Behind the Creative Mind of Tanner Geesey: The Man Behind No 2 Pencil Man
- Amit Ahuja
- Nov 2
- 16 min read
I conducted an interview with content creator Tanner Geesey, the visionary behind No 2 Pencil Man. Our discussion delved into his background, the development of his character, as well as his hobbies and interests. I trust you will find this engaging.
Amit Ahuja: Could you tell us about where you grew up and what your hometown was like? What memories from your childhood stand out—whether family traditions, friendships, or everyday moments—and how did your community and upbringing shape your personality, worldview, or even your career path?"
Tanner Geesey: I grew up in a moderately sized town in Pennsylvania. I was an only child. A lot of my earliest memories involve me being baby sat by my grandparents and going around to a lot of doctor appointments and being around a lot of older people. I didn’t have a lot of exposure to kids my own age growing up and spent a majority of my time alone. I remember I really enjoyed playing with action figures and drawing, as they were ways for me to create my own stories to live through. My parents were loving and definitely made sure that most of my material needs were met, but I always found myself longing for deeper connection in relationships. Traveling with my grandparents was my escape from loneliness and also played a big factor in me becoming more social than my parents. Growing up, I found myself trying to find fulfillment through the friends I had around me, never realizing that learning to love myself was going to fill that void I always had. My creativity has always been a part of me and has followed me through my entire life, taking different forms to help me cope with the world around me, until I made peace with myself and then it had a chance to shine the way it was always meant to. Learning to love myself has helped me to form deeper and healthier relationships with everybody around me.
Amit Ahuja: Growing up, many of us are inspired by characters and stories that leave a significant impact on our imagination. Did you have any favorite Disney characters—or even other childhood heroes—that played a role in sparking the idea for your No. 2 Pencil Man character? If so, what about them resonated with you and carried over into your own creations?
Tanner Geesey: There wasn’t any specific character or show that inspired No. 2 Pencil Man. In fact, No. 2 Pencil Man was a complete surprise to me. But there are definitely stories that have influenced me as a person and that I have incorporated into the character of No. 2 Pencil Man after his creation. For direct character influence, I would have to say Naruto from Naruto has been one of my biggest inspirations. His clumsy, fun, and dependability are characteristics are ones that I always tried to incorporate into my own personality. And No. 2 Pencil Man’s personality is technically mine ten times amplified. As far as story inspirations, I was heavily inspired by cartoons and video games with enjoyable, family-friendly storylines that everybody could enjoy, and I try to emulate that in my own way in my comic series.
Amit Ahuja: Can you walk us through the origins of your journey as a content creator—what first inspired you to step into that creative world, and how that path eventually led to the birth of Tanner's Tales Entertainment and the development of your No. 2 Pencil Man character? In particular, was there a specific story, lesson, or message you felt strongly about sharing with your audience when you first brought these ideas to life, and how did that vision shape the way you introduced your character and brand to the world?
Tanner Geesey: Tanner’s Tales Entertainment is a love note to myself. Growing up, I experienced what I would call the Golden Age of YouTube, which was from 2007 to 2015. I always enjoyed watching the various types of content creators in those early days of YouTube. One group in particular had more of an impact on me and my decision to be a content creator, and that group was Smosh. Smosh was known for their wild and funny skit videos that they would upload on a weekly basis, and being that they were story-based, it made me want to be a YouTuber. So, a group of my friends and I got together and tried forming a YouTube group back in middles chool, but that didn’t last. And eventually, I just gave up on it all together, until I started to love and value myself enough to go back and explore the things I used to love. And then the passion for creative storytelling was revived. Thanks to my second wedding, and a story I wrote and told in front of 50 friends, I got to thinkin’ that I’d like to be a creative storyteller. I figured that the best and easiest way I could do that would be to start a YouTube channel. Thus, in 2022, Tanner’s Tales Entertainment was born. Thanks to the YouTubers that inspired me when I was a kid, I already knew that I wanted to specialize in storytime and skit videos. But I didn’t know what story I wanted to start with. So I decided to go with the true story of the time I sat on a pencil. But, of course, I couldn’t just tell it plainly. So, I found a costume and then got the idea to turn it into a superhero origin story. And thus, No. 2 Pencil Man was born shortly after Tanner’s Tales Entertainment. Being new to YouTube, I decided that I would go to various events and conventions to promote my channel, and I decided I would dress up as No. 2 Pencil Man to help attract more viewers. That quickly led to people telling me how much they loved the character and wanted more content involving him. So, among my other skit videos, I decided to do some live-action No. 2 Pencil Man skit videos. And then one thing led to another, and now I have a somewhat established brand.
