pplpod Episode 17 charts Chris Hardwick’s path from MTV’s Singled Out to architect of modern geek culture. We trace the early hosting chops, the stand-up grind, and the birth of Nerdist—podcast, site, and live shows that helped legitimize fandom-as-community. Then it’s the aftershow era: Talking Dead, Talking Bad, and more—how a quick-witted moderator turned debriefs into appointment TV. We dig into @midnight, Hall H command at Comic-Con, voice roles, and the pivot to ID10T and The Wall. Threaded through: building a career at the crossroads of comedy, tech, and obsessive love for pop culture—and what it takes to sustain it.