creativity, storytelling, publishing, branding, animation, marketing, entrepreneurship, design, AI, creative leadership, and the business behind great creative work, visit: 🌐 https://www.epicmade.net/resources/category/Podcast (https://www.epicmade.net/resources/category/Podcast) If you enjoyed this episode, share it with an author, entrepreneur, founder, executive, marketer, publisher, thought leader, coach, or anyone considering turning their ideas into a book. Until next time, ✌️ Carl #BookMarketing #BookLaunch #Publishing #AuthorBranding #ThoughtLeadership #BusinessBooks #PersonalBranding #BookPublishing #AuthorMarketing #CommunityBuilding #MarketingStrategy #Entrepreneurship #CreativeBusiness #PixelRetentivePodcast #EpicMade

2. 

   13 Oct 2026

   How to Pitch a Game, Build a Team & Start a Studio | Kevin Brunt & Bruno Gruber from Dogfish Games

   In this episode of the Pixel Retentive Podcast, Carl sits down with Kevin Brunt and Bruno Gruber, co-founders of Dogfish Games, to talk about what it actually takes to start an independent game studio in one of the most challenging periods the industry has faced. Kevin has worked in games since 2008 across projects and franchises including Valorant, Star Wars, and Plants vs. Zombies, while Bruno is a senior technical artist, developer, and Creative Director helping lead both the creative and business sides of their new studio. Together they break down the realities of pitching publishers, validating a game before spending years building it, assembling the right team, protecting studio culture, and learning all the business responsibilities that suddenly appear when developers become founders. They also discuss why execution matters more than ideas, how layoffs damage creative teams, why smaller multidisciplinary teams may play a bigger role in the future of games, and why human artists remain essential even as AI becomes part of more creative workflows. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn: How Kevin and Bruno went from building something together to forming Dogfish Games Why starting a studio was not originally part of their plan What they learned from pitching their project to multiple publishers Why every publisher looks for something different in a game pitch How to adapt your pitch without losing the core vision of your game Why having a playable build can be more powerful than pages of documentation Why developers should always have something ready to show How to tell if your game idea actually has potential Why feedback from strangers can be more useful than praise from friends Why players matter more than other developers when validating a game Why an idea alone has very little value without execution Why you should playtest as early as possible The dangers of spending five or seven years building a game nobody has tested Why growing a studio too quickly can create more problems than it solves How one bad cultural fit can damage an entire creative team Why hiring talented people is not enough Why Kevin prefers to "hire a heart" and look for genuine passion How friendships can complicate hiring decisions Why founders spend far less time making games than they expect The hidden workload behind contracts, lawyers, banking, and studio operations Why professional legal help matters when building a real company How Kevin and Bruno think AI should fit into creative workflows Why bringing a skilled concept artist onto the team dramatically changed their project The difference between generating a polished image and actually solving a design problem How layoffs can destroy years of culture and institutional knowledge Why smaller development teams may become increasingly important Why future game developers may need to become more multidisciplinary Why chasing market trends is usually the wrong creative strategy The importance of building something you genuinely care about Why adaptability may be one of the most important skills in a long game development career What aspiring developers need to understand about practice, failure, and getting good enough to compete Guest Links 🎮 Dogfish Games https://dogfishgames.com (https://dogfishgames.com) 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbrunt/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbrunt/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-de-araujo/ Special Thanks A huge thank you to Kevin Brunt and Bruno Gruber for giving such an open look at the realities of building a game studio from scratch. Starting a studio isn't simply about having a great game idea. It means pitching, testing, hiring, managing culture, dealing with contracts, learning unfamiliar business skills, adapting constantly, and finding people willing to believe in the thing you're trying to build. Their biggest lesson may also be the simplest: don't build in isolation. Show your work. Let people play it. Listen to players. Surround yourself with talented people who care. And don't assume your first idea is automatically the best one. Kevin and Bruno also emphasize the importance of community throughout a creative career. Whether it's peers providing feedback, developers opening doors, or experienced artists helping younger people navigate the industry, they believe the games community is stronger when people actively help each other succeed. Connect with Epic Made For more conversations about creativity, storytelling, animation, game development, studio building, design, branding, entrepreneurship, AI, creative leadership, and the business behind great creative work, visit: 🌐 https://www.epicmade.net/resources/category/Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a game developer, indie founder, artist, technical artist, studio leader, producer, creative director, or anyone thinking about turning a game idea into a real studio. Until next time, ✌️ Carl #GameDevelopment #IndieGames #DogfishGames #GameStudio #GameDev #GameDesign #GameArt #IndieGameDev #CreativeLeadership #StudioCulture #GameIndustry #TechnicalArt #ConceptArt #Entrepreneurship #PixelRetentivePodcast #EpicMade