Amit Ahuja: When you first began developing Tanner Tales Entertainment and the No. 2 Pencil Man character, what were the most significant challenges you faced?
Tanner Geesey: I’d say the biggest challenge for me was learning how to be a content creator, and all the work that went into it. I had to record the videos myself, I had to learn how to do editing, promotion, and come up with new ideas on a somewhat regular basis. For me, just stepping out and starting the channel took me way out of my comfort zone, and it took some getting used to.
Amit Ahuja: Looking back, how has the process of creating and embodying this character positively changed your life? Has it opened doors, changed the way you see yourself, or given you new opportunities to connect with people in meaningful ways?
Tanner Geesey: In more ways than I could ever imagine. First, No. 2 Pencil Man helped me to embody more of the characteristics I always wanted but might have been too shy or nervous to exhibit as just Tanner. Over time, the two began to blend and now I find myself better in almost every way. The character has certainly opened up many doors for me and continues to do so almost every time I put the suit on. I met a lot of my really close friends while I was wearing the costume. One of them became the artist for the comic series. One thing that I really like about No. 2 Pencil Man is that I have an opportunity to create a positive impact on various people from all walks of life. The costume is a good icebreaker for conversation in and of itself. I find that I don’t have to go out of my way to start conversations as much, but people are drawn to me and while engage in conversation, I always try to encourage peopled in any way that I can. But, most importantly, I encourage them to chase and pursue any creative dreams that they have.
Amit Ahuja: I imagine that with your growing presence, you’ve had the opportunity to attend many events, conventions, and panels. Out of all the events you’ve been a part of, do you have a favorite one that stands out as especially memorable or meaningful? What made that experience so impactful for you?
Tanner Geesey: The event that comes to mind, because I’ve done many events and experienced many things, is the first time I hosted a live in-person Pencil Pep Talk. As I stated before, No. 2 Pencil Man is a big advocate for self-empowerment through pursuing your creative dreams, and this was the first time I had the chance to give a full motivational speech. I like to speak from the heart, so I didn’t do a lot of prep, and I can remember just how nervous I was the day leading up to the speech. I just remember, as the seats filled, I had to do some deep breaths, something that my best friend Frae mentioned I should do before the speech to help calm my nerves. And for the next half hour, without any structure, I gave the most empowered, heartfelt motivational speech I could muster. I probably had about twenty people attend the pep talk. And I remember thinking to myself, “I hope I’m not rambling too much, and I hope these people are getting something out of it, and I hope that they can feel my heart behind it.” But it went well. I got some really good engagement throughout the speech, and at the end when I opened it up for questions, I had a few people ask various questions. The original time that I had for the speech was an hour, and I used a little over half of that time, so when I was done, I opened up the rest of the time for people to hang out and ask questions if they wanted to. I had many people come up just to tell me that they felt encouraged and inspired by the things I said. Some people even started to tell me the dreams that they had, and I had an extra opportunity to speak encouragement into their specific situations. Everybody wanted to get pictures with me too. But I just remember having a really good time with everyone who stayed to chat. Somebody even messaged me later that night telling me that they had taken an action step towards their dreams, and thanked me for what I said during the speech. Being able to encourage, inspire, and empower people leaves me with a feeling that I can’t even put into words.
Amit Ahuja: What has it been like for you to interact with kids and parents at these events? Do you notice recurring themes in the feedback you receive, and how do those interactions make you feel about the work you’re doing?
Tanner Geesey: I am very honored that I get to help encourage creativity in children through my Create Your Own Superhero events. Seeing their joy and the many different cape and mask combos they create leaves me amazed. First, I want to say the amount of creativity that a child has is unfathomable. And watching them be excited to create is all the feedback that I need from the kids. I have received a lot of positive feedback from the parents and adults organizing the events. A lot of them tell that what I am doing is very fun and just that they love it. They tell me I am very good with the kids, which is good for me, because for the longest time I thought I would be bad at interacting with kids. But over time, I started to develop more confidence and even build the character of No. 2 Pencil Man more because of interacting with the kids. I am just very grateful and honored to even be able to have this kind of impact with the kids I work with.
Amit Ahuja: Have you ever received a heartwarming story about your character having a real impact on a child’s life—maybe inspiring them, lifting their spirits, or even helping them through a tough time? Could you share one or two of those stories with us?
Tanner Geesey: One time, at a two-day convention, I had a family buy my comic for their young son on the first day. And then they came back on the second day to tell me that the kid read it immediately after he bought it, and he just wanted to come back to tell me how much he loved it. I just remember feeling so special because of how excited he was to tell me that. To see that my stories inspire that much joy in the youth means the world to me. There was another time a family bought my comic and used it to introduce a young child to comics, and they messaged me to tell me that their child had read it five times in the first day that they had it. That, of course, left me feeling very good about what I’m doing and creating. There are many more, but these are the two that are most memorable.
