Interview talk:Joe Tolerico

Interview

Hey all. Joe Tolerico is the producer/project manager for the Heroes Evolutions content. He recently said, "January is a big month for us. A couple of heroes finally get together. And they're making some plans to take down the Company." Very exciting. Regarding the hiatus, he said, "Our goal right now, in the situation we're in, is to bridge the gap between Volume 2 and Volume 3. We're not working without a net. We are working with the show; it's all show-approved." Joe is a senior producer for NBC (he also works on the Deal or No Deal sites), so he will have to run all questions and answers by NBC's legal department for approval. I plan to send the questions to Joe tomorrow, so we'll have to move on this one. Submit questions below. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:31, 2 January 2008 (EST)

• I just went to email Joe the questions, and I saw that I had received an email from the press person at NBC Digital Entertainment. He wants to talk to me, but he didn't say what about specifically. I can only hope it's good. Anyway, I'm holding off in sending the questions to Joe, and I'll update as soon as I talk to the press person (yes, that's literally how he introduced himself). Probably tomorrow. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:55, 3 January 2008 (EST)
  • If he's the press person that's probably not a bad thing. Legal is the one that could be either good or bad. :) Though from what I've been told NBC "gets" the dedication of the fan base and doesn't resort to the knee jerk legal threats that I've seen in the past. If they ask any complicated questions, Ryan, feel free to conference me in. (Admin 23:01, 3 January 2008 (EST))
    • Thanks, Admin--I appreciate that. I was confused why he didn't just ask what he wanted to ask in his email, but I also figure if it were bad (like disallowing an interview) he would have just said so. But I'll be happy to have a contact or two at NBC. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 23:09, 3 January 2008 (EST)

Questions for Joe

• As producer and project manager of Heroes Evolutions, what exactly is your role?
• What kind of experience do you have with producing other online content?
• Who is responsible for the Heroes Evolutions content? Is it a select group of writers, or are there many people who work together on the content?
• When storylines are stretched over an extended period of time (e.g. Richard Drucker, Linderman's voting tampering), how is it decided which story points will be released when?
• How is the Heroes Evolutions content coordinated with other aspects of Heroes? For instance, the content sometimes pops up in the graphic novels and the episodes.
• Are there plans to resurrect Hiro's blog or Claire's MySpace page?
  • One thing that becomes very difficult in websites that change constantly is that previous information can no longer be accessed. I know that Mohinder's office and the Bridget Bailey emails were done separately, but if NBC.com had not been updated with what is now called Suresh's Loft, the information on Heroeswiki.com would be incomplete. Also, taking a look at something like Votepetrelli.com, this site has many empty links after Nathan stepped down. Fans that have missed this information and that are trying to catch up would probably be disappointed that they missed out on some of this stuff. Is there any hope for an official archive of older pages? ---Heroes360 17:08, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• How are actors cast for Evolutions roles? For instance, Brian (from brianundaunted), the Global News Interactive team, the experts on Sword Saint, the experts on activatingevolution.org--are they found through Jason La Padura, or by some other means?
• Who are the actors who portray those roles?
• How are games and riddles constructed? For instance, Hiro's blog featured a very detailed crossword puzzle, and Richard Drucker recently sent a postcard with very complex code. Who writes these puzzles?
• What can you tell us about what to expect in the future from Heroes Evolutions?
  • Heroes Evolutions is probably my favorite thing in my life right now. I love that Heroes spans television, comics, the internet, cell phones, email, and recently, novels. What other forms are being thought of currently? Are there good odds for more of what we have now (i.e. new websites or new novels)? ---Heroes360 17:08, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• Why was the name of the online Heroes content changed from Heroes 360 to Heroes Evolutions? Are there plans to change the name each season? Do you still refer to Season One's online content as Heroes 360 or is it all considered Heroes Evolutions now?
• Any chance we could become the "Heroes Wiki" linked off the Heroes NBC website or at least added to the "Fan Sites" section? Ever since the inception of Heroes Wiki we've looked forward to the day when we might get the attention of NBC and be able to help out. (This would be an awesome chance to establish a relationship with NBC, though if you're uncomfortable asking such a thing I'd understand) (Admin 00:46, 3 January 2008 (EST))
  • I do feel a little uncomfortable asking Joe at this time, but maybe after the interview, I probably would feel a bit more ready to ask him. By the way, Joe says, "Hey Ryan, I love your site!" That's good news... :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 06:19, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• So, Joe, we've met Sylar. We've met Mr. Linderman. We've met Takezo Kensei. When will we meet "The Banker?" (Deal or No Deal reference) (Admin 00:50, 3 January 2008 (EST))
• We'd like to setup an information page on you on the Heroes Wiki. If that's alright with you, could you give us some background on how you got started in "the biz" and any other projects you've worked on or will be working on in the future? Also, do you have a photo we could use? (Admin 00:56, 3 January 2008 (EST))
• Heroes has been almost unprecedented in its use of alternate media (i.e. Heroes Evolutions) to help further the plot of the show. From graphic novels, to websites, to text messages it's genuinely reached out to the Heroes audience to go above and beyond simply presenting its story via television. Entire fan websites have been devoted to discussing and analyzing the Heroes Evolutions content. Did you have any idea when first starting that the experience would grow to this point or did you see it as a minor project that would casually compliment the show? (Admin 01:07, 3 January 2008 (EST))
• One question: Windows or Linux? ( I hope he says Linux :) ) (Admin 01:25, 3 January 2008 (EST))
• Can you give anymore clues surrounding Angela and Kaitos powers, or any other member of the twelve ---Ashwilson12 07:59, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• Heroes Evolutions introduced many new and interesting characters like Sparrow Redhouse and Richard Drucker. Will they eventually appear in the episodes? 09:16, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• Will Bridget Bailey continue to have a role in the Heroes Evolutions content? - Goldenboy 13:22, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• To add onto Chris's question, will we be seeing anymore of Sparrow Redhouse in Heroes Evolution? Are there any plans to continue Bridget's adventures? In the show? Jason Garrick 16:16, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• This is sort of a lump of Chris and Jason's question: Which characters are you planning on furthering in the next season and do you have any plans to include them into the main storyline? Therequiembellishere 17:34, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• According to the commentary for Powerless, the virus was going to be released near the end of the episode, but the ending was reshot due to the writer's strike. Is there anything that you can tell us about how Heroes Evolutions was planned to tie into this before the storyline was changed? Conduit 19:49, 3 January 2008 (EST)

Next time

Just a note that according to Current events, the cutoff for questions was last night. If you have additional questions, please list them below and they be asked in a followup interview.--MiamiVolts (talk) 10:59, 4 January 2008 (EST)