Guests of Honor
Christina Marie Kelly
Christina Marie Kelly is an American actress and voice actress for Sentai Filmworks and Funimation Entertainment.
Kelly attended the University of Houston’s School of Theatre and Dance,and graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. While there Kelly worked on shows such as "The Miser", "Blood Wedding", "Ring Round the Moon", and "Zombie Prom - The Musical". In Houston she's appeared onstage at Unity Theatre and The Catastrophic Theatre.
Her roles in anime include Alice Nakiri in Food Wars!, Sylphonford Tachibana in, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Yamato in Kancolle, Atui in Utawarerumono - The False Faces, Loki in, Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon?, Pepperoni in Girls Und Panzer: Der Film, Ersha in Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon, Satone Shichimiya in Love Chunibyo and Other Delusions -Heart Throb-, Hajime in Hamatora, Kisara Tendo in Black Bullet and Mine in Akame Ga Kill which was featured on Adult Swim's Toonami.
Other shows include, Monster Musume, Gatchaman Crowds: Insight, My Love Story,Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun, Brynhildr in the Darkness, Nobunaga the Fool,and No Game, No Life. Behind the Voice Actors nominated Christina for Breakthrough Voice Actress of the year 2015 for her notable roles in anime.
For more about Christina visit her website www.christinamariekelly.net
Gigi Edgley
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge
Chiana
Farscape
X
Hashtag
Gigi Edgley is an internationally renowned actress originally from Australia. Edgley has starred in countless film and television series including FX's Feud, USA's The Starter Wife, Enuattii, Rescue Special Ops, Tricky Business, SyFy's Showdown at Area 51, Quantum Apocalypse, Carlotta, Newcastle, Black Jack, Peacekeeper Wars, Stingers, Secret Life Of Us, Beastmaster, Lost World, Water Rats, Day of The Roses and Nexus.
Additionally Edgley has an extensive history with The Jim Henson Company beginning with her popular role as Chiana on the company's critically acclaimed sci fi cult series, Farscape in which she starred for over five years.
Gigi stole the hearts of sci-fi enthusiasts. She was originally cast as a guest star for one episode, but quickly captured the attention of the Farscape writers, producers and the fans alike. The mischievous Chiana became one of the most popular, and at times controversial characters in the series. Recently the SyFy Channel and The Jim Henson Company asked her to host Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge.
Edgley's team also raised over $44,000 on Kickstarter to fund a sci-fi short called Hashtag. They are planning to take it to Sundance, Cannes and Toronto film festivals. Gigi was nominated for the Film's Critic's Circle awards for best lead actress in the feature Last Train To Freo, the SyFy Genre Award for Best Supporting actress, the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a television series and Maxim Award for Sexiest Space Babe.
Gigi has a long list of theatre credits as well that include: "Kill Everything You Love", "4.48 Psychosis","The Rover", "Boy's Life", "Romeo And Juliet", "Road, Picnic At Hanging Rock" and "Les Miserables".
Edgley is also a recording artist, creator of original comic books, director and producer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Queensland University of Technology after entering in the auditions alongside hundreds of other candidates. Check out her websites at: GigiEdgley.com and wanderland.love
Charles Dunbar
Charles Dunbar is graduate of Hunter College, CUNY, where he received a BA in Religion and Anthropology and an MA in Cultural Anthropology. His thesis, Pilgrimage, Pageantry and Fan Communities was published in 2011 and focused on anime convention participation, including spending habits, cosplay, demographics, communal behaviour and convention culture.
Charles has previously given talks before the Joseph Campbell Foundation, has worked in the music industry as an A&R talent scout and promoter, excavated a Roman Villa in the United Kingdom, studied Irish Literature at Trinity College in Dublin, acted as a teacher and mentor for at-risk students in a charter school, shipped books for a comic shop and had his own weekly radio show for 5 years.
These days you can usually find him at a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, working diligently on whatever project is currently occupying his time, or traveling the roads of the East Coast to various anime conventions. In addition to his own site, he also has written for the websites Insert Disc and Real Otaku Gamer.
For more about Charles, his presentations and writings, visit www.studyofanime.com.