Amit Ahuja: I noticed that you’ve also developed a couple of comic books based on your No. 2 Pencil Man character. Could you walk us through what those comics are about in more detail—what kinds of stories they tell, the themes they explore, and what you hope readers will take away from them?
Tanner Geesey: When my wife and I had our son in December of 2023, I found myself not having the time I used to, and henceforth not able to create long-form YouTube videos. So, with that in mind, seeing that the brand was continuing to grow I didn’t want the growth to stop, so I made the decision to turn No. 2 Pencil Man into a comic series. Since I already had a few live action No. 2 Pencil Man videos on my YouTube, I decided to transcribe them into a comic book script. This gave me the opportunity to create the story how I always envisioned it with all the special effects that I couldn’t do in my low-budget videos. The first two issues focus on No. 2 Pencil Man origin story. Yes, the true story is included. The story follows our hero as he becomes the pencil and then discovers that he actually has superpowers, and it’s just a fun-loving tale of him learning how to be a hero. People who have watched the video on YouTube will see a lot of similarities, but they will also see many little changes that really bring the story more to life. The thing that I really hope to accomplish with the No. 2 Pencil Man comic book series is to create a story that everybody can enjoy just for the sake of a good story. But I also hope with the character of No. 2 Pencil Man to be able to encourage creativity in everybody who reads the books. So, in the back of the books, I always include a little motivational word. I definitely have big dreams for my brand and the character. I’m hoping that by being a character that relates to people of all ages, that kids will carry No. 2 Pencil Man with them as they grow up, and that No. 2 Pencil Man and Tanner’s Tales Entertainment will become as big as Disney.
Amit Ahuja: When you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, how would you describe the overall mission of this project—from your character and the comics to the live events? And looking further ahead, what are some of your long-term goals and dreams for both Tanner's Tales Entertainment and No. 2 Pencil Man in the years to come?”
Tanner Geesey: As I stated above, I have dreams of Tanner’s Tales Entertainment becoming a big creative force, hopefully big enough to rival that of Disney. Of course, at the heart of my mission, I want to make a positive impact on as many people as possible, helping people to love themselves and realize that they’re worth chasing all of their dreams. I hope to experience a world where everybody knows that they have the power and can create their dreams, and if I can inspire that in any way, that’s really all I could ask for. As for the brand, No. 2 Pencil Man is just the tip of the pencil. I hope to introduce many more characters and stories, hopefully all as beloved as the mascot himself. As for No. 2 Pencil Man, I hope that he will become the symbol of creativity for the next generation.
Amit Ahuja What insights or recommendations do you have for content creators who face rejection or experience setbacks in their careers? Specifically, how can these artists cope with disappointment and use those challenges as steppingstones for future growth?
Tanner Geesey: My biggest piece of advice is to keep creating what you love. As long as you love it, any negative comments or energy won’t matter. If you stay true to yourself, you will always attract people that will love what you create, and you’ll find more of them than the negative people. Also, always remember that being true to yourself and doing what you love will change the world.
Amit Ahuja: How do you handle negative comments or criticism?
Tanner Geesey: I remember when I started, I used to be afraid of receiving negative feedback. In fact, in my mind I expected to receive more negative than positive feedback. But for me, I found that it was the opposite. I ended up receiving way more positive feedback than I could have ever imagined. That in turn helped me to reinforce my self-worth and build confidence around my creation. So, now whenever negative feedback does come, I am able to just brush it off. I find it has little to no effect on me as a person, and it’s easy for me to not let it affect my creation.
Amit Ahuja: Shifting gears a little, how do you personally define happiness in your life? How does your definition of happiness connect with your vision of success—whether that’s in your creative projects or in your personal journey?
Tanner Geesey: I think that happiness is more a state of being than it is something that you feel. For me, happiness is feeling a deep love for myself and confidence in who I am that is not shaken by outside circumstances. Of course, things can happen that invoke a feeling of joy, but it is only amplified by how complete I feel as a person. This definition of happiness is a very individualistic and empowering one. It reflects the values I hold dear and hope to impart through everything I do, hoping that it connects with the people that experience my creations.
Amit Ahuja: When it comes to entertainment and inspiration, what types of TV shows, movies, books, or podcasts do you find yourself most drawn to? Is it the storytelling, the complexity of the characters, the artistic style, or the underlying themes that capture your attention?
Tanner Geesey: I find myself most drawn to tales of adventure with dynamic storylines mostly in an animated format. I’m definitely drawn to basically everything that makes a story a story. When a story has a balance of all the key elements, it leaves a lasting impression, one that can even influence our own personalities.