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   The Designer Behind EverQuest | Bill Trost on Building Worlds Players Never Forget

   In this episode of the Pixel Retentive Podcast, Carl and special guest host Zach Roth sit down with Bill Trost, game designer, artist, lead designer, and co-creator of the original EverQuest, to explore how one of gaming's most memorable fantasy worlds was built. Bill helped shape the history, geography, factions, characters, mythology, and overall identity of Norrath, transforming years of experience as a Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master into the foundation of a world players are still exploring decades later. Together they dig into the creative philosophy behind EverQuest, why believable worlds need consistent internal rules, how leaving unanswered questions gives players ownership over a universe, and why familiar fantasy ideas can actually make ambitious games more accessible. Bill also shares lessons from EverQuest 2, Amazon Game Studios, Ashes of Creation, and three decades of game development, while exploring how today's tools are opening the door for smaller teams and independent developers to create experiences that once required massive studios. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn: How Bill Trost became one of the original creators of EverQuest Why his background as a Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master shaped Norrath How EverQuest evolved from the idea of creating a "MUD with graphics" Why Bill entered game development through testing and art before becoming a designer How EverQuest's gods, factions, geography, and history were built from the ground up Why Bill began Norrath's world building with its creation mythology and pantheon How Daggerfall influenced EverQuest's faction system Why morally gray factions made the world feel more believable How Bill created an internal atlas and almanac to organize Norrath Why Qeynos became an early model for how EverQuest's cities and gameplay should work How danger and meaningful consequences made EverQuest more memorable Why a fantasy world must obey its own internal rules How unanswered questions give players room to participate in world building Why Bill believes games should prioritize player expression over creator expression How EverQuest was deliberately designed to leave room for future developers and expansions Why Kunark and Velious feel different while still belonging inside the same universe How familiar fantasy tropes helped players understand an otherwise difficult game Why EverQuest's difficulty was a feature for its core audience What EverQuest 2 learned from the original game's success Why memorable game experiences can begin to feel like real personal memories What has changed most during Bill's 30 years in game development Why increasingly accessible development tools are empowering small teams and indie creators Bill's perspective on AI as a new tool within game development Why creative constraints can actually make worlds stronger How watercolor painting influenced Bill's philosophy of leaving room for imagination Guest Links 🌐 Bill Trost https://billtrost.com (https://billtrost.com) LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/btrost Special Thanks A huge thank you to Bill Trost for giving us a behind-the-scenes look at how one of gaming's most enduring fantasy worlds came together. EverQuest wasn't simply a collection of game mechanics. Norrath was designed as a place with history, relationships, danger, humor, unanswered questions, and enough creative space for millions of players to build their own stories inside it. One of Bill's most powerful observations is that he knew EverQuest was becoming something different when memories from playtests stopped feeling like memories of playing a video game and started feeling like memories of experiences he had actually lived. Bill also gives a special shoutout to his former professor and mentor Doug Durant, whose watercolor lessons taught him two creative principles he still carries with him today: make every mark matter, but leave room for chaos. That philosophy ultimately became much bigger than painting. It influenced the way Bill approaches game design, world building, and creativity itself. Connect with Epic Made For more conversations about creativity, storytelling, animation, game development, world building, design, branding, entrepreneurship, creative leadership, and the business behind unforgettable entertainment, visit: 🌐 https://www.epicmade.net/resources/category/Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, share it with an EverQuest player, MMO fan, game designer, Dungeon Master, world builder, developer, creative director, fantasy fan, or anyone fascinated by how unforgettable fictional worlds are made. Until next time, ✌️ Carl #EverQuest #BillTrost #MMORPG #GameDevelopment #WorldBuilding #GameDesign #Norrath #EverQuest2 #AshesOfCreation #DungeonsAndDragons #MMO #FantasyGames #IndieGames #CreativeLeadership #PixelRetentivePodcast #EpicMade

Who has been a guest on Pixel Retentive Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Paul Harvey
• Veronica Kido
• Chris Zukowski
• Jonathan Domanus
• Johnathan Grzybowski

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

243

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

92

Social presence

0

YouTube

72

Engagement

60

Contact Pixel Retentive Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Pixel Retentive Podcast