Anime Guests
Greg Ayres
Greg Ayres can usually be found rockin’ out somewhere, whether animated or not. From the loud-mouthed Hideki in Nerima Daikon Brothers, to Koyuki, singing with the the band in Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad, he’s always glad to shake things up a bit. He is thrilled to be able to add the roles of Uesugi Kenshin in Sengoku Basara, Seikechi Tayama in Oh Edo Rocket, and Abe in Big Windup to his list of new roles. He can also be head as Son Goku in Saiyuki, Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Kaoru Hitachiin in Ouran High School Host Club, Yuki in The Wallflower, Leo in Ghost Stories , Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Kaworu Nagisa in the Director’s Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Negi Springfield in Negima, Heihachi in Samurai 7, Jr. in Xenosaga:The Animation, Tsujido in Speed Grapher, Roan in Ragnorok The Animation, Yamazaki in Welcome to the NHK, Nowy in Glass Fleet, Gau Ban in Shadow Skill, Pope Alessandro XVIII in Trinity Blood, and a bunch of other titles he’ll probably forget to mention. FUNimation recently announced Greg as Nagisa in Free!
When he’s not in a booth with headphones on, you can usually find him sporting headphones of another variety behind “the decks”. A veteran nightclub DJ of many years, Greg has really enjoyed the opportunity of doing something else that he truly loves at conventions. From packed rooms at anime conventions, to the legendary stage of The Knitting Factory (NYC), Greg never misses an opportunity to share his love of music with anyone who will listen.
John Swasey
According to Anime News Network, John Swasey is the most prolific male voice actor in North America with more roles and titles under his belt than any other male VA. John started down the road of anime in 1997, when he landed his first role in Golden Boy from ADV Films. Since then, John has gone on to voice hundreds shows and characters with ADV Films, Funimation, and Illumitoons. Being more of the character actor type has given John the freedom to voice bazillions of characters such as Gendo in Evangelion, the Captain in Halo (VG), Lord Death in Soul Eater, Kogoro in Sgt. Frog, Huang in Darker than Black, Vulcan in Orphen, Ken in Kaleido Star, Captain Ahab in Hakugei The Legend of Moby Dick, Rikudoh in RahXephon, Karl Haushofer in Fullmetal Alchemist, Sir Crocodile in One Piece, Mister in Coyote Ragtime Show, as well as roles in the live action films 2009 Lost Memories, Conduct Zero, Yesterday, Jungle Juice, and the Gamera trilogy. In 2004, John jumped to the other side of the “mic” to direct. Some of the shows he has directed include Welcome to the N.H.K., AirGear, Wandaba Style, St. Seiya, Shadow Skill, E’s Otherwise, Michel, Jinki Extend and Shinobi (live action co-directed with longtime pal, Kyle Jones). John loves working in the world of anime as a director and voice actor! Recently, John voiced the evil villain, General Disdain in the animated feature, Last Flight of the Champion. In addition to anime, John has voiced thousands of radio and tv commercials – even a few films. But the coolest acting job was being the Beer Delivery Guy in Dazed and Confused.
Megan Shipman
Megan is an anime lover who caught the voice acting bug and never looked back. Her breakout role in anime was Hibari from "Senran Kagura : Ninja Flash!". Since then, she has gotten to voice some amazing characters like, Caimie in "One Piece", Arisa Meigo in "A Certain Magical Index : The Miracle of Endymion", IF in "Hyperdimension Neptunia : The Animation", Sakura Mizukami in "D-Frag", and Corriente in "Show by Rock!!". When she isn't voice acting, Megan is on Twitter (@18moptop) and Facebook (Megan Shipman - Voice Actor) nerding out about whatever new game she is playing at the time.
Clifford Chapin
Clifford is a voice actor, script writer, and director best known for his work with FUNimation Entertainment. Some of his signature roles include Kirito Kamui from Psycho-Pass 2, Harutora Tsuchimikado from Tokyo Ravens, Hide from Tokyo Ghoul, and Conny Springer from Attack on Titan. He has provided English language scripts to shows like Kamisama Kiss 2 and Ultimate Otaku Teacher, and directed for shows like The Rolling Girls and Yona of the Dawn. Clifford is a big gamer, and can often be seen with is 3DS in hand, so come ready to StreetPass and say 'hi!' You can follow him on social media at Clifford Chapin (Voice Actor) on Facebook and @cliffordchapin on Twitter.
