Dragon Con is Coming: The Game is Afoot! Gaming in Con Culture!

Over 140,000 Square Feet of Gaming Space Dominates AmericasMart, Featuring ‘Round the Clock Gaming Plus Panels with Top Game Designers, Voice Actors, and Industry Experts 

eSports Tournaments in 15 Different Games, Live Streamed on Twitch

Overwatch Payload Tour Stops at Dragon Con to Celebrate Cosplayers in the Overwatch Universe

ATLANTA – July 26, 2018 – Dragon Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, will roll out a basement full of games, from the latest and most popular video games, rarely seen board games, and the first role-playing computer game played by the man who wrote it almost 40 years ago.

“Dragon Con’s gaming program is for players, whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just have a casual interest,” said convention co-chair David Cody. “Players can join friends playing the most popular games available or take some time to tryout games you can’t find anywhere except Dragon Con. Our games library features hundreds of games that can be checked out by any Dragon Con member.”

Some 85,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, and sci-fi convention, in 2018, filling downtown over the five-day Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings One and Two and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.

Taking up more than 140,000 square feet in AmericasMart Building One and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, gaming at Dragon Con will feature the full array of gaming including PC and console games, board games, miniatures gaming, role-playing games, collectable card games, and even LARP games. A large selection of modern arcade games from Japan and Asia not usually seen in the United States alongside classic American cabinet-style arcade games will be available for ‘round the clock free play.

The gaming hall opens at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, and stays open through 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 3.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch Payload Tour stops at Dragon Con this year to celebrate the fantastic Overwatch-oriented cosplay with a photo experience that puts cosplayers into the game.

They will be joined by several members of Blizzard’s in-house creative team including historian Sean Copeland, senior writer Andrew Robinson, and senior writer Christie Golden. We will also have a trio of voice actors from the Overwatch franchise, including Anjali Bhiman, who voices Symmetra; Charlet Chung, who voices D.Va.; and Lucie Pohl, who voices Mercy.

Video game pioneer and American astronaut Richard “Lord British” Garriott, who created the Ultima and Tabla Rasa games, will play his first published game – 1980’s Akalabeth: World of Doom – on an original, fully restored Apple II computer. Akalabeth is widely considered to be the first role-playing game written for computer.

eSports, sometimes called professional gaming, has seen a surge in popularity over the past decade with the growth of spectatorship fostered by the introduction of live streaming platforms. Amazon-owned Twitch, Dragon Con’s broadcast partner for its tournaments, has approximately 1 million viewers at any given time for its eSports and related programming.

Tournaments will include Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite, Injustice 2, Brawlhalla singles and doubles, Streetfighter V: AE, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Gundam Versus, Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Rivals of Aether singles and doubles, Smash 4, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and League of Legends.

Dragon Con attendees can watch professional players and teams compete against each other live, while their gameplay is broadcast to overhead screens. Gaming fans at home will be able to watch the gameplay via Twitch.

In addition to the Overwatch guests, key gaming guests for 2018 include voice actors Kellen Goff, Heather Masters, and Julie Shields from the Five Nights at Freddy’s game franchise, voice actor Mark Meer, best known for his role as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy, and former Epic Games president Mike Capps, whose company developed Fortnite, Gears of War, and Unreal Engine.

The Kids Gaming Adventure, a series of 45-minute sessions designed to introduce 6 to 12 year olds to board games, collectible card games, roleplaying, miniatures, and LAN-based video games returns for 2018. An accompanying parent is required at all times.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information on the Overwatch Payload Tour, please visit https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/news/21659397

ONEDAY CHARITY EVENT AIMS TO RAISE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR ONE ORLANDO FUND

The Hangin With Web Show Scheduled to Cover Charity Event by the creators of Heroes & Villians Fan Fest & Walker Stalker Con     

     ORLANDO, FL -- On September 17, 2016, fans of TV’s top shows will have the opportunity

to meet their favorite stars at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, while

raising money for the victims and families of the Pulse Nightclub attack.

     Dozens of well-known actors from The Walking Dead, The Flash, Arrow, and other shows will

meet fans, sign autographs and take photos ( see full list ). Most importantly, 100% of the profits

raised from ticket sales, autographs, professional photo ops, and vendor sales will be donated

to the One Orlando Fund.

     James Frazier, who created and runs the popular Heroes & Villains Fan Fest and Walker

Stalker Con events, is an Orlando native, as are several others on his team.

     “I grew up in Orlando, graduated from high school there, got married there, and had four of my

children there,” said Frazier. “Last week, my heart was broken by a senseless tragedy. I

wondered, what can we do? How can we help? This September, we're inviting our community of

fans to come help us raise as much money as we can for the families that were impacted.”

     "From our actors and photograph vendor to our volunteers and the Orange County Convention

Center, everyone involved has stepped up to make Fan Fest Orlando possible. Our hometown

needs us. We've always supported each other, regardless of race, orientation, or creed, and this

makes that more clear,” said Jackie Prutsman, Orlando native and VP of Fan Fest.

