Hosted By
Felicia Day
Guest Host
Felicia Day has acted in numerous television shows and films. She starred in Eureka, Supernatural, and The Magicians. She is currently appearing in her third season in the cult classic Mystery Science Theatre: 3000. Felicia also does extensive Voiceover work in animation and video games. Her IMDB, with over 100 credits, can be found here.
However, Felicia is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She co-starred with Neil Patrick Harris in the Emmy award winning musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. She also created and starred in the seminal web series The Guild (PGA nominated for “Best Web Series”) which ran for six seasons. The Guild won numerous awards for digital video excellence. Recently, costume and props from the show were admitted to the Smithsonian American History collection. She also founded a digital brand and production company called “Geek and Sundry” which subsequently sold to Legendary Entertainment.
Felicia currently works as an actor, writer, streamer and host. She hosts the official companion podcast for Amazon’s Rings of Power show, and conducts interviews with the casts of Netflix series such as Stranger Things and The Witcher for the Unlocked series.
Felicia has written two New York Times bestselling books, “You’re Never Weird On the Internet,” and “Embrace Your Weird.” She also recently wrote the hit Audible Original “Third Eye”. She has over 6 million followers across social platforms.
Starring
Warwick Davis
As one of the fortunate little people who was hired to portray an Ewok in George Lucas’ Return of the Jedi, Warwick began his remarkable career at the young age of 11. It was truly a lucky break for Warwick, having responded to a radio advertisement soliciting undersized actors to audition for the film. Warwick was chosen partly due to his diminutive stature, and he quickly caught the attention of director Richard Marquand with his childish innocence and abundant fascination. The intense interest he displayed towards everything on the set was especially focused on the R2-D2 robot. Warwick was amazed with the workings of the droid and was always found investigating and examining it closely. Marquand transformed Warwick’s childhood curiosity into one of Jedi’s most memorable scenes: the little Ewok Wicket, on tiptoe, cautiously peering into the eye of R2D2 amid the trees of the Endor forest.
Warwick’s role as Wicket was reprised with two more Ewok movies, The Caravan of Courage an Ewok Adventure and The Battle for Endor. Warwick continued his rapport with Lucasfilm when he was invited by producer George Lucas and director Ron Howard to take the title role in the fantasy theme film Willow. As the character Willow, Warwick proved that even the tiniest of people could be the biggest of heroes when he fulfills his destiny protecting the baby princess and delivering her to safety.
Warwick’s acting career took a very different turn, however, when he donned the horrifying make-up and green suit, replete with striped tights and buckled shoes, that comprise his frightening costume in the movie, Leprechaun. The horror film became so popular with younger audiences and teens that it spawned five, all having Warwick in the starring role.
His relationship with Lucasfilm was sparked again as he returned to the set of the box office smash film, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Warwick managed four roles in Lucas’ long-awaited prequel, including Wald, the alien friend of Anakin Skywalker’s, and Weasel, the unsavory scoundrel friend of Anakin’s master Watto that cheers for the villainous Sebulba during the heart pounding podracing sequence.
Warwick has thrilled fans of science fiction and fantasy films for the past 20 years, and his career continued with his role in Warner Bros. motion pictures Harry Potter. He co-starred as Professor Flitwick, the warlock of levitation, in the film adaptation of the best-selling series of novels by author J.K. Rowling. And for all you Leprechaun fans check out Back to tha Hood (a.k.a Leprechaun 6). You can also see Warwick in a very serious role in the Academy Award winning film Ray.
George Takei
George Takei is known around the world for his role in the acclaimed original TV series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But Takei’s story, which includes an acting career that spans six decades, goes where few have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.
Takei’s acting credits include co-starring in six Star Trek movies and appearances on such TV series as Fresh Off the Boat, Supah Ninjas, Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Psych, Will & Grace, Miami Vice, MacGyver, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone, among numerous others.
In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance, which was inspired by his family’s true-life experiences during World War II. Takei made his London stage debut in “George Takei’s Allegiance” at the Charing Cross Theatre in 2023. In 2017, he starred in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures directed by John Doyle at Classic Stage Company in New York City.
Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei’s Take, exploring the world of technology, trends, current events, and pop culture, and is the subject of the documentary To Be Takei. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad Takei bring viewers into their personal lives in the “heightened reality” web series It Takeis Two. He was a series regular in the second season of Ridley Scott’s anthology drama The Terror: Infamy, which premiered on AMC in August 2019.
