Meet Stephanie Sandmeier | Creator of Nom Talk Network

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Sandmeier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My mind goes 1000 mph where I think of an idea! I think of the popularity it can achieve, what amount of work is required to start it, who are the people in my life that I trust can separate personal relationships from professional relationships, how much work is required to maintain it, and what would happen if it didn’t work out in the long run. I’ve even thought about the amount of money that’s required to start the business. Thankfully I have some committed supporters and experience through Nerdbot Media who have shared their wisdom with me. Knowing all of the risks can be overwhelming but if you find solutions for all of the risks then it’s less of a panic when they do arise.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I created Nom Talk Network during quarantine after the shut down when I was hosting a Nerdbot Media livestream show called “Foodie Function”. It was me & Mike talking about random conversational topics as well as highlighting food and mukbang. I still work closely with Nerdbot as an occasional writer during the pandemic. Nom Talk Network was my way of getting deeper into the food/nerd world. I’ve received compliments on the planning, organizational, and post-production work and it really was just spending a few solid days learning software and patterns.
I can’t say it was easy, nothing amazing ever is. I had to find trusting friends who would be down to collaborate on a passion project with no hidden motives, learn how to use software and invest on equipment, and learn patience not just with the people I brought in but also with myself. I’m a person who prefers immediate action but it’s toxic to expect something when you haven’t learned it yet.
Never be afraid to start a project. You only fail when you never give it a shot. Be patient with yourself and don’t rely on other people to get your work done. Make sure you have a script if you aren’t great with improvising. Spreadsheets and Docs are your best friends!

Nom Talk Network is a collection of videos and livestreams dedicated to food and nerdy talk. We have Geek Juice which is themed how-to’s on cocktails and the occasional mocktail. BrewTall Geek is all about learning and reviewing beers based on request. Fans Cooking Fiction is pretty self-explanatory where each video is a fandom and either a take on film/animation food or inspirations based off of shows, comics, games, and characters. Nom Talk LIVE is a livestream where each week is a focus on something food related whether it’s mental health and how your nutrition can be effected to cooking fail stories on Rice. Finally there’s Basic Brunches which is another livestream that goes over a select group of topics over brunch so for April 11th we spoke about Lil Nas X’s latest music video, a true crime case, Game of Thrones, and National Make Lunch Count Day and what foods we enjoy for lunch.
It’s a constant expansion on what people are curious about and the nerdier it gets the more fun it becomes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Depending on what they enjoy it could be the big shopping outlets, the beach, and a hole in the wall restaurant.

I would take them to Little Tokyo, go towards the beach for the West Coast waters, hit up Hollywood Blvd and show them the El Capitan, Chinese Theatre, Sunset Strip, and don’t forget Universal Studios! If they are super nerdy like myself the main goal would be to take them to the Magic Castle because who doesn’t want to dress up like a movie star and enjoy the atmosphere in there?! I’d love to take them to the Old Zoo and talk about the history behind that place, and Hollywood Cemetery (for obvious reasons).

For food I’d highly recommend small hole in the wall shops. If you like that Flea Market style Chinese Food then Golden Chopsticks in Valley Village is awesome and the people that work there are super nice! Same goes for Ruam + Mitr on Melrose Blvd who have vegetarian dishes available. Shojin is a brilliant vegan/macro-biotic hole in the wall in Little Tokyo. Small businesses would be my go to for anything! Why eat at a chain when you can experience the heart of this diverse city?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people I would like to dedicate this to, but to pick one person it would have to be my partner, Alejandro Cowie, who witnessed the birth and growth of Nom Talk Network and kept me from shutting it all down when I was at my lowest.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomtalknetwork/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NomTalk

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nomtalknetwork/

Image Credits
Dustin Breiter, Jen Breiter, Nerdbot Media