Guests 2017

Steam Powered Giraffe

The robots of Steam Powered Giraffe are like nothing you’ve ever seen. The malfunctioning joke-spewing metal men play a collection of original Vaudeville inspired tunes fused with modern flare and executed in a super-sleek, one-of-a-kind performance. More than just a band, Steam Powered Giraffe is an experience that must be seen and heard by the entire family.

The artists behind the SPG robots started street busking as these quirky characters back in January 2008 at Balboa Park, California, instantly drawing the attention of Southern California. They have since performed at such venues as The San Diego Fair, The San Diego Zoo, The Wild Animal Park, Legoland, Ontario Mills, and numerous Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Steampunk Conventions.

Their act combines the visual of robot pantomime with sketches, pop culture references, improvised comedic dialogue, and of course, original music. From their heartwarming nostalgic melodies to their funky cabaret rock, Steam Powered Giraffe’s songs are memorable, infectious, and as unique as the robots themselves.

Deadlift Lolita

The strongest idol unit ever has arrived! Consisting of 2 active pro-wrestlers, gym junkies and kawaii idols, DEADLIFT LOLITA is here to “redefine the meaning of kawaii.” Following his departure from idol trio LADYBABY August 2016, the amazing lolita-wearing wrestler Ladybeard continues his kawaiicore trend in the new idol group DEADLIFT LOLITA with the bodybuilder idol Reika Saiki. Ladybeard is the persona of a 33-year-old Australian wrestler who moved to China in 2006 to kick-start his martial arts stunt career in films, later becoming a hit in Hong Kong as a pro wrestler in unique outfits. In October 2013 he moved to Tokyo to take his career to the next level as part of an idol group LADYBABY, now known as The Idol Formerly Known as LADYBABY following his departure. This incredibly well-synced new weightlifting and music duo is set to perform several original songs at their live show in Chicago, and Ladybeard’s ‘Kawaiicore’ style screams will be complimented for the first time by his clean voice singing.

Yakov Smirnoff

Yakov Smirnoff’s quest to understand the science of happiness took him to the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a master’s degree in psychology in 2006 under the supervision of Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology. Today, in addition to being a comedian, Yakov is also an adjunct professor at Missouri State University where he teaches a course on happiness and laughter and is currently earning his Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education & Psychology in Los Angeles, CA.

In “Happily Ever Laughter”, Yakov takes his comedy to a new level to showcase laughter’s effects on relationships and envisions a world where sadness and tears are replaced with love and laughter. Whether on stage or in a classroom, Yakov’s audiences love him. He is passionate about helping people extend the honeymoon stage of their relationships and “fall in love and laughter all over again.” See more at http://www.yakov.com/

Billy West

William Richard “Billy” West is best known from numerous voices in Futurama, including Philip J. Fry, Zoidberg, The Professor, and Zapp Brannigan. He has starred in other famous shows including The Ren & Stimpy Show, The Howard Stern Show, Doug, and Jimmy Neutron. He also voiced Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Popeye during later renditions of the respective characters. He voices Corky Shumatsu, Poultra and Sam Melnik on Jimmy Neutron.

V is for Villains

V is for Villains is a new breed of entertainment. Mixing the visual styles of Steampunk, Carnival and Noir, with the musical taste of Nine Inch Nails, Prodigy, and your favorite film score; V is for Villains will take you on a journey through the imagination that your mother couldn’t prepare you for. Most groups often say that they intend for “world domination”… V is for Villains might actually mean it…

MAPPA

MAPPA is renowned for its commitment to producing high quality animation and is the creative studio behind such hit works as Kids on the Slope, Terror in Resonance, Rage of Bahamut: GENESIS and YURI ON ICE. In 2016 they released the critically acclaimed film In This Corner of the World garnering numerous accolades including the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year as well as the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Film. They aim to create works with a broad global appeal that can move audiences regardless of age, gender, language or culture. As a studio MAPPA is constantly seeking out new challenges and takes an uncompromising stance in their pursuit of new forms of expression through animation.