Featured Guests
Koralene
Hey there! I'm Koralene, a cosplayer based out of PA. I grew up in the town of Lock Haven, where cosplay isn't the norm, so I only discovered it 6 years ago. My best friend introduced me to anime, so I made him go to a convention with me and I have loved it ever since.
I enjoy cosplay because I believe it brings a whole community of people together, and gives us the chance to make life long friends that have the same interest as ourselves. Many of us learn a lot of new skills and we get the chance to show off our hard work. It also lets us be our favorite characters for a weekend and bring our fantasy world we love so much into reality if only for a weekend at a convention.
I used to buy my costumes because I didn't know a thing about sewing or crafting, however I became skilled in armor and props. I also began sewing my own outfits, teaching myself along the way with internet research and a lot of YouTube tutorials. Cosplay also got me into photography and editing.
My hard work seems to be paying off as I won 2nd place in the Novice category of the Setsucon walk on, and I was the winner of Philly's Next Top Cosplayer. I am really excited to continue competing and creating, and loving every minute along the way.
Follow Koralene on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Koralenecosplay and her photography page at www.facebook.com/KoralenePhotography.
Foxxy
Foxxy has been an avid cosplayer since the age of 14 and began modeling at 16. Growing up she focused heavily on art, competing in art shows, and even taking extra classes outside of high school. Having spent time as a cosmetology major her creative abilities have given her the chance to create impromptu costumes on the fly.
As a proud Puerto Rican she became the founder of Cosplaying While Latino, a blog dedicated to show casing Latinx and Hispanic cosplayers. Representing her community is important to her and on her down time she encourages others to enjoy cosplay as much as she does by offering advice and personal online tutorials.
As head of business networking at 8 Bit Bakeshop she can stay active in the nerdy community she greatly adores when she isn't cosplaying. Her sculpting work has been seen on Good Morning America with a cake by the 8 Bit Bakeshop team and her promotional skills have helped them become quite popular at New York Comic-Con as one of their official cosplayers. Her art background allows her to help owner Hannah Maldonado create customs treats for their clients. She has has also been featured in We Rise Mag, has judged local contests in her area, been featured as a cosplay model at several runway cosplay shows and done booth work for other companies both inside and outside of the cosplay community. Her costumes and work with Cosplaying While Latino have gained her interviews with radio show It Came From The Radio and the Daily Dot as well as others.
As supporter of Extra Life she has organized events raising money for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia using her love of video games as a catalyst for doing some good and getting her community involved.
Follow Foxxy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/xxToxicFoxxCosplayxx.
Dolly Love
Dolly from @RealDollyLove (on Instagram and Twitter), is a cosplayer, make-up enthusiast and fashionista. She has been practicing her crafts for over 8 years, while currently focusing on her branding through social media and creating her own clothing line that will drop in the coming year. Going from a young nerd loving to play video games while listening to Kpop, it's no surprise she has gained her fan base from the geek community. Which she also considers to be where her major influences on her own fashion and art truly come from.
For more from Dolly Love, follow her social media profiles on Instagram at @RealDollyLove and on Twitter at @realdollylove.
AE86 Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno from Initial D by InitialDream86
The AE86 Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno has been painstakingly refurbed and modeled by owner Ray Ramaglia to the smallest detail after series creator Shuichi Shigeno's vehicle design from the fan favorite anime and manga, Initial D. To follow the wherabouts and con appearances of the AE86 follow http://instagram.com/initialdream86.
The main character of the anime and manga Initial D, Takumi Fujiwara, uses his father's AE86 Trueno Apex Hatchback for racing and making his tofu deliveries. Also in Initial D, Takumi's friend, Itsuki Takeuchi, drives an AE85 Levin, initially mistaking it for an AE86. Later on in the series, an imposter Takumi drives his own AE86 Trueno. Throughout the series, two of Takumi's opponents would drive AE86s, the first being Wataru Akiyama, who drives a turbocharged (later converted to supercharged) AE86 Corolla Levin and Shinji Inui, who drives the Notchback coupe version of the AE86 Trueno in the series' finale. In Japan, the AE86 was also known as the "Hachi-Roku", Japanese for "eight-six", the word "trueno" is Spanish for thunder. In Japan, the Sprinter Trueno was exclusive to Toyota Japan dealerships called Toyota Vista Store, while the Corolla Levin was exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store.
