Ready or not! It's Almost Time for Nerdbot-Con!

Hi guys! This is a busy later half of the con season for me as some of my favorite cons happen in September! One of them happens to be Nerdbot-Con! Nerdbot-Con is an extremely affordable one day con that happens in Pasadena, California. This con is like a fine wine, it gets better with age. No joke! I have attended each year since it has started and it has become more elaborate and continued to the bar without breaking the bank. That is one of the reasons I am extremely pleased to be covering this event as a member of the press, this year. I hope to see you there! Read below for more info! :)




Date: August 14 th , 2018

NERDBOT MEDIA presents NERDBOT-CON 2018

Saturday September 22 nd , 2018
10am – 5pm

*ONE DAY ONLY NERD CULTURE AND COSPLAY CONVENTION*
*Over 120 Vendors*Celebrity Guests*Cosplay Contests*Nerd Karaoke*
*Nerf Gun Zombie Shoot Out*Photo Rooms*Panels*Live Music*Performances*

AND MORE!

*Tickets are on sale now for $18/will go up to $22 at the door*
*Kids under 12 are free with Adult Ticket purchase*

*Celebrity Guests Include*
Gregg Berger – Cartoon Voice Actor
Rikki Simmons – Cartoon Voice Actor
Suzie Plakson – Star Trek Actress

Rikishi – WWE Hall of Famer

Christopher Khayman Lee – Power Rangers Actor
Jack Guzman – Power Rangers Actor
Gigi Edgley – Actress
Eric Bauza – Voice Actor
And More!

All paid ticket holders have free entry to the Nerdbot-Con After-Party!

This will be NERDBOT MEDIA’S 3rd annual NERDBOT-CON at the Pasadena Convention
Center.
In 2018, we are going to go bigger and better with more activities, more vendors, more music,
more guests, more games, and awesome panels!

NERDBOT-CON is your alternative to huge, faceless and expensive conventions with long lines
and enormous crowds that steal your soul (and your wallet!). Our safe and family friendly event
is centrally located in the heart of beautiful Pasadena, California.

NERDBOT MEDIA, a leading company in new media and journalism, has been organizing great
meet ups, after parties, and night events in the Los Angeles area for the past three years,
including the brand-new smash hit anime convention Anime Pasadena.

Our staff has been attending and covering conventions for years now. We think it’s time for
something different! NERDBOT-CON is a fun and interactive event for all attendees.
Cosplayers, photographers, collectors, and all Nerds and geeks that just want to go out, see their
friends, and have an AWESOME time.

Our mission is to bring the very best photographers, videographers, vendors, and entertainment
to the beautiful Pasadena Convention Center. It’s going to be an amazing day of interactive
giveaways, panels, Cosplay contests and photoshoots.

Our official NERDBOT-CON 2017 Highlight Video is available on YouTube!
The Grand Geek Gathering reviewed NERDBOT-CON 2017 and had an amazing time!

Find NERDBOT all over Social Media:
NERDBOT-CON on Facebook
NERDBOT Media Official Website
NERDBOT Media on Facebook
NERDBOT Media on Twitter
NERDBOT Media on Instagram
NERDBOT Media on YouTube

For inquiries about Nerdbot Media and Nerdbot-Con please contact:
Elvin@nerdbot.com
Anthony@nerdbot.com
Loryn@nerdbot.com



Let me know in the comments below, if you'll be enjoying any cons this fall! 🍂🍂🍂
Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Watchuknow about Long Beach Comic Expo? - Press Edition

Hi all! Have you guys ever have instances of writer's block? That's what went on with me these past few months. Even though I had so much to write about, and so much to say, I couldn't motivate myself to put words on paper, so to speak. I cannot stand the feeling. It makes me sad to have so much to say, but just could not for the life of me find the drive to put words on paper. However, I am back and would much enjoy writing about the latest convention that I had the pleasure of being press for, last month. That convention is Long Beach Comic Expo, hosted at the Long Beach Convention Center by Mad Event Management!

I have been attending LBCE for the past three years now. I have been a regular attendee, a panelist, and now a member of the press. LBCE is a two day annual convention that happens in February. Before this convention, there is a smaller conference for Comic Creators called Comic Creator Conference or C3. At the end of this conference, they have an awards gala for the Dwayne McDuffie award for Diversity in Comics. I was lucky enough to be a guest to this gala. Us guests got to see some of the biggest names in the comic book and creative pop culture world give speeches such as: Don McGregor (Black Panther & Jungle Action) and Phil LaMarr (Static Shock & Samurai Jack). We also got to learn a little bit about the five finalists and see a video acceptance of the winner of the 2018 award. Afterwards, we were treated to hor d'ourves and drinks. This event also allowed people to networks after the conference from the afternoon prior.