Manabu Otsuka

Manabu Otsuka was born in 1982 in Shizuoka Prefecture. He began his career in animation at STUDIO 4C where he worked on such projects as Genius Party (2007). In 2011 Otsuka was handpicked by then president Masao Maruyama to join MAPPA as a producer. Since joining he has produced numerous titles such as Kids on the Slope (2012/ Shinichiro Watanabe Dir.), Terror in Resonance (2014/ Shinichiro Watanabe Dir.) and Rage of Bahamut GENESIS (2014/ Keiichi Satou Dir.) On April 1st 2016 Maruyama handed him the reigns and he took on the double role of producer and CEO. In 2016 Otsuka produced DAYS (Konosuke Uda Dir.) and the wildly popular YURI ON ICE (Sayo Yamamoto Dir.).

Misako Aoki

Misako is a Japanese lolita fashion model and ambassador of kawaii pop culture, and since 2013 the President of the Association of Japanese lolitas. She debuted as a model while she was studying nursing, and has represented Japanese lolita fashion through the magazine KERA. In March 2009 she was appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan as “Kawaii Ambassador” representing Lolita fashion, in order to disseminate this trend globally. In February 2013 she founded the Japanese Lolitas Association, Nihon Lolita Kyoukai, to strengthen ties with people interested in Lolita fashion worldwide. She has modeled in outfits for several brands including BABY The Stars Shine Bright, and Angelic Pretty.

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.

Mason Lieberman

With credits ranging from electric guitar performance for ‘League of Legends’, cello performance for Namco Bandai and Nintendo, and musical composition for as wide a range of products as Rooster Teeth’s ‘RWBY’ and festival-hit ‘Joe Lansdale’s Christmas With The Dead’, Composer and Recording Artist Mason Lieberman has performed and recorded with many of the top franchises in the industy. As both a regularly sought-after public speaker and a live performer, Mason brings his wealth of knowledge to the public, revealing the inner workings of the music industry for both gaming and anime.

YTCracker

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.

Morgan Berry

Morgan Berry is a voice actor in various anime shows, movies, and video games. Her most popular anime roles being in “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, "My Hero Academia”, “KanColle”, “Touken Ranbu-Hanamaru”, “Tokyo Ghoul”, “Hyperdimension Neptunia”, “Riddle Story of Devil”, “elDLIVE”, “Overlord”, “Show By Rock!!”, and the award winning film “The Boy and the Beast”. She has also voiced in various YouTube series including ScrewAttack’s "DEATH BATTLE” as the Yellow Ranger. Morgan is also the voice for SWC Amaterasu in the Hi-Rez video game “SMITE”, As well as the main villain for the Nintendo game “Freedom Planet 2”. On top of voice acting, Morgan is a professional singer and YouTube star under the name “Unknown Songbird” with over 4 Million views in total.

DC Douglas

He’s baaaaack! And he’s brought his 2017 edition of the Notorious [Zombie Related] Fanfic Show with him! VIDEO GAMES: Albert Wesker in seven “Resident Evil” games — from 2007’s “Umbrella Chronicles” to 2016’s “Umbrella Corp” — a decade of badassery. Oh, and there’s Legion in “Mass Effect” 2 & 3, Kamoshida in “Persona 5,” Pod 042 in “Nier: Automata,” Azrael in “Blazeblue,” Zero in “Zero Time Dilemma 3,” Raven in “Tekken 6,” foxy grandpa Gunter in “Fire Emblem: Fates” and many more Japanese RPGs and indie American games. ANIME: X Drake in “One Piece,” The Professor in “Cyborg 009,” Jasley in “Mobile Suit Gundam: IBO” season 2, Genji Kamogawa in “Hajime no ippo,” Shori Shibuya in “God, Save Our King!” and several more no one cares about.

CARTOONS: Chase on “Transformers: Rescue Bots," Colonel Rawls on the final season of “Regular Show,” Superman on “Family Guy,” and a few pilots that died lonely and unseen. FILM & TV: Pa Kettle in “Z Nation,” Bud in “Sharknado 2,” Zepht in “Star Trek: Enterprise,” Aiden Wexler in SyFy’s “Isle of the Dead,” and another 200+ appearances on random shows and weird films over the last 25 years. Check him out on IMDB and DCDouglas.com to spot more titles you know. REMEMBER: If you only attend ONE thing of D.C.’s this weekend, make sure it’s his 2017 Notorious [Zombie Related] Fanfic Show on Saturday night!

