Staff

Meet the “minds” behind Clearance Bin Review.  These are the people that somehow manage to not screw it all up and keep CBR rocking with new content daily.

Name: Tristan Rendo
Title: Founder, Editor-in-chief, Feature Content Director, Lead Contributing Author, PR/Social Media Manager, Site Administrator, Graphic Design, Man with many hats
Twitter: @ClearanceBinRev
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Bio: I’ve made movies, written and performed music, and in January of 2011 got bored and started the awesome gaming site you see before you. My gaming roots began with the original NES, and endless hours spent spilling quarters into machines at the local arcade.   I have a personal collection of over 200 Nintendo 64 games, and for many years it was the only system I owned.  I re-entered the modern generation of gaming consoles when I decided to purchase a 360.  I typically prefer the single player experience of games, so I’m usually playing through some single-player campaign, but can occasionally be found doing some damage in Halo Reach.

Name: Christopher John Olson
Title: Special Segment Author (Cinematic Soulmates, Great Moments in Cinema), Editor
Twitter: @chrstphrolson
Location: Oak Park, IL

Bio: I have been obsessed with film for as long as I can remember.  The medium rules my life, to the point that I even got a useless degree in Film Studies.  I am that committed to it.  I have written reviews and articles for a number of sites including TheShiznit.co.uk, Creature-Corner.com, and CHUD.com, though I’ve never been paid for any of them.  In addition to watching movies, I love to read, write, play the occasional video game, and spend a ridiculous amount of time on the internet.

 

Name: CarrieLynn D. Reinhard
Title: Special Segment Author (Dr. Geek: Tales of Geekdom)
Twitter: @MediaOracle
Location: Oak Park, IL

Bio: I’ve been a scifi fan all my life, so I figured I should actually make money being so.  And since I’ve always wanted to be a scientist –at one point I was convinced I knew how to clone dinosaurs from their hollow bones — the career path of being a scientist who studies fans and their media obsessions made the most sense for a woman obviously way too influenced by Jurassic Park.  I’ve been all around the world studying fans, superheroes, virtual worlds, digital games, the media industry, and various media technologies.  Now I’m an assistant professor in new media studies and audience reception studies at Dominican University just outside of Chicago, and discuss my research and other issues in the world of geekdom at my blog www.playingwithresearch.com.

Name: Steve Lesniewski
Title: Staff Author – Gaming
Twitter: @SteveLesniewski
Location: Chicago, IL

Bio: Steve lives in Chicago and recently graduated from the University of Illinois. He has been fascinated with video games since his ninth birthday when he received a Gameboy Color and Pokemon Blue. He loves following sports and cheers win or lose for the Bears, Bulls and the Fighting Illini, who include the 2012 men’s gymnastic national champs as well as the 2011 women’s volleyball national runner-up.

 

Name: Dan Schindel
Title: Staff Author – Film, Special Segment Author (Catching Up and How I’d Fix It)
Location: Hollywood, CA

Bio: I want to be a film critic when I grow up (which is still a work in progress). Movies have enriched my life so much, I figured I’d try to return the favor by devoting myself to them. I love every kind of movie, but especially documentaries, and I blog about them at http://daysofdocs.com/. I also enjoy books, television, cooking, photography, and existing. Even though nobody seems to like Hollywood, I love living here. Not sure what that says about me.

 

 

Name: Josh Campbell
Title: Staff Author – Gaming
Location: Seatle, WA

Bio: Josh lives in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle and is a graduate of the University of Washington.
Although most of his time gaming is spent on his Xbox 360, he still pops in the Super Mario 3 cartridge
from time to time to relieve the glory days. Josh is an avid tech lover and has a particular interest in the
mobile device market. He enjoys spending his free time rooting for the Seahawks/Huskies, teaching his
old dogs new tricks, or trying out the newest brew at the local pub.

 

Name: Julie Beroukas
Title: Editor
Location: Madison, WI

Bio: Oh, look!  Another girl on the staff page!  I am in charge of giving the official seal of awesomeness, i.e., I am one of the chief editors of this site.  This means I get to spend my time doing what I love best.  Judging others.  I have decided to share some facts about myself so that you can judge me as well.  I love to eat.  My favorite cuisines, in no particular order are Greek, Thai, and Mexican. I also love to cook. My top three favorite dishes to make include sesame salmon with ginger cabbage, red wine and fig swordfish, and penne pumpkin sausage.  Here are three random facts about me.  1)  When I eat pie, I eat the crust first.  2)  Spotted Cow is my favorite beer.   3)  I can lick my own elbow.  True fact.

 

Name: Briana Lawrence
Title: Staff Author – Gaming
Location: St. Paul, MN

Bio: A geeky girl that’s cosplaying as an adult — sort of — I’ve been into video games since I watched my mom save the princess in Super Mario Brothers when I was six years old.  A couple of years later, anime would be added in my on-going list of geekery when I discovered a certain vampire hunter who had a hand that talked to him.  I’m currently living in St. Paul with my wonderful partner who feeds my nerdtastic needs of anime conventions, watching Persona 4 on Hulu, and trying to beat the crap out of people like Nightmare or rolling up things with a katamari ball.  The both of us cosplay together and do artist alley tables, selling the crafty things we make like plushies, woodburned coasters, shotglasses, and other things.

