Welcome to our sixth annual MechaCon!

Transcription

M e c haC o n
VI
July 16-18, 2010 New Orleans
Welcome to our sixth annual MechaCon!
Congratulations. If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through the registration line.
Now, in case you weren’t paying attention on the way in, walk to a window. Now look
out. That’s right. We’re here. New Orleans. Thank you for coming with us. Whether
this is your sixth year or your first with us at MechaCon, we owe this all to you.
The staff of MechaCon realized two years ago that a move to a larger venue and,
therefore, a larger city, was inevitable. At first, many of us regarded this as a bad
thing and then, with time, came to see it as the bittersweet reward for our continued
success. We can’t be sure exactly what it is that makes MechaCon the show that
it is, but if the last five years and your continued support have taught us anything,
it’s that, whatever that x-factor is, we cannot lose it. To that end, our move to New
Orleans brings you bigger, better content and a lot more breathing room. But, we’ve
also gone to great lengths to make sure that MechaCon is still the same show so
many of you have come to know and love.
For our first year in our new host city, we’ve pulled out all the stops with an
amazing lineup. Our dealer room is bigger and better than ever, as is our electronic
gaming room, brought to you by MechCorps and The Score. MechCorps returns
with eight Battletech pods, while console gaming is provided byThe Score. Our main
events staff has been hard at work making sure that this year’s Cosplay Competition
will be an event to remember. From the stage to the lighting to the sound, every detail
has gotten the attention that our largest event deserves. This year’s Formal CosplayOptional Ball is also a must-attend event, with a special Ouran Host Club charity
event and authentic, live New Orleans jazz music by the In Harmony Jazz Quintet.
Also this year, we are especially excited to bring you a very special live concert
event on Saturday night, as we present to you the original J-Pop idol, Mari Iijima!
And your Saturday night doesn’t have to end there, because later you can dance ‘til
you drop at the MechaCon House Party with music by MechaCon’s own DJ Wildfire.
Don’t forget to check out our celebration of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,
featuring panels and signings with several voice guests from the new hit series by
FUNimation Entertainment! Also, Kevin McKeever and Tommy Yune return on behalf
of Harmony Gold to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ROBOTECH with several voice
guests from the classic series, including most of ROBOTECH’s Skull Squadron!
MechaCon is moving on and moving up, and we are very pleased to bring you
what we hope will be the first of many MechaCons in the Crescent City.
– Team MechaCon
A Word From the Sennin
“We prefer to call these situations ‘challenges’.”
- Carl Macek
New Orleans. We’ve really made it here, haven’t we? Thinking back to when this whole anime convention journey
started for us way back in 2004, we knew this would eventually happen, but we didn’t expect it to be until MechaCon 15
or so. But, here we are, in New Orleans for MechaCon 6. Thanks to all of you for bringing us this far so soon. We’d never
have made it without you. Just being here makes the previous five years of blood, sweat and tears all worth it.
Aside from the move from Lafayette to New Orleans, a lot has happened in MechaCon’s world between last year
and this year. One of which, being that the anime industry keeps suffering the backlash of pirating and illegal downloading. Despite this, the industry does its best to continue to show its support of anime conventions, even though their
resources available for this support have become more and more limited. So, we’ll continue to do our part to support the
anime industry by urging you to say NO to bootlegging and illegal downloading. Let’s help the industry return to healthy
growth trends by purchasing our favorite shows on official DVDs and Blu-ray DVDs instead of illegally downloading.
Closer to home, it is with extemely heavy hearts that we said goodbye this year to a dear friend and MechaCon staff
member, Amanda Morain. Amanda passed away on the morning of May 20, 2010 after complications from a severe
illness. She was MechaCon’s 2010 Special Events Coordinator. This was her first year on MechaCon’s staff, after years
of working with us as a part of the Hilton Lafayette’s staff during previous MechaCons. She was excited to join our staff,
and we were happy to have her. During all of this, we all gained a great friend. Her smile always lit up the room. Her
optimism and willingness to put her heart and soul into everything was rare, and she is deeply missed by all of us. The
time we got to spend with her was way too short, but will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Amanda. We all love you.
But, as we said last year, change is not always about endings… it can be about beginnings. Let us look to the
journey ahead of us. It took a lot of joy and pain to get this far and it’ll take a lot more to keep climbing, but we’ll do
it because you are all worth it. As the late, great Carl Macek wrote, “To the Stars!”
So, please enjoy MechaCon 2010, here in it’s new home... the Big Easy! It’s only going to get better and better
from here on out, baby!
– Jon Russo & Peter Bares
Sennin Productions, LLC
Convention Floors
New Orleans Marriott – 2nd Floor
New Orleans Marriott – 3rd Floor
MAin Schedule
(Panel schedule located on page 21.)
On Thursday, July 15th, MechaCon’s convention pre-registration packet pick-up will open at 6pm and remain open until
9pm. At-door registrations will NOT be taken on Thursday.
Aside from Registration, convention floor remains closed.
Friday, July 16th
The following is the schedule for Friday’s convention areas
and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 11:30 a.m.
9:00am - Registration pre-reg packet
pick-up opens
11:30am - At-door registration opens
Information/Security booth opens
1:00pm - Convention floors open
2:00pm - GoldPass Guided Tour
Information/Security booth
5:30pm - Seating begins for
Opening Ceremonies &
Formal/Semi-formal Dinner and
Kiki: The Debut (reserved seating only)
Main Events 1 (Carondelet)
6:00pm - Opening Ceremonies begin
Main Events 1 (reserved seating only)
7:00pm - Dealers Room closes
Kiki: The Debut begins
Main Events 1 (reserved seating only)
8:00pm - GoldPass Meet-n-Greet with Guests
(See GoldPass Liaison for location)
Registration desk closes
Information/Security booth closes
9:00pm - MechaCon Formal &
Cosplay-optional Ball begins
Video Room I (LA Galerie 3)
1:00am - MechaCon Formal &
Cosplay-optional Ball closes
All of third floor closes
9:00am - Registration desk opens
10:00am - Third and Fourth floors open
to all attendees
The following is the schedule for Saturday’s convention areas
and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 9 am.
1:30pm - Dealers room opens (Acadia)
to GoldPass registrants only
Saturday, July 17th
11:00pm - Fourth floor closes
Dealers room opens (Acadia)
10:00pm - Anime Bloopers with
Lupin the 3rd and Jigen (18+)
Presented by Richard Epcar & Tony Oliver
12:00pm - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
10:30am - Dealers room opens (Acadia)
to all attendees
11:00am - Meet Vic Mignogna Q&A
Main Events (Bissonet / Carondelet)
Q&A with Chris Cason, Todd Haberkorn,
Mike McFarland, Vic Mignogna,
J. Michael Tatum & Wendy Powell
1:00pm - Cosplay participants meeting
Meeting Room (Mardi Gras E-H)
2:00pm - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Signing with Chris Cason, Todd Haberkorn,
Mike McFarland, Vic Mignogna,
J. Michael Tatum & Wendy Powell
Signing Room (Mardi Gras A-D)
2:30pm - Cosplay seating begins
3:00pm - Cosplay Contest begins
7:00pm - Dealers Room closes
7:30pm - Mari Iijima concert seating begins
8:00pm - Mari Iijima concert begins
Registration desk closes
Information/Security booth closes
9:00pm - Mari Iijima post-concert signing
11:00pm - MechaCon House Party begins
Fourth floor closes
12:00am - Hentai Fest (18+ ONLY)
Video Room I (LA Galerie 3)
2:00am - MechaCon House Party closes
All of third floor closes
Sunday, July 18th
The following is the schedule for Sunday’s convention areas
and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 9 am.
9:00am - Registration desk opens
Gathering of Faith (Bissonet)
Presented by Vic Mignogna
10:00am - Third and Fourth floors open
10:30am - Dealers room opens (Acadia)
to all attendees
Cosplay Chess seating begins
Main Events 2 (Bissonet)
11:00am - Cosplay Chess begins
11:30am - AMV Contest seating begins
12:00am - AMV Contest begins
2:00pm - Gaming Tournament Finals begin
Guest Signing Begins
5:00pm - All convention floors close
Organizer’s Plea
Footnotes
Please be on your best behavior and respect hotel property. We ask that you treat the Marriott as
your home away from home. If you deface hotel property in any way, you will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law. Attendees of some other Anime Conventions in the past have been less than
respectful to the convention facilities and hotel, and this type of behavior has given Anime Conventions
a bad name. Please do your part to help change that stigma and show that anime conventions can be
classy, too. The continued success of this convention is crucial to whether or not there will be future
MechaCons. We sincerely appreciate you doing your part to help ensure that the hotel, convention
facilities and your fellow attendees are treated with the utmost respect!
A Bittersweet Celebration
For the 25th Anniversary of ROBOTECH, Team MechaCon was excited
to be welcoming back our good friend and ROBOTECH creator, Carl
Macek this year. But we soon discovered fate had a different plan
when the news came to us that Carl had passed away on April 17,
2010. We were all shocked and saddened.
Rather than mourn his passing, MechaCon will be celebrating Carl’s
life as we honor the 25th Anniversary of his creation. Carl’s efforts
and output in the anime industry have been both praised and criticized with equal zeal over the years. But one undeniable fact remains
– the current acceptance and growth of Anime would certainly be
different had it not been for Macek’s groundbreaking work bringing
Japanese animation to the largest possible audience here in the U.S.
Rest in peace Uncle Carl. The light of the world has grown a little
dimmer without you in it. You are missed, old friend.
Guests of Honor
2010 marks the return of a fan favorite... like you’ve never seen it before!
Join Team MechaCon as we celebrate the new hit series by FUNimation...
f u l l m e t a l aalchemist
lchemist
fullmetal
B rotherhooD
Chris Cason – “Gluttony”
For over ten years, CHRIS CASON has participated in almost every
facet of anime production. He has been associated with numerous
projects (exclusively for FUNimation Entertainment) in a voice acting,
ADR directing, or scriptwriting capacity.
Some of Chris’s voice credits include Gluttony in FULLMETAL
ALCHEMIST, Tien Shinhan and Mr. Popo in DRAGONBALL Z, Jack the
Ripper and Watson in SOUL EATER, Boo and Whitey in SHIN-CHAN,
Miyamoto and M1 in YU YU HAKUSHO, Chamo in NEGIMA, Hanai in
SCHOOL RUMBLE and Babbit in KODOCHA.