His rich baritone has provided narration for the Ken Burns / PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the Peabody Award-winning radio documentary Crossing East, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, for which Takei shared with Leonard Nimoy a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. He has also done voiceover work for hundreds of video games, commercials, films and TV series such as Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, Sega’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Fox’s The Simpsons and Futurama; Disney’s Kim Possible, Mulan and Mulan 2; Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, Disney+ Star Wars: Visions, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Takei is the author of five books, including his autobiography, To the Stars. Takei’s Eisner Award winning and New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy was released in July 2019. Takei’s children’s picture book, My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story, illustrated by Michelle Lee, will go on-sale on April 16, 2024.
Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also Chair Emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations. Takei received both bachelor and master of arts degrees from UCLA (’60, ’64). In June 2019, Takei received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Theater from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT). In June 2016, California State University, Los Angeles, presented Takei with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. In September 2022, Takei received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his distinguished service to the community. In June 2023, the Graduate Center of The City University of New York conferred upon Takei the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
In 2016, Los Angeles-born Takei was inducted into the California Museum’s California Hall of Fame. The California Museum says George and 96 other individuals inducted into the California Hall of Fame are “legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.”
Ernie Hudson
With over 100 film and television credits on his resume, Ernie Hudson has always been a unique screen presence, capable of inhabiting any role. Hudson is strongly identified with his starring role as Warden Leo Glynn on the critically acclaimed HBO series Oz. For his portrayal of the fair-minded warden, Hudson won the International Press Academy Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series. Hudson just wrapped the highly prestigious original TNT film The Ron Clark Story starring opposite Matthew Perry. During this same year, Hudson starred in a wide variety of films including the award-winning HBO film Lackawanna Blues, Miss Hotchiss’ Charm School, and Miss Congeniality 2 reprising his role as FBI Asst. Director Harry McDonald. Hudson also starred in the ABC series 10-8 as Senior Deputy John Henry Barnes. Hudson is especially proud of his portrayal of simple-minded handyman Solomon in the box-office smash The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Hudson remains a beloved icon as Winston Zeddemore, one of the original Ghostbusters. Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a career as a performer seemed like an unlikely path for young Ernie Hudson, who was already married with a young son when he enrolled at Wayne State University as a Speech and English major. Hudson’s early ambition was to be a writer, and for a time served as the resident playwright at Detroit’s Concept East, the oldest black theater company in the country. Later, he founded Actors Ensemble Theater, where he and other black performers staged and appeared in their own original works. After attending Wayne State, Hudson accepted a full writing/acting scholarship to the prestigious Master of Fine Arts Program at Yale University. This led to a number of regional theater roles and critical acclaim, and his feature film debut in Leadbelly.
Hudson earned roles in feature films like The Main Event with Barbra Streisand, The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond, and television projects like Abby Mann’s acclaimed mini-series King and the highly-rated Roots II. In 1983, Hudson was anointed as original Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore and his star was born. Hudson subsequently starred in films such as Weeds with Nick Nolte, Leviathan, Sugar Hill, The Cowboy Way, Speechless, The Basketball Diaries opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Congo, and The Crow opposite the late Brandon Lee.
When he’s not working, Hudson likes to spend time relaxing at home with his wife and family and remains committed to developing all facets of his creativity, including his writing.
Mary McDonnell
Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar-nominated actress known for bringing powerful and complex female characters to the film and television landscape.
McDonnell most recently starred as Madeline Usher in the hit Netflix Miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, written and directed by Mike Flanagan. She has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of the powerful matriarch of the Usher family.
McDonnell recently starred as “Commander Sharon Raydor” on TNT’s hit series, Major Crimes, where she earned an Emmy Nomination for her portrayal of a woman at the pinnacle of her career navigating leadership in the traditionally male-dominated field of law enforcement. The series was honored by multiple community organizations including the LAPD, LAPD Reserve Foundation, GLSEN, Imagen Foundation and Covenant House.
McDonnell starred in Syfy’s AFI and Peabody award-winning Battlestar Galactica in her critically-praised performance as ‘President Laura Roslin’ (2008 Saturn Award – Best Actress on Television). An allegory of 9/11 and the War in Iraq, the series was widely acclaimed for its examination of the issues of war and human rights, and in 2009 McDonnell appeared on a panel at the United Nations to discuss the parallels between the show and real-world issues of terrorism, race relations and gender equality. McDonnell’s Broadway credits include Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, the title role in Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles and Emily Mann’s Execution of Justice.