AbdallahSmash026

AbdallahSmash026 is the home of Kid-Friendly / Family Friendly Nintendo Gaming Videos, Tutorials, and Walkthroughs! You’ll find High-Quality Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii / WiiU Gameplay Footage here! As a result of Abdallah being an official Nintendo Brand Ambassador, you can count on him to deliver coverage of the latest titles to help YOU make a decision on whether or not to purchase a game! You can find numerous amounts of Nintendo Variety on his channel such as: Super Mario, Pokemon, Yo-Kai Watch, The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Fire Emblem, Mario Party, Super Mario Maker, and much more!

Molly Searcy

Molly Searcy is the voice of Akame in Akame ga Kill!, part of Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. Other favorite Sentai Filmworks roles include: Girls und Panzer (Mako Reizei), HaNaYaMaTa (Sari), Another (Reiko, Miss Mikami), AKB0048 (Makoto), Brynhildr (Nanami), No Game No Life (Queen), MariaHolic (Fumi Kumagai), and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (Magical Sapphire). Ms. Searcy lives in Houston, TX, where she works as an actress and shoe coordinator for a professional ballet company. When she’s not in the booth or on the stage, Ms. Searcy enjoys traveling, running with her dogs, obsessing over music, and taking barre classes. Follow Molly on Twitter: @mollysearcy and Ask.fm: @ms5227

Luci Christian

Luci Michelle Christian is a voice actress and ADR script writer at Funimation and Seraphim Digital/Sentai Filmworks. She has provided voices for a number of English versions of Japanese anime series, and video games. Some of her most popular roles include Kaname in Full Metal Panic!, Himeno from Pretear, Yukari from Azumanga Daioh, Asako in Kodocha, Rico in Gunslinger Girl, among many others.

Lex Lang

Lex Lang is 2X Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards honored Voice Actor and Director. He is one of the top 20 Anime, Animation and Video Game Voice Actors of All Time on IMDB. Over the last 20 years he has been in over five hundred Original Animation episodes, Anime series, and Video Games and has played a wide assortment of fan favorites throughout his career. Lex’s current Anime credits include: Kuzuki in Fate Stay Night — Maxie in Pokemon Generations – Galen in Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Season 2 – Pluton King of the Underworld and Flash in One Punch Man — Goku in Dragonball Super (Asia/ Europe release) — Egor and Shu in Durarara X2 — Count Cruhteo in Aldnoah.Zero (which he also directed!) — Bengal in Doraemon — Hayate Gekko in Naruto — Marechiyo Omaeda in Bleach — Sanosuke Sagara in Rurouni Kenshin — Shozin the Fire Lord in Avatar the Last Airbender — Goemon in Lupin the Third — Captain Harlock in Captain Harlock — Sanzo in Sayuki Reload — Wargreymon in Digimon — and many, many, more. Video Game Characters: Dr. Neo Cortex in Skylanders Imaginators, Charr Male in Guild Wars 2, Kiljeaden in World of Warcraft, Dr. Doom in Marvel Heroes Video Game, Torvald in Evolve, The Grim Creeper in Skylanders, Spyglass in Titanfall, and has voiced characters in STAR WARS (Han Solo), Crash Bandicoot (Dr. Neo Cortex), STAR TREK, Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Officers Kevern, Deaves and Doyle in Batman Arkham Knight, and many, many more.

He is also the voice of Batman for Mattel Toys, and Lance Charming in Ever After High, for Mattel Animation. And he is one the the worlds most in-demand voice actors in the movie business as a voice match specialist and creature sounds specialist. He can be heard in many blockbuster films including Rogue One – A Star Wars Story — Fantastic Four — Avengers Age of Ultron — Ironman 3 — Wolverine — Captain America Winter’s Soldier — X-Men, Days of Future Past — Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — Jurassic World, Deadpool and X-men Apocalypse. He can also be heard as creatures and demons on the TV shows, Constantine, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. Animation Characters include: Poe Dameron and FN2003 in LEGO Star Wars The Resistance Rises, Dr. Doom in the Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon series — Barry on The Regular Show, — Gold, Alloy, Hydrogen, Batman II, Dick Grayson, Hourman, Young Wildcat, and Dr. Polaris on Batman The Brave and the Bold — Batman on Batgirl Year One — Grimbor the Chainsman and R.J. Brande on Legion of Super Heroes — Rick Flagg on Justice League: The New Frontier — Clayface, Metallo, Hamilton Hill, and Riddleman on The Batman — Atomic Skull, Joe Morton, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, and Mick Rory on Justice League — The Doorman and his Dog Hundley on Curious George — Sozin th Fire Lord on Avatar: The Last Airbender — Ronnie Lox on ChalkZone and many more! He was also the voices of Ecliptor in Power Rangers in Space, Rygog and Lerigot in Power Rangers Turbo, and Zen Aku in Power Rangers Wild Force. Follow Lex on twitter @LexLang