He can also be heard in: CASE CLOSED, GUNSLINGER GIRL, BASILISK,
OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, SUZUKA, TSUBASA RESERVOIR
CHRONICLES, BLACK CAT, DARKER THAN BLACK, BAMBOO BLADE, KAZE NO STIGMA, AQUARION,
ONE PIECE, D. GRAY-MAN, BECK: MONGOLIAN CHOP SQUAD, and SGT. FROG.
Some of his ADR directing and assistant ADR directing credits include: DBZ UNCUT, DRAGONBALL,
DRAGONBALL GT, YU YU HAKUSHO, NEGIMA, KODOCHA, GALAXY RAILWAYS, BAKI THE
GRAPPLER, SCHOOL RUMBLE, HELL GIRL, KAZE NO STIGMA and BAMBOO BLADE.
He has also had the opportunity to be a part of many popular video games. His two favorites roles
were: voicing random ghouls and specters for GHOSTBUSTERS: The Video Game, and as one of the
contributing guitarists in GUITAR HERO 3.
Todd Haberkorn – “Ling Yao”
TODD HABERKORN is currently a proud member of the anime community and continues to be its humble servant by way of English dubbing.
Todd received his BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University
and continues to work professionally primarily in Texas and surrounding states as an actor, director, producer, and writer. Unfortunately, the
FUNimation Podcast is no more, so you won’t see him as the host of
that (unless everyone bans together and writes to FUNimation!!).
As far as shows go, you can catch Todd’s voice in lead roles such as
Ling Yao in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, Keroro in SGT.
FROG, Yamato in SUZUKA, Naru in GHOST HUNT, Raki in CLAYMORE,
Wataknuki in HOLIC, Allen Walker in D. GRAY MAN, Kyrie in SANDS OF
DESTRUCTION, Death the Kid in SOUL EATER and some others he can’t reveal right now.
A few supporting roles include Itsuki in SHUFFLE, Ichimoruken in HELL GIRL, Firo in BACCANO!, Kono
in DARKER THAN BLACK, Hikaru in OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB and Khoza in ONE PIECE.
Check out most of the shows listed above on Hulu.com and not illegally please :)
When not in the recording booth, Todd is a producer with his company, Out of the Office Productions. Also check
out his weekly podcast with Leah Clark called ‘Popcast Weekly.’ Todd is represented by The Horne Agency.
Mike McFarland – “Jean Havoc”
Mike got his start in anime as one of the first voice actors in Texas to be
hired by FUNimation Productions in 1997, and has since moved on to
become a director, scriptwriter and line producer for numerous anime
series.
Notable roles include Lt. Jean Havoc in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
and FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, Master Roshi,
Yajirobe, Android #8 and Pui-Pui in DRAGON BALL and DRAGON
BALL Z, Baby and Baby-Vegeta in DRAGON BALL GT, Goemon
in LUPIN THE THIRD (Movie Specials), Ritsu Sohma in FRUITS
BASKET, Cain in TRINITY BLOOD, Buggy the Clown in ONE PIECE,
“Ranka” Fujioka in OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, Tybalt in
ROMEO x JULIET, Leo in BURST ANGEL, Bruce J. Speed in GALAXY RAILWAYS, as well as various
roles in YU YU HAKUSHO, NERIMA DAIKON BROTHERS, KODOCHA, DESERT PUNK, BLACK
CAT, KIDDY GRADE and many others.
As an ADR/voice director, Mike has worked on such series and films as FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALLA, DRAGON BALL Z, VEXILLE, YU YU HAKUSHO, MUSHI-SHI, CASE CLOSED, DRAGON
BALL, GALAXY RAILWAYS, TRINITY BLOOD and EVANGELION: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE. ADR
Scriptwriting credits include FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, KODOCHA, TRINITY BLOOD, SOLTY REI,
MUSHI-SHI and the uncut versions of DRAGON BALL Z.
Mike is also an accomplished improv comedian, musician, and has appeared in numerous commercials
and independent films, including The Rage Within, House Of The Generals, Placebo, and the awardwinning Shtickmen. For more information, check out his web site at www.mikemcfarland.com.
Vic Mignogna – “Edward Elric”
VIC MIGNOGNA has been acting for stage and screen since he was
8 years old. But he started his career in anime about ten years ago as
Vega in STREETFIGHTER II. Since then Vic has been in more than
a hundred and fifty shows and video games.
He is known for such roles as Edward Elric in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST,
Tamaki Suou in OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, Fai in TSUBASA
CHRONICLE, Dark in DN ANGEL, Kurz in FULL METAL PANIC, Broly
in DRAGONBALL Z, Kougaijji in SAIYUKI, Ikkaku in BLEACH, Yukito in
AIR, Takanaga in WALLFLOWER, Tatsu in PEACEMAKER, Luciano in
CODE GEASS, Virgil Walsh in TRINITY BLOOD, Hikaru in MACROSS
and many more.
He is currently back in the role of Edward in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, playing
Death Scythe in SOUL EATER, as well as characters in NARUTO and several others. Vic has also
voiced roles in a large number of video games including SOUL CALIBUR, DISGAEA, PERSONA III,
PROJECT SYLPHEED, DBZ, BLEACH, FMA and more.
But even longer than his voice acting, Vic has been a professional music composer / singer / producer
who has written and produced hundreds of songs for TV, radio and CD. He sings the themes for shows
like ONE PIECE & DBGT, and has produced several CDs of his own original music. And finally, in addition to anime and music, Vic has a degree in film and works regularly writing, producing and directing
video and film productions. Vic is also now realizing a childhood dream, acting and directing in an
amazing web series called STAR TREK: PHASE II. TOS forever!
Guests of Honor
Wendy Powell – “Envy”
WENDY POWELL is so excited to be returning to MechaCon to see all
of you again... so let’s start this CON out with a bang!
Wendy has been a professional voice actress for FUNimation Entertainment and Okratron 5000 for over 8 years. She is probably most well
known for a little villain named Envy on FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. She was most recently in
a new role in CLAYMORE where she plays the character Ilene. Her most
challenging role this year was the role of Iku in SHIRGURI... you need to
watch it to understand why!
Wendy is also known for smaller parts... in which she usually dies a most
painful death. Some of her credits include: Emi in BAKI THE GRAPPLER, Amick in BLUE GENDER, The Fever Demon in SHIN CHAN, Kyo’s Mother in FRUITS BASKET,
Kasuga in NEGIMA and Paula “Lady Death” in TRINITY BLOOD. She has also voiced characters in:
KIDDY GRADE, CASE CLOSED, YU YU HAKUSHO, PEACH GIRL, XXXAHOLIC, ONE PIECE, GALAXY RAILWAYS, TSUBASA, GUNSLINGER GIRL, MOON PHASE, GLASS FLEET and many others.
Video Game credits include: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST AND THE BROKEN ANGEL, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir and SPIKEOUT: Battlestreet. Wendy’s first love is the
Theatre (although anime is quickly catching up!!!), she works in local theatre in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
J. Michael Tatum – “Scar”
Nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of STAR BLAZERS, et
al, this reclusive fanboy-turned-voice actor/writer/ADR director/flake extraordinaire spent more years than he cares to remember in what might
charitably be described as freefall before landing –mostly by accident
– smack dab on the industry of his dreams. To this day, some believe
the small crater made by the impact remains the source of his power.
Discovered by FUNimation warhorse and visionary ADR director Christopher Bevins, who cast him as Rikichi in 2005’s SAMURAI 7, Tatum’s
inexplicable luck held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of
dream roles. Aside from being cast as Scar in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST:
BROTHERHOOD, he is most notably recognized as Kyoya Otori in the
hit English-language dub of OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB.
Other characters the man still can’t believe he’s had the crazy good fortune to play include: Doumeki in
XXXHOLIC, Jiro Mochizuki in BLACK BLOOD BROTHERS, Isaac Dian in BACCANO!, God Eneru in
the new dub of ONE PIECE, Komui Lee in D-GRAY MAN, Dororo in SGT. FROG and the titular loveable
savage of HEROIC AGE… not to mention Lawrence in SPICE AND WOLF.
His vocal “stylings,” much to the chagrin of drama teachers everywhere, he’s sure, have also been
featured in ROMEO X JULIET, SPEED GRAPHER, TRINITY BLOOD, KENICHI: THE MIGHTIEST DISCIPLE, BLACK CAT, NABARI NO OU, GHOST HUNT, SCHOOL RUMBLE, THE TOWER OF DRUAGA, AQUARION, TSUBASA: RESERVOIR CHRONICLES, SHUFFLE, SHIGURUI, GLASS FLEET,
MUSHISHI and the feature-length film VEXILLE, among many others.
And as if being involved with so many awesome shows wasn’t enough, in late 2007 the fluky so-and-so
tempted fate by officially branching out into ADR directing and adaptive scriptwriting for FUNimation
as well. His ADR directing credits to date include AQUARION, JYU-OH-SEI, ROMEO X JULIET, BIG
WINDUP and RIN, while his writing credits include substantial work on OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST
CLUB, HEROIC AGE and BLASSREITER.
He is currently burning the midnight oil on a number of exciting projects due for release later this year.
And before you ask, the “J” stands for… Well, it stands for whatever you’d like it to.
SpeciAl Events Guests
Musical Guest
Mari Iijima
MARI IIJIMA is an accomplished singer and songwriter who released
numerous Top-10 albums through Victor Entertainment Japan and
Warner Music Japan. She wrote all of the music for her critically acclaimed debut album Rosé, which was produced by renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Throughout her career Mari has worked with
the music industry’s greatest musicians including Alan Parsons Project, Toto and members of the John Mayer Band.
Her 2004 release, Wonderful People was a smash hit and stayed on
the top of an Indie album chart for over 5 consecutive weeks. Mari has
won several awards including the FM Osaka Best New Artist Award
and the Japan Audio Society Golden Jubilee Award two years in a row,
which is voted on by both Japanese & American judges. She was also nominated for the 2000 Los
Angeles Music Awards’ Best Pop Artist Award for her first independently released album, No Limit. At
the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, Mari won the Best Song Award for her song “Unspoken Love”
from her album, Wonderful People.