Extensive film credits include Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayals of “Stands with Fist” in the Academy Award-winning film Dances with Wolves and as a paraplegic soap opera star in John Sayles’ Passion Fish. Other films include Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon and Mumford , Sneakers opposite Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier and Independence Day.
In 2015 McDonnell received the Gina Award from Women in Film, and the Leadership Excellence Advocacy (LEA) Award in 2017 from Women in Cable Telecommunications. In 2018 McDonnell was honored with the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, presented by Trinity Repertory Company. Currently McDonnell is producing projects for TV and film.
Michael Trucco
Edward Michael Trucco is an American actor known for his role as Samuel T. Anders on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and as Justin Patrick on the USA Network television series Fairly Legal.
Born and raised the son of a police officer in San Mateo, California, Michael graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for a couple of years until the desire to reach for bigger parts drove him to Los Angeles. He appeared in six plays over the next 2 years, but it was his appearance in “A Few Good Men” that got Michael noticed by a talent manager and thus began his upward climb in film and television.
Trucco became active in television in the late 1990s with appearances in episodes of Touched by an Angel, Silk Stalkings, Beverly Hills, 90210, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, and Pensacola: Wings of Gold with James Brolin among others. He continued appearing in shows of similar genres like CSI, Heartbeart, Strong Medicine, CSI: Miami, and others into the 2000s. He played Cooper Lee in six episodes of One Tree Hill from 2005 to 2006.
In 2002, Trucco starred in Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled. In 2005, he joined the drama Battlestar Galactica in the role of Samuel T. Anders, and in 2007 played Jessica Biel’s boyfriend on the Sony/Revolution feature Next starring Nicolas Cage. In 2008, he guest-starred on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims and The Big Bang Theory. In 2010, he guest-starred on ABC’s series Castle, as Detective Tom Demming, and in the same year Trucco was cast as a series regular in the USA Network series Fairly Legal. Trucco went on to guest star in a season 6 episode of How I Met Your Mother in 2011, and got a recurring role in the show’s eighth season.
Most recently Trucco has recurred on ABC’s hit series The Rookie, The Paramount Plus series Fire Country, and had a series regular role on BET’s Average Joe. A frequent collaborator with Mike Flanagan, Trucco has appeared in three of his horror series, including Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and the world-wide Netflix hit The Fall of the House of Usher as Rufus Griswold.
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson is a versatile force in the entertainment industry, known for her memorable roles in Power Rangers, Felicity, and Flashpoint. She has expanded her talents to filmmaking with her acclaimed debut feature film, Tammy’s Always Dying, which starred Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As a musician, Amy Jo has released three albums and is preparing to launch her forthcoming EP, Still Here, with an announcement on its release date expected soon.
In addition, Amy Jo has entered the world of comic book writing with the successful launch of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return. This four-issue series revisits the iconic role that kickstarted her career, offering a nostalgic journey for long-time fans!
Amy Jo will be also be joining bandmates Scott Grimes and Greg Grunberg as part of The Action Figures Band onboard Comic-Con: The Cruise!
Raymond Lee
Raymond most recently starred in the lead role of Dr. Ben Song on NBC’s Quantum Leap. He was recently seen in the independent feature The Unknown Country opposite Lily Gladstone and the Paramount feature film Top Gun: Maverick.
Series regular credits include AMC’s Kevin Can F*** Himself and Alan Ball’s HBO series, Here and Now. Recurring roles include the HBOMax series Made for Love, FOX’s Prodigal Son, Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle and ABC’s Scandal.
Theater credits include the world premiere productions of Vietgone at Manhattan Theater Club, which he was awarded the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Debut, Office Hour opposite Sandra Oh and Cambodian Rock Band at The South Coast Repertory.
Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes was one of the most recognizable voices of the early 21st century, though fans of cult horror films would probably also recognize his face. Scott began acting at a young age, making his screen debut in 1984 alongside Mickey Rooney in the made-for-TV movie It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (1984), while also appearing in an episode of the rebooted The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1985-89). Soon after, he began his singing career, releasing his self-titled, Richard Carpenter-produced debut album through A&M Records in 1989. Grimes played Brad Brown in Critters (1986) and Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), endearing him eternally to horror hounds everywhere. He soon became quite a prolific TV actor, appearing on shows such as Who’s the Boss? (ABC, 1984-1992), Charles in Charge (CBS/syndication, 1984-1990), Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndication, 1987-1994), 21 Jump Street (FOX, 1987-1991), Party of Five (FOX, 1994-2000), Band of Brothers (HBO, 2001), and ER (NBC, 1994-2009). On the big screen, he worked multiple times with Russell Crowe, in the films Mystery, Alaska (1999), Robin Hood (2010) and Winter’s Tale (2014). Grimes also continued to make music, releasing the albums Livin’ on the Run (2005) and Drive (2010). In 2005, Grimes got his biggest break yet, when he was hired to voice the geeky, virginal teen Steve Smith, son of square-jawed CIA agent Stan Smith, on Seth MacFarlane’s animated sitcom American Dad! (FOX, 2005-14; TBS, 2014- ). From there, he and MacFarlane became regular collaborators, with Grimes doing voices on Family Guy (FOX, 1999-2003, 2005-), and appearing in the flesh as Gordon Malloy in MacFarlane’s sci-fi parody The Orville (FOX, 2017- ).
Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg is best known from Star Wars, Star Trek, A Star is Born and alongside Al Pacino in the film Paterno. As well as on series Heroes, Lost, Alias and Felicity.
Currently Grunberg is starring in new series Duster for HBOMax.
A strong advocate in the Epilepsy community, Grunberg created TalkAboutIt.org & TalkAboutItOnVideo.com as well as his podcast Talk About It.
Most recently, Greg is shooting The Caregiver Series in partnership with Jazz Pharmaceuticals on YouTube (TheCareGiverSeries.com).
Greg’s graphic novel series Dream Jumper is out now from Scholastic.
And Grunberg started the celebrity party band for hire: The Action Figures (TheActionFiguresBand.com).
Virginia Gardner
Virginia Gardner is establishing herself as one of the industry’s most exciting young actresses on the big and small screen. Gardner is known for her role as ‘Karolina Dean’ in Hulu’s original Marvel series “Runaways” for three seasons, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Based off the Marvel comic book series, the show centered on a group of teenagers who band together to run away from their homes to atone for their parents’ super villain actions, and to discover the secrets of their origins.
In 2015, Gardner made her feature film debut as ‘Christina Raskin’ in Paramount Pictures’ “Project Almanac,” which was produced by Michael Bay. Additional film credits include “GOAT,” which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival opposite Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer, as well as the independent film “Starfish.”
More recently, Gardner was seen recurring on HBO’s “Righteous Gemstones” opposite Danny McBride and John Goodman, in David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” feature for Universal with Jamie Lee Curtis, and in Netflix film “All the Bright Places” with Elle Fanning and Luke Wilson.
Gardner appeared on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Stories” on FX, in the feature film “Fall” with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and on Starz’s “Gaslit” opposite Julia Roberts and Sean Penn.
This year, she co-led Voltage’s “Beautiful Wedding,” reprising her role opposite Dylan Sprouse from “Beautiful Disaster,” based on the Jamie McGuire’s novels of the same name. Virginia will also star opposite Lucy Hale in Lionsgate-Buzzfeed’s comedy-thriller, F*** Marry Kill, slated to release later this year.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Grace Caroline Currey
Grace Caroline Currey has been in back-to-back films across every genre. Most recently, she toplined The Breed, an unconventional reimagination of the Wes Craven classic. Grace was also the lead of the Lionsgate adventure thriller, Fall, directed by Scott Mann, which was released theatrically, as well as portrayed Superhero Mary Marvel and Mary Bromfield in the Warner Bros and DC Entertainment franchise sequel, Shazam: Fury of the Gods. Prior to that she starred in New Line’s popular Conjuring franchise, Annabelle: Creation. Grace brings her boyfriend home to meet the parents in the rom-com, Most Guys are Losers, based on the best-selling book. She has studied at the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and was nominated for Best Actress at the Milan International Film Festival for her role in Badland, an indie feature with Vinessa Shaw. She is also a trained ballerina to boot!
Jonah Ray
Jonah Ray is a Hawaiian born stand-up comedian, actor, director and podcast host. Ray currently stars as Jonah Heston in the Netflix series Mystery Science Theater: 3000 The Return. Recently, he has co-hosted a Comedy Central show “The Meltdown w/ Jonah Ray & Kumail Nanjiani,” Wrote and starred in the travel parody show “Hidden America with Jonah Ray,” appeared in the latest installment in the Hatchet franchise, “Victor Crowley” and shows up on Talking Dead every once in a while. Jonah also co-hosts the Nerdist (now ID10T) podcast, which he started with Chris Hardwick while working as a writer and producer at the G4 Network shows Attack of the Show and Web Soup.
