Qs&As with DoDads — DadLabs

In general, dads are funnier than the other parent. And some are even more amusing than others. Five of the most humorous put aside more honest work to metamorphose into DadLabs. Together, they have 11 (nearly 12) kids under management ranging from in utero to nine; one entertaining web site — over 250 episodes of dadly humorous "tips and advice"; and a book and other deals in the works. Because that is not nearly enough to fill up a dad's life (and possible because Texas football teams aren't playing this time of year), Creative Director Clay Nichols — also responsible for the oldest child, a boy, and his younger brother and sister — spent a few moments offering some of the "behind the scenes" of the scenes they make

WD: What was the biggest challenge to starting and (and is the biggest to) continuing DadLabs?
CN: We quit the day jobs. As idiotic as that may sound, particularly if you've been to the site, we all left nice stable careers in education to do this internet television thing. So keeping the panic down long enough to shoot another show is a pretty big obstacle. Deceiving, er, getting advertisers willing to sponsor the show is pretty tough. And keeping up with the post-production demands of posting four shows a week is pretty tough — the editing and graphics. Shooting is easy, crafting that into something useful and/or funny is much harder.

WD: Do your kids ever come home mad at you when the kids at school tell them what they found when they Googled their dad(s)?
CN: Mostly I just have to wrestle with them to keep them off the computer because they want to watch. They're pretty cute about it. I once got a little disturbed when I found my oldest son watching "The Due Dads: The Man's Guide to Pregnancy" we made about pregnancy over and over until he had memorized all the obstetrical buzzwords. That'll impress the teacher.

WD: Is there one or perhaps two or three episodes that stand out?
CN: The Breast Pump has to be a favorite — that's the one that kind of launched us, plus I'm not the one hooked up to the pump. I think the vasectomy bit was funny, mostly because the doc said so many obscene things we couldn't put on film. I also think Owen's Milk Man is a classic.

WD: What is the best thing you've learned about being a dad from working on the site?
CN: I love being able to do research and stay focused on parenting all day long. It's nice to feel informed. I think the most reassuring thing that I've found is that your instincts are usually right. We know more about parenting than "experts" would probably like us to believe. Men especially.

WD: What are the two or three most interesting dadblogs ... other than yours?
CN: I read daddytypes because he has the most intelligent analysis of dad controversies. rebeldad because he's a good resource to find out what is in the media about dads. There are a number of great, comic dad bloggers out there, recently I've been reading the holmes and busy dad.

WD: Would you like to add a few words on how you'll continue to cure the planet of evil?
CN: We've got a book deal in the works, which I have no idea how we'll find time for. I'm avoiding writing a feature that I've been assigned by Fit Pregnancy because I am neither fit nor pregnant. I am procrastinating that until the situation changes. I'm also learning from my son what Destination Imagination is, and why exactly I've been recruited to be involved. Oh, and we've got two DVDs out "Due Dads: The Man's Survival Guide to Pregnancy" and "Due Dads: The Man's Guide to Labor and Delivery" Both are available at www.dadlabs.com/store/