Michael Shurbutt’s journey to nerddom began at an early age. From his preschool days playing NES games, to obsessing over Sonic the Hedgehog and Star Wars in elementary school, to beginning a life-long passion for music and audio technology in his teens.

These days, he’s a full-time podcast producer who enjoys long walks (or frantic dodge-rolling) in The Lands Between and jamming along to pop-punk tunes from the early 2000’s. He and his super-talented wife live in North Carolina with their two adorable dogs and cat who’s pretty sure he’s also a dog.

(Also, Michael used to longboard. Has he mentioned that?)

Luke Filipiak serves as Director of Community Engagement for Love Thy Nerd and Director of Facilities at Sojourn Community Church. Originally from Guam and now living in Southern Indiana with his wife and daughter, Luke is passionate about building relationships, creating community, and connecting people around shared interests.

A lifelong nerd, he enjoys board games, video games, movies, TV, model trains, woodworking, coffee, audio engineering, and cooking. Whether he's hosting an event, networking with fellow nerds, or teaching a new game, Luke loves bringing people together.