Ted Lange
Ted Lange is a graduate of London’s Royal Academy with a career as a prolific director, writer, and actor since the 1980s. This classical background as well as his years before the camera have enabled him to become known as an actor’s director inspiring not only emotional but also comedic scenes.
His four-camera directing expertise includes sixty episodes for Entertainment Studios’, The First Family and Mr. Box Office, and twelve episodes of Are We There Yet?, for Executive Producer, Ali Leroi.
His one-camera directing experience is showcased in the independent films, Othello and For Love of Amy as well as the one-camera television comedies, The New Gidget and The Brothers Garcia for Universal.
The Fall Guy and Mike Hammer exemplify his directorial work in action shows.
Co-Starring
Robb Pearlman
Author / Industry Insider
Robb Pearlman is a pop culturalist, Trekspert, publishing professional, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author, host, interviewer, editor, and award-winning author of over 70 books. Robb brings an authentic and celebratory look at pop culture. His unique brand of engaging, interactive, and fun events, panel discussions, book clubs, crafting activities, scavenger hunts, games, and even workouts are always fun, interactive, inclusive, and memorable.
Robb has written books based on characters and stories from fan-favorite properties including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Star Trek, The Golden Girls, The Office, The Smurfs, Rick and Morty, Bob’s Burgers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Alien, Game of Thrones, and Bob Ross. He is the author of original books including “Live Like a Vulcan, Love Like a Wookiee, Laugh Like a Hobbit,” “I Adulted,” “101 Ways to Kill a Zombie,” “Movie Night Trivia,” and “Nerd Haiku,” and stewarded books based on The Princess Bride, Hamilton, The Joker, Parks and Recreation, All in the Family, and Variety Magazine, as well as memoirs and monographs by acclaimed pop culture icons including Don Bluth, Ralph Bakshi, Bill Plympton, and Charles Busch.
Bob Bergen
The Voice of Porky Pig
Four-time Emmy nominated actor Bob Bergen announced to his parents when he was five he wanted to be Porky Pig. His mother replied, “Honey, you can’t be Porky Pig. You’re Jewish.” Despite this, he was determined. At fourteen he phoned Mel Blanc after researching a dozen or so phone books, crashed a recording session pretending to be Blanc’s assistant, and watched him in action. Realizing he needed training, and for his voice to change, he began studying voiceover with every vo coach LA had to offer. Combined with two years at a Meisner acting conservatory and three years of improv study with The Groundlings, he was able to secure an agent at eighteen and pursue his dream, while tour guiding at Universal Studios allowed him to eat. He’s performed in all aspects of on-camera television: from sitcoms to soaps to game shows – hosting Jep!, the kids’ version of Jeopardy! for Game Show Network.
His voice is heard in thousands of commercials, promos, games, animated series and specials. He’s voiced dozens of animated features, including Minions: The Rise of Gru, Sing, Wreck it Ralph, The Secret Life of Pets, Trolls, Tangled, Spirited Away, Cars, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Iron Giant, The Emperor’s New Groove, WALL-E, Toy Story 2 & 3, and Up. Series work includes Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Ridley Jones, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Robot Chicken, Oddballs, I am Groot, Bugs Bunny Builders, Animaniancs, It’s Pony, Dew Drop Diaries, Teen Titans Go!, Spidey and his Amazing Friends, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Pretzel and the Puppies. 2024 marks his 34th year as the predominant voice of Porky Pig. Bob is also one of the most sought after coaches for animation voiceover.
Thomas Surprenant
Makeup Artist
Thomas Surprenant is a multifaceted artist whose passion and expertise span across various creative realms. Born with an innate curiosity and an insatiable drive for artistic exploration, Surprenant has carved a distinctive niche for himself in the realms of makeup artistry, special effects, and prosthetics.
With an early fascination for the transformative power of makeup, Surprenant embarked on his journey in the world of beauty and special effects at a young age. His innate talent and relentless dedication soon caught the attention of industry professionals, propelling him into the limelight of Hollywood.