Amit Ahuja: Outside of your professional work, are there hobbies, passions, or personal interests that you genuinely love spending time on? What activities bring you joy, recharge your energy, or give you a sense of fulfillment and purpose?
Tanner Geesey: I enjoy deep fellowship with friends and loved ones. I find that the topics often revolve around my professional work, because that is what I am most passionate about. My life is essentially my work, I would say. But I also enjoy traveling, working out, spending time with my family, and resting, because rest is important.
Amit Ahuja: Music often plays a critical role in people’s lives. Who are some of your all-time favorite bands or musical artists, and what is it about their music that resonates so strongly with you? Is it their lyrics, their sound, the memories their songs bring back, or maybe the energy they create? Have you attended any concerts or live performances that left a lasting impression—where you walked away thinking, “That was absolutely unforgettable”?
Tanner Geesey: Music for me has always been a big part of who I am. I find that listening to music takes me to different worlds within my head, where I constantly see visions and stories playing out before my mind’s eye. I tend to listen to music of various genres. It really just depends on my mood. I don’t really have any favorite bands. I just find songs that I like and resonate with and those are my favorites. To me, the songs I resonate most with have lyrics that inspire and encourage and a melody that scratches any itch my brain may have. Right now, I would say that there are a lot of indie musicians who have been doing just that. Little known fact, I’ve only been to one concert in my entire life, and that was a Toby Keith concert. Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses is my life’s anthem.
Amit Ahuja: If you were given the chance to step into someone else’s shoes for just one day—experiencing their career, lifestyle, and daily challenges—whose life would you want to step into, and what draws you to that particular person or field?
Tanner Geesey: Walt Disney, so I could learn the secrets that made his legacy the global empire that it is today, and so I could make mine better, and one that promotes more creative freedom. I just feel like I resonate with Walt, and I’d love to see the path he took to realize his dreams and watch them turn into what they did, so that I could incorporate the good qualities and tricks he had into Tanner’s Tales Entertainment.
Amit Ahuja: On a more personal note, are you comfortable sharing your experiences with mental health challenges? How have those experiences shaped your outlook on life and your creative journey? What coping strategies, habits, or support systems have been most helpful to you along the way? For example, were there particular relationships, resources, or routines that made a real difference? And what advice or encouragement would you want to share with others who may be facing similar struggles, so they can feel less alone and more supported in their own journeys?
Tanner Geesey: I struggled with depression and loneliness for a long time, thinking that I was incomplete without the external validation and love from family and peers. I used to think life had no purpose and really just lacked any motivation for life. But one day I experienced what I can only call a divine intervention and then my entire outlook on life changed. I was still depressed, but I started to see hope. I started to see that there was a purpose to life and that I had value just by being me. That was the catalyst for several years of self-love and growth. Over the years, I would read various subject matter. Two books that really made an impact on me were There’s Nothing Wrong with You by Cheri Huber and Being You, Changing the World by Dr. Dain Heer. Those books helped me to realize my self-worth and helped me to love myself even more than any other resources I had at the time, along with the divine guidance that I have continued to experience since the initial encounter. One thing that I want to say to others experiencing mental health struggles is that there is nothing wrong with you and that you are worthy of being loved just because you are. Be patient with yourself and know that no matter how long it takes, you can find the power to overcome anything, and that there are others who will always stand by your side. Never be afraid to ask for help. You might just find help coming from unexpected places.
Amit Ahuja: If you had the entire world’s attention for just five minutes, what message would you want to share with humanity?
Tanner Geesey: Always remember that the key to changing the world is being yourself and rejoicing in everything that makes you you. So be yourself unashamedly and chase all of your dreams. They all matter, and they will make an impact on the world, even if you don’t realize it at the time.
Amit Ahuja: Finally, as we wrap up, do you have any parting thoughts, reflections, or words of wisdom that you’d like to leave us with?
Tanner Geesey: To sum it up, believe in yourself, believe that you’re worth it, and believe that you can. No matter what you do, do it with all of your heart. Be patient with yourself during the process and remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s more important that you start the journey than having it all figured out. You’ll learn and grow along the way. And remember to always be open to anything. The paths to our dreams might not look how we always thought they would.
Amit Ahuja: Thank So Much to Tanner Geesey for sharing your story with us.
Please checkout Tanner Geesey aka No.2 Pencil Man links below:
YouTube:
Instagram:
Tanner's Tales Entertainment Official Website:
TikTok:
***Video credit is attributed to Tanner Geesey of Tanner's Tales Entertainment, and photo credit is attributed to Tomisina Lynn Photography, the Director of Photography at The Variant, unless otherwise specified.***
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