The large bulletin board in front of Tom’s Market in the Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio is packed with the personalities of those who have posted business cards, flyers and notices of services, events, even philosophies….
A card I found on my first visit there featured a face peeking over a dumbbell / headphones. Sporting a headband, the card read “Old Nerd in the Gym LLC."
The card advertised personal fitness, family caregiver training, and anti bullying programs. My curiosity was piqued, so I gave the "Old Nerd" a call.
During our conversation, I learned Old Nerd in the Gym - the creation of Gery Deer - is a podcast. I wanted to find out more so we set a time to meet at his studio in Jamestown.
Where the Magic Happens
Gery may be a nerd but he’s not old. He may be in his 50s but he’s got a youthful look and, from what I know about him, plenty of energy.
He's on the phone when I arrive but ushers me into his studio, inside a large renovated section of the barn next to his house.
"Welcome, let me put this down and I’ll give you the 10 penny tour," Gery says.
The 10-penny tour starts with an introduction to his business partner, Julie Barth. Julie and Gery have known each other for nearly 20 years but only started working together six years ago.
"Most days we get along pretty well," Julie said. "We're best friends so you know it's like working with family - you never know. Once in a while you just have to go' I need 5 minutes away from you,' which is why I only come into the office 3 days a week and the other days we work remotely."
"There’s no question I can be a handful," Gery responded. "Usually, I have to steer everything, but on occasion she'll push me a different direction that I never thought that we were going to go and I think Old Nerd is what it is because of her.
"Well I think we know each other well enough for me to be able to say ‘you're being really irritating right now you need to calm down and relax," Julie said50, laughing.
"I got nothing… but you do have a tendency to let me know when we're kind of off the rails, and so think about how far off that has to be before that comes up!"
I get a quick peek at the small office space where Gery and Julie work together as the marketing and production team of the IT firm, GLD Communications.
Just outside the office space is a small, makeshift recording booth and nearby, several display cabinets showcasing Gery’s past careers, including as a professional bullwhip artist; born out of a hobby he began as a boy.
"The stage shows that I’ve done over the years, training people," he tells me, "I started that when I was eleven and by the time I was in college I was teaching people how to do it and then I was being asked to do performances and then shows and then I started training people like higher out and then I met a lot of the folks from the film industry and all that sort of thing so I start working more with those and it got pretty busy."
From Australia, to Poland and back to Middle-America, Gery’s collection of whips are coiled on stands or lay in the display cases along with memorabilia from the many shows and celebrities he’s worked with. There’s a lot of signed Star Trek memorabilia here cementing Gery’s status as a nerd. And he’s gracious enough to give this nerd a demonstration of his skills.
"Stand right there, and I'll bring it to you," he says after grabbing a whip from its display stand. "It’ll damage mics so I know which way to go."
Inspiration for 'The Old Nerd'
Our tour came to an end in the unfinished half of the barn, which is a garage space that houses the Deer family’s vintage 1967 International Harvester Loadstar 1600 — it belonged to Gery’s dad.
The truck serves as a tangible reminder of the influence his parents had on Gery’s life. And it’s the end of their lives that are very much a part of his work on the Old Nerd in the Gym Podcast — which began as a resource for caregivers. Many of the early shows featured Gery’s experiences caring for a mom with dementia and a dad who had Parkinson’s.
"I was very isolated because we were on a farm the middle of 30 acres and there's nobody around so you're alone except for the parent. So, if I had access to a podcast like this I can listen to it and learn some things. And now we're into our third season but we started having doctors on and physical therapists and nutritionists and all these people we're starting to interview them because I, quite honestly, exhausted my level of expertise which was as a caregiver not as a health professional."
Gery is toying with the idea of generating a non-profit from the work that he’s doing on Old Nerd in the Gym but it’s a lot of work and for now he’s just happy to share whatever knowledge he can.
"One person, any of this changes one person's life for the better I've done my job."
From bullwhip artist to award-winning copywriter, public relations exec, media producer, and marketing coach, this is a snapshot of the life that Gery Deer has led so far.
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