Sandy Fox

Sandy Fox is an American Actor, Voice Actor, Singer and Producer. She is listed as one of the Top 20 Female Anime Voice Actors of All Time on IMDB. She began her career in the entertainment industry working for the Walt Disney Company performing in hundreds of live stage shows as a singer, dancer and comedic talent. As a voice actor she began her career providing an array of voices for The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Futurama and she is known for being one of the cutest voices in the industry. Sandy is voicing Chibiusa and Black Lady in the new Viz Media Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal Series, Courtney in Pokemon Generations, and the voice of Epi in the new Lionsgate animated feature Robinson Crusoe – The Wild Life. She has voiced numerous iconic characters including Hello Kitty in Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival, Betty Boop Worldwide, as well as Faeries and Creatures in Disney’s Maleficent and various characters in the blockbuster, Wreck it Ralph. Sandy’s Anime, Animation and Video Game Credits Include: Haruna in Durrarara!x2, Tachikoma in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – First Assault Online, Mina and Momiji in Naruto, Eddelrittuo in Aldnoah Zero, Sumomo in Chobits, Ritz in Bleach, Catmancer Minette in Bravely Second: End Layer, Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star- Prim, Rinna in Stellvia, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time – Meena, Marie in Please Teacher, Kyoko in AKIRA, Mistral and Mirielle in .HACK and Paiway in Vandread.

Some of Sandy’s other roles include Daisy in Disney’s Princess Palace Pets, Leapfrog series-Penny & Lily, Harmony in Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Owly the Owl in the new Power Puff Girls, T-AI in Fox’s Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Mipsy Mipson in Nickelodeon’s As Told by Ginger, and Melody in My Life as a Teenage Robot. Cylindria in Pacman’s Ghostly Adventures, Peashy and YellowHeart in Hyperdimension Neptunia, Aisha in Elsword, and Flonne in the Disgaea series and games. Sandy is known internationally for voicing the infamous Queen of Cartoons – Betty Boop. She has voiced Betty for Universal Studios and King Syndicate Features since 1991 and can be heard as Betty Boop and Pudgy in the new line of singing plush toys, the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure Theme Park in Orlando Florida, and in Lancome Paris’ Star Eyes, global online commercial campaign. For more information visit sandyfox.com and @sandyfoxworld on Twitter and Facebook.

Frenchy and the Punk

New York based Frenchy and the Punk’s show is a carnival of two that will take you from Paris’ Moulin Rouge to CBGBs and back again. A rollicking flapper folk punk steampunk cabaret with Taiko meets Rio de Janeiro pounding drum instrumentals that just might make you lose your mind. They are a quirky, genre-bending and theatrical act. This dynamic duo is a favorite at alternative conventions across the U.S. and in Europe like DragonCon, Steampunk World’s Fair and FaerieCon. A pixie spirited flexitarian band of tree hugging, gothic, folky, Steam Punks by way of Paris and New York. Doused in red wine, kale and granola, raised on punk rock and ballet, eclectic and uplifting…fun with a capital F! http://www.frenchyandthepunk.com

The Pillowcases

The Pillowcases are the number one Pillows cover band in the world. For many, that’s all we need to say. But if not, let me ask: do you like FLCL? Of course you do. And that means you like the band the Pillows, who made the soundtrack for that anime. The Pillowcases are on a mission to rock out every con in the country and spread the joy of the music of the Pillows to everyone. Along the way, you’ll hear covers of some of nerd fandom’s favorite songs just to mix things up a bit. So get your butts down to see the show, it’s going to be awesome.

Knight of the Round

Based out of the Chicagoland area, Knight of the Round are unlike most Video Game Music bands you may have heard. Their arrangements pay homage to the memorable Final Fantasy soundtracks while bringing an assault of two crushing 8-string guitars, a grinding yet thunderous bass, and aggressive polyrhythmic percussion with hard hitting blast beats. Spanning over a wide variety of the metal genre from classic thrash to modern progressive metal, the four piece delivers many iconic themes from Final Fantasy in the heaviest way possible.