Greg "Greggo" Wicker
Greg Wicker (or “Greggo” as he’s fondly known) has been producing and hosting game shows at anime conventions since 1999, when he premiered Anime Match Game at Project A-Kon in Dallas. Since then, Greggo has done anime-themed versions of several classic game shows, created a few games of his own, and even had an original project that very nearly turned into an actual television show on Anime Network. These days Greggo is concentrating on perfecting his craft and making game shows available for conventions everywhere, bringing his rapier wit and friendly personality with him wherever he goes. You can see some of Greggo’s past game show efforts on his YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/gregdasgo or visit his website at http://www.facebook.com/greggosgameshows.
Samurai Dan & Lady Jillian
Samurai Dan and his wife, the beautiful Lady Jillian, are masters of marital... erm... martial mayhem, and full-time martial arts instructors, specializing in 16th century Samurai arts. When not teaching at their dojo, the Kojokan, they travel across the country performing and teaching the ancient ways of the most famous warriors in history. Their shows and demonstrations uniquely blend history, combative skill, and humor, in a way that will both educate and entertain audiences both large and small. The dynamic duo also collaborated to write, direct, host, and star in a 12 episode TV series entitled "The Way of the Samurai," and Daniel is also an author with several martial arts articles published, and he is currently working on his second full-length novel.
Comics Guests
Anthony Hary
As a Professional Commercial Illustrator, Anthony has worked in a wide rage of mediums. From Digital Illustration, Story boarding, Illustrations for Children’s books, Comic books & Graphic Novels. In 2009 he co-founded ANA Comics as an online studio. In 2012 he bought out the company to move it forward as an independent publisher and currently operates as the CEO/EIC for the company. In 2014-15 Anthony is planning to release FIFTEEN MINUTES graphic novel, and THE MIDNIGHT RAIDER comic book mini series.
Music Guests
YTCracker
www.ytcracker.com
YTCracker is a rapper, former cracker, and Internet entrepreneur. YTCracker began producing rap music in 1998 in the genre that has since become known as nerdcore hip hop. YTCracker is a self-proclaimed “jack of all trades”, also making a name for himself as a professional disc jockey, computer programmer, graphics designer and webmaster.
Schaffer The Darklord
In the ten years since creating his act, NYC-based rapper and comedian Schaffer the Darklord (STD) has employed a cartoonishly commanding stage presence and brainy, rapid-fire rhymes to skewer such topics as hedonistic substance abuse, sexual compulsion, gender identity, urban anxiety and obsessive cat-enthusiasts. With five full-length albums under his belt and experience touring the nation with such acts as mc chris, MC Frontalot and MC Lars, STD's music and live show are equal parts Bill Hicks, Beastie Boys, Prince, Ozzy Osbourne and Darth Vader. He's made multiple appearances on the Science Channel television program "Oddities," and when he's not on the road, he serves as emcee for countless NYC burlesque shows and produces/co-hosts his podcast, "The Epic Piecast." His latest record "Sick Passenger," a concept album set during a mysterious therapy session, was released in October 2013 to glowing praise from his cult-like fan base and critics alike. Schaffer the Darklord continues to write, record and perform with great frequency and has no intention of giving up until his masochist rock-n-roll lifestyle destroys him. http://schafferthedarklord.com
V is for Villains
V is for Villains is a nationally touring, high energy electronic rock band originating from Chicago, IL. A group of highly skilled stage performers, the band blends original music with colorful costuming and back stories to create characters with a comic book and sci-fi genre feel. Well known throughout the country for their stylized performances at major venues like The House of Blues, The Hard Rock Cafe and Chicago's Metro just to name a few, V is for Villains is also in high demand at comic book and anime conventions. V is for Villains, is led by front man and lead vocalist Mr. Agitator, and is joined on stage by the likes of Fallon Flynn on guitar and Vex on keyboards and female lead vocals. This is one show you don’t want to miss!
Coolzey
Coolzey - Golden era hip-hop roots planted in black Iowa dirt are the foundation for singer and songwriter Coolzey. Growth was tempere...d by alternative era rock influence and eventual embracement of all popular genres of music. This along with a love for the juxtaposition of the dark, horrific nature of life paired with a slapstick and comedic view of the world allow for a wide, unpredictable arsenal of material ranging from soul-spilling indie bedroom rock to wise-cracking battle rap and on to radio pop.