In addition to singing and songwriting, Mari has also appeared in film, television, and on radio in both
Japan and the U.S. In 2004, Mari starred in the short feature film GREEN TEA-R and also wrote and
performed the film’s theme song, “Petal”. GREEN TEA-R won the top honor of Grandprix at the Takarazuka Film Festival in Japan, Silver Screen Award at US International Film & Video Festival and was
shown at the Berlin Film Festival.
Recently, Mari reprised the role of Lynn Minmay in the animated series SUPER DIMENSION FORTRESS
MACROSS, making her the first actor to voice the same character in both English and Japanese.
In November of 2006, Mari released her 20th studio album, Uncompromising Innocence, which she wrote,
arranged and produced, with collaborative contributions from David LaBruyere (John Mayer Band, Sugarland), Michael Chaves (John Mayer Band, Low Millions, Mandy Moore), and Mick Karn (Japan, Dali’s Car).
In 2007, Mari received proof of entry for the 50th Grammy Awards Provided Entries for ‘Swim,’ a track
on her 2006 album, Uncompromising Innocence. Her listed entries are for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category and the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) category.
She released her 21st studio album, Echo, in September of 2009.
On Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 8pm, Mari will be treating MechaCon attendees to a very special musical
concert you won’t want to miss! It’s open to all attendees, so be sure to check it out!
Cosplay Guest
Clover
Clover is a seasoned cosplayer based out of Houston, Texas. She’s
also widely known under the alias “Cherry” in the anime convention
scene. Clover has been cosplaying for nearly ten years now and has
been all over the country doing everything from giving panels, hosting
cosplay events and competing to working for conventions.
She’s extremely happy to be returning to MechaCon, where she hosted
cosplay for the first three years and then returned to host again in 2009.
She admits MechaCon is still one of her favorite cons to go to.
She will be hosting construction and performance panels over the
weekend, and is more than happy to help the awesome attendees of
MechaCon out! Whether you’re just starting out, or a cosplayer looking to learn some new skills and
tricks for your hobby, she is more than happy to answer any questions you may have and cannot wait to
see everyone again this year!
Guests of Honor
Since the beginning of MechaCon, our show has had a lasting and exciting relationship
with Harmony Gold. Join us as we continue this tradition and celebrate...
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Richard Epcar – “Ben Dixon/ Vince Grant”
RICHARD EPCAR started out in ROBOTECH playing Ben Dixon, Lunk, Grel
and Capt. Vince Grant. He’s well known for playing Batou in GHOST IN THE
SHELL, Jigen in LUPIN THE THIRD and BOBOBO-BOBOBO. He’s in TRANSFORMERS, BLEACH, X-MEN, THE MEN SHOW, MONSTER, NARUTO, NOEIN,
DIGIMON, WITCH HUNTER ROBIN, LUCKY STAR and many more!
Richard did the lead voice in many games including MORTAL KOMBAT VS.
D.C. UNIVERSE as The Joker and Raiden, STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR,
STAR WARS: OLD REPUBLIC, TRANSFORMERS, COMMAND & CONQUER 4,
MODNATION, D.C. UNIVERSE as Green Arrow, MORTAL KOMBAT as Raiden,
STARCRAFT 2 as Dark Templar, XENOSAGA I,II,III as Ziggarat 8, KINGDOM
HEARTS II as Ansem and Xenohort, WARCRAFT, NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA
3, COWBOY BEBOP and SAMURAI WARRIORS, to name only a few.
His voice talents reach to directing as well, including games such as: BLUE DRAGON,
SHADOW HEARTS II, STAR OCEAN 2 & 3, ENEMY TERRITORY, QUAKE WARS, UNREAL TOURNAMENT 3,VEGAS,
JACKASS THE GAME, SMACKDOWN VS. RAW, DEAD HEAD FRED and VICTORIOUS BOXERS.
He also voice-directed the following films / anime / animation: GHOST IN THE SHELL 2, ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW
CHRONICLES, THE REEF, NOEIN, DIGIMON, LUPIN THE THIRD, FIGHTING SPIRIT, PATLABOR 3, ZENTRIX,
AZUMI I & II, FEARLESS, BETTY BLUE, TAE GUK GI, WIDOW OF ST. PIERRE, IRON MONKEY, VR TROOPERS,
POWER RANGERS, UGLY BETTY WEBISODES and OLD BOY.
An accomplished stage/film/television actor, ADR director and International Supervisor for Universal Pictures and
DreamWorks, Richard has adapted and directed hundreds of live action foreign films - many of which are Academy
Award Winning films - into English. He is the President of EPCAR ENTERTAINMENT, INC..
Kevin McKeever – Harmony Gold
MechaCon is extremely proud of our continued partnership with Harmony Gold. With
MechaCon being a stop on the 25th Anniversary Robotech Convention Tour, ROBOTECH
fans will again be treated to the latest news, industry info and goodies from Harmony Gold.
As a part of the tour’s return to MechaCon, we are privileged to welcome back Operations
Coordinator KEVIN McKEEVER to our event as an honored Industry Guest.
A graduate of the Lighting Design program at Emerson College in Boston (the only
comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts context), Mr. McKeever has been working in the
entertainment industry for nearly 15 years. He has worked in theater production at
world class venues such as the world-famous Goodspeed Opera House and worldfamous Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, the Emerson Majestic Theater in Boston
and the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut, which he helped open in 1996.
His television production credits include JACKASS, KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST
THINGS, GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, KRYPTON FACTOR, FARMCLUB.COM and THE 60’S as well as various television commercials. His film credits include MYSTERY MEN, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME and BILLY FRANKENSTEIN.
Kevin has also served as Assistant VP of Production for feature film producer and New York Times best-selling author Lynda Obst.
Kevin’s first official assignment in the Robotech universe was as an audit of Robotech’s television ratings and viewer demographics during its original run in the 1980s. Kevin’s analysis of the ratings in a cost effective manner along with his
years of production experience made him a natural candidate for the Robotech team. With production of the sequel to
ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES well underway and 2010 being the 25th Anniversary of Robotech, team
MechaCon is excited to see what ROBOTECH goodness Kevin will bring to whet fans’ appetites!
Tony Oliver – “Rick Hunter”
TONY OLIVER began his career 25 years ago as an actor on stage and camera
performing in several feature films and dozens of plays. He found success as
a voice over artist, lending his voice to one of the first foreign made animated
features to receive wide US release, THE SEA PRINCE AND THE FIRE CHILD.
His first foray into television was as the lead voice, Rick Hunter, in the groundbreaking animated series ROBOTECH.
Following that he turned his attention to writing but continued his voice acting
career. In 1988 he joined Saban Entertainment as a story editor where he wrote
and produced an award winning adaptation of THE JUNGLE BOOK and story
edited the long running Nickelodeon anime series THE NOOZLES. In 1992,
Tony was tapped to help create a new kind of children’s television show. The
result was the mega hit, THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS. Tony
not only served as the development producer but also wrote the pilot, produced
the network presentation, co-produced the series, directed the voice actors, and produced the Power Rangers live
appearance at Universal Studios, which drew an estimated 50,000 people on a single day.
In 1999 Tony left Saban Entertainment but has continued to develop, produce, voice and direct numerous projects for TV,
video games, and new media. More recent projects include .HACK//GU a multi-player online video game; DAIGUNDER,
an animated series for ABC Family/Disney; GURREN LAGANN, a breakthrough anime series airing on Syfy; EUREKA
SEVEN: GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, YOUNG LOVERS which premiered on screens nationwide last fall and GORMITI
an original animated show currently airing on Cartoon Network. Tony’s many voice acting credits include, the title character
of Lupin in LUPIN THE 3RD, Hibiki in VANDREAD, Gojyo in SAYUKI RELOAD, Harry in GUN GRAVE, Ranmaru in
TOKKO, Shinbo in CHO-BITS, Ulquiorra in BLEACH and Saba in the MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS.
Tony has also provided numerous voices in video games such as DELTA FORCE: BLACK HAWK DOWN, LORD OF
THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE RING, DYNASTY WARRIORS, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, EVERQUEST, NEVERWINTER KNIGHTS, XENOSAGA, MAGNA CARTA II and BLAZBLUE.
Ellyn Stern
ELLYN STERN began acting at the age of 12. She is a classically trained actress
known for both her dramatic and comedic roles. Her career spans from film to
television to stage. Ellyn’s career in anime began with the original ROBOTECH
series, in which she played several characters.
Most recently she can be heard as Yu’s Mom in NOEIN, Jack’s Mom in MAR, and
Ichigo’s mom, Masaki Kurosaki, in BLEACH. She voiced Haraway in GHOST IN
THE SHELL 2 - INNOCENCE. She played Rosalind in Armitage III, Himeno in
FIGHT!! Spirit of the Sword, Sayaka in MENTAL FIGHTER MIKU, Moru
in VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU, Hiroshi’s Mom in ZENKI, ZENTRIX, MINI PATO,
DIGIMON, BOBOBO-BOBO-BOBO, Parome in GENMA WARS, numerous roles
in MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM - The Movie Trilogy, BUSHIDO BLADE 2, LUPIN
the 3rd, PATLABOR 3, and FIGHTING SPIRIT, to name just a few. You’ve
also heard her on SHADOW HEARTS II as Veronica Vera and other characters.
AERO WINGS 1 & 2, JADE COCOON, SUPER MAGNETIC NEO and GALERIANS are games she directed and
also voiced. Other CD-Rom games include BLUE DRAGON, INHERITTHE EARTH and ABBY. On film she starred
in JESSIE’S GIRL, co-starred in DUCHESS THE DIRTWATER FOX, co-starred in FATAL CHARM, and PRISONER
IN THE MIDDLE aka WARHEAD. Her television shows include AMERICAN CARROTT, CHARLIE’S ANGELS, and
recurring characters on GENERAL HOSPITAL, SANTA BARBARA, and DAYS OF OUR LIVES. She is the lead voice
in many live action feature films that have been adapted into English including Academy Award winners CINEMA
PARADISO, BELLE EPOQUE, EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN, KIKA, MOSTLY MARTHA, WOMEN ON THE VERGE
OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and FENCING MASTER, to name only a few.