Musical Guests
The Adarna
Taking their name from a mythical phoenix-like songbird in Filipino folklore, The Adarna [pronounced uh-darn-uh] are the first band to ever coin their genre as "Jet City Rock," due to their proximity to Seattle's Boeing Field.
Five years out of the gate and The Adarna recently completed their 7th national tour titled the Dollars & Dignity Tour, which includes their performance at one of the largest hard rock festival in North America-- Rocklahoma. The band has been touring relentlessly in support of their most recent album, How Perceptive. In Dec 2015 - Jan 2016, they were honored to perform internationally for the US troops in 5 countries in SW Asia as part of their Project Gratitude Tour. Appearing locally at Boeing's 100th Anniversary celebration, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, Lakefair Festival, Burning Man Events, Rockout ALS Fests, and Wounded Warrior Benefits. This high energy group is not shy to co-align themselves with movements and organizations they believe in.
The Seattle Weekly suggests that The Adarna are "melodic, polished, and destined for rock radio." The band has been featured on MTV, Myx TV, M&L TV and about 230+ media outlets/radio worldwide including Fox stations, Sirius XM, Armed Forces Radio, and Harley-Davidson retail with music videos aired in 78 countries. Their first single, "Honestly", aired to an audience of 10 million households on MYX TV, one of the largest Asian-American networks (ABS-CBN). The band earned this opportunity by being voted into the top 6 finalist.
Their single, "Superman," gained much success in anime and comic fandom. This resulted in the placement of the song in a new superhero video game by Risen Phoenix Studios as well as earning nominations for Best Music Video at the Fanboy Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Tirana International Film Festival, and Los Angeles Philippine Film Festival.
This fiery, dynamic, and high-energy sound comes from a concoction of influences from old school rock-n-roll such as The Cult and Guns N Roses to modern rock such as Foo Fighters, Sick Puppies, Halestorm, Queens of the Stoneage, and Muse. They've shared stages with names like Art of Dying, The Guessing Game, Smile Empty Soul, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Windowpane, The Slants, Bobaflex, The Cliks, The Crying Spell and Burning Daylight (Lords of Acid, Powerman 5000, Cage 9 & Ministry).
Tastes Like Rock Magazine states The Adarna are "rising stars of modern rock who will find their way to the top of the heap of bands out there, so make sure you keep an eye out for them. Whether you are hard core rockers or alt or punk or even dance pop, you will love The Adarna."
For more from The Adarna, visit www.theadarna.com.
TiA
TiA signed with Epic Records when she was just 16 and soon became famous for her song "Ryuusei" which starred as one of the "Naruto" ending themes, her song "Promise" is used as the second opening theme for "Yakitate!! Japan". Her first album received a Gold Disc Award in Japan. TiA came to New York City in October 2014 and has since has performed at the World famous Apollo theater, Carnegie Hall, SOB's, Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Prudential Center, Newark Symphony Hall, Juneteenth Festival 2016, and McDonald's GospelFest in 2016 and 2017.
TiA has won several competitions in the US; McDonald's GospelFest, Brooklyn X Factor, A Star is Born and more! She released her American debut song "I'm on My Way" in 2015. TiA recently released a new single "Galaxy Ride" in January 2018.
Kohei Hattori
Kohei Hattori is a singer from Tokyo, Japan. He is an Apollo winner as well as a finalist in McDonald's GospelFest in 2016 and 2017. Kohei has also been featured on the Steve Harvey Show on Fox, and has appeared on M-On TV with Japanese Recording Artist The RAMPAGE. Kohei has also hosted events at Diamondz N Da Ruff, Gloria Carter's (Jay-Z's mother) Newark, NJ cafe and opened shows for Wu Tang Clan (Raekwon), Lil Mama, Lyfe Jennings, and Case.
Kohei has acted as the official MC for various events held by Japan Fes in New York City, and plans on releasing a new single in March of 2018.
