I, a young ice bear, have started a new adventure: to learn more about the library! For those that don't know me, I am Vanilla Ice Bear, a member of the Children's team at the Main Library. I mostly help out with Story Time with my mom [Haylee Blystone] and can be seen involved in a variety of other projects. I usually stay in the children's department, but recently I have been journeying across the system to seek out the coolest employees and learn what they do. This time, I was able to set up meeting with Hannah Gerst. She works in production services for the library and is always involved with amazing projects. Let's see what we can learn from her!

Sitting down with Hannah Gerst

Vanilla: Hello, I'm Vanilla the Ice Bear! I’m currently on a journey to learn more about the library system. My mom [Haylee Blystone] has worked with you on several different projects, so I thought you could be the next guest. So, I guess let's start by introducing yourself. 

Hannah: Hi Vanilla, my name is Hannah. I work in Production Services for the library. So, I work on anything from video projects to podcast projects. Your mom and I have collaborated on a really fun project called Overdue Adventures, which is a Dungeons and Dragons show that is on YouTube and it's also on television. So, your mom is a TV star!

V: She is? No way! Okay, well we definitely need to come back and talk about Overdue Adventures but first let's talk about you. Like how long have you been with NPL? 

H: I've worked at the library for almost four years now. January [2026] will be my four years. 

V: Oh wow! You and my mom started at the same time!

H: Yeah. We literally started at the same time.

V: Did you both have the same orientation? 

H: I was actually a contractor for the first six months that I worked with the library, so we did not have orientation together. 

V: That's a bummer, she's so cool! But you've been here for a long time, and you've always done AV audio stuff?

H: Yes.

V: What made you get into that? 

H: So, I went to school for audio at MTSU, and I was really lucky to get this job I got at the library. I’ve really learned about so many different aspects of AV, because there's of course just audio and microphones and speakers, but there's also podcast production and helping people be confident behind a microphone. I’ve also learned a lot about the video side, how to use a camera, how to record a production, and how to plan a production. So, I learned a bunch. 

V: Did you know any of that stuff before you came to the library? 

H: I'm a photographer as well, so I knew my way around a camera, but I did not know how to do like a multi-camera production or even a live broadcast production one. 

V: Oh, so the library is not just teaching patrons, it's teaching staff too. That's so cool! 

H: I have learned a lot, didn't I? 

V: Yeah! 

[Both laugh]

V: So, you said you're a photographer. So, you could let’s say, take professional pictures of me, like head shots? 

H: Yeah! I'm familiar with ice bears, we could work something out.

V: You’ve worked with polar bears before? 

H: Yeah, I'm a professional. 

V: Nice! Okay, we'll for sure have to do something. So, you do photography, but what do you mainly do at the library podcasting or video?

H: I mostly do video. So, anybody in the library can come to me and say, we need a video made for, for example, Homeschool Friends. I'm sure you're very familiar with Homeschool Friends.  [Homeschool Friends is a library program that Haylee Blystone currently runs at the Main library] So your mom [Haylee Blystone] came to me and said, we're making a movie. We need help. And I said, don't worry, I have cameras, I have lights, I have microphones. So, I helped her make a movie for her Homeschool Friends program. The marketing department can come to me if we have events at the library that need to be filmed and recorded. That's the kind of thing I work on. I also have a few projects on the side that are more narrative and less promotional. 

V: I think I've seen some of the films you guys made! They're super cute and really fun. Wow, so you can really just do it all. Like, so for all 21 locations in this system, if someone at like, what's one that's really far away, Madison wanted you to do a project, you would go there and film, or would they have to come to you? 

H: It depends on the project, but if it really has to do with the branch, I would go out there. There was a project called Celebration of Cultures, which involved me going to a bunch of different branches all over the system and interviewing the staff in their home branch about why they enjoyed working in the library and what the library meant to them. 

V: Was that the big heart that was at the Main library? 

H: Yeah, it traveled around to all the different libraries.

V: That was really cool! I remember seeing that. The heart itself was really cute but then getting to see all the people that work at the library was even better! There's more people than you would think. 

H: Yeah, it was honestly like, what's the phrase, it was like pulling teeth to get people to be in it, but once I had enough people, the actual project I think turned out really well. 

Ahoy Sailors!

V:  Okay, so we talked a little bit about what you do, but let's really dive into what you have done. Like you talked about Overdue Adventures. What's that? 

H: I'm glad you asked! Overdue Adventures is an actual-play, Dungeons & Dragons series. An actual-play means it's not scripted. We are actually playing Dungeons & Dragons and improvising everything on the spot. 

V: So you guys are playing D&D at work and getting paid for it? That's so cool! 

H: It's the best of every world, yeah. It took a long time to get this project off the ground. I had the idea for this project probably within the first eight months of me working at NPL. So, in 2022 was when I came up with it. I think we filmed the first episode in August 2023. Then there was a break while we were waiting.

V: Waiting for what? That’s a pretty good gap in time.

H: We had to wait for the greenlight for the series to be approved and essentially had to like screen test the series.

V: How interesting!

H: Then we really started filming again in 2024. Nobody had ever really done anything like what I was trying to do before because when COVID happened there was a huge push at the library for more digital content and what's called NPL universe which is essentially the YouTube channel and the online presence of NPL. When I came into NPL just after COVID, there was sort of a standard set that like we do want to create digital programming essentially and so I really was excited by that, and I really was excited by the capabilities that my department has. I was like watching these professional actual play shows and I was like we can do that, we have the skills, the technology, and the people to be able to produce something very similar to like the biggest name actual play shows .