KrazyKrow

KrazyKrow is a webcomic veteran with over 12 years of writing experience. His first comic, Krakow, was originally published in the University of Calgary student newspaper before leaping onto the web. His current comic, Spinnerette, is his first foray into the world of superheroes! Check him out online at www.spinnyverse.com!

Russell Lissau

By day, Russell Lissau is a mild-mannered newspaper reporter in suburban Chicago. By night he battles evil writing comic books including THE BATMAN STRIKES and the critically acclaimed OLD WOUNDS. His newest projects include the science-fiction tale BUSTED and the devil-comes-to-dine drama DINNER AT DANTE’S. For more, check out www.facebook.com/russell.lissau

Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug

Lewis “Linkara” Lovhaug has had the misfortune of being cursed to review comic books on the internet. Somehow this has made him popular on the website That Guy With the Glasses, though many suspect it’s more so people can stare and laugh at the weirdo. On his show, Atop the Fourth Wall, he regularly contends with the surreal, the stupid, and the senseless books that the comic industry has produced over the last eighty years. If that wasn’t sad enough, he also has done a retrospective on Power Rangers (released on the schedule of when a blue moon rises on the 13th hour of the 13th day of the 13th month), actually attempting to grant serious analysis to a series about guys in spandex punching rubber-suited monsters. It’s best not to make direct eye contact with him.

Chris Rager

Chris Rager has performed for years as the voice of Hercule Satan from Dragon Ball Z. He’s worked for FUNimation for several years, also doing voices for shows like One Piece, Case Closed, D. Gray-man, and many others. Voice Actor, Single Father and Savior of Worlds. Currently residing in Dallas Chris Rager has been bringing you your favorite Anime and Video Game Characters Like Hercule from DBZ and Mr. Torgue in the Game of the Year Borderlands 2. When not being challenged by his daughter he takes on challenging roles Like the Principal in Assassination Classroom as well as Dagger Morse in Show By Rock. There is more that’s what Google is for. In the future, Chris hopes to bring more excitement and explosions to more characters and opportunities!!

Josh Martin

Josh Martin has been the voice of Majin Buu (Fat, Evil and Kid) from DBZ and Commander Red from Dragon Ball since 2001, as well as memorable characters from Lupin the 3rd and Yosaku from One Piece. Josh has also written and produced short films; co-owned, operated, and performed in improv, sketch, and musical comedy troupes; and even provided body talent for Barney (the purple dinosaur) on the award winning world tour. When he’s not in the booth, he’s serving up fresh rhymes with his band mates in The Original Beastie Boys Tribute Band Rhymin’ N Stealin’.

Chuck Huber

Chuck Huber started acting in Anime in the roles of Garlic Jr. and Android 17 in DBZ. Since then he has voiced hundreds of characters including Hiei in YuYu Hakusho, Stein in Soul Eater, Kululu in Sgt. Frog, Mohji in One Piece, Shou Tucker in Full Metal Alchemist, Han in Blue Gender, Hiro in Shin Chan, Ashe in Black Butler, Reever in D. Gray Man, Hector in Glass Fleet, Yuichi in Initial D., Akai in Oh Edo Rocket, Melt in The Tower of Druaga, Adashino in Mushishi, Eric Nishijima in Darker Than Black, Havel in Trinity Blood, Austria in Hetalia and many more. He has been a writer on Hetalia, Sgt. Frog, Baccano, Spice and Wolf and others. As a filmmaker Chuck has acted, produced, written or directed for Arbor Day – The Musical, The Troubadoors, The Fragility of Seconds, The Mechanical Grave, Odd Man Out among others. He began acting in Chicago at the Goodman Theater, Court Theater, Steppenwolf Theater after graduating from DePaul University and continues to work on stages in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Most recently he played Hugh Jameison in the movie Parkland, produced by Tom Hanks and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Paul Giamatti. He plays Colonel Kashoid in the upcoming AmeriGeddon, plays Dr. McCoy in Star Trek Continues, and Dean Hansen in Season 2 of American Crime.

