All tagged convention

Ohayocon 2019 Post-Show Field Report

Ohayocon 2019 Post-Show Field Report

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

For 18 years, Columbus-based anime convention Ohayocon has started the year off right with its bright and exciting event smack dab in the shivering doldrums of mid-January. Over 12,000 Midwestern anime fans congregate in the state’s capital to share their love of all things Japanese with friends old and new, taking over downtown in a flurry of cosplay and unabashed nerdiness.

We made the trek to Columbus to check out what Ohayocon had in store for us this year, and we definitely came away impressed. Let’s take a look together!

Ryan Zanfei from Tasty Peach Studios (Matsuricon 2018)

Ryan Zanfei from Tasty Peach Studios (Matsuricon 2018)

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

If you’ve ever been to the dealer’s room at an American anime convention, you’ve likely perused the pretty pastel products of Tasty Peach Studios. Their boutique-style booth sells unbearably cute plushies, wigs, enamel pins, and other merchandise based on designs by artist and company founder Ryan Zanfei. Her creations often take the form of adorable animals with food motifs, such as mochi kittens called Meowchi, narwhals topped with ice cream called Nomwhals, and a trio of cake-themed foxes. She’s also well-known for utilizing modern crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Patreon to fund some of her projects.


Matsuricon 2018 Post-Show Field Report

Matsuricon 2018 Post-Show Field Report

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

When summer starts to wind down and kids are gearing up to go back to school, Midwestern anime fans know that there’s one last summer tradition to check off their list – have some geeky fun at Matsuricon! This family-friendly convention, despite its modest size of about 6000 paying attendees, has definitely earned its place in the Ohio anime scene. Its three-day schedule is chock-full of industry guest panels, samurai lessons, concerts, and even a charity auction attended (and occasionally conducted) by the visiting voice actors.


Life in the Artist's Alley

Life in the Artist's Alley

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

If you’ve ever been to an anime convention, you’ve spent at least a little bit of time in the Artist’s Alley. For fans, it’s an opportunity to find unusual nerdy merchandise that can’t be bought in normal stores. And for the independent artisans running the booths, it’s a special opportunity to sell their wares in person to the very customers who will appreciate their work the most. But, who exactly are these artisans? What kind of people are they and how do they run their businesses?

To delve deeper into the fascinating world of independent artists and dealers, we spoke to four different shop owners – primarily at Colossalcon in Sandusky, Ohio – about their businesses and day-to-day lives. Here’s what we found out!