I always go to both Long Beach Comic Con and Long Beach Comic Expo the entire weekend. These events are very diverse in that they are more than just comic book driven. They are a collaboration of artists, cosplayers, photographers, media, and other industry professionals. Since Black Panther had just came out, several panels about the character and his series were also happening. I like that the convention stayed relevant to the times in the pop culture realm. I also like that Long Beach Comic Expo has a Space Expo attached to it. It's a nice added addition. The bag checks and security screenings were very easy to go through and efficient. The convention felt very safe as local law enforcement were at the con as well to keep the peace. The food trucks were out giving attendees options outside of the restaurants and convention center dining. The staff actually looked like they wanted to be there, which is not the case at some conventions I have attended. The security workers had good vibes and positive attitudes, which made for a welcoming experience.

I had a blast at the convention for the most part. 9/10 stars (would always attend, if given the chance and opportunity) By the way, the dates for next year's Long Beach Comic Expo are : February 16-17, 2019. If you can't wait that long and want to enjoy another Long Beach convention, Long Beach Comic Con, also hosted by MAD Event Management is September 8th and 9th, 2018. Check them both out, if you can! :) This year is also Long Beach Comic Con's 10th show!

The only downside was, I have two convention creeps that follow me around most cons, and one creepy vendor that had previously sexually harassed me at LBCC, and encountered two of the three. One, I was able to get away from, and the other proceeded to push his boundaries by practically french kissing my hand after I said I wasn't comfortable hugging him. If I could ever get photos of the three, I would make sure they couldn't harass anyone else. They only seem to do it when security is not around. A possible solution to this is to have more security and make them roam the hall floors more often, as well as the outer limits of the con.

 If anyone in my viewership has ever been harassed or stalked at a con, concert, or other event, please go to someone trusted for help. It is not your fault, and never will be your fault. Cosplay or any type of attire worn is not consent for unwanted advances or sexual harassment. Be someone's advocate, or be your own, but most importantly be safe and aware.


I would normally post a bunch of photos from the convention, but unfortunately, Adobe Lightroom CC Mobile messed up on me and deleted all of my photos from the con. Luckily, I was able to upload a few cosplayer photos before this happened and those can be found on my photography Instagram page: @himawarisayscheese.


Let me know in the comments below what your favorite part of comic book, anime, or pop culture conventions is. My next major con that I will be writing about is Lvl Up Expo in Las Vegas, NV. Take care and treat each other with kindness.


Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Cosplay Mashups: Zelda Quinn

Hi all! Sorry for the random hiatus! I've been in the midst of a "con crunch " for San Diego Comic Con and spent a while working on my cosplay. A con crunch is when you try and finish a cosplay close to the start of a convention. I made the whole outfit on one week and two days. I would probably never do that again, it was extremely stressful considering that I had never used a pattern before. The pattern is by Simplicity #8113, R5. It's their version of Princess Zelda from the Twilight Princess game in the Legend of Zelda series. My pet peeve about patterns is that they are extremely expensive for being on flimsy tissue paper. I recommend waiting until Joanns has their 1.99$/pattern sales. Save your self some money! That's what I did and that's also the reason why I had such limited time to make it. The reason I call her Zelda Quinn is because it is a mashup between Princess Zelda and Harley Quinn.  Every year that I volunteer for SDCC, I go to Harleypalooza. That would be the Harley Quinn cosplay gathering. I always have to be different, so instead of making her classic or canon outfits for the gathering, I always do some sort of mashup. It's become a bit of a tradition for me now. I made the whole thing in under 65$, with my goal being under 75$. I think I did pretty well for myself. The only downside is that by the end of the day,  after being "peace bonded", which means that they attached my "weapon, or prop to my costume", the security ripped my overlay. Sadly, I will have to repair it for the next gathering or convention I go to. Otherwise, I am glad I got some great shots before that happened and that my post-ripped overlay shots were modified to hide the rip, but those are not processed yet.  Without further ado, I will show you guys some of my SDCC photoshoot photos. I really hope that you like them! Below is also a quick review of SDCC 2017.

