Geek Talks lecture series delivers a decade of community

When Chris Paparo, owner of Fish Guy Photos, craft beer enthusiast, naturalist and falconer, started the lecture series that would become Geek Talks, his plan was simple: draw people into the brewery on a slow night with a lecture about one of his areas of expertise. 

“I was hanging out at Moustache Brewing Company, which was in Riverhead, and I was talking to [the owners] about what if I did one of my lectures at the brewery on a Thursday night, when they’re normally slow, and maybe I can bring people in,” said Mr. Paparo. “We set up a screen projector outside. Maple Tree Barbecue came with a van, and he did some food — some sliders and stuff. And 100 people showed up. We were kind of blown away with the response that we got. So we did another one. And again, another 100 people showed up. And then we turned that a regular thing the summer months.” 

Originally, the series was known as Drinking with the Fish Guy. As they brought in more speakers and expanded beyond just Mr. Paparo, it became known as Nature Talks. When übergeek Brewing Company took over Moustache Brewing’s space, they also took over the lecture series and rebranded them Geek Talks. 

“Chris started, at the time it was the Nature Talks, and he developed this wonderful group of people that he knew together and everybody sat out on the front lawn with the projector and presented research that they were working on, and it was just a nice little community,” said Rob Raffa, who owns übergeek Brewing Company and was also an employee at Moustache at first. He has been with the lecture series since the beginning. “The only change we made was that we rebranded it to be in line with our branding and also to work to diversify the portfolio that we’re all bringing as far as speakers are concerned.”

“I have other people who live out of state, in different places, asking me, ‘Could they do something at their brewery?’ And, you know, I think it’s fortunate for me, the connections that I’ve made through the university and my Fish Guy business, so I’ve been able to have a big pool to pull from,” said Mr. Paparo.

One of the longest running lectures is presented by Mr. Paparo’s long-time friend, Greg Metzger, who is chief field coordinator for the South Fork Natural History Museum’s Shark Research and Education Program. His talks are always shark-centric, often including an end of season run down of data collected for that summer’s shark season. He has also discussed how to spot and identify sharks in light of the recent uptick in their negative interactions with people. This year, because it is the 50th anniversary of the release of “Jaws,” Mr. Metzger plans to incorporate the movie into his presentation on Sept. 4. 

“My talk [this year] is going to be is sort of going through “Jaws,” the movie, and kind of giving fun facts or unknown facts … about the movie and but then tying it to our research,” he said.

There are a number of people who have attended for nearly all ten seasons, including Frank Blumenauer. He stated that he continues to learn new things with each lecture.

“It’s so varied, because they’re not only just nature — they’re about pirates, history or witches. We just did a history of old-time baseball,” said Mr. Blumenauer. “It’s a really nice night out. My favorites have always been about sharks and shellfish and fish, but also, we have some of the brewers from the local breweries come down and talk about beer. I’m a home-brewer, so all these things interest me because I’ve got a jack-of-all-trades background. And I’ve learned quite a bit from the things that I thought were true or not true.” 

It is rare to have a program run continuously for a full decade. Even during COVID, Geek Talks shifted to Zoom and continued business as usual. It became a touchstone for many, something familiar to harken back to in an uncertain time.

“To have it go for 10 years, I mean, to do anything for 10 years, is sort of unusual. It’s not like [Chris is] paid to do this. He does it because he loves it. And you know, he’s literally educated thousands of people,” said Mr. Metzger. “This lecture series has been [so important] for bringing people together, introducing new individuals, forging friendships and educating, and giving a platform to those presenters that are passionate about the work that they do. I think that recognition can’t go underscored.”

The unifying thread for the Geek Talks seems to be a desire to build a community centered around exploring these unexpected topics.

“Even on a slow night, we usually have about 30 people who show up regularly. It’s their thing there, every other Thursday, that they come out for. On some nights where it’s [a compelling] topic, we’ve had as many as 150 people, but it’s created this really big community,” said Mr. Paparo.

The curated selection of topics that Mr. Paparo puts together seems to resonate with both the presenters and the audience. They allow the lecturer to connect their research with lay people outside of their peer group, creating a fascinating conversation.

“Sometimes at the Geek Talks, that’s the only time I get to reconnect with some of the friends that I have,” said Mr. Metzger. “Whoever is giving the talk, regardless of what the talk is about, people really plug in and engage with the speaker and are there to genuinely learn. There’s always healthy dialogue and questioning, question and answering.”

The diversity of topics means that there is often something for everyone to learn, regardless of their interests. 

“It exposes people to a lot of topics that they otherwise would have a difficult time hearing about, or maybe something that they didn’t think that they were even interested in,” said Mr. Raffa.

Mr. Paparo intends to continue the series as long as there is interest. He already has some speakers booked for 2026. He hopes to bring back some lecturers who presented in the past to give updates on their research. Looking to the future, he would also like to continue expanding the topics to include more things that people geek out about, like Star Wars. 

“I think there are so many topics out there that people geek out on, you know, so by doing that, by expanding on topics, I then reach different audiences that now might come to the brewery and like this beer, like this place. The initial reason [I did] this, it was a way for me to help my friends make a couple extra bucks,” Mr. Paparo said. “The takeaway is we’re trying to build the community together, help the local business, and support them. It’s for everybody. You don’t have to be a scientist to come.” 

For more information on upcoming Geek Talks, visit ubergeekbrewing.com/events.