Over the years, Surprenant has amassed a stellar portfolio, showcasing his unparalleled skills in makeup artistry and prosthetic design. His work spans across a diverse range of mediums, including film, television, theater, and beyond. From crafting intricate creature designs to seamlessly blending prosthetics with live-action performances, Surprenant’s creations never fail to captivate and mesmerize audiences worldwide.
Surprenant’s collaborative spirit and meticulous attention to detail have earned him widespread acclaim and recognition within the entertainment industry. His creative contributions have graced the screens of blockbuster films, hit television series, and iconic stage productions, leaving an indelible mark on the visual landscape of contemporary media.
Beyond his achievements in the realm of entertainment, Surprenant is also a passionate educator, sharing his wealth of knowledge and expertise with aspiring artists through workshops, seminars, and mentorship programs. His commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent reflects his enduring legacy as a visionary artist and a generous mentor.
With a career spanning decades and a portfolio that continues to evolve and inspire, Thomas Surprenant remains at the forefront of innovation in makeup artistry and special effects, leaving an indelible mark on the world of visual storytelling.
Yaya Han
Cosplay Guest
Yaya Han is a cosplayer, designer and author. She discovered cosplay in 1999, when it was still a small, quirky section of the geek-fandom. Armed with a used $40 sewing machine, Yaya threw herself into making costumes headfirst, and quickly absorbed the heart and soul of costume design and creation. To this day, Yaya has made more than 400 personal costumes in every fandom genre imaginable, as well as her own original designs. Her long-standing consistency of creating intricate and lavish costumes has made her a craftsmanship Icon and beloved competition judge in the cosplay world, and inspired countless people to get into cosplay.
Over the years, Yaya has played a pivotal role in introducing cosplay to the mainstream audience and shaping it into a commercial industry. She has been a Guest Judge on 3 seasons of TBS TV Network’s “King of the Nerds” competition show, starred in the Syfy TV Network’s Docu-Series “Heroes of Cosplay”, and been interviewed by countless magazines, books, newspapers and online media outlets.
In 2020, Sterling Books published Yaya’s self-written book about the evolution of modern cosplay called “Yaya Han’s World of Cosplay,” in which she also chronicles her life story of being born in China, raised in Germany and coming to America as a teenager and setting her life’s work in motion through the discovery of cosplay. The book is available worldwide wherever books are sold.
Yaya’s current focus is on making tools and materials more available to the cosplay community, through collaborations with global creative companies. She designs Yaya Han branded cosplay sewing patterns for The McCall Pattern Company, which are distributed worldwide. JOANN Fabric & Craft Stores carries the “Cosplay by Yaya Han” line in key categories of fabric and trims in stores and online, and she even partnered with Dremel to bring rotary tools to JOANN stores. In 2023, Swiss sewing machine company BERNINA launched a Yaya Han branded sewing and embroidery machine, the bernadette b79 Yaya Han Edition. It became an instant hit with cosplayers and sewists around the world,
Commercial ventures aside, Yaya often participates in charitable projects involving cosplay, and strives to be a positive force in the community. Through hard work, unmatched passion and infectious enthusiasm, Yaya has helped cosplay gain respect and integrity as an art form in the fandom world and art communities, and her decade long campaign for creativity has helped raise Cosplay to the standards we know today. Everyday, Yaya continues to pave the path for the beloved art and lifestyle we know as Cosplay.
Cowbutt Crunchies
Cosplay Guests
Cowbutt Crunchies Cosplay is an internationally acclaimed LGBTQ+ couple who specializes in couture cosplay, education, and incredible pop culture design. Always pushing the envelope of creativity, their experimental mixed media builds feature a wide mastery of unique techniques, from advanced embroidery, to extreme wigwork, to intricate armor. Their work is both intricately detailed and impossibly over the top, making use of their ever-growing skill sets including advanced needlework, extreme wigwork, detailed armor, makeup effects, moldmaking, lighting, and animatronics.
Their passion for cosplay has taken them around the world as educators, judges, and competitors with numerous national titles under their belts including the 2019 Crown Champion of Cosplay. In the professional sphere they have created corporate promotional builds for video game and TV launches, with a client list that includes Riot Games, miHoYo, and Marvel. You can also find their creations in various media outlets including ABC’s To Tell The Truth and Adam Savage’s Tested.
