Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
Samantha Pennington has one of the best day jobs we’ve come across—she spends her days reading. As the Community Engagement Specialist at Wattpad, she reads through fanfiction submissions. Pennington first joined the Wattpad team in 2013 as a content intern, and she’s been the resident fanfiction guru since June 2014.
Aside from being a voracious reader, Pennington is an enthusiastic eater and an intersectional feminist. She is fascinated by fandom, modernist literature, popular culture, and emojis. When she’s not scouring the internet, you can find her daydreaming, binge-watching television shows, and petting other people’s dogs.
Follow Pennington on Wattpad @samantha, Tumblr, and Twitter at @sammietutu and read on—we asked her about the most unexpected fanfic story she’s read to date, and trust us, it’s worth diving in.
Q: How did you discover your passion and arrive at Wattpad?
A: I’ve been a fangirl for as long as I can remember, and my passion for fandom was always a natural inclination. I was super keen and precocious as a kid, devouring books, TV shows, and movies with unparalleled zeal. I penned tomes of Harry Potter fanfiction with my bookish elementary school friends, joined roleplay forums, and engaged in serious debates about the futures of my favourite fictional characters online. My penchant for literature, pop culture, fandom, and media grew throughout university, and it was actually all of these things that helped me land an internship on the content team at Wattpad. Today, I’m lucky enough to be able to fangirl in a professional capacity as a Community Engagement Specialist for Fanfiction.
Q: If you had to pick, what’s the best part of your job?
A: As Wattpad’s resident fanfic guru, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in a community that knows no bounds (in the best and most interesting ways) and becoming fandom trash in the process. One of the best parts of my job at Wattpad is interacting with fannish writers and readers every day and seeing the immense power and potential of such a creative and enthusiastic breed with which I so avidly identify. Learning about other fandoms, joining new ones, and getting to know amazing people in the process is so much fun. I love being able to connect with people and the stories they tell, and I think the ways in which they choose to do so is something that continues to fascinate me.
Q: What’s the most unexpected Wattpad fanfic story you’ve read?
A: The most unexpected fanfic I’ve read on Wattpad is called Kim Kardashian: Trapped in Her Own Game by a wonderful, hilarious writer (and friend) named kfan. Basically, the real Kim (who wants to smash the patriarchy) becomes stuck inside the world of the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game and must use her powers as an emoji-casting witch to defeat the forces of evil that threaten to keep her from getting back to the real world. It’s a fun, smart read, rife with celebs, pop culture references, and lots of laughs.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: This is such a difficult question to answer, but the first fictional character that popped into my head was Kat Stratford from the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. We would drink tequila and dance on tables, obviously.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Hating stuff isn’t cool. Your passions and obsessions are valid. Embrace your geekiness and make it your own.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Imagine a place where you could read books are the writer was writing them? Yeah, it sounds a little weird, but it’s actually incredibly interesting. And part of why it’s so interesting is because it’s a completely new concept being played out on WattPad. This is the future, people.
Here’s what I’m reading on WattPad right now:
150 Life Problems by Insane Demon
You have life problems. I have life problems. We have life problems. Life can kind of just be problems, you know? This ongoing story just keeps the problems coming. They are hilarious. They are sad. They are true. They are scary. They are life. Weird how life can kind of just… be everything and nothing? I know that seems entirely vague, so here’s an excerpt:
“When something goes wrong in your life…
Just yell, “PLOT TWIST!!!”
Then walk away and move on.”
Microwaved Love by Nikki
If you want to dive into the world of reading a story as a writer is tackling it, I recommend this one. Especially for the single ladies. It’s about high school love, which can be dumb, but I really enjoyed the writer’s self-awareness of the dumbness of it all.
How to Fall in Love by Myka
This story just wrapped up at the beginning of July, so you can totally binge it from cover to finish if you like. It’s silly and irreverent and will get you in a romantic mood, should you be so inclined. It feels a little like a memoir, but whose to say?
You know what else I love about WattPad? It’s the fact that commenters are part of the experience. Writers are getting to see what readers think as they go and readers can interact with each other as they read together. It’s so smart that I’m shocked it hasn’t been done before.
I was turned onto WattPad when they became a Geeks Go Glam sponsor at SDCC this year. We have a lot of love for the crew over there because they are so supportive of lady geeks online and elsewhere. If you haven’t checked out their totally free platform for finding great new reads, I really recommend it.
This post was brought to you by our sponsorship partner: WattPad! We love our sponsors because they help make Being Geek Chic happen through financial support. Being Geek Chic content is written and produced by real geeks and never comes from content mills. More than 40 million people have joined Wattpad, making it the world’s largest community of readers and writers. People use Wattpad to connect with each other while they discover and share millions of free stories. Wattpad stories are available in more than 50 languages and can be read or written from any phone, tablet, or computer. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more and download their app on their website: www.wattpad.com.
We’re so excited to announce our first sponsor for Geeks Go Glam! Meet Wattpad! They’re an incredible company bringing the best fanfiction anywhere to you: absolutely FREE.
More than 40 million people have joined Wattpad, making it the world’s largest community of readers and writers. People use Wattpad to connect with each other while they discover and share millions of free stories. Wattpad stories are available in more than 50 languages and can be read or written from any phone, tablet, or computer. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more and download their app on their website: www.wattpad.com.
The Wattpad crew will be at San Diego Comic Con and hosting Geeks Go Glam with us. So give them some love! They’ll be our official gift bag sponsor and we already know that they have a ton of amazing stuff in store!
If you still haven’t gotten your tickets for Geeks Go Glam, you gotta do it! Visit geeksgoglam.com to pre-order! (That’s important! We won’t be offering tickets on site!)
