By Christian Beranek
Diana Falzone is a talk show host, relationship expert, and writer. Diana hosted Cosmolicious with Diana, her own national daily primetime talk show on Sirius XM. She is the spokesperson for Paltalk.com and she hosts a weekly interview show focusing on Hollywood, music and sports celebrities. She was the first female to host a talk show on Maxim Radio Sirius XM called DeVore and Diana . Additionally, Diana is the “Love and Marriage” host for the lifestyle magazine Fox News iMAG and a relationship columnist for the Huffington Post. And now she has teamed up with writer/producer Geoff Skinner and artist Emily Chan to debut the webcomic HOT MESS. Based on the real-life challenges Diana lived through while growing up, Hot Mess tells the story of Anna, the new girl, who is just trying to make it out of high school intact.
CB: Tell us where you got the idea for Hot Mess.
Diana Falzone: I grew up reading Betty & Veronica. I noticed that it was the only comic that really focused on young girls. I wanted to create the new version of B&V for a younger generation.
CB: Tell us where you got the idea for Hot Mess.
DF: High school was a mixed bag for me. I loved learning, being involved in extracurricular activities but the social aspect was tough. I always felt like a misfit. I remember a popular guy once said, “You’re Queen of the Nerds.” He thought he was putting me down but to this day I still take it as a supreme compliment.
CB: What is it like working with co-creator Geoff Skinner?
DF: Geoff and I have been wanting to work together for years, but it wasn’t until Hot Mess that we had the golden opportunity. He never stops creating. The man is a machine!
CB: Can you tell us more about Paltalk and how they come into play as a sponsor?
DF: I have been Paltalk’s spokesperson for nearly 5 years. They have a subscriber base of 4 million people, the majority of which are web savvy. It seemed like the most natural partnership for a webcomic and the largest web chat community to combine their powers.
CB: What is a “Hot Mess”?
DF: To me a hot mess is someone that from the outside looks like they have it all together however inside their head lives chaos.
CB: The animals that are within Anna’s mind are super cute and funny, how did they come to be?
DF: I’m an animal lover. If you study an animal you can see that each one has their own personality. For instance, Fribble is based on my dog Bailey. Bailey wants constant attention and can never play enough. Many of the animals are based on real life pets.
CB: You’ll be at San Diego Comic Con as a guest of The Webcomic Factory and PopCult. Is this your first time at the show and what are you expecting from the event?
DF: Yes this is my first time. I’m beyond excited. It’s a dream come to true to be a comic book creator. I never thought that would happen. Now to go to Comic Con with Hot Mess in hand is all too surreal.
CB: Any advice for aspiring “Hot Messes”?
DF: My advice for aspiring “Hot Messes,” is cut yourself a break. The most critical person in your life is most likely you. Try to find things that you love about yourself rather than focus on what you think are glaring negatives. Oh and although it’s great to be insightful, try to live in the moment. It’s a cliche for a reason…because it’s true.
I want to thank Diana for taking the time to speak with me. Readers can find more info about Hot Mess here:http://www.hotmesscomic.com
Christian Beranek is a writer, musician, actor, film/tv producer and webcomic entrepreneur. He co-runs The Webcomic Factory with Tony DiGerolamo and is hard at work on several original graphic novels. He is also co-starring in High School Sucks The Musical for Lakeshore Entertainment and PDFlo Films. He is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/beranek
June 25th, 2010 at 10:50 am
I have been following Diana Falzone’s career for almost 6 years!
She is simply a delight! A talented Singer, host, relationship expert.
And
She is always donating her time to help others. She has done so much to help our troops who are serving overseas, too
Hot Mess is a must read for all teenagers and parents. Diana is going to use the power of story telling and real life events to provide an outlet for our teens to help get them through the high school years!
Way to go Diana!
November 29th, 2010 at 2:50 am
What’s up? after reading posts like this one, I have come to realize that I need improve my game. Good job with the article. Love the Music.
January 17th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Sometimes I question the internet and what is posted? The internet never used to be like that, recently though it has turned around. Do you agree?
May 19th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Very useful post my friend. You rule for sharing with the rest of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hIxp0lgG1E
August 13th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I agree with brtt748 and hope everyone reads those comments