As experienced cosplay educators, they are passionate about sharing their knowledge and experiences with the community. To date they have hosted over 100 in-person panels and created hundreds of online tutorials for aspiring cosplayers to follow. They are also the authors of three published cosplay books – The Art of Extreme Wig Styling, Fabulous Cosplay Footwear, and The Cosplay Book of Ballgowns.
With over 20 years of experience, their focus is on learning and creativity – encouraging other cosplayers through cosplay education and community events that they’ve pioneered such as the Cosplay Couture Gala and maker meetups. They strongly believe in giving back to the community through workshops and online tutorials, as well as through their cosplay charity site. The name “Cowbutt” and “Crunchies” comes from their first two adopted cats, and to date they have raised over $25,000 for cat-related rescues.
Partners
Comic-Con International
Bio coming soon!
Peanuts
Comic-Con: The Cruise is excited to partner with Peanuts in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Charles Schulz’s beloved creations, including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang! Join us for programming and panels featuring Peanuts’ illustrators.
Justin Thompson is a Senior Artist and teacher at the Charles M. Schulz Studio, and a Creative Consultant for Apple TV+’s Peanuts animated series and specials. Justin’s own comic strip, MythTickle is now in its 18th year of syndication.
Mary Shyne is a Senior Artist at the Charles M. Schulz Studio. Her debut graphic novel, You and Me on Repeat, will be published in May 2025.
Bob Ross, Inc.
Happy Little Bob Ross Crew
Featuring Douglas Hallgren CRI, Eddie Cuervo CRI, Jessie Mason CRI, Sean Bush and Ron Scalzo
Bob Ross. You’ve seen him before. He’s the soft spoken guy painting happy clouds, mountains and trees in twenty-six minutes, using big housepainting-type brushes and cooing soothing you-can-do-its to his audience. The Joy of Painting program is the most recognized, most watched TV art show in history. Today Bob Ross Inc. supports a unique line of Bob Ross painting products, certified instructors and whimsical collectibles.
Artist Alley
Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner is an iconic multi-talented award-winning writer and artist that has worked on many of the top titles in comics for companies like Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. Amanda created the original character of Nautalie, who will serve as the emblem of Comic-Con: The Cruise Celebrates Sci-Fi festivities. Amanda and her husband Jimmy Palmiotti will continue to craft artwork for the three remaining theme nights, each piece infused with their signature style while featuring unique characters tailored to the theme of the night.
Amanda’s work can also be seen in such places as ABC’s Nightline, New York Times, MAD Magazine, Nickelodeon and on shows like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. She has also enjoyed a huge success with her husband Jimmy Palmiotti, reimagining DC Comics’ Harley Quinn into the character you see today in film and animation. She continues to work on her own creator owned titles as well as other companies’ top characters like Powergirl, Silk Spectre, Painkiller Jane, and so many more.
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes is best known for his instantly recognizable stylized comic book renderings of Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Black Widow, She-Hulk, Lara Croft, Betty and Veronica, and a host of other super heroines, damsels in distress, and other female characters. His artwork can be seen on an amazing assortment of comic books for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom!, and Image Comics, as well as many places outside the comic book industry including on trading and sketch cards for sets like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and many others.
Jimmy Palmiotti
Writer, editor and award-winning character creator (including co-creating Comic-Con: The Cruise’s Nautalie) Jimmy Palmiotti has a wide range of experience in advertising, production, consulting, editorial, film writing, development and production, media presentation and video game development.
He is the co-founder of such companies as Event Comics, Black Bull Media, Marvel Knights, a division of Marvel comics, and Paperfilms, where he is partners with his wife, Amanda Conner. Several of his contributions for both DC and Marvel can be found in major motion pictures and TV series including Black Panther, Painkiller Jane, Daredevil, Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn, Random Acts of Violence, Deadspace: Downfall, and more.
Afua Richardson
Best known for her work on the Eisner Award-winning series “Black Panther World of Wakanda,” Afua made history as one of the first Indigenous Afro-American female artists to work for Marvel Comics as a penciler, inker, and colorist, earning her the Nina Simone Award for artistic excellence.
Afua Richardson is an Eisner award-winning American Comic book illustrator, writer, Musician, Lecturer and cosplayer known for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther World of Wakanda, Indigenous Voices, X-Men 92, DC’s Batman/Superman World’s Finest, and such films as HBO’s Lovecraft Country and Spiderman Across the Spiderverse.
Afua is also creator of the “Aquarius, the Book of Mer” series, and a Juilliard-trained classical flutist, singer, songwriter, vocalist and performer.