     At this very special one day Orlando event, attendees will be treated to a merging of activities

regularly held at separate events, Heroes & Villains Fan Fest and Walker Stalker Con. This

means that stars from a wide range of television shows and movies will be in attendance

interacting with fans, and attendees can participate in an array of interactive experiences. More

than 500,000 people attend these Fan Fest events annually.

Activities in Orlando include:

     ● Free panel sessions led by the stars of some of the TV’s most popular shows.

     ● Action heroes and cosplayers roam the convention floor, making for interactive

experiences attendees will never forget.

     ● Vendors who deal in the comic, entertainment, zombie and other genres and industries.

There are even a number of opportunities to volunteer at the event, which can be found on the

Fan Fest Orlando website.

In Orlando, attendees will be treated to sessions with guests including:

● Stephen Amell ( Arrow series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 )

● Lauren Cohan ( The Walking Dead, The Boy )

● Chandler Riggs ( The Walking Dead )

● David Ramsey ( Arrow )

● Emily Kinney ( The Walking Dead, Arrow, Flash )

● Josh McDermitt ( The Walking Dead )

● Michael Cudlitz ( The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers )

● Greg Nicotero (Executive Producer & Director, The Walking Dead )

● Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Ross Marquand, Seth

Gilliam, Sonequa MartinGreen (The Walking Dead )

MEGACON™ BY FAN EXPO COMING TO TAMPA CONVENTION CENTER OCTOBER 28 – 30, 2016, HEADLINED BY DAVID TENNANT

     Tampa, FL – July 18, 2016 – MegaCon™ Tampa Bay, a multi-genre pop culture event, is set to take place at the Tampa Convention Center Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, 2016. Celebrity guests David Tennant (Doctor Who, Jessica Jones), Billie Piper (Doctor Who), William Shatner (Star Trek), Karl Urban (Star Trek), among others will welcome fans to a weekend filled with panels, shopping, workshops, costume contests and more.

     “MegaCon has a history of bringing the ultimate fan experience to the Orlando area, and we’re excited to bring our multi-genre convention to Tampa Bay,” says Andrew Moyes, Show Director.      “MegaCon Tampa Bay will be a family-friendly, action-packed three-day event fit for fans of all pop culture categories.”

     MegaCon Tampa Bay is owned by FAN EXPO HQ, one of the largest entertainment convention groups in North America. Collectively it hosts over 500,000 fans annually at FAN EXPO CANADA™, FAN EXPO VANCOUVER™, FAN EXPO REGINA™, FAN EXPO DALLAS™, Toronto ComiCon, Dallas Fan Days and MegaCon Orlando.

     MegaCon Orlando, itself, is the Southeast’s largest comic, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming convention, welcomed over 100,000 people to the Orange County Convention Center on Memorial Day Weekend 2016. MegaCon Tampa Bay expects to welcome over 30,000 fans to the Tampa Convention Center as well as local vendors, cosplayers and celebrity guests throughout the Halloween weekend.

Three-day weekend passes. as well as individual day tickets are now available at http://megacontampabay.com/tickets/, starting at $25. For news, guest announcements and more, please visit http://megacontampabay.com.

ABOUT FAN EXPO HQ

For more information, visit:

www.MegaConTampaBay.com

5-Year-Old Cosplay Michael is Bound for San Diego Comic Con International

Let's start here with the pitch:  Go to http://www.gofundme.com/CosplayMichael and donate if you can.

Nope.  There is nothing wrong with this little guy!  He doesn't have a rare disease.  He isn't from a disadvantaged family or a crumbling neighborhood.  He is not unreasonably challenged, any more than any other child of 5-years-old.

Michael is a normal, healthy, happy 5-year-old boy with big dreams, high hopes and a passion for creativity.  He is a cosplayer.  In short, he enjoys creating, enhancing and dressing up in costumes emulating his favorite comic book and film characters.  He takes it quite seriously, and he's good at it.

Michael began dressing up, like most kids, as soon as he was old enough to dress himself.  He saved Halloween costumes and played in them around the house.  He borrowed mom and dad's clothes and accessories to create original adaptations of any character or imaginary person of which he dreamt.  Michael loved everything about pretending, and then something really wonderful happened.  He went to a convention.

Michael's mom, a business major and I, a published author of 5 books, own and operate a small business producing a web talk series called the Hangin With Web Show.  We travel to conventions and conferences and interview writers, artists, filmmakers and creators of all kinds and share new artists as well as celebrity entertainers with the world wide web.  In 2015, we attended our first pop culture convention: Necronomicon in Tampa Florida.  To help occupy our 4-year-old while we worked, we let him bring some of his costumes and dress up, "like the grown-ups."  He was hooked!

He found a sense of community in the immediate acceptance of adult cosplayers and convention attendees wanting photos and stopping to encourage him.  He met an adult dressed as Marvel Comic's "Loki," and himself dressed at Thor (complete with a home-made hammer), they "played."  They two battled center floor in the hotel lobby and the cosplayer, a man easily in his late 20's or even early 30's, had no trouble channeling his own inner child to play and pose and have fun with 4-year-old Michael.  We never did learn the man's real name, but we are so grateful for the time he took to make a small child's weekend so very special.

