Nerd Nite Los Angeles - October 2026
Description
Nerd Nite is fun-yet-informative lectures at a bar. It's like TED Talks...but with beer.
We all know that learning is more fun when you’re drinking with friends and colleagues. Thus, Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in more than 100 cities across the globe during which several folks give 20-minute fun-yet-informative and easily accessible presentations across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY DJ LdotAdot
FAQ's:
- Doors open at 7pm. Intro at 7:45pm. Presentations at 8pm.
- The Brewyard Beer Company is a 21+ venue.
- There is free street parking surrounding the bar, but we recommend utilizing a ride share service.
PRESENTATION LINE-UP:
PRESENTATION #1: Haunted Rails: The Ghost Train Phenomenon
By Phil Tice
Summary: A century ago, trains were once the undisputed powerhouses of industry and the lifelines that connected our world, sources of tall tales and the subjects of popular songs – only to one day be made obsolete by the merciless march of innovation. But when railyards turn to graveyards, the dead don't always stay buried... Join our resident ghoulish historian Phil Tice as he takes you on a journey through the strange world of ghost trains, spins haunted locomotive legends from across the country and the world, and delves into the secret meaning behind these coal-burning poltergeists.
Bio: Phil Tice is a director, screenwriter, author, and lecturer specializing in all things horror. Originally hailing from New Jersey under the shadow of the Jersey Devil, Phil graduated Emerson College with a BFA in Writing for Film and Television, and has had his work featured in festivals across the US and UK. Phil has been lucky enough to collaborate with horror icons like Thom Mathews (Return of the Living Dead), Cary Woods (Scream), and Sean Cunningham (Friday the 13th), and currently works for his mentor, Oscar nominee David Magee (Life of Pi), as a Creative Executive at Brass Mantle Entertainment. Phil published his first horror story collection, High Strangeness: Tales From the Edge of the Unknown, in 2022. Phil is a two-time veteran speaker at Nerd Nite LA, has lectured at the Discovery Cube Museum in Sylmar, and is thrilled to be returning for another nerdy Halloween talk!
PRESENTATION #2: Towers of Terror: The Ups and Downs of Elevator Horror
By Tim Choi
Summary: Since its origins at America’s first world’s fair, the modern passenger elevator has taken a tumultuous journey from luxury curiosity to everyday commodity. And along the way, it has deeply scared the crap out of people. From Disney rides to Korean urban legends to that one scene from The Shining, the horror genre has long tried to capture the many ways elevators unsettle us. Hop aboard with writer Tim Choi for a descent into "elevator horror" and the real life history that inspired it.
Bio: Tim Choi is a former elevator-phobe and current Senior Writer for the horror YouTube channel Dead Meat, where he’s worked since 2022. A lifelong horror fan, Tim now spends his time studying scary movies and celebrating their craft. He’s written on over 100 episodes of Dead Meat’s flagship series, The Kill Count, and recently served as creative director for the 2026 Dead Meat Horror Awards.
PRESENTATION #3: Australia: Where Evolution Mainlined Pure Malice
By Trevor Valle
Summary: Nature isn't a serene, peaceful sanctuary. It’s a literal slasher film, and Australia is where the director went off the rails, got high, and had the worst trip imaginable. NNLA superstar Trevor Valle will take a deep dive into the unhinged terror of Australian fauna, supported by evolutionary biology, biomechanics, and a healthy dose of existential dread. And hopefully we will find the answer to The Ultimate Question: Why did natural selection lead to over 42 species on one isolated landmass where everything from spiders and jellyfish to actual trees needed to be optimized for maximum painful lethality?
Bio: Trevor Vallé is a paleontologist, commercial drone pilot, professional DM, and a cross-country Nerd Nite presenter who has lost count of how many talks he's given. He has been clawed by an otter, bitten by a shark, and shit on by a lorikeet all in the same day, none of which prepared him for the sheer biological horror of Australian wildlife. When he isn't inspecting dirt or digging up fossils in Los Angeles, he spends his time over-engineering custom tech and mostly avoiding direct human contact.
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