From Left to Right: Alec Adams (frequent HHP Artist), Joseph Carro (Community Manager, aka: Me), Shane Collins (Owner/Lead Creator of Headless Hydra Press)
Shane Collins is my boss at Headless Hydra Press, and recently I've had to go down to part time hours for him as I pursue some other endeavors (which is also why we've gone down to just two blog posts per week VS three). You see, I took the past year off from my normal job just to get away for a bit and do some thinking. During that time, Shane hired me on as the Community Manager for Headless Hydra Press and we did a few conventions together such as Origins Game Fair and Carnage Con. I was doing social media for him and started a TikTok account, and we even did a few YouTube things. Shane understood my passion for D&D and for all TTRPGs as well as for all things social media and wanted me on board for a bit to try it out. I want to take this opportunity, on the heels of a recent Kickstarter of his (ALIVE INSIDE - go check it out!) that is still active at the time I'm writing this post, to sing the company's praises as well as those of Shane because this man loves the community so much and also what he does, and I need other people to know that as well. Let's dive in.
Quick Aside
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First of all, Shane doesn't know I'm making this post about him. If he did, he would want to nix it because he's pretty humble and doesn't want to be the center of attention. Those of you who've done TikTok or Discord Lives with us will know this. He's pretty reserved and quiet and keeps to himself mostly and spends his time caring for his wife and two boys and pursuing his hobbies when his work allows. However, he's had a string of bad luck this year with physical health problems. Most recently, while he was installing a fence, he got Lyme Disease from a tick and has spent the past few weeks taking antibiotics and feeling sluggish and getting behind in his work. Yet he persisted and went forward with the launch for Alive Inside, a game system he developed and is really proud of. One thing that gives him life is the positive support all of you give him for various projects he's done. Whether it's Alive Inside, Organic Towns, or even just reading this blog - he really enjoys giving back to the TTRPG community. This is why he has me put out free content every Friday on this blog, as well as why he places a ton of free DM/Player tools on our website. When I introduced him to D&D a few years back, he told me it basically just opened doors within him that he didn't know were there and I've watched him grow from an eager first-time player to a DM/GM in his own right, and on to a small business owner who publishes 5E and other TTRPG content, to finally someone who knows more about D&D than I do.
From Left to Right: Joseph Carro (Community Manager - aka Me), Shane Collins (Owner/Lead Creator of Headless Hydra Press), Franklin Ard (Editor for HHP)
If you've backed any of Shane's Kickstarters in the past, just continue to do so whenever you feel particularly moved to by a project. If you read our newsletter, we appreciate every single reader. However, if you want to pass along any words to Shane himself - his email address is: shane@headlesshydrapress.com - Just let him know anything positive you might have to say about Headless Hydra Press, our products, or any of the Kickstarters. During this sickness of his, any words of encouragement will help while he dreams up the next project to start working on after Alive Inside wraps in 17 days. Thanks always for reading, and as usual - feel free to leave a comment below in lieu of an e-mail! -Joe