Following that weekend, our show became more popular and we found ourselves at more conventions and conferences where Michael could play and dress and be a part of this new community that both he and we had discovered.

Michael made so many friends and fellow creative cosplayers at conventions, that we decided to set up a facebook page for his endeavors.  Of course, his mom and I monitor it and share posts with him.  While he does read some, he needs a bit of help and we like to know who is posting.

In the spring of 2016, just a few short months ago, while reading his news feed to him, we were surprised to see a message from a fellow cosplayer.  Most just posted on his wall, but this one sent him a "private" message.  The message was an invitation to Cosplay Michael (his Facebook name) to participate (with his parents) in a panel at world famous San Diego Comic-Con International.  The panel now set for Friday, July 22, 2016, at 2 p.m.  and to talk about his love of cosplay and the cosplay and convention culture in which he now finds himself making friends and feeling comradeship.

We were surprised.  We were a little jealous.  We were a lot intimidated.  But his host was pleasant and cordial and his excitement was anything but muted.

"I'm a cosplay rock star," he exclaimed.  "Alright, let's go to comic con!"

Well, that's where our journey began.  Now with just days until our trip begins, we are still hoping to be able to offset the expenses of the trip with the help of this amazing community and those artists, authors, filmmakers, and creators we have tried to help for the past year.  While we have had some success with our own show, we have yet to travel out of state or such a great distance as San Diego, CA.  We live and work in Melbourne, Florida.

We have even applied for, and been approved for press access to the highly touted Nerd HQ, where many celebrities and pop culture icons gather to raise funds for Operation Smile.  We don't mind "singing for our supper," as it were, and we intend to do just that.  We don't mind at all working for our blessings, and teaching Michael how to do the same.

We do need help, though, still.  The trip is long across America.  It will take gas.  We'll need to eat.  We'll need to sleep.  We'll need time off from "day-jobs."  But it is al worth it to us to help Michael realize a dream and to demonstrate to him that he can accomplish anything if he is willing to work hard for it.  We want him to learn from the trip.  We want him to appreciate being a part of this global and vast community, to appreciate the art and creativity that is expended in this endeavor, to appreciate the fellowship of other with like ambitions and powerful dreams.  We want Michael to continue to learn to express himself and to encourage others to do that same.

You can help, and I hope you will.  Thank you for taking the time to read this article.  It means everything to us.  Please share it with as many as you can.  We ask that if you are able you take a few more moments to click:  http://www.gofundme.com/CosplayMichael and DONATE.  Just $10 will add to the donations of family and friends and help to make this seemingly simple wish come true.  It does add up.  You can make a difference to us!  Donate TODAY


+Gofundme +Cosplay Michael Pomichter +Sage Ia +Deanna Pomichter +Hangin With Web Show

Melbourne Author’s new Web-Series is Set to Interview Celebs at Comic Con 2016

Melbourne, FL — From January 15 until January 17, 2016, the new hit web talk series, "Hangin' With ...", featuring show host, journalist and author G.W. Pomichter is slated to be interviewing artists, authors, comic producers, celebrities, filmmakers and creators of all kinds at one of the regional South East’s largest and most prestigious convention events: Magic City Comic Con in Miami.

“Hangin’ With …” is a YouTube based interview show, that was started in Melbourne, Florida by local author and former journalist Garrett (G.W.) Pomichter. The show features professional coverage of artists from throughout the creative community to discuss new books, films, comics, and visual arts. The show focuses heavily on the personal journeys of artists in attaining their goals, the things that motivate them to create, and the pitfalls they face in an evolving market place.

“We started this show as a way to promote independent and other artists who are often lost in a morass of popular culture,” said show founder and host Garrett Pomichter. “We wanted to show a side of those vital creators that it is often difficult to see. We wanted to show the side that succeeds: the personal side of providing the pillars of pop-culture.”

Since it’s creation, “Hangin With …” has interviewed and featured more than 30 local authors as well as creators from around the state and even the nation in more than 45 webisodes, now available on YouTube, including a 30 minute special interview of renowned science fiction author, Alan Dean Foster, who most recently penned the highly anticipated novelization of the record breaking blockbuster hit film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Magic City Comic Con will take place January 15-17, 2016 in Miami, FL at the Miami Airport Convention Center. Join us for 3 days of fun featuring celebrity guests, comic book creators, voice actors, industry guests, cos-players, artists, writers, panels, Q&A’s, films & shorts, costume & cosplay contests, vendors, parties, anime, workshops and video gaming. Pomichter and his crew from “Hangin’ With …” have been invited and accepted to cover the con by publisher Wordfire Press, who represent some of the sci-fi genre’s biggest authors and creators, including Kevin J. Anderson, Peter J. Wacks, Frank Herbert (and Brian Herbert).

“Being accepted at Magic City (Comic Con) is a real treat and a milestone for the show,” Pomichter said. “It means that our message and our guests are resonating throughout popular culture. That is exactly what we have striven to achieve, and we will work to earn such acknowledgements.”

For information, contact G.W. Pomichter and Hangin’ With, at gwpomichter@gmail.com OR by phone (321) 622-4945, (On YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/GarrettPomichter and on the web at: http://hanginwithshow.wix.com/hanginwith