Member Q&A with Josh Hart
If you ever need some toys to fidget with or someone to chat with about pop-culture, Josh Hart is the guy to go to at Createscape, especially if you're a fan of sci-fi or horror. After walking by his desk 182 times and thinking, "Huh, I wonder what that guy does for fun," I just decided to ask. It turns out, he does a lot of fun stuff, including travels, cooks, reads tons of books, and just hangs out at local coffee shops. Check out our Q&A with Josh below.
Riki: You work at LegalZoom. That’s pretty cool! Can you tell readers about the company and what you do there?
Josh: Sure! So, LegalZoom provides a lot of different legal services to individuals and businesses. Anything from wills and name changes to LLC formations. I work in the Intellectual Property department and manage a team that specifically works on trademark applications. Essentially a customer will fill out a questionnaire with all of their trademark information, and we have various points of review. Then, we file the official trademark application with the federal government.
How long have you been with the company?
I’ve worked there for just over eight years.
I’m available for content work if you have any. Sorry, not a question.
I’ll let you know if we have anything like that! :D
I know you studied photojournalism. Do you still do that in any capacity?
Not much anymore. I sometimes take photos for friends or if I’m going on a trip, but the “journalism” part of it doesn’t get used as much anymore.
On your desk at the office are some kind of action figure or bobble-head-looking creatures. What are they?
Those are Funko Pops! They are just random figurines of movie characters/pop culture icons. I got one randomly as a gift and just kept collecting them.
Ghostbusters' Dr. Peter Venkman Funko
About 2 weeks ago you finished reading Nothing More Dangerous, By Allen Eskens. What’s next up on your reading list?
I’m currently reading A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, but I have quite a few more on the list for after that, including the novel, 11/22/63, by Stephen King.
I know you spend some time at Halcyon coffee shop in Mueller. Is that your favorite coffee spot in town? Any other spots you like to hit?
That’s actually a fairly new spot I’ve been going to, but I really like it. My favorite place to go is Quack’s on 43rd Street. They still haven’t resumed dine-in services. Fingers crossed they will soon though!
Did you finish your Albuquerque road trip video? Can we post it here?
Absolutely! Check it out on YouTube. (See more photos below!)
Road Trip 2021, #Leftturnatalbuquerque
You’re a hockey fan? I didn’t know they have hockey here in Texas. I grew up in hockey rinks in Philly. How do you think they keep the rink cold enough down here?
Oh yeah, hockey is definitely my favorite sport to watch, especially live. I’m a Penguins fan (sorry if you’re a Philly fan!) so I try to catch them when they come to Dallas to play the Stars. The team in Cedar Park is fun to watch as well, and a much shorter drive!
[Ed note: Nope. Not a Flyers fan.]
Have you decided on the best steak recipe yet? Please share.
I think I’ve nailed it. I let the steak sit out for roughly 90 minutes to get close to room temperature, and I season it with salt and pepper while it’s sitting out. When it’s time to cook, I’ll coat a cast iron skillet with grape seed oil and sear the steak for one to two minutes on each side. After I sear it, I add butter and garlic to the skillet, and top the steak with rosemary. Once the butter has melted, I baste the steak with the butter and garlic for another few minutes, then I put it in the oven (set on broil) until it reaches the desired internal temp. After it cooks I let it rest for another five minutes or so, then it’s ready to eat!
Josh's rosemary steak recipe
Favorite movies of 2021 so far?
That’s a tough question. I think so far my favorites would be A Quiet Place Part II, Black Widow and the Fear Street movies on Netflix (the third one just dropped so I need to catch it). There are a lot of movies coming out later in the year that I’m looking forward to!
I noticed you like to buy yourself gifts for holidays and birthdays. What are you planning to buy for yourself to celebrate Labor Day? I promise not to tell anyone!
I may forgo the gift this time around actually haha. I’m saving up for a trip later in the year. I’m not 100% sure where I’m going yet, but definitely somewhere that has an actual fall season! High up on the list is Boston.
I know you used to have a horror movie marathon when you worked at the LegalZoom offices. If we had Spooky Movie Marathon night here at Createscape, which movies would you suggest, theme: the office. Go!
This is a great question! If we stick with the office/workplace theme, I would definitely suggest Mayhem, The Innkeepers, The Thing, and Cabin in the Woods. That last one is a little bit of a stretch because only half of it is set in the workplace/office, but it’s a fun one!
What’s the last album you bought?
The last physical albums I bought were some re-releases from one of my favorite bands, Underoath. They did vinyl repressings for the three biggest albums: They’re Only Chasing Safety, Define the Great Line, and Lost in the Sound of Separation. I also subscribe to Apple Music, so I’m constantly downloading stuff, whether it’s new releases or older stuff for nostalgia purposes.
Are you from Austin? If not, where are you from and what brought you here?
I’ve lived in Austin since 2012. I grew up in a really small town in East Texas that no one has ever heard of. It’s about five hours from here, called Hemphill, TX. If we’re talking birthplace though, I was actually born in Anchorage, AK and lived there for the first couple of years of my life before ultimately ending up in Texas.
How did you find Createscape? What were you looking for when you found us?
I found Createscape initially just through Google, but I had a friend recommend it. She works for a non-profit and I believe they partnered with Createscape at one point for some sort of event. The biggest thing I was looking for was just a place to work that felt more like an actual workplace. Working from home for a year was pretty rough for me and I am definitely the type of person who needs to be in a work environment to feel more productive.