We recently connected with Xero Gravity and have shared our conversation below.

Xero, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Somehow, out of all of the years I’ve spent loving the genre, I’ve never set foot in Salem, Massachusetts where it’s Halloween 365 days a year. I met Kay Lynch, festival director & Salem native online during the pandemic lock down, and feel extremely honored that she would invite me to Salem as the Master of Ceremonies for the annual Salem Horror Film Festival- one of the top genre festivals in the world, in the early Spring of 2023.

At home in New York City, I am known for this. I curate and host watch parties, trivia nights, charity events, dance parties and panel discussions in the horror genre for my immediate tri-state horror homies. When Kay reached out and requested my energy and services across state lines, in the city of Salem nonetheless, I knew I was doing something right for my people.

Salem is a very queer city, so much of the festival’s programming are products of folks who have been “othered” in one way or another. Regardless, hard work and passion proves itself, so it was an honor for me to help give all the independent filmmakers, queer or ally, their deserved moment in the spotlight by introducing their films, moderating their Q&A’s with the audience, and celebrating with them.

I’m thrilled to return as the master of ceremonies next spring. It means a tremendous amount to me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Xero Gravity. My pronouns are she/her, and I am a media personality, entertainment host and producer in New York City. I dabble in podcasting too. It’s Halloween every day around me.

Community is what drives me. Everyone is deserving of brotherhood, sisterhood, or a safe space where explaining your quirks isn’t mandatory. Marginalized people with unconventional passions, hobbies or interests are often robbed of this right, so I’ve made it my mission to help create more of these spaces so they can become more accessible, and we can celebrate what makes us different.

When I first attended New York Comic Con in 2010, I was astonished by how easy it was to find like minded people who share niche interests. I became addicted to community, and all the wonderful and inspiring people in it, and took every opportunity to get outside and meet the people who I felt that I deserved to be around. Now, throughout the year, I curate and host nerdy events, fundraisers, and parties as “The NYC Spooky Emcee”. The goal is to make those central meeting points plentiful, so the tri-state area will never be free of safe nerdy spaces. I’d love for it to be easy for everyone to find their tribe. I believe community is a basic right- no matter who you are, or what interests you.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Understand that a dollar goes much farther when you opt for small and open your wallet! Creatives today are very aware of how hard it is to thrive against large corporations. Looking forward to a new movie? Skip the AMC and grab a ticket from an independent movie theater instead. It’s tempting, but stay away from illegal streaming sites and pay for your movies- ESPECIALLY the independent ones. Stay up on hashtags like #NYCScreenings to find independent film events from local filmmakers. If you like the film, support independent cinema and buy a physical copy to watch again at home. Stay for their trivia night after too. It’s important to invest in your community.

Spending on experiences is something that many people prioritize. If you’re one of those people, choose wisely on where you send your cash.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ve been public on social media for years. I used to stress over numbers as if I was working in the stock market or something. I know now that the numbers game is fine for some, but not the standard for all. In my experience, focusing on numbers makes it too easy to compare yourselves to others, which is where it gets risky for your mental health. I use my social media profiles as my greater personal portfolio, and do the rest of the campaigning on the back end via email and direct message. Every pitch I send out is hyperlinked to my “portfolio”.

When someone looks me up online, they should have a clear understanding of who I am, what I’ve done, and what I’m about. I try my best to stay consistent with posting, but quality is better than quantity, especially since burnout is real.

Something I would recommend when building your presence is to make sure you find all different types of people in your community and follow them. For example, as someone who works mainly in the horror genre, it’s important to follow my favorite horror networks and media outlets, but also the horror community YouTubers, podcasters, writers, directors, programmers, SFX artists, performers, etc. The bigger your circle is, the easier it is to have a grasp on whats going on in your community. That will help you decide what content is best to create at any given time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/idkgravity
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idkgravity/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idkgravity/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/idkgravity
• Other: Podcast Website: https://shows.acast.com/blerdy-massacre