V: And you guys did that. Watching it [Overdue Adventures], it is so good. You couldn't even tell that it's just a little library thing. 

H: For real. 

V: But, where do you guys film? There's no way you're filming at the library, right? 

H: Well, we actually did film at the library initially and it was a huge endeavor to get that done. But, Vanilla, do you know what NECAT is? 

V: I do! We talked about NECAT in my first interview with Nikki. It is an off-site filming location, well, a studio. It's a studio?

H: [Laughs] It is the public access TV station for the city of Nashville and the county of Davidson. 

V: Yeah, I knew that!

[Both laugh]

H: Exactly, yeah, you already knew. So, it is its own TV station with its own staff, but it is actually a department of the library. So, they used to be separate, but they have now merged with the library, and they have a TV studio. They have TV cameras, they have all the lighting equipment and the microphones. It's a full-blown TV studio, so since we have a relationship with them and they're part of the library, I worked my magic and I got us availability to film Overdue Adventures in the TV studio. 

V: Whoa, so like filming like a real TV show, but it's still part of work, and it's all part of the library. Wow, the library really is amazing!

H: The library is magical!

V: So, you got to film a whole D&D series. Are you guys still going? How many episodes are out?

H: They're not all out yet, but there's 12 episodes of Season One and then we did a very special Valentine's Day themed episode. 

V: Cute!

H: So, there's lots of content lots of out there and there is going to be more. We're currently in planning for Season Two and the idea is that because D&D campaigns are contained, we can either basically do like a second part of our adventure or we can totally flip the script and do like a different kind of season, but it'll just come day by day. 

H: So, like this one [season] was like sailors and ghosts. Do you can we give any insider info on what maybe the next season would be, even like a theme you can say anything on?

 H: Yeah, I think Espionage or like super spy. Political intrigue would be really fun. He [Andrew Palmer] set up a whole political stuff in the beginning of Season One. He really did.

V: There's so much stuff that's set up that I really hope you cover in season two, but it seems like you don't necessarily to go back to what you were doing, but instead have a new location.

H: I think I've resigned myself, well not to make it sound bad, but I think I'm okay if the same characters come back and we do like the same characters and everything. I don't want to do like pirate ship in the ocean again, but I'm okay with like keeping the same characters.

V: Okay so we need to keep our eyes peeled for Season Two!  If you haven't watched Season One, where can the people at home watch?

H: It's on National Public Library YouTube, hyperlink that. 

V: There will be a link at the bottom! [Laughs]

 V: If people if people are looking for other stuff, is there anything else you've worked on that is kind of similar? 

H: Kind of similar, there is another show that the library produces with the help of NECAT that's called Let's Play Games.

V:  NECAT's doing everything!

H: They are so passionate about people making good content and also promoting the library so it's a really good relationship we have with them. 

V: We are lucky to have them!

[Both laugh]

H: But Let's Play Games is a show that was started by John McFarland in I believe 2020 because they started it when the library started asking for this initiative of digital content. So, they've been working on and off on that project since 2020 and when I came into the library in 2022, that's one of the first projects I started working on. Now John took a big break from that show because they got promoted and are now a manager at a branch [Looby] and also, they are in Overdue Adventures. So, they're pretty busy.

V: Wow so John did Let's Play Games, then inspired you to create Overdue Adventures, then they were on Overdue Adventures. That’s a lot!

H: Yeah and I've taken a really fun, creative producer role in their show, along with Cameron from NECAT and it's really exciting!  Like we're doing a new logo, we're doing a new set, we're creating a new sort of character for John to play to host the show, it's gonna be really fun!

V: John plays a character on the show?

H: Previously John was just going by Game Master John and wearing sort of the same thing that they wear to work every day. Which is like trousers and a button-up shirt. But we decided that they can have more freedom with the character. They don't have to be ‘I'm librarian John teaching you how to play card games.’ They can be whoever they want to be. 

V: That's so cool! 

H: It is really cool!

[Both laugh]

V: I haven't seen a lot of Let's Play Games. Does John ever play Spades?

H: Oh, yes. 

V: This young polar bear is really good at Spades!

H: Don’t worry Vanilla, John definitely has a I think multiple videos on Spades. 

V: We'll have to check that out! We've been we've been playing Spades while we're here at Donelson. Shoutout to Wolfgang for teaching us how to play Spades. [Wolfgang Bronner runs Spades Club at the Donelson Library]

H: I used to play Spades. Not very well, always bugging it up. 

V: I love playing Spades! 

[Both laugh]

V: Anyways, wow, I feel like I’ve learned so much by talking to you today. We've learned more about NECAT and all of the many projects that you've worked on that are available for our patrons to watch. I've just learned so much! Is there any final things you'd like to say to the people?

H: Watch Overdue Adventures on YouTube!

V: I love it. 

H: And visit your local branch and get your library card!

V: Yeah, get your library card. You're never too young, you're never too old. 

[Both laugh]

V: Okay, well, thank you so much!

H: Absolutely. I love you!

You can watch my favorite Overdue Adventure episode below or click here to watch all the episodes or here to listen to them in podcast form!

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