She just completed shooting and starring in the film THE WAITING ROOM. Other films she has completed this year
are BOTH THUMBS, THE OTHER WAY, ELECTRONICA 2, ELDAD, and IMA. She appeared on CLEAN SWEEP
with her husband, Richard Epcar. She also starred with Richard in Neil Simon’s hit play RUMORS at Theatre 40 in
Beverly Hills. She starred at the Kirk Douglas Center Theatre Group, playing Jacqueline Kennedy in WE’LL NEVER
BE YOUNG AGAIN. Ellyn recently starred in the award winning play APPLE at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, where
she received rave reviews. Immediately following APPLE, Ellyn starred in MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION, playing
the role of Mrs. Warren at the famed Bistro Gardens to much acclaim.
Guests of Honor
Dan Woren – “Roy Fokker/Gen. Reinhardt”
Dan Woren is best known to the anime community for his portrayal of tragichero Roy Fokker in the ROBOTECH series. Dan has been a working in “VoiceOver Land” for well over two decades.
Some of his credits include: Jagi in FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, Rene D’anclaude
in ARMITAGE III, Cobra in SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA, Pops in SPEED RACER
X, Hauser Blackwell in WILD ARMS, Yang Neuman in MACROSS PLUS, Zorthy
Kanai in GURREN LAGANN, Gwendal in KYO KARA MAOH, Igor in PERSONA III,
Hans Schuvald in MONSTER, and currently as Byakuya Kuchiki in BLEACH.
This July marks not only Dan’s first appearance at MechaCon, but also his first
trip to the beautiful city of New Orleans. Based on the great attitude of the MechCon folks, the music, and the legendary cuisine of the Big Easy, Mr. Woren is
looking to come away from this experience with happy ears, a full stomach, and
hopefully, some new friends, courtesy of the South, ya’ll…
Tommy Yune – Harmony Gold
TOMMY YUNE has worked for over a decade in the comic book and video game
industries. His early game development experience includes character design of
the pioneering 3D fighting game FX FIGHTER for the Nintendo SuperFX chip and
conceptual design of the award-winning JOURNEYMAN PROJECT series. He
also wrote and illustrated hit comic book titles such as SPEED RACER, RACER
X, ROBOTECH, and DANGER GIRL: KAMIKAZE which were published by DC
Comics’ Wildstorm and Cliffhanger labels. His first work in feature animation was
creating the computer-generated opening sequence of Kevin Altieri’s GEN13.
Tommy grew up on a steady diet of anime, watching as much PRINCE PLANET,
GATCHAMAN and CASSHAN as he could in Asia and the United States. Then
he shunned television and went back to being a responsible student to the delight of his parents. However, right before entering the UCLA School of Engineering, ROBOTECH brought anime back into his life and he eventually found
himself at the ArtCenter College of Design instead. His parents wept.
Tommy first worked in an official capacity for the ROBOTECH universe by helping design Robotech.com for its
launch in 2001. He has since become Harmony Gold’s creative director and oversees new development, including
ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES which completed production in 2006.
With production of the sequel to ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES well underway, team MechaCon is
biting at the bit to hear what ROBOTECH goodness Tommy will bring to the fans!
Rest In Peace
CARL
MACEK
(1951 - 2010)
c
r
e
a t o
r
o
f
ROBOTECH
FeAtured Artists
Robby Musso
Robby Musso is a native New Orleanian artist with a lifelong passion
for comics, toys, animation, and giant robots. He is best known for his
work on popular comic titles such as Transformers and Speed
Racer for IDW Publishing and Fun Publications. In addition to drawing comics and sequential art, he has also worked officially with Hasbro
Toys, providing pre-production art for several of their flagship toylines
including Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars.
Robby’s enthusiasm for the mech/robot genre has also been the inspiration for many of his personal, original fan creations, most notably his own
Transformers fan character “Rex”, as well as the Speed Racer-inspired variable racing machines “Mech-5” and the “Cyber-Star”.
For more information, please visit Robby Musso on Facebook and MySpace, and also on deviantArt
as username “REX-203”.
Amelie Belcher
Amelie “Ami-Chan” Belcher was born in Baton-Bloody-BoringRouge, Louisiana where the combination of chemical plant fumes and
river water did major damage to her fragile little mind at an early age. By
all accounts, she started drawing at the age of five (when she figured out
that the pencil goes on the paper and not up your nose) and didn’t stop
drawing until she ran out of paper... twenty years later.
Amelie taught high school art for four years, but lost interest in teaching
when it started cutting into her drinking time. She now travels the country
selling her award-winning art, doing one-of-a-kind commissions for congoers, giving the best damn panels on earth, and being paid tribute to by
her army of fans known as the “Ami Army” in the form of Pocky and manga.
Known as “the angriest chick on the net,” she is the creator of the popular web comic “The Real Life
Adventures of Amelie” at Cordeval.com which is read by desperately bored people all around the world.
Artists Alley
A. Amelie Belcher
B. Robby Musso
C.
1. Sugary Mochi Productions
2. Fools We Be
3. Monica Zabicki & Krista Zabicki
4. La Vie en Rose Designs / Kumai Designs
5. Birdseed - Alison Strom
6. Birdseed - Rachel Strom
7. Dominique & Kendra Zeringue
8. Savann Mok
9. Fuu and RoRo Sez
10. Ani Pirates
11. Carpe Noctum Studios
12. Minty Mix
13. Deculture!
14. Holly Fedderman
15. Neo-Realms
16. Sew-It-All-Creations
17. Ara &Ashley’s Art
18. Fifi Mahony’s
19. Hoshikko Ink!
20. Amanda Fontenot & Matt Martin
21. Access-O-Ruse
22. Sweet Plushie Cake Creations
23. Pleasantly Strange
24. Ninja Beast Online
25. Uniform Violators Anonymous
26. Narcissism
27. Alissa Warren Papercrafts
28. Anna & Kayla Alexander
29. Sasuke.com
30. The Yami Yakuza
Electronic GAming
Console Gaming
What would an anime convention be without the hottest
in console gaming, both the latest and greatest as well
as old school? Operating all day and all night, our console gaming room doesn’t fail to deliver! This year, we’re
proud to announce your console gaming needs will be
fullfilled by our friends from www.thescoreonline.com
Here are some of the games you’ll find:
Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Mario Galaxy 2
The NEW Super Mario Bros.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom
PS3
Bayonetta
Rock Band
BlazeBlue Continuum Shift
Wipeout Fury
Fist of the North Star
Tekken 6
Xbox 360
Super Street Fighter IV
Transformers: War for Cybertron
Halo ODST
Left 4 Dead 2
Tournaments
Want to test your mettle? MechaCon’s gaming tournaments
may be just the thing for you! Rules and sign-up will be
held in the Game Room till one hour before the tournament.
Slots are limited, so sign up early. For tournament slot
count and availability, inquire in the Game Room.
Pay Tournaments:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii
$10 entry fee
1:00pm Saturday ($500 guarantee)
Finals will be on Sunday afternoon
in the Main Events Room
Super Street Fighter IV – Xbox 360
$10 entry fee
1:00pm Saturday ($500 guarantee)
Finals will be on Sunday afternoon
in the Main events room
Registration for both of the tournaments will be in the
game room all day Friday and Saturday until the tournaments begin. Detailed tournament rules will be printed
out and available in the game room.
Every moment counts as you control a thirty-foot tall,
75-ton walking tank, blasting your way to victory. Enjoy
the hunt for prey in a futuristic wasteland from inside
MechCorps’ BattleMech Cockpit Simulator Pods.
During MechaCon, go up against seven live and up to
an additional eight AI opponents in team or free-for-all
mayhem. BattleTech is not hide and seek, it’s seek and
destroy.
A short training session will get you ready for battle.
Afterwards, you can talk smack while enjoying a mission review video of your battle and comparing your
scoresheet to the other pilots in your mission.
MECHANIC
ZEE
Name: Zelda Phillips, Lieutenant, junior grade
Date of Birth: 08/01/2307
Place of Birth: Greenfield, Oklahoma
Specialties: Mechanical Engineering, Electronic /
Electrical Engineering, A.I. Programming
Other Aptitudes: Linguistics, Cryptography, Applied
Physics
Background: Zelda grew up on a rural farm, but had
a passion for mechanics at a young age. She learned
the basics of mechanical engineering by repairing farm
machinery and, by age 12, was using spare parts from
damaged farm equipment and items salvaged from
local junkyards and a nearby abandoned military base
to construct crude, unarmed mecha. Her unusual name
and even more unusual hobby led to a good bit of ribbing
by the other children in the area. By the time she was
a teenager, she was a social recluse and answered only
to the name “Zee.”
Zee had no aspirations to join the military, but destiny
had a different plan for her. A chance encounter led to
her being discovered by Admiral Russell, Naval liaison
to the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative, when his vehicle broke down
near the Phillips’ farm. Zee’s father offered her repair
services to the Admiral, who was stunned to find two fully
functional, if somewhat crude, mechs in the barn where
Zee worked on his vehicle. After a brief conversation
with Zee revealed that she had built these mechs from nothing more than spare parts, Admiral Russell realized he had a
prodigy on his hands. He immediately suggested to Zee and her father that she should enroll in the academy. She was
reluctant, but her father encouraged it, hoping she would find a better life for herself in the military.
Zee felt very out of place in the academy, but constantly impressed her superiors and instructors with her seemingly
instinctive knack for designing, building and maintaining anything mechanical. Admiral Russell kept a personal interest in
her career, fully intent on bringing her into the the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative as soon as she was able to be reassigned. Upon
completing the academy’s intensive engineering program two years ahead of schedule, Zee was awarded a commission
and became the youngest officer in the history of the space fleet. Admiral Russell had her assigned to the G.E.A.R.E.
Initiative and stationed on the moon base the day after she graduated. There, she remained a vital part of the G.E.A.R.E.’s
design and maintenance team until destiny once again intervened to make her Jett’s co-pilot.
Classification: Military Combat Mech, Prototype Bio-Mechanical Unit with Self-Healing Organic Metal Chassis,
Designation - G.E.A.R.E. (Genetically Enhanced Armored Robotics Experiment)
Operational Modes: Pilot/Co-Pilot (bio-sync interface [experimental]) or Single Pilot Jet Mode and Single Pilot Tank
Mode (standard controls)
Capabilities: Multiple Combat Modes (hand-to-hand, vehicle to vehicle, close to medium range), Extra and InnerAtmospheric Operation, Single and Dual Pilot Operation, Component Separation with Independent Operational Functions
Weapon Systems: Medium Range Heavy Plasma Ejection Cannons (2, hip-mounted/tank mode), Short Range
Heavy Combat-Grade Laser Projectors (4, leg-mounted/tank mode), Medium-Range Concussion Mini-Missile
Launchers (2, 6 projectiles each, shoulder-mounted/jet mode, concealed), Close Range Light Combat-Grade Laser
Projectors (2, forearm-integrated/jet mode)
Armor: Heavy Combat Grade, Mission-Specific Upgrade/Downgrade Capable
Power Systems: Dual Biological Trans-Mutagenic Fusion Reactors (estimated operational lifetime, approx. 170 yrs.)