Name: Collin Abbott
Title: Contributing Author – Gaming
Location: Janesville, WI

Bio: I like team based games and co-op titles, based around racing, shooting, and strategy titles. My favorite XBLA titles are platformers. I am a police officer in Wisconsin, and I and had my first child in July of 2011.

 

 

 

Name: Dan Benson
Title: Contributing Author – PC Gaming
Location: Milwaukee, WI

Bio: Greetings people of the interwebs! My name is Dan and I am CBR’s token ginger! I am currently getting my master’s degree in International Affairs at Marquette University. When I don’t have my face five inches away from a computer screen trying to stay awake while writing a paper at 2 A.M, you can find me doing any number of things. Namely these are, socializing, gaming or watching movies. As far as gaming goes, strategy games, first person shooters and role-playing games are my forte but pretty much anything can be fun. I guess some other random facts could be I play lacrosse, I love to cook and I am starting to learn Turkish!

 

Name: Erin McCabe
Title: Staff Artist
Location: Madison, WI

Bio: Hello all! Since my gaming experience is pretty much limited to Just Dance and Angry Birds, I am happy to bring my artistic skills to CBR.  I am an art teacher in Western WI as well as a photographer and a freelance doodler.  My favorite colors are red-orange and sea foam green, I am addicted to nutella and netflix, and I love adventures outdoors.

 

 

Name: TR Snyder
Title: Special Segment Author (Audio Odyssey)
Location: Madison, WI

Bio: I’m obsessed with The Beatles. I love fall and spring. I like to read. I like to watch TV. I believe in aliens and UFOs. My favorite movie is 500 Days of Summer. I’m a sucker for a good zombie flick though. I play guitar, bass, uke and blues harp. All at a distinctly mediocre level. I often forget to zip my fly. I love to cook. I went to school for poetry. Let’s see, what else? Long walks on the beach, the smell of the wind before rain, candlelight dinners, etc. I hate auto-tune. I can’t emphasize that enough. I also hate drum machines. I want to learn drums and piano. And a second language. Probably French.

 

Name: Eric Petri
Title: PR/Social Media Manager
Location: Oak Creek, WI

Bio: All my friends like chipotle way more than I do, i walk with a strut and i really hate The Forest of Illusion on Super Mario World. Every time I walk around barefoot outside I end up stepping on glass. I can’t say no to Chinese food.

 

 

 

Name: Amanda Orlando
Title: Editor
Location: Oak Creek, WI

Bio: I am incredibly sarcastic, opinionated, and cynical, and I am very happy with the person I have become.  I enjoy pop culture and being with the people I love.  I love to bake, and piss off my boyfriend regularly by bringing the baked goods to work so I don’t eat them all at home.  I have a dog that I adore with every ounce of me, and a very soft spot for animals.  I could not finish watching ‘I Am Legend’ after the dog was killed.  My three biggest fears are death, space, and time travel.

 

Name: Shawn Gardner
Title: Staff Author – PS3 and PS Vita
Location: Eagan, MN

Bio: I have been playing video games since I was a kid. My family owned a Pong and I even bought the original Nintendo, with R.O.B., with my confirmation money. I have played games through many console generations. Currently I enjoy playing games mostly on my PS3 and PSVita. I enjoy many game types but prefer coop modes or single player

 

 

Name: Josh DeGrasse-Baumann
Title: Staff Author – Gaming
Location: Waukesha, WI

Bio: If you really get to know me, you can sum me up with about three things: media, video games, and science fiction. I’m a writer by passion and a media lover by experience. I’m a gamer by choice, of course. I’ve done the ‘leadership’ thing in all three media organizations my college had to offer and still have a passion for all thing communication. My true interest is zombies, of course. But who’s isn’t?

 

 

Name: Ms. Silver Screen
Title: Special Segment Author (Ms. Silver Screen)
Twitter: @Ms_SilverScreen
Location: Chicago, IL

Bio: I am a twenty-something gal living it up downtown in the great city of Chicago. My longest relationship has lasted 24 years and has been magical. That relationship is the one that I have with movies. I love them so much that for all of my life I have been searching for a way to somehow be involved with them more actively. So movies and I got together and had a baby. That baby is my own movie blog that I write. You’ll find that at www.MsSilverScreen.com. Other things about me that you might find interesting: I have a strange obsession with sharks, I often hold conversations with chocolate in the corners of my mouth, and I am a beer snob and proud of it.

Name: Morty
Title: Staff Author – Mobile Gaming
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Bio: Hi there.  My name is Brian, but my friends call me Morty.  I’m 5′-11″, a Sagittarius, hung like a dwarf Shetland pony, and enjoy long walks on nude beaches…… Married, have a son, love being a jackass and my sense of humor is a bit twisted.  Its that twisted humor that allowed Tristan (creator/owner of this site) and my life to cross paths long before CBR, where he was a dedicated member of my website.  But being a father and other items in my life that take priority, my twisted humor website had to come to an end.   So now I can still feed my addiction of being on the web and release my severe case of textual diarrehea by being a writer here on CBR.  Hold your nose and read my stuff!

Name: Clayton Herrman
Title:  Contributing Author – PC Gaming
Location: St. Joseph, MO

Bio: I’m too lazy to write a bio so Tristan put this here along with this manly photo of me to encourage me to write something.