March 8, 2008
News for Anime X Gamer Experience 2008:
EXP Con announces first guests and new events
St. Augustine, FL – EXP con is proud to announce new Events as well as its first round of Guests! Guests include anime voice actor Josh Grelle, artists Steve Bennett, Ashley Clark, and Siya of Siyanimation, cosplayers Yaya Hann and CJ "Kefka" Collins, as well as musical guests Select Start, J*Scape, and The Slants! Continuing our effort to create a fun fan EXPerience we are also announcing our tournament style gaming competition: The Ultimate Gamer Challenge.
Voice Talent: Josh Grelle
A native Texan, Josh was raised on stage and in the art studios of Central Texas. He performed on stage for over 15 years prior to starting work for A.D.V. Films at the start of 2004. Josh is known for playing the outrageous Taishi in Comic Party: Revolution and has recently been cast as Kyohei in the new Shinichi Watanabe (AKA Nabeshin) comedy, The Wallflower as well as Simon in Gainax's Gurren Lagann.
Artist: Steve Bennett
Stephen Robert Bennett IV was born *&#@?! years ago at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan. Being an Army brat, Steve moved all over the place in his younger days, He spent his early years in Alaska and Colorado, and lived for almost eight years in Germany during elementary and junior high. The family moved back to Japan when Steve was in his teens, and while he was there he was lucky enough to land a job with Studio Aoehyma, and work under the great Japanese animator, Noboru Furusei (New Dominion Tank Police, Lupin III, etc.) During his time at Studio Aoehyma, Steve learned quite a bit about anime, and worked on such titles as Cat's Eye, the Urusei Yatsura TV Series and Only You, as well as others.
Artist: Ashley Clark
Ashley Clark is a multi-media artist and writer, and has been working in the anime style for nearly a decade. Her first webcomic, 'Shades of Red', debuted in 2003. She has since turned her attention to her newest literary project, 'Tales of Asajima'. You can enter the world of Asajima through the webnovel 'Nowaki', and continue your journey with the first of her print novels, 'The Yukari'.
Artist: Siya
Siya is a full time Illustrator, Comic Book Artist, Web Developer, designer, and most recently, concept artist for video games. Her real name, stage name, and given name is SIYA (see-yah) like see yah later (She heard it a lot in elementary school). She started two companies, Hyrogliphix, Inc. and Hyrocomics, LLC two and a half years ago.
Cosplayer: Yaya Hann
Over the past 8 years, Yaya has made a name for herself in the world of cosplay and costuming. After discovering cosplay at her first con, she quickly absorbed the heart and soul of costume design and creation. To this day she has made over 60 costumes, with more to come! Her intricate and lavish creations have won awards and acclaim nationwide; she has taught a multitude of panels on costume craftsmanship, presentation, makeup, wigs and more; she has traveled to conventions within and outside of the USA as guest and costume contest judge. Her cosplay skills have won awards and acclaim nationwide. She has participated in conventions and cosplay activities in five countries, and will be joining us as an honored guest for the first ever EXP Con!
Cosplayer: CJ "Kefka" Collins
One of the most dynamic cosplay personalities to hit the convention scene CJ has become increasingly well known in the cosplay community as well as the internet for his costuming, especially his rendition of the Final Fantasy 6 villain: Kefka. As you watch his videos located all around Youtube, you cannot help but be entertained by the most famous clown villain in the history of gaming.
Musical Guest: Select Start
Select Start is the fusion of six musicians based in Gainesville, Florida, who combine their mutual love for video games, music, and their instruments (two violins, a cello, guitar, piano, and flute) to create a musical experience and sound unique to the video game music world.
Musical Guest: J*Scape
Formed in 2005 inspired Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Cesar, Shiro, Alexis, and Yoh all shared a passion for music. As their affection for Japanese music grew, so did their song library. After being opened up to various artists by their new vocalist, Yuki, the band began to incorporate not only Anime theme songs but J-Rock artists as well. After coming off the high that was 2007, J*Scape is looking forward to rocking out in 2008 with a brand new look and sound!
Musical Guest: The Slants
It's been said that everything that could be done in music has been done already; new artists are inherently boring, with nothing that is original or creative to offer. But those people hadn't heard The Slants (yet), a band who has everyone screaming for some "Chinatown Dance Rock."
New Event: The Ultimate Gamer Challenge
The Ultimate Gamer Challenge is a competition involving Console Gaming with both individuals and Teams of 5. Challengers will first flip a coin to see who gets the advantage. Then they will spin the wheel of challenge, and whichever genre the arrow lands on, the challenger picks from one of the 3 Games represented by that and they compete 1vs 1 in that game. For individual play it is best out of 3 till the semi finals when it becomes best out of 5. For team play its best out of 5 from the start. You cannot play the same game twice in a row, and if you land on the same genre, you must pick a different title. Check the website to find out more information and how to sign up for this Gaming Event!
EXP Con Info
Anime X Gamer Experience is all about the fan experience. Maintaining a high energy level and a fun atmosphere with unique events and things you would never expect from a convention, we strive to deliver enjoyment to fans of all ages. The main purpose of Anime X Gamer Experience or 'EXP con' as the fans have dubbed it, is to celebrate and promote Japanese modern visual culture such as Anime, Manga, Games, Music, Cosplay and more! We not are not only looking to give the community a great experience, but also to outreach to others who might be interested if they knew Anime was not just attended for children.
Visit our Website at http://www.projectexp.org for more information!
Pre-Registration will become available Monday, March 10th.