Control Systems: Bio-engineered Neural Net Computer with Predictive Real-Time Tactical and Combat Interface,
Limited A.I. (non-sentient) Operating System
Bio-mechanoid
G.E.A.R.E.
Project History: The G.E.A.R.E. Initiative began as a
civilian project run by Eli Voronin, a brilliant but paranoid
and xenophobic engineer with a record of productive government contracts. Voronin feared that Earth’s servantclass androids, the Owaan, would one day turn against
humanity and felt that the military should have a plan to
defend against them should that happen. The Earth and
United Colonies’ military forces were, Voronin believed,
too dependent on Owaan-built and maintained mecha and
other vehicles. While not a popular opinion, certain factions within the military agreed and proceeded to co-fund
Voronin’s research.
However, Voronin became increasingly paranoid and demanded more and more security, insisting that all Owaan
be removed from the moon base where initial testing was
to take place. He also began keeping confidential records
of tests and designs, refusing to allow the military full access to the project. The military liaisons assigned to the
project, General Barnes and Admiral Russell, recommended
moving the project out of civilian hands. The EUC government agreed and Voronin was taken off the project.
The G.E.A.R.E. Initiative proceeded in extreme secrecy,
under the joint control of the EUC Naval Space Fleet
and Army branches. As time went on, without any private backing, funding for the project became difficult to
maintain. Many government officials, especially those
from Owaan-dependent colonies, did not see the necessity of a defense against the Owaan, which were thought
by almost everyone to be harmless and safely subservient. This was not an irrational view, given the extensive
safeguards required by EUC law regarding artificial intelligence programming.
There were also concerns regarding initial failures to find
pilots capable of operating the G.E.A.R.E. The experimental bio-interface was designed to ensure that only humans
with proper training could operate the mech, and required
a pilot and co-pilot who were in a form of biological synchronization with both the G.E.A.R.E. and each other. The
design proved to be more secure than even Voronin had
intended, and nearly 30 candidates were paired and repaired in every combination before anyone was able to get
even the most basic function out of the mech. In fact, the
G.E.A.R.E.’s current pilots, Lieutenant Nina “Jett” Palazola
and Lieutenant, JG Zelda “Zee” Phillips, are the only team
to successfully pilot the G.E.A.R.E. in a combat situation.
In spite of its dubious reputation, the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative’s
worth was proven recently, when the Owaan staged a coup,
invading and taking over Luna Colony and Lunar Naval
Facility and effectively blockading Earth. The G.E.A.R.E.,
piloted by Jett and Zee, is now Earth’s last line of defense.
pilot
Jett
Name: Nina Palazola, Lieutenant
Date of Birth: 08/26/2305
Place of Birth: Ares Vallis Colony, Mars
Specialties: Piloting (anti-grav, fixed wing / extraatmospheric, mecha), Combat Tactics and Strategy
Other Aptitudes: Marksmanship, Hand-to-Hand Combat
Background: Nina was raised by her father, a pilot on
the anti-gravity racing circuit. By age 14, she had already
proven her own skills as a racing pilot, but unlike her
father, she refused to get dirty working on engines. At
age 17, after false accusations of cheating resulted in
her and her father being banned from circuit racing,
Nina was recruited into the academy. Having witnessed
Nina’s impressive piloting skills, General Barnes, head
of the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative, immediately recognized her
potential. Barnes believed in Nina’s innocence despite her
impetuous and sometimes overbearing personality, and
believed the military could smooth her rough edges. Not
only did she have the aptitude and potential to be a great
asset to the military, but military service would give her
an outlet to feed her hunger for flying. Barnes began evaluating her potential with the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative before she
even agreed to enroll in the academy.
In the academy, “Jett,” as she was called by her classmates, received the highest ratings in the piloting of almost
every type of aircraft and mech. General Barnes began
to hope his gamble in recruiting this young lady for
the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative was about to payoff. Unable to wait her entire academic term, the General gave Jett a field
commission and assigned her to the program two years before she was scheduled to graduate. The youngest pilot
candidate in the program, Jett was the only one who was able to evoke any response from the prototype G.E.A.R.E.’s
extremely difficult bio-interface. She was paired with a string of potential co-pilots, with only one, Mitsuko Sasaki (call-sign
“Toku”), showing any promise of being able to sync with Jett and the G.E.A.R.E. simultaneously, a necessity for the mech
to fully function.
When Mitsuko was killed during the initial attack of the Owaan Uprising, Jett was forced to pair with Zee, a mechanic
with the G.E.A.R.E. Initiative. The pairing proved to be the most effective ever, and the G.E.A.R.E. finally performed as
intended, if not better.
Friday, July 16th
1:00pm - Basic Cosplay Photoshoot Makeup
Presented by Itsuki
• Panel Room 2
3:00pm - Intro to Independent Film Making
Presented by Kevin McKeever
• Panel Room 3
Cosplay 101
Presented by Clover
• Panel Room 2
4:00pm - Makeup FX for Films
Presented by Changeling FX
• Panel Room 2
Lolita Fashion
Presented by Kelli Sarre
• Panel Room 1
Convention Safety
Presented by Brandon LeBlanc
• Panel Room 3
5:00pm - Asian Ball Joint Dolls
Presented by Melissa Roule
• Panel Room 3
6:00pm - Otakuism
Presented by Brian Pittman
• Panel Room 2
How to Startup a Comic Shop
Presented by Dominique Ducote
• Panel Room 1
7:00pm - Japanese Speech 101
Presented by Matteo Nagelberg
• Panel Room 3
• Panel Room 1
• Video Room I (LA Galerie 3)
Who’s Line is it Anime? (18+)
Presented by J. Hewitt Hall
• Panel Room 2
1:00am - Yaoi Night (18+)
Presented by Itsuki
• Panel Room 2
Presented by DJ Wildfire
• Panel Room 1
3:00pm - Westernization of Video
Games and Anime
• Panel Room 1
4:00pm - Robotech Unplugged
Presented by Kevin McKeever & Crew
• Panel Room 2
6:00pm - Adventures in Voice Acting
Presented by Tony Oliver
• Panel Room 2
Fireside Chat II (With a Vengence)
Presented by Ai no Shinobi
• Panel Room 3
7:00pm - How to Play Shogi
Presented by Hirohito Togashi
• Panel Room 1
Makeup FX for Films II
• Panel Room 3
• Panel Room 3
Women in Anime
Presented by Ellyn Stern
• Panel Room 1
12:00pm - The Future of Anime
• Panel Room 2
1:00pm - 25 Years of Robotech
Q&A and signing with Richard Epcar,
Kevin McKeever, Tony Oliver, Ellyn Stern
Dan Woren & Tommy Yune
• Panel Room 2
• Panel Room 2
• Panel Room 2
Cosplay Wigs & Accessories
Presented by Clover
• Panel Room 2
11:00am - How NOT to Draw
Presented by Amelie Belcher
Presented by Itsuki
• Panel Room 1
10:00am - Meet MechaCon’s Mascots
Presented by Jett & Zee
10:30am - Comic and Manga Production
Presented by Tommy Yune
• Panel Room 2
Crossplay for Men and Women
Sunday, July 18th
DJ Wildfire, the House Party & You
12:00am - Late Night Anime Dating Game (18+)
Presented by Juni
• Panel Room 1
10:00am - Cosplay Presentation
Presented by Count D
• Panel Room 3
2:00pm - Introduction to Japanese Writing
9:00pm - War Stories From Conventions
• Panel Room 1
10:00pm - TMI with Amelie & Friends (18+)
Presented by David Adams
• Panel Room 2
Saturday, July 17th
1:00pm - In the Name of the Moon
8:00pm - Ballroom Dancing
10:00pm - Anime Bloopers with
Lupin the 3rd and Jigen (18+)
PAnel Schedule
• Panel Room 1
Voice Acting & Directing
Presented by Ellyn Stern & Richard Epcar
• Panel Room 3
12:00pm - A Quarter Century of Robotech
• Panel Room 2
2:00pm - Cosplay: Performance & Skits!
Presented by Clover
• Panel Room 1
Japanese Gothic Literature
Presented by Dominique Ducote
• Panel Room 3
3:00pm - Introduction to Leatherworking
Presented by Itsuki
• Panel Room 2
Do Anime Conventions
Have a Future?
• Panel Room 1
PAnels & PresentAtions
Informative panels have always been and continue to be in high demand at anime events around the world.
MechaCon has gathered a variety of panels on many different subjects for attendees to experience and enjoy!
Cosplay 101
New to cosplay? Trying to get the basics down? This will be
a general panel about all aspects of cosplay and craftsmanship. We’ll be talking about how to get started, patterns, sewing,
wigs, make-up, where to get materials, and more!
Presented by Clover
Lolita Fashion
HEY YOU. Want the 411 on the cutest fashion EVER?
At this panel we will discuss the origins of the Lolita statement,
the anatomy of a Lolita outfit, substyles of Lolita fashion (the
gothic, the sweet, the classic), popular brands, and we will also
take your questions. If you’re a curious beginner looking for
some information and tips, want to meet other Lolita fans, or
just want to come by and flaunt your Lolita spirit, come on down
and hang out with us! Welcome to Kawaii Overload.
Presented by Kelli Sarre
Asian Ball Joint Dolls
Come join a panel covering the history of asian ball-joint dolls
as they originated in Japan and spread along with what qualifies as an abjd, details like pricing, types, sizes, countries that
carry them and other such things.
Presented by Melissa Roule
Do Anime Conventions Have a Future?
Oil is over $60 USD per barrel, airlines are raising fares while
cutting services, inflation is on the rise, the economy is slowing
and disposable income is on the decline. Can anime conventions survive, let alone grow, in this environment?