Oscar Seung

Oscar Seung hails from Lausanne, Switzerland and is a Dallas-based actor, opera singer, violinist, pianist, and conductor. Oscar is proud to represent Asian-Americans in theater, film, voice overs, and national commercials. In an effort to combat misrepresentation and underrepresentation of Asian-Americans in the arts, he created/produced/ and stars in American Dynasty – it will hopefully be the first Asian-American drama on television. The project has been screened at over a dozen domestic/international film festivals and won Audience Favorite at the Houston Asian American Film Festival, Best Screenplay at the Largo Film Awards, Best Domestic Short nomination at the Fort Worth Indie Showcase, and Best Actor nomination for Oscar at the Ouchy Film Festival. Voice over credits include Yuri!!! on Ice (Seung-Gil Lee), Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru (Kasen Kanesada), Show By Rock!! (Oboro), All Out!! (Yutaka Shinshi), Shounen Maid (Ibuki), One Piece (Daruma), Prince of Stride: Alternative (Nanpei Aoba), Fairy Tail, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Garo: Crimson Moon, SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist.

Dave Trosko

Dave Trosko is a Texan Voice Actor and Director. He’s most known for his roles as Spain in the ultra-popular Hetalia Series; as well as Guren Ichinose in Seraph of the End. Dave has been working almost exclusively with Funimation for now going on 14 years, having been featured in hundreds of anime titles over his career. Most recently he can be heard as Hagita in Orange, Ronaldo in 91 Days, Kaminaga in Joker Game, Eliott in Izetta: The Last Witch, and Georgi Popovich in Yuri on Ice!!!. Other featured roles include, Rokuro Bundo in Deadman Wonderland, Milgauss in Dragonar Academy, Itoya in Snow White with the Red Hair, Jek in Dance with Devils, Soramaru Kumo in Laughing under the Clouds, Sota in Tokyo Ghoul, Bikou in High School DXD, Tomoya Seo in Assassination Classroom, Samuel in Attack on Titan, Imadori in High School Rumble, and Mamoru Yuuki in The Galaxy Railways to name just a few. Currently Dave is excited to have joined the team at Funimation as one of their newest ADR directors. He’s been hard at work, voice directing the new hit Rugby anime “All Out!!” for his directorial debut with more projects to come! Apart from acting and directing Dave pursues his passion in culinary design, fine wine, and spirits as a private Chef and Sommelier and home brewer. He also spend a lot of time as a professional Dad for his wickedly awesome son George from whom Dave gains most of his inspiration and utter hilarity.

David Matranga

David Matranga is a voice actor who has worked for such companies as ADV Films, Funimation, and Sentai Filmworks/Seraphim Digital. You might recognize David from such roles as Tomoya Okazaki in Clannad or Briareos in Appleseed or Bertholdt in Attack on Titan or from hi sroles in Elfen Lied, Gilgamesh, Canaan, Demon King Daimao, One Piece, Girls und Panzer, and tons of others.

Studio TRIGGER

Trigger Inc., typically stylized as TRIGGER and also known as Studio Trigger, is a Japanese animation studio founded by former Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Ohtsuka in August 2011. You may know TRIGGER from their work in creating Little Witch Academia, or the anime series Kill la Kill, which aired from October 2013 to March 2014. In July 2013 Trigger launched a Kickstarter project in order to fund a second episode of Little Witch Academia, which achieved its goal of $150,000 in under five hours, and went on to raise a total of $625,518. Other shows TRIGGER has been involved in include Inferno Cop, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace, Ninja Slayer From Animation, Kiznaiver, Project X Zone, and Black Dynamite, among others.

Takafumi Hori

Takafumi Hori is an experienced animator who has participated in numerous popular titles such as REDLINE, You are Umasou, KILL la KILL, and Steven Universe. Hori has been a long running animator at studio TRIGGER, and he fills the post as the main animator for the television series of Little Witch Academia.

堀剛史、アニメーター。「REDLINE」「You are Umasou」「Kill La Kill」「Steven Universe」等に参加。
「リトルウィッチアカデミア 魔法仕掛けのパレード」とTV版「リトルウィッチアカデミア」のメインアニメーター

Hiromi Wakabayashi

Previously a member of Studio GAINAX, Hiromi Wakabayashi has been involved in several works with Hiroyuki Imaishi. Most notably from doing design production for Gurren Lagann. Wakabayashi was also involved on Panty&Stocking with Garterbelt as co-creator, writer, and episodic director. After joining TRIGGER, Wakabayashi wrote the script for Episode 4 of KILL la KILL and directing the series’ 2nd ending sequence. More importantly, he assisted and oversaw the design team of KILL la KILL as its Creative Producer. Later on, he was involved in Little Witch Academia and Inferno Cop doing Story Development, and took part in Space Patrol Luluco as Creative director and music producer. Wakabayashi is currently involved in a new project that is yet to be announced. Follow on Twitter @waka_geek

