A Couple of Cameos

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working on a NASA video called Fusion vs. Fission along with Ellen McLain, the voice of GLaDOS from the Portal video game series. The video went viral, caught a lot of mainstream press and, on a more personal note, I was so proud to see it screened by my old Girl Guide troupe to bolster interest among young women in STEM disciplines. Today I'm happy to post the follow-up to that came out this week where McLain - not only a beloved voice over actress, but also a highly skilled opera singer - appears in a new musical educating the world on the electromagnetic spectrum.

While I have a brief cameo around the 5:27 mark, my larger role kicks in after 5:33 and in the post-credit sequence when I play a Siri-like foil to McLain's evil AI. So, as io9 said in their write-up, "Stay till the end for the Siri joke." And please be sure to share it with anyone you know who may be interested in Portal or learning science... especially those youngins!

The video is the first in a new series called Universe Unplugged, where NASA creates fun videos with the help of Hollywood celebrities in order to reach a broader audience. It is also part of NASA's Universe of Learning, a new hub for educational videos.

My second little cameo this week is in another new series called Whatta Lark, distributed online by LGBTQ+ entertainment subscription service Revry. This comedy stars the effervescent Tara Platt as a children's author struggling with the decision on whether or not to become a mother, when she turns to drag performer Whatta Lark for advice and friendship. Created by Platt and directed by America Young, I'm very proud of these two amazing women who I have had the honor to work with on Shelf Life, Geek Therapy, Elf Sabers, and my own series Galacticast. It's always a pleasure to do anything with these women and I hope we continue to find new projects to collaborate on together for years to come.