Fireside Chat II (With a Vengeance)
With the success of last year’s session, the Ninja of Love returns
for another frank and thoughtful discussion about life, love, and
the anime that parodies it. Please join in and leave hesitation at
the door. It’s time for us to honestly discuss what is truly important in life and how to get where we want to go. With motivation
and dedication, anything is possible. A sincere evening where
we discover that we can do the impossible and see the invisible!
How to Startup a Comic Shop
Obviously, no store in their right mind would want to reveal how
much money they truly make or help anyone along in establishing a competing comic shop business. Luckily, Dom Ducote did
his homework and in this panel, is happy to pass it along to all
of the enterprising future business owners out there.
Presented by Dom Ducote
How to play Shogi
Come join Hirohiigo Togashi from Mechacon’s forums as he
teaches you how to play the game of shogi. In addition, he will
delve a little into the game’s history and origins.
Presented by Hirohiigo Togashi
Meet MechaCon’s Mascots!
Q&A with Mechacon’s very own mascots, Jett and Zee! Ask
questions, get photos and signatures!
Presented by Jett and Zee
Convention Safety
Join MechaCon staffer Brandon LeBlanc as he talks about how
to make your convention experience and safe one.
Presented by Brandon LeBlanc
Ballroom Dancing
Planning to attend the Formal Cosplay-optional Ball? Here’s your
last chance to brushup on your ballroom dancing skills and etiquette.
War Stories from the Conventions
Do you think touring around anime conventions is easy, glamorous and luxurious? If you think so you are in for a shock as
Kevin McKeever tells you about the good, the bad and funny of
life touring around anime conventions!
Cosplay Presentation
Once the last stitch is done, and the Aquanet is empty, there is only
one thing left to do, and that’s your Presentation. In this delightful and
fun filled panel you will be guided on how to create, and execute a successful Skit that will catch the judges’ attention. You will also be given
tips and pointers on how to pose for photographers to look your best.
Presented by Count D
Makeup FX for Film: Parts 1 & 2
Changeling FX has worked on films in Los Angeles, New York and
here in New Orleans. We create all forms of prosthetics in foam latex
and silicone for the actors. Also, we design full creature bodysuits.
Our work can be seen in films as Day of the Dead ‘07, The Librarian
3, Scream of the Banshee, etc. We do demos of everything from
blood guns to face casts. Anything you fear, we can bring to life.
Voice Acting & Directing
Ellyn and Richard bring 30 years of experience to the table. Starting with Robotech, they will discuss voice acting and directing.
Presented by Ellyn Stern & Richard Epcar
Introduction to Independent Film Making
Join industry veteran Kevin McKeever as he shows you the ins
and outs of getting a career started in the world of indy filmmaking!
Adventures in Voice Acting
Join veteran voice actor, director and producer Tony Oliver for lots of
fun and real information about what it takes to become a professional
voice actor. Tony will touch on basic skills you need and give some
helpful advice and exercises you can do at home. He’ll also answer all
your questions about breaking into this exciting profession. A few participants will get the chance to step up to the mic and try their hand at
voice-acting a character from some of your favorite anime and games.
Presented by Tony Oliver
DJ Wildfire, the House Party, and You
Find out more about MechaCon’s resident DJ Wildfire and everything
that goes into making the house party bigger and better every year.
ROBOTECH: Unplugged
The Robotech crew opens the floor to fans in a town hall-style
discussion about upcoming new Robotech projects.
Cosplay: Performance and Skits!
The best part about cosplay is really getting involved in the convention antics. Preparing a skit or performance is a real blast. In
this panel we’ll talk about posing, writing and performing skits,
and much more!
Presented by Clover
A Quarter Century of ROBOTECH
Join the Robotech crew as they cover the first quarter century of
the animated series that introduced a generation to anime, and discusses upcoming new releases in the wake of the announcement of
the live action feature film. We will also remember Carl Macek, the
original producer of Robotech who started this whole phenomenon.
Tsuki ni Kawatte! (In the Name of the Moon!)
A discussion of Sailor Moon and how it has affected popular culture
and anime. An open panel about everyone’s favorite Mahou Shoujo
series, we’ll be talking about a range of topics including cosplay, fan
productions, Japanese culture and much more. Hang out for a spectacular panel about arguably one of the greatest series of all time!
Future of Anime
The manga industry has been going through a lot of change, having a significant impact on animes being developed as well as what
comes out in America.
Basic Cosplay Photoshoot Makeup
Learn simple makeup techniques geared towards men and the
considerations needed, compared to women, when it comes to
applying makeup. Girls, bring your guy friends or come and learn
and impart wisdom to them later.
Presented by Itsuki
Sou desu ka: Japanese Speech 101
Cosplay Wigs and Accessories
A basic introduction to Japanese grammar and speaking language
including the difference between it and English; the use of particles,
nouns, adjectives, and verbs; simple greetings; the “etiquette” of
Japanese language; and accents.
Women In Anime
A scholarly look at the gothic/horror genre of literature in Japan,
focusing on the context in which Japan’s earliest gothic/horror literature was written, discussing symbolism in the genre and examining the works of authors such as Edogawa Rempo, Ueda Akinari,
and Kyoka Izumi, as well as a few others.
Presented by Dom Ducote
Wigs are usually one of the toughest parts of a costume to craft
thanks to the crazy designs of anime and video games, but they
can be really fun to style! Learn about how to select, cut, color,
accessorize and style wigs!
Presented by Clover
Ellyn Stern explores the role of women in the world of anime, how
it evolved, and what the future possibly holds. This is an interactive panel. Bring your heart and be prepared to share!
Presented by Ellyn Stern
How NOT to Draw with Amelie
Join Amelie as she humorously demonstrates all the common
sketch book mistakes of newbees, and then demonstrates the
correct way to draw. A crowd pleaser every time!
Crossplay for Men and Women
If you’ve ever wanted to crossplay, but are worried about looking foolish, this is the panel for you. Done poorly, crossplay can make you
prime fodder for bullies on the internet. Instead, come learn some tips
and tricks to make your crossplay a success! This is for both men and
women wanting to create the illusion of the opposite gender.
Presented by Itsuki
Westernization of Video Games and Anime
The design and release of anime games in both Japan and America
has been changing dramatically. Why some games do and don’t get
developed and why some games don’t get released in America will
be the discussed. The Americanization of the Manga art form has
also changed! We’ll analyze and discuss various authors and companies trying out the art form and how it impacts the manga market.
War Stories from the Conventions
Do you think touring around anime conventions is easy, glamorous and luxurious? If you think so you are in for a shock as Kevin
McKeever tells you about the good, the bad, and the funny of life
touring around anime conventions!
Intro to Leatherworking for Cosplay
Come see how easy it is to use real leather to make your cosplay
even more awesome! This panel discusses sewing with leather,
staining, stitching, carving, and embellishing leather with imprinted
designs, as well as tools and hardware.
Presented by Itsuki
Comic And Manga Production
A veteran of hit comics such as Speed Racer, Racer X, Robotech,
& Danger Girl: Kamikaze, Tommy covers modern production techniques and new options available to hopeful comic creators.
Presented by Tommy Yune
Japanese Gothic Literature
Otakuism
Join us as we discuss a show called Geeks of Akihabara which
shows many culutral impacts anime has had on Japan, and how
everyday life is reflected in both anime and manga. We’ll discuss
new technology called “cyberdolls” and a detailed analysis of dos
and don’ts of cosplaying.
Introduction to Japanese Writing:
What are all these Squares and Noodles?
A brief overview of the history of Japanese writing and a basic introduction to the three systems of hiragana, katakana, and kanji;
why there are three systems and why they are so obnoxious to
learn (and how to make them easier).
Anime Bloopers (18+)
with Lupin the 3rd & Jigen
Hilarious outtakes and bloopers of Lupin the 3rd, Bobobo-bo
Bo-bobo, and more!
TMI w/ Amelie & Friends (18+)
Join Amelie Belcher and friends as they discuss any and everything in this no-holds-barred 18+ only panel.
Whose Line is it Anime? (18+)
An improvised dubbing panel using a series of clipped scenes
from many animes. An emcee will call on members of the audience to lend voices to the select scenes.
Presented by J. Hewitt Hall
Late Night Anime Dating Game (18+)
Guess What? It’s back! Anime Dating Game returns for 2010!
Presented by Juni
Yaoi Night (18+)
Join us for a social event centered around yaoi! Meet new friends,
watch yaoi classics, play yaoi-themed games and maybe even win
some prizes to take home with you!
Presented by Itsuki
TAble-Top GAming Schedule
Come learn a new game, like Munchkin, or Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Come experience RPGs such as Robotech,
or Dungeons and Dragons. Naturally, we have ccg tournaments for you to show off your deck-building skills. And last,
but definitely not least, our epic, unique Star Wars Meta Scenario, The Sith Prophecies continues to roll on!
Friday, July 16th
Gaming Room 2 (continued)
Gaming Room 1
1:00pm - Free Play
2:00pm - Star Wars Miniatures
Demo and tournament
Gaming Room 3
7:00pm - Star Wars RPG
Gaming Room 2
1:00pm - Free Play
2:00pm - Robotech RPG
SHADOWs of the past - part 1
5:00pm - Free Play
6:00pm - Shadowrun RPG
After the Storm - part 1
9:00pm - Legend of the 5 Rings RPG
Legacy of Disaster
Gaming Room 3
1:00pm - Free Play
2:00pm - Spirit of the Century RPG
Bloodmoon Rising
5:00pm - Warhammer / Warhammer 40K
DEMO
Saturday, July 17th
Gaming Room 1
2:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Magic: The Gathering
Constructed Deck Tournament
After the Storm - PArt 2
9:00pm - Voltron: Defender of the Universe
SESSION 1
3:00pm - Munchkin
Event 2
10:00pm - Arkham Horror
Advanced Scenario
5:00pm - Free Play
SESSION 2
SESSION 2
SESSION 3
11:00pm - Dungeons & Dragons RPG
Gaming Room 2
12:00am - World of Darkness RPG
The High Price of Education - Part 1
3:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Arkham Horror
Demo
2:00pm - Robotech RPG
miniatures demo
12:00am - Zombies!
board game
6:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Yu-Gi-Oh!
Sealed Deck Tournament
2:00pm - Free Play
3:00pm - Yu-Gi-Oh!