アニメーションスタジオGAINAX在籍時、今石洋之監督作品「天元突破グレンラガン」の設定制作を経て「Panty&Stocking with Garterbelt」で原案・脚本・演出を担当。
その後、TRIGGERへ移籍。「キルラキル」にてクリエイティブオフィサー・#4脚本・2ndエンディング(絵コンテ＆演出)、「リトルウィッチアカデミア」脚本協力、「インフェルノコップ」プロットデベロプメント、「宇宙パトロールルル子」クリエイティブディレクター・音楽プロデューサー、現在は未発表の新作企画を担当中。

Yoh Yoshinari

Making his debut as chief key animator in the critically acclaimed animation series Neon Genesis Evangelion, Yoh Yoshinari has participated in many other popular titles such as GURREN LAGANN as mechanical design, and Panty&Stocking with Garterbelt as concept artist. Upon becoming a full-time staff of TRIGGER, he has produced his first full length anime, Little Witch Academia, and participated in TRIGGER’s first television series KILL la KILL as main set design.

Shigeto Koyama

Shigeto Koyama (Born in 1975, Tokyo). An active designer in Japan’s media industry. Starting his career by participating in Aim for the Top 2! (Diebuster) in 2004, Shigeto took part in numerous animation titles. Some of these notable titles includes: HEROMAN, Eureka Seven, GURREN LAGANN, STAR DRIVER, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Rebuild of Evangelion, KILL la KILL, and BIG HERO 6. In 2015, he directed his first short animation film Obake-chan. Koyama has also been leading the art direction of GOODSMILE RACING since 2014. Follow on Twitter @Joey__Jones

コヤマシゲト、デザイナー。1975年／東京都出身。2004年、『トップをねらえ2！』に参加したのをきっかけに、数多くのアニメ作品にかかわる。代表作に『HEROMAN』『交響詩篇エウレカセブン』『STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト』『Panty&Stocking with Garterbelt』『ヱヴァンゲヲン新劇場版』『キルラキル』『ベイマックス』など。2015年には日本アニメ(ーター)見本市『おばけちゃん』にて初監督をつとめた。グッドスマイルレーシングでは2014年度から現在にいたるまでアートディレクションを手掛けている。

Arc Impulse

Hailing from Chicago, Arc Impulse brings video game music to life by infusing it with their special dose of energetic synth-rock. Equipped with a keytar, violin, keyboard, electric guitar, bass, and drums, they inject raw energy into music from games such as Goldeneye 007, Chrono Trigger, and The Legend of Zelda. Arc Impulse brings out waves of excitement and nostalgia in anyone who’s ever picked up a controller.

Kid Yuki and the Otakus

Kid Yuki and The Otakus is a rock band united under one mission: to bring your favorite anime, video game, and other nerdy music to life. From Naruto to Sword Art Online to Kingdom Hearts, Sonic the Hedgehog, Steven Universe and so much more, there’s a good chance our show will melt your face off. Check out www.youtube.com/c/kidyuki1 for a taste of what’s in store.

Rob Mungle

Robert L. Mungle is a voice actor for Funimation, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital/Sentai Filmworks, and OkraTron 5000. The Right Reverend Robert L. Mungle founded The Whiskey Brothers in 1998. Since then, while the line-up has changed, it has been his outrageously loud voice that has led the group. Mungle has taken the stage everywhere from sold out theaters to seedy strip clubs. His IMDB page boasts over 100 different anime roles, from “Ghost Stories” to “Lady Death” to “Excel Saga.” He was born in Houston and you might recognize him from any of tons of anime roles, some of which include Amanojaku from Ghost Stories, Mr.8 from One Piece, Matsushita from Angel Beats, and Pedro Domingo from Excel Saga. He’s appeared in Akame ga Kill!, 009-1, Broken Blade, Gantz, Halo Legends, and many others.

