Abstract Essay, now in its fifth season, features Paul Pape—a TEDx speaker, author, and creative business strategist famously known as “Santa for Nerds”—as my guest.

Paul Pape

From Starving Artist to Thriving Creative Entrepreneur

Paul Eric Pape is a TEDx speaker, author, and creative business strategist known as “Santa for Nerds.” With over 20 years as a successful creative entrepreneur, Paul has designed custom collectibles for Disney, Universal, and Nickelodeon while building his own thriving design studio.

Paul is the creator of Gamify Business and author of “The Creative Player’s Handbook to Business” – a revolutionary approach that translates intimidating business concepts into language that creative minds actually understand. Using gaming principles and adventure mechanics, Paul helps artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs build profitable businesses without sacrificing their artistic souls.

His mission is simple: to prove that you don’t have to be a “starving artist” to be a successful one. Paul shows creatives how to approach business as the creative adventure it truly is, helping them discover that running a business can actually be fun, engaging, and deeply fulfilling.

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