Constructed Deck Tournament
7:00pm - Gaslight Victorian RPG
The Price of Immortality
10:00pm - Free Play
Sunday, July 18th
Gaming Room 1
3:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Monsterpocalypse
DEMO
12:00pm - Magic:The Gathering
Sealed Deck Tournament
5:00pm - Gaming Room 1 closes
Gaming Room 2
12:00am - World of Darkness RPG
The High Price of Education - Part 2
3:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Robotech RPG
1:00pm - Free Play
After the Storm - part 3
Gaming Room 3
12:00am - Humans!
board game
6:00am - Free Play
10:00am - Star Wars Miniatures
SESSION 3
11:00am - Dungeons and Dragons RPG
Valley of Smoke
SESSION 3
TAble-top GAming
This year, MechaCon’s Tabletop Gaming Department has a jam packed schedule! Come learn a new game, like Munchkin, or Voltron:
Defender of the Universe. Come experience RPGs such as Robotech, or Dungeons and Dragons. Naturally, we have CCG tournaments for
you to show off your deck-building skills. And last, but definitely not least, our epic, unique Star Wars Meta Scenario, The Sith Prophecies
continues to roll on! This year’s events include, (but are not limited too):
Customizable/Trading
Card Games
Naturally, Mechacon will give you the chance to compete for
prizes and glory in one of our tcg tournaments, (all sealed deck
tournaments will be handled by the good folks from BSI Comics).
This year we will have the following games:
Magic - The Gathering
From Wizards of the Coast
The Magic: The Gathering game, created by Richard Garfield,
established the Trading Card Game category in 1993. Today, it
continues to offer a fan base of more than 6 million players the opportunity to play both socially and competitively through leagues,
tournaments and in-store events. MTG is the world’s best trading
card game, and we support it with our best efforts.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
From Upper Deck
In Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, two players face off in an all-out
battle, engaging in a Match consisting of three duels. The main
battles are waged between incredible monsters split into an amazing 20 types, each with their own unique skills and fighting styles.
In addition, players can use Spell, set traps, change the battlefield
itself, and even fuse two monsters together to form a monster of
immense power!
Non-Trading Card Games
And of course, the ever popular Munchkin is back!
Munchkin
From Steve Jackson Games (Presented by Michael Lee)
Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your
friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run. Admit it.
You love it. This award-winning card game, designed by Steve
Jackson, captures the essence of the dungeon experience...
with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends
compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic
items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking.
Wield the Staff of Napalm... or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody
Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the
Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon...
And it’s illustrated by John Kovalic! Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while
they’re laughing, you can steal their stuff.
Miniatures
This year, Mechacon gives the chance to lead a powerful army across
the field of battle, as both and Warhammer and Warhammer 40K
return. Also, we’ll give you the opportunity to smash a city, with the
always fun Monsterapocalypse. And last but not least, we give you
the chance to use a blazing sword to cut those evil robeasts down,
with the Voltron: Defender of the Universe Battle Miniatures Game.
Monsterpocalypse
From Privateer Press (Presented by Josh Gremillion)
This is Monsterapocalypse, a fast-moving, action-packed strategy
game played with high-quality collectible miniatures portraying the
most fearsome giant monsters on Earth! Each battle takes place
in a city that you and your opponent construct by placing buildings
on a city map. Players choose their forces from their respective collections of figures and then battle one another with giant monsters
and supporting units such as tanks, flying vehicles, and all manner
of creatures. When the battle begins, you command your monster
and lead your units into the city to hunt down and destroy your opponent’s monster. To accomplish your mission, your monster and
units each have weapons and abilities that are activated by special
dice. The last monster standing wins the game!
Voltron:
Defender of the Universe
From Privateer Press (Presented by Josh Gremillion)
The evil Drule Empire threatens to enslave the entire galaxy. Against
this evil stands the Galaxy Alliance, led by the legendary Voltron,
Defender of the Universe! Now in the darkness of space, the fate of
untold galaxies is about to be decided. Which side will you choose?
Take control of the mighty Voltron and the Galaxy Alliance or LoTron of the fiendish Drule Empire as you wage battle across the
unforgiving reaches of space. Launch searing energy blasts, smash
your opponent into rogue asteriods, and form blazing sword as you
unleash the awesome power of two of the universe’s mightiest beings to achieve total victory!
Board Games
This year, Mechacon’s tabletop gaming department is proud to add
board games to the line up! Come sit down with your follow congoers
and enjoy these following games:
Arkham Horror
From Fantasy Flight Games (Presented by Michael “Q” Ahlf)
Beginner’s Demo
Monsters have invaded the City of Arkham - will the investigators
find the clues, kill the monsters, and close the gates in time? Or
will Azathoth awaken and eat them all? A custom Arkham Horror
scenario designed to introduce new players to the rules of this
classic horror board game based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.
Advanced Scenario
Monsters have invaded the City of Arkham - will the investigators
find the clues, kill the monsters, and close the gates in time? Or
will Azathoth awaken and eat them all? A custom Arkham Horror
scenario designed to introduce new players to the rules of this
classic horror board game based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.
Zombies!!!
From Twilight Creations
Warhammer /
Warhammer 40,000
Zombies!!! puts you in the middle of the action as you try to escape
the ever advancing zombie horde. Players must use a combination of wits and brawn to be the first to the heliport and certain
escape. The only problem is, the zombies are everywhere, they
appear to be very hungry and your opponents would really prefer
if you didn’t escape.
Warhammer, the game of Fantasy Battles, allows you to wage war
with armies of Citadel miniatures across tabletop battlefields in the
ultimate contest of strategy and skill. Each player is a general, who
must choose his finest warriors, decide upon cunning battle plans
and strategies and lead his followers to victory or death.
From Twilight Creations
This time you are playing the zombies and trying to infect as
many people in town as possible. This game will be able to
be played with Zombies!!! - some players playing humans and
some players playing zombies.
From Games Workshop
Humans!!!
Role-playing Games
Friend of MechaCon and head of Battlefield Press, Jonathan
Thompson will be stopping by to run the following games:
Dungeons and Dragons
FMA: Valley of Smoke
While on a routine mission for the State, Ed and Al find themselves at
odds with Roy Mustang. Not believing that the city of Ishmael is
inhabited by ghosts, he comes out to assist in their investigation.
And to make matters worse, Winry is on a train only a few miles out
side of town. Can the brothers Elric find the source of the ghosts and
a new lead on the philosophers stone?
An adventure for 2-4 player characters
Gaslight Victorian Fantasy
Dark Magic In New Orleans
After a most eventful evening involving a corpse at the theater, the
player characters are hired to locate a young woman from Liverpool
who’s fleeing an abusive husband. Are these two events related and, if
so, for what nefarious purpose? An adventure adventure designed for a
party of 2-4 second level player characters
Plus, we'll also have the following RPGs:
Legend of the 5 Rings
Legacy of Disater (Presented by John Barnes)
Try out the new 4th Edition Legend of the Five rings with the free RPG
day module “Legacy of Disaster”. A game of investigation and action,
can the PCs track down the culprit of a heinous crime before tensions
between feuding daimyos spill into outright war? 5-6 Players.
your dice and your A-game and show us you’ve got what it takes
to survive in the Sixth World!
Robotech
Shadows of the Past (Presented by David Giles)
Following the loss of the SDF-3 during the opening battles of
what is becoming known as the Shadow War, the leaders of
the Robotech Expeditionary Force have decided to send scout
ships to nearby systems to search for the missing ship. One
such ship is the RSS Pike, a newly-commissioned Garfishclass cruiser, which will begin its search in the Fomalhaut
system. The ship is also to gather information of Fomalhaut
b, the first visually-confirmed planet beyond the Sol system,
which might be of use to the REF as a staging area for future
missions. As the ship leaves Moon Base ALUCE, no one can
imagine what awaits it at its destination -- a nightmare from
times past waits for their arrival, and its awakening...
Robotech: Shadows of the Past is a three-part Robotech campaign for six to eight young heroes. Characters will be provided,
so join the crew of the Pike in its attempt to hold back an all but
forgotten evil!
Star wars Meta-Scenario
Finally, last but certainly not least, we have an epic and unique Star
Wars Meta Scenario, that combines both the Star Wars Miniatures
Game, and the Star Wars RPG, into a massive, week-end long
gaming event, that continues our epic, six year long story arc!
Spirit of the Century
Bloodmoon Rising (Presented by Ryan Adams)
London high society is in an uproar over a rash of murder’s and
disappearances. Admits unrest in the streets the papers are filled
with news of the eccentric Lady Whitethorns annual costume
ball. In a dark government office a lonely agent has begun to put
together the pieces of a dark mystery that threatens the entire
city, if not the country, if not the world... Bloodmoon Rising is a
steampunk game which uses the FATE system as given in the
Spirit of the Century role playing game. This module is designed
as a one-shot. While pre-generated characters will be used, players will be able to customize them before and during the game.
And, as part of our Midnight Madness block, we give you:
World of Darkness
The High Price of Education (Presented by Ryan Adams)
Over the last 50 years, violence in schools has been on the rise.
Most dramatically, the instances of otherwise quiet, intelligent students going on a killing spree which inevitably ends with the gunmen
themselves being killed, have been happening more and more often.
There is seemingly no root cause to this problem, and many just consider it a sign of the times that we live in. They are wrong. In this story
the players are all directly involved in this mess. One is a teacher,
one is a cop, one is a former priest, one is a psychic. Note: Due to the
mature themes of this game, players must be 18 and older
Shadowrun
After the Storm (Presented by David Giles)
A freak mana storm has ravaged New Orleans, turning the Big Easy into
Hell On Earth. Many organizations and individuals have entered the city
to help with the government’s recovery efforts, including one Dr. Richard
Weston, son of Alan Weston, a member of the Confederated American
States Senate. Senator Weston’s none too keen on his son’s involvement, especially given the tales of ghouls, insect spirits, and worse coming out of the city in the wake of the storm. When he loses contact with
Richard, he has to turn to a group of shadowrunners -- deniable assets
who will take on any job for the right price -- to find and extract the young
man from what may be the deadliest place in the world.
Shadowrun: After the Storm is a three-part Shadowrun campaign
for six to eight players. Characters will be provided – just bring
Hear me...
When the galaxy is divided by war, a warrior shall rise
to lead his people. He shall fight with the heart of the
dragon and all shall seek him, for whoever wins
his favor will achieve ultimate victory.
Hear me...