KiKi Maroon

KiKi Maroon is a standup comic, radio personality, producer, and international award winning burlesque performer. She was named one of Houston’s 100 Most Creative People by The Houston Press for her work on The Bayou City Burlesque & Circus Arts Festival. Her incomparable style has charmed audiences across the U.S., South America, Asia, and Europe

Sam Demaris

Sam Demaris is an amazing storyteller with a universal appeal. All rock ‘n roll and dreadlocks, Sam has been seen on Maxim’s Real Men of Comedy Tour, Fox’s Laffs, and was named one of the 15 comics to follow on Twitter by Funny or Die.

Slade Ham

Slade Ham has performed in 43 countries on six continents. He is a veteran behind the microphone, both on stage and off. He is a regular on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show, co-host of The Outlaw Dave Show in Houston, and host of The Whiskey Brothers Podcast. He has been seen on A&E, WGN, and stars in the critically acclaimed documentary, “I Am Battle Comic,” by director Jordan Brady.

Victorian Angel

Amy Marie Couture is an independent clothing line designed by local Chicago designer, Amy Fenderson. While not exclusively a Gothic Lolita fashion designer, Amy created a new collection inspired by her passion for Lolita fashion that she calls “Victorian Angel”. “Victorian Angel” has since become popular within the alternative fashion community. Amy enjoys working collaboratively with other artists for her fabric prints, and continues to be inspired by Japanese culture and fashion.

Brian Heinz

Brian Heinz aka The Last Angry Geek has spent most of his life reviewing comic books and Dr. Who. Luckily for him in the last five years he’s been able to do professionally as part of the internet juggernaut Channel Awesome. He’s created such characters as The Reviewer and Lord Stark for his shows. And he’s appeared in several internet movies from Suburban Knights, where he was covered head to toe in black cloaks to To Boldly Flee, where he broke out his Obi-Wan Kenobi impression. Unfortunately he’s not able to talk about that as he’s currently being sued by Alec Guinness’s estate. He’s also guest starred on such shows as Demo Reel, but the less said about that the better.

Face Time Police

Face Time Police, the genre-defying purveyors of “pop macchiato” present a blend of The D.I.Y. masked duo of the multi-faceted Face Time Police are bringing a special stripped-down acoustic set to Anime Midwest! Consisting of founding members Brian and James Serra, this band of brothers defies convention and delivers songs that are fun and catchy, yet artistic and introspective. FTP draw inspiration from all over the spectrum; anime, pro-wrestling, comics, and video games have all played a part in shaping the band’s direction. From the frenetic Hellsing-inspired “Of Man and Monster” to the melancholic ballad “Don’t Believe In The Moon,” Face Time Police are ready to show you why they are “the definition of deviation.”

Random aka Mega Ran

Random, aka MegaRan, personifies with Hip-Hop should be: Spontaneous, fun, and true. Every album, starting with “Mega Ran” in 2007, conveys a different theme, a different vibe, and a different emotion. “Mega Ran” was a collection of sampled 8-bit beats from the hit “Mega Man” video game series, which was quickly discovered by CAPCOM. Instead of shutting down this hit music, CAPCOM offered Mega Ran a special licensing agreement and booked him to perform at Comic-Con and other special events. Since then he’s released albums including “RANDOMONIUM” and “FOREVER FAMICON” and “Black Materia,” and has toured with acts such as mc chris and MC Lars, playing in the US, UK, and Japan. He’s appeared in Playstation: The Official Magazine and Game Informer. Fans can learn more about Ran and download free songs at his website, megaran.com

K-Murdock

The “Sound Samurai” who loves to produce music, engineer audio & generally create new-sounds, which he refers to as his “neosonix”. Born in Washington, DC and raised during the golden era of hip-hop, K(yle) Murdock’s affinity for music was a result of growing up idolizing his late uncle Melvin Lindsey, who was a popular local radio host/philanthropist in the DC area; However, his interest in hip-hop music & culture was weaned by his older cousins. One crew in particular, The Native Tongues, changed his life when he stumbled upon the cassettes of two of the collective’s landmark groups (A Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul) back in the early ‘90s. The biggest thing K learned from the likes of those’ artist is consequently one of the biggest ideals he continually strives to get across in his own music- individuality!

EmpathP

EmpathP (otherwise known as Aki Glancy) is an American musician, illustrator, and Producer from Virginia. Specializing in the creation of original VOCALOID works, her credits include illustrating the Celtic English VOCALOID “AVANNA” and voice providing for the America English VOCALOID “DAINA”. Currently she is the manager and sponsor of the Western VOCALOID Concert project “VOCAMERICA”.