Photography courtesy of Ron Z. Photography

Photography Courtesy of Michael Greening

Photography courtesy of Snapshot 360 Photography

Photography courtesy of Snapshot 360 Photography 

SDCC Review:
As usual, I attended San Diego Comic Con as a volunteer. I have been volunteering with Comic-Con International for five years now. It still is an enjoyable opportunity for me. For many people, volunteering is the only way to actual get into the convention as it has grown exponentially over the years. It was another humid day in San Diego, as it has been every year I've volunteered. It felt like there were more people at the convention, this year, as opposed to last year. The staff were not as helpful as I would have liked them to be, but they were for the most part very kind. The officers on duty were extremely kind, courteous and easy to approach. There were plenty of panels going on and the usual mad rush to Hall H. I actually decided to do outdoor activities for the first time since I started going and had a blast at the FXhibition. I hope that they bring that back for next year. I also enjoyed playing the video games, but I did feel like there were less video game exhibits offered this year. Or quite possibly, they were spread out more than usual. Another favorite of mine is the walking dead section where the zombies come after you. One of them actually managed to scare me this time, it was pretty funny. I also FINALLY found out how to get to the back of the convention center to do the cosplay gathering stair shoots. Only took five years to find that out hehe. I unfortunately didn't get the volunteer shirt this year due to miss communication in the volunteer room, and that was extremely unfortunate. Other than the staff ripping my costume while peace bonding me, not getting the volunteer t-shirt this year were the two downsides of the con this year. The rest of it, and being able to reconnect with friends was great. I will always enjoy volunteering for this convention.


That's all I have for now, but I'll continue to add more as I get more photos back! Let me know in the comments below if you have any cosplay suggestions for me. :)

Till Next Time !

-Hachi

How to Survive the Con-pocalypse!

Hi all!

As promised, I am giving you all some pro tips on how to survive your first con! I've been attending cons consecutively since 2005, while cosplaying for the majority of them. I currently average at attending around 8 cons per year. Sometimes more, rarely less. I've volunteered for Comic-Con International for the past 5 years, and have been on panels for other cons.

I was tasked by Vegas.com to provide some tips to their viewers attending Lvl Up Expo in Las Vegas, NV. Lvl Up Expo is known as the ultimate gaming and anime convention of Las Vegas. It runs from May 12-14, 2017. If you'd like to go to this con, check out some of these nice travel deals! I've only been to Las Vegas one time as an adult, so I hope to go back soon! Another good website to use for registering for conventions is Eventbrite. Some conventions use this service as a quick and easy way to register for their events. I have primarily utilized the site for smaller cons, but big ones do use the service as well. Anyhoo, onto the tips, with a little bit of a twist!

Nurse Morrigan at Comikaze Expo/Stan Lee's L.A. Comic Con 2016  - courtesy of Novice Snapshots

Pro tips for attending your first con!

1. Remember cosplay is not consent.
• Never touch or photograph a cosplayer without their permission. 
2.  Stay hydrated
• Bringing your own water and refreshments is a good way to avoid sticker shock at the con.
• Some cons do allow hydration packs.
• As some cons have the tendency to draw large crowds, ie. San Diego Comic-Con, & Anime Expo, it can be easy to overheat, especially in cosplay. Drinking a decent amount of water can keep you cool and avoid heat exhaustion.
3. Utilize "Day 0" as often as you can. 
• Day 0 is meant for picking up your badge early. It helps you not miss out on those panels you'd like to attend by having to wait in line for your badge.
• Occasionally, day 0 has some early access perks.
4. Anticipate long lines, especially if you attend on the expected "busy" days of the con.
•  This is called "line-con" as a term of endearment. 
• Lines can get long for big panels, screenings, con exclusives, and badge pickups.
5.  Cosplayers:
• Anticipate that many people might ask for your photograph. 
• Never feel obligated to give a photograph, if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
• Unfortunately, some people at cons do not have the best of intentions.
• If you are cosplaying as a princess or superhero, expect kids to come up to you. Be polite to children and if possible, act in character. It really makes a child's day to see that.  
• To piggy back off that, most conventions are family friendly. Please consider that when you think about what you would like to cosplay as. 
6. Bring cash with you, not every vendor will have a POS (point of sale) machine or a Square reader.
•  Sometimes, vendors will give special deals for patrons using cash.
7.  Photographers: 
• Don't forget to ask permission to photograph a cosplayer.
• If you are worried about forgetting to credit the cosplayer, bringing blank pieces of paper, having the cosplayer fill out their information on it, and snapping that photo first before the shoot helps with combating that.
8. Bring a friend! 
• Cons are a lot more enjoyable when you have a buddy to go with.
•  However, if you do end up going alone, cons are a great way to meet people. I have made several friends from all of my con attendances.
9. Do the demos! 
• One of my favorite parts of attending video game expos is trying out all of the new games before my friends. 
• The lines don't take that long and you get a decent amount of game play time.  
10. Just have fun! 
• In the end, the con is what you make it out to be.  
• So try to make it one of the best experiences you will ever have and enjoy yourself! :)

So here's the twist, I've interviewed some of my friends and asked them to provide their own pro tips for attending your first con as well! Please take a look and enjoy! Links to their pages will be provided in their names, so please give them some love! :)

Provided by Queen Akemii & Taken by wafflopogusarts

Name: Shae - ( Queen Akemii  )
How long have you been attending cons?:
Ive been attending conventions since 2013, which is 4 years. 
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?: My favorite thing to do at cons is going to panels, especially those crowd interacting ones. They're always fun to just watch, even if you're too shy to join in.
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode):
I'm a cosplayer, but I casually take photographs of other cosplayers during my down time at cons. 
So, what's your pro tip?: 
A tip that I'll have for others that are interested in joining the community will be to just go with the flow. Majority everyone at the con scene are extremely nice. Don't be afraid to approach new people so you can gain friends. It's a welcoming community and we'll love to have you.

