Amanda C. Miller isn’t afraid to admit that her initial reaction to be invited to a comic convention was: that’s for nerds.

While studying at the University of Maryland, her college boyfriend invited her to attend Otakon, an annual convention that celebrates Asian pop culture. Despite the immediate ‘nerds’ reaction, she found herself walking around the convention center genuinely enjoying herself.

That day, she attended a panel discussion with voice actress Maile Flanagan and got the opportunity to ask a question.

“How did you get into voice acting?”

In retrospect, Miller realizes that it is the number one most-asked question at voiceover panels. That didn’t stop Flanagan from responding, and it didn’t stop Miller from recounting the story several years later to Flanagan. In the most full-circle moment, Flanagan and Miller play parent and child in the English dub of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

She remembers the first time she attended a convention as a guest, a small college-run convention in Miami. Her resume at that point included voiceover work for video games Fire Emblem Awakening and Danganronpa, and jokes that all eight people who owned a PlayStation Vita met her that day.

“Danganronpa has had an interesting lifespan in that it keeps being resurrected with each platform it moves to,” she said.

These days, her convention experience has expanded beyond PlayStation Vita owners. Fans recognize her as Kate Bishop, Boruto Uzumaki and Sailor Jupiter in video games, anime and film. It’s a humbling and heartwarming experience to meet people who explain what the characters mean to them, and there’s one fan in particular that comes to mind.

A girl in full Sailor Moon cosplay approached the table in tears. It took her a moment to be able to speak, but the tears kept coming as she explained that she always watched the show with her twin sister who had since passed away. She said that whenever she watches the show now, she feels close to her.

“It’s the very touching encounters that make you realize the work you do isn’t just going out into the ether,” Miller said. “It’s actually touching and affecting people.”

When she isn’t acting, she’s writing. She writes English scripts for foreign live action or anime films, making the original version sync as well as possible. She also writes original content, such as her web series Ghosts ‘n Stuff Inc. She’s still trying to find a balance between the two, as she is typically the type of person who gets overwhelmed focusing entirely on one project at a time but is not the type of person to set aside time each day for each activity.

“It’s hard for me to do anything in moderation,” she said. “I’m extreme about everything. Moderation is going to be key for me to learn how to do a little bit of everything every day as opposed to one day a week you’re going to do all of it and then get burnt out.”

Like many creative individuals, her ideas and concepts are endless. She wants to share her sketch comedy. She wants to start a podcast. She wants to bring as much as she possibly can to a public space and see what sticks.

“I’m trying to trust whatever I’m doing, as long as I’m still authentic to me and I’m learning and not being afraid,” she said. “There’s a lot of things I want to write or put out. It’s just having the bandwidth or the time to do it but that you need money for so I might just become a hitman part time.”

Earlier in the day, she gave herself the nickname Amanda C. Killer, so she might be considering the hitman career. Either way, Amanda C. Miller has embraced her nerd side and brought her talents to many beloved characters. Interacting at comic conventions mean so much to her and her fans, so make sure to check out her upcoming appearances.