Find Christal Online!
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Tell us about yourself:
The facts are these: I graduated from Western Washington University as an English Literature major. Through an internship I obtained in the last few years of college, I was offered a full-time position which enriched my skills and knowledge in social media and creative services (product photography, writing, design) just to name a few things.
I ended up hitting a wall in my life where I had little to no time to engage in the horror community and take on a role in which I felt like I was able to contribute.
Then the fall of last year happened. I applied for other jobs and was faced with interviewers who couldn’t get past my desire for an industry change. So I said, “Fuck this.” In December of 2017, I launched TheSuperghoul.com to bring quality horror content to the digital world all while offering creative services. My goal is to be accessible to potential horror niche businesses/clients should they want to take their digital marketing strategies to the next level.
Sounds odd as hell, I’m sure! But dreams aren’t cookie cutter. Horror niche social media? Let’s fucking do this.
Why do you dig horror?
I dig horror because I enjoy pushing my comfort zone. I firmly believe that horror has a genre gets so much backlash because it presents uncomfortable conversations and situations people don’t want to address in reality, and that’s the sign that the story is doing it’s job just right.
Then there’s the aesthetic side: ‘Horror’ to me means opportunity as a creative. There are no boundaries! The SFX can go wild and the writing can be outlandish. I enjoy every moment of it.
Tell us about some of your projects. Say as much as you want!
1) I have a series of interviews lined up for TheSuperghoul.com. The next set of interviews will introduce local creators in addition to interviews with names like Gigi Saul Guerrero and George Cameron Romero.
2) I helped out the directors of the Blood Drive PSA film titled “Just A Prick” with a few graphics tasks. The Blood Drive banner in the film and assembling an existing illustration into a film poster to be exact, but that film just debuted on the Soska’s YouTube channel a few nights ago so definitely check it out! Tonjia Atomic and Michelle Nessk did a fantastic job.
3) I’m also the Social Media Director of FredHeads which is an upcoming documentary that focuses on the Nightmare on Elm Street fandom. More to come from that arena!
4) Other projects coming about but too early to share!
How has being a woman in the industry helped / hurt you?
It’s helped me connect with other creatives on a scale unfathomable. So many opportunities have opened up within a short amount of time and it’s helped me achieve happiness in my work.
The negatives? I have yet to experience them in the industry but I know it will come about especially when I hear about instances from my colleagues.
Tell a woman who wants to get into horror something you wish someone had told you.
Stop waiting. Don’t make excuses. The more you wait to make the move, the more starved you’ll feel creatively. You’ll get looks because others might not understand, but don’t let others set the boundaries for you! You’ve fucking got this!
The Women in Horror Month Q&A feature is brought to you by Strangeful Things, The Hilarious Podcast about Horrible Things!