DJ Awesomus_Prime
From the shores of Virginia Beach to the premier club scene of the Greater Cleveland area, one thing remains absolute… Awesomus_Prime brings the party! Hailing from the Jersey Shore, Awesomus_Prime is the crowd pleaser every nightclub and venue deserves. Spinning all your club favorites to tear the roof off, he will surprise you with an energetic charisma that gets any crowd on their feet. While your ears are cruising through your favorite tunes, things will get a little AWESOMUS when the bass drops and you’ve been transported to the land of House, Club/ Top 40, and World Wide EDM.
And just when you think things can’t get any crazier, Awesomus_Prime accelerates to 88 MPH delivering you to nerdy nostalgia town with your favorite video game and Saturday morning cartoon remixes! If you want to “Transform” your night and tear it up on to the dance floor, there can be only one… Awesomus_Prime!
For more from Awesomus_Prime visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/djawesomusprime, https://www.soundcloud.com/djawesomusprime, and https://twitter.com/djawesomusprime
REAKT
REAKT is a Japanese singer from Tokyo, Japan currently touring in North America. His music is a mix of Japanese pop, EDM, Hip Hop, Kpop, and anime songs. REAKT has been a headliner/music guest at major music festivals for over 10 years along with artists such as Far East Movement, Girl's Generation, Edison Chen, Eric Chow, Hyukoh, and more. His musical purpose is to spread his sound and message to the world.
YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=y7zZdFrDfFs
Facebook: facebook.com/officialreak
Instagram: instagram.com/riuta_reakt
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/officialreakt
Contact: reaktofficialmusic@gmail.com
The Wanderland Tour feat. Gigi & Jake Edgley
Jake Edgley is a Legendary Universal Rockstar featured on the Voice and one of the hottest musicians to come out of Australia! Gigi Edgley is an international Superstar! Some of her credits include Farscape, host of Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, Feud: Bette and Joan, Singing at Stan Lee's Comic Con and 95th Birthday celebration too! Together they are traveling the world on The Wanderland Tour! Come out for a night of exquisite tunes, international stardom and brace yourself for an evening of music delight!
Gigi and Jake Edgley have travelled the earth making tunes and sharing the Love. With all the craziness going on in the world it's time for us to help each other out, get together, forget about our worries and have a jam. Cause life's too short not to!
The Wanderland Tour is coming your way! Check out www.wanderland.love to see how you can be a part of this awesome adventure together.
DJ OZNO
An Architect of HOUSE, TRANCE, DANCE, DUBSTEP, J-POP, K-POP, EDM, HIP HOP, R & B, OLD SKOOL, and more... As well as specializing in Blends and Mixes.
More than just a "person who spins" and "plays music", DJ OZNO guarantees to develop and enhance the mood, vibe, and atmosphere for regional, national, and international events, expos, festivals, and conventions.
DJ OZNO has developed the concept of integrating his "Steampunk cosplay character" into the "art of DJ'ing" which magnifies the audio/visual aspect of the performance no matter what the occasion or theme of the event.
For more from DJ OZNO visit https://www.facebook.com/imaginecncepts.
Special Guests
Bfarve Cosplay
Hello! I'm Bfarve Cosplay and I'm coming from Berwick, PA. I've been cosplaying for a little bit over a year now. I got into cosplaying after attending my first convention which was Toy Con in New Jersey. I cosplay because when I was a kid I always wanted to be a superhero! So, cosplaying makes me feel like I am a superhero! I mostly cosplay as Marvel characters, I look forward to meeting you!
You can follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/gambitpool and on instagram at bfarve_cosplay.
8BITAmbitions
8BITAmbitions is a one woman team based in PA experimenting in the world of photography and costuming. I've been cosplaying for 11 years and doing convention photography for about 7 years. I started sewing as a way to bond with my grandmother who spent most of my childhood working as a bridal seamstress. After going to my first con in 2007 I wanted more and more from this wonderful community and I've been so thankful for the friends and opportunities this little hobby as awarded me. I hope to meet and talk to as many of you as possible at the con!
You can follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/8BITambitions for bad memes and on instagram at 8BITambitions for progress pictures and copious amounts of cat and puppy pictures.
Stellure Idols