Kip Rasmussen
Kip Rasmussen is an illustrator, author and independent film producer. Inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien, he interrupted his career as a family therapist to illustrate scenes from The Silmarillion, the work he considers more fundamental than both The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. His illustrations have been included in Peter Jackson’s DVD “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” in seven books for the Hachette Publishing’s Tolkien commentary series and were specially featured at Salt Lake City Comic Convention. Kip is a published author as well as a producer of feature-length science-fiction and fantasy films. As an artist, Kip’s greatest wish is to promote The Silmarillion to those fans who know Tolkien’s more familiar works but who find The Silmarillion somewhat more difficult to read. Kip’s work was also selected for the official 2023 Tolkien calendar and “The Illustrated World of Tolkien: The Second Age.”
Sarah Myer
Comic Artist, Writer, and Colorist Sarah Myer (They/Them) is an Eisner and L.A. Times Book Prize nominated author of the graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story (First Second Books). Sarah is currently the illustrator and cover artist of several comic issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, and was previously the colorist of TMNT vs Street Fighter and TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures comics, as well as a variant cover artist of TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen issues for IDW Publishing. Sarah’s other work includes their independent webcomic Cheer Up, Michael!, Hello Kitty & Friends Coloring Book (VIZ Media), the Ringo Award Nominated Anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment (Little Red Bird Press) for which they wrote and illustrated the installment “Asian American Exclusion,” and the graphic novel Maker Comics: Create a Costume! (First Second Books). An avid convention attended since 1999, Sarah has constructed and worn over 50 cosplay costumes and enjoys cooking, weight lifting, and spending time with their cat Loki when they are not creating comics. Sarah can be found at sarahmyer.net and on instagram @smyercomics.
Featuring
The Action Figures
Featuring Scott Grimes, Greg Grunberg, and Amy Jo Johnson
The ULTIMATE celebrity convention cover band!
The Action Figures is a spin-off of Band From TV, the iconic charity celebrity cover band, but with a new twist! For the past 12 years, Band From TV has been the featured entertainment for major corporate and charity events all over the world, recorded on TV soundtracks (House), and even appeared on American Idol, The Tonight Show, at NASCAR, and at The Emmys galas! With a cast of major stars from TV and film, they have lit up countless stages across the globe.
Now, for the first time ever, The Action Figures are ready to make a big splash on the audience they know best…The convention crowd! The Action Figures features a professional back-lined band, supporting – at minimum – celebrities including Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alias, LOST) on drums, and Scott Grimes (The Orville, American Dad, Band of Brothers) on keyboards/vocals, and Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers, Felicity, and Flashpoint) on guitar. Backing the band are actor and producer Brad Savage and actor, musician, and composer Nick Marzock. Whether it is a convention, corporate event, casino, or private party, The Action Figures are ready to do their thing like they’ve been doing for years! In this age of celebrities connecting with a global audience, this is THE opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind, unique experience at your conventions and special events!
The Action Figures has the experience and agility to pull from their extensive song library, and always encourages last-minute convention special guests to get up and join them in the fun!
Brian Wilk and Brad Heron
Dueling Piano Players
Brian Wilk began playing piano as early as he could reach the keyboard. When he couldn’t sleep, his parents played “Midnight Rider” in his dark nursery. When he was old enough to drive, he hit the open road like a “Bat Out of Hell.” Pursuing a life in music, he began performing with the ComedySportz improv troupe. But he was “Born to Be Wild” and “Hell Bent for Leather,” so he revved up his music career and kept “Heading Out to the Highway” to share his love of music with new audiences in new places all around the country. There is almost no song Brian doesn’t know (or can make up the words to). On the High Seas Rally, he will continue his quest to bring ‘Freewheel Burning’ rock to dueling pianos. When Brad Heron was a baby, legend has it that his parents kept him swaddled in biker leather onesies and pushed him around in a custom chrome stroller. It wasn’t long before he started reaching for a Casio keyboard, and he could play Foghat’s “Slow Ride” and Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ with Disaster” before he could even drive. As Brad grew to manhood, the freewheelin’ lifestyle stayed with him. He hit the open road and took any job he could find, learning a lot but ultimately being let go because of his insistence on wearing leather vests and randomly shouting, “I feel the need for speed!” But it was all for the best, because eventually his gift for music led him to working as an entertainer for cruise lines, where he was free to play every song possible.