Derek is essentially my photography sensei (teacher), who gives me tips to use in my own photography

Name: Derek - ( Tammohawk Photography )
How long have you been attending cons?: Since 2014, AX (Anime Expo) was my first con.
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?:
I like to check out the artist alleys. Outside of photography, I also like to draw. I enjoy supporting other artists.
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode): Photographer! For now, I would like to start cosplaying soon.
So, what's your pro tip?:
For photographers, make business cards. It really helps cosplayers figure out where their photos are at after the con. Also, utilize bag check rooms, if provided. These help so that you aren't carrying heavy items around all day during the con.

Ezra's photography accounts for a majority of my con based posts on here. He's amazing, check out his work!

Name: Ezra - ( Novice Snapshots )
How long have you been attending cons?: 
I've been attending cons on and off since 2005.
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?: Hit the dealer's hall, artist alley, food trucks, and most recently, hang out with friends. 
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode): Photographer and handler. Plus, I always keep an eye out for con creeps.
So, what's your pro tip?:
Plan ahead for parking and be early.



That's all folks! I hope my friends and mine's tips and experiences have helped to make your first con experience more exciting! Let me know in the comments below how your first con experience was. :) Special thanks to Queen Akemii, Tammohawk Photography, and Novice Snapshots for being willing to be interviewed for my blog. :)


Till next time!

-Hachi

Wonder(con)ful Day for Some Cosplay!

Hi all!

Today, I'm going to show you some of the photography I did at WonderCon. I went for days 2 and 3 and cosplayed as two different characters. My character for Day 1 (2) is Atsuko Jackson from the anime Michiko to Hatchin, and my character for day 2 (3) was Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers/Marvel Vs. Capcom (and other Vs. Capcom games). During WonderCon, I worked with three photographers in particular for cosplay photoshoots: James Rulison of Rulison Photography, Ezra Ramirez of NoviceSnapshots, and Derek Tam of Tammohawk Photography. I did take photos for other photographers, but not actual photoshoots. I'll post a photo from their collection at the end, but first, a brief overview of my characters.

Atsuko Jackson:

Atsuko is a recurring character in the anime Michiko to Hatchin. This anime takes place in alternate reality Brazil and covers several topics. These topics include race relations, strong female characters, class differences, coming of age, and family dynamics. Atsuko is a sergeant of the police force tasked with capturing her childhood friend, Michiko Malandro. Throughout the whole series, Atsuko's past with Michiko comes to haunt her. She feels conflicted between doing her job and her feelings about her old friend. Atsuko's character is occasionally is considered to be a lesbian because of how she feels about Michiko and this is referred to within the anime. Atsuko's look is reminiscent of blaxploitation films of the 1960s and 70s. For this year's cosplay line up, I wanted to primarily focus on incorporating more POC characters in my cosplay. My reasoning is that representation matters.

Photography courtesy of  NoviceSnapshots

Photography Courtesy of Rulison Photography

 Morrigan Aensland:

Morrigan is a very popular character in the mainstream gaming world. Getting her start in the 1994 arcade game, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, she has grown into a household name in the gaming community. Morrigan is considered an anti-hero character rather than a villain. Funny thing is, I almost solely cosplay as anti-heros and villains. Morrigan's backstory is that she is a Scottish succubus from the late 1600s and the head of her clan. She's silly, flirty, playful, narcissistic, and hedonistic.  The sole reason she is not considered a villain or evil is because she is both friendly and approachable.  This results from her constant adventures into the world of humans. Outside of the Darkstalkers series, Morrigan makes appearances in other games including the *insert company name* vs. Capcom games, and even an anime series, where she was the main antagonist. Another factoid about me is that most of the characters I cosplay as are the opposite of my personality, ie, flirty, sexy, overconfident, etc.

Photography courtesy of Tammohawk Photography

Photography courtesy of The Steel Shark with my good friend, Crystal Rose Creations

Stay tuned for my next blog where I give pro tips on how to enjoy and thrive at your very first convention! :)

Till Next Time!

-Hachi