Thousands of years after they’ve been uttered, the words of the
mad Sith Prophet Darth Pyrus still reverberate throughout the
Galaxy. But now, in an age of unprecedented war, these words
may hold greater significance. Team Mechacon is proud to present:
Star wars
The Sith Prophecies:
Episode II – The Dragon-Hearted Warrior
The violence of the Clone Wars has come to the strategically
important Republic system of Eriadu. Amongst the Republic’s
defenders of the system is Ginga, a native of the system. But the
joy of Ginga’s homecoming is cut short when a destined revelation casts cruel, twisted shadows upon everything she knew to
be true. Now, with her lineage beckoning to her to fulfill her
destiny, and her loyalties hanging in the balance, where will
her lot ultimately be cast? And, is this star-crossed warrior really
the prophesied descendant of the legendary Col. Urtzek? Fulfill
your destiny by shaping theirs at Mechacon.
The prophecies have been spoken, let the Galaxy quake!
Star wars
Miniatures
Star wars
RPG
From Wizards of the Coast (Presented by Sethe Segura and
William Hebert)
The Star Wars Miniatures line features hundreds of ready-to-play
miniatures from the Star Wars universe.
From Wizards of the Coast (Presented by Stuart Keller)
Take on the role of the heroes of the Star Wars universe and fight
against the forces of evil! You might play a Duros smuggler, a
Wookiee copilot, a human Jedi, or any of countless possibilities.
dAncinG
MechaCon Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball
When: Friday at 9:00 pm
Where: MechaCon’s Main Events Room
Who can attend: Any registered MechaCon attendee
Attire: Black Tie Optional / Formal Cosplay Optional
This special event is Black Tie Optional / Formal Cosplay-Optional. What that means is that this is a classy event
where tuxedos and evening gowns are encouraged as well as formal cosplay. This year’s formal ball will follow our
dinner on the evening of July 16th.
In Harmony Jazz
This year’s ball experience will be unforgettable as you dance
the night away to the sounds of the In Harmony Jazz Quintet.
This New Orleans jazz band combines jazz, swing, and classical
R&B to set the mood for a night to remember.
Whether you want to cut a rug or socialize with our Ouran Host Club
ball hosts and other con-goers, we are sure you will have a good time!
Here are a few guidelines to abide by to keep the spirit of the event intact:
• Men (or crossplayers) should be in a tuxedo or a suit. A jacket and tie is acceptable. Shoes must be dress
shoes or similarly appropriate.
• Women (or crossplayers) should be in an evening gown or cocktail dress. Skirts / dresses should be at
least knee length or longer. Footwear must be dressy or similarly appropriate.
• Formal kimonos and other formal Asian wear are allowed.
• No bare feet.
• No casual clothes; including but not limited to t-shirts, sneakers, jeans, etc.
• Hats should be removed indoors.
The MechaCon Formal
• Absolutely no weapons of any kind, prop or otherwise.
Cosplay-Optional Ball
will close at 1:00 am.
• Era, International culture, or Fantasy formal are invited.
MechaCon House Party
When: Saturday at 11:00 pm
Where: MechaCon’s Main Events Room
Who can attend: Any registered MechaCon attendee
Attire: Something comfortable and breatheable
The MechaCon House Party returns with MechaCon’s own DJ Wildfire! Once again, DJ Wildfire will be on stage spinning
your favorite dance mixes. So head on down to Main Events and get ready to dance ‘til you drop as MechaCon’s DJ
Wildfire keeps the beats rolling through the night and on in to the morning.
DJ Wildfire
DJ Wildfire has been regularly hosting MechaCon’s House Party since
our first convention in 2005. This year, as the convention moves to New
Orleans, MechaCon’s House Party will be more epic than ever before!
DJ Wildfire, born David Adams, has been a member of the MechaCon family from the beginning. A true Army brat, David is also a proud veteran of the
War in Iraq.
In the past, he’s worked with prominent DJs, even filling-in when he was needed as a DJ at Ikkicon in 2009. DJ Wildfire’s
head phones have never been more than an arm’s distance away, since receiving his first Walkman at age eight.
DJ Wildfire brings intensity and precision with his brand new Rane mixer and pair of Technics to the House Party stage.
With his fresh style and constant mixing and sampling innovation, we know DJ Wildfire will make this year’s
MechaCon House Party the party to attend. So get ready to dance and enjoy a night you will not forget.
The MechaCon House Party will close at 2:00 am.
Industry Support
MechaCon extends its heartfelt thanks to the following donors of prizes and general swag for
our event. It is with the support of these companies that we are able to continue providing you,
the attendees, with such a great annual event!
DeAlers Room
New Orleans Marriott – 3rd Floor – Acadia Room
Attendee Conduct
MechaCon Rules of Conduct (An Overview)
These Activities are NOT Allowed at MechaCon:
• Loitering in the halls – DEFINITELY NO sleeping in the halls
• Engaging in disruptive behavior that disturbs the public or staff
• Making a threat of physical or verbal harassment to a member or members of the public or MechaCon staff
• Any act that could result in substantial risk or harm to any persons or property
• Sexual misconduct such as, but not limited to indecent exposure, offensive touching, or any form of sexual
harassment
• The selling of any merchandise out of the hotel rooms, hallways, or outside the hotel under any circumstance.
We value our dealers and artists, and merchandise is only to be sold, in any form, within the DEALERS
room or the ARTISTS ALLEY
• Engaging in any activity prohibited by Louisiana and/or City of New Orleans law
• Brandishing any weapon that has not been PEACE BONDED. This includes removing a sword from its
casing, or swinging a weapon around. All registered or unregistered weapons need to follow the laws of
New Orleans ordinances
• Distribution of any form of literature without the written permission by the MechaCon organizers
MechaCon reserves the right to enforce these rules, and anyone violating them will be asked to leave and
their convention badge will be revoked. There will be absolutely no refunds given in the case of any revocation
of a paid convention badge due to breaking the convention rules, no matter the reason for the infraction. If the
person or persons being asked to leave the convention resist being escorted off the premesis by MechaCon
personnel, local police will be called in to remove the person or persons from the hotel and/or adjoining areas.
Hate Symbols are NOT allowed at MechaCon
Recently, a disturbing trend has developed in the anime fandom that we felt the need to address. Due to the
popularity of several anime, manga and J-pop artists using symbols and uniforms from Nazi Germany, there
have been some cosplayers at other conventions who seem to think that openly wearing swastikas and other
hate symbols is ‘cool’. There have even been instances of groups at other conventions performing Nazi salutes.
The Staff of MechaCon shares the sorrow of literally millions of Jewish, Polish, Gypsy and other families who
lost brothers, sisters, husbands and wives to the evil of the Nazi regime and has the utmost respect for the
men and women of our armed forces, who have put their lives on the line to ensure the freedom and civil
liberties upon which this country was founded. We WILL NOT, under any circumstances, allow the symbols of
these atrocities, or hate symbols of any kind, to be worn or displayed at MechaCon. We reserve the right to
ask you to remove any such symbol, or to remove you from the convention floor should you refuse to do so.
We do not dispute your right under the First Amendment to express your views by wearing a swastika out in
public; MechaCon, however, is a private event, to which we welcome members of every race, creed, religion
and orientation. We want everyone to feel comfortable at our event, and these symbols are offensive to many
and outright insulting to some, and as such are in direct opposition to the spirit of community and family that
MechaCon has tried to engender in our attendees.
Any symbol that can be characterized as a hate symbol should not be worn at MechaCon. This includes the
swastika. We realize that the swastika originated as a Buddhist symbol and was adopted by Nazi Germany. This
does not change the fact that, after years of use as a representation of the Nazi’s attempt at ethnic cleansing by
the murder of millions, the swastika is known the world over as a symbol of hatred. It has, unfortunately, taken on
a new meaning, and has fallen out of use by most Buddhists. Further, it is absurd to suggest that it is being used
for its original Buddhist symbolism while attaching it to a Nazi uniform or other WWII period costume.
Other unacceptable symbols are the “SS” thunderbolts, the noose, “HFFH” symbols, and any other symbol that is
widely accepted as a symbol of oppression, hatred or violence towards a specific group of people. Again, we want
everyone to feel comfortable at MechaCon and have an enjoyable experience. MechaCon is not the proper venue
for political or moral debate, and we reserve the right to remove anyone participating in conduct that may be offensive to our staff, guests or other attendees. Please be aware of and courteous towards the feelings of your fellow
con-goers. Just because something is not offensive to you, doesn’t mean it is not offensive and hurtful to others.
We appreciate your help in keeping MechaCon a peaceful, fun environment.
Your StAy At the MArriott
New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 USA
Phone: 1-504-581-1000
Fax: 1-504-523-6755
Sales: 1-504-553-5520
Toll-free: 1-888-364-1200
Web: http://www.marriott.com
About the Hotel
Located in the famous New Orleans French Quarter,
the New Orleans Marriott is a stylish hotel positioned
near Bourbon Street and within walking distance of
the beautiful Mississippi River. This stunning fortyone story hotel boasts gorgeous river and city views
from its 1,275 rooms and 54 suites.
MechaCon is being held on the second, third, and
fourth levels of the hotel’s meeting space. The hotel
offers 49 meeting rooms, and 80,000 sq. ft. of total
meeting space with 1 concierge level. MechaCon is
just a short escalator or elevator ride from the lobby
of the hotel. Cosplayers, please be careful when
riding the escalators! Please be mindful of your
costume pieces. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.
Hotel Features
This smoke-free hotel has complimentary in-room
coffee and tea and in-room toll-free phone calls. The
hotel offers a Cash machine/ATM; Concierge desk;
Housekeeping service daily; Laundry on-site; Laundry
on-site, coin operated; Local restaurant dinner delivery; Newspaper delivered to room, on request; Newspaper in lobby; Room service, 6:00 AM-12:00 AM;
Safe deposit boxes, front desk; Valet dry-cleaning;
and wired in-room internet access, wireless in meeting spaces for $14.95 USD daily. There is a heated
open outdoor pool on the 5th floor with free towels
provided, and free 24 hour fitness center access for
hotel guests. Valet parking is $33.60 USD daily.
For business, the Marriott also offers a Copy service;
Fax service; Full-service business center; Network/
Internet printing; Overnight delivery/pickup; Secretarial service; and Translator.
On-Site Restaurants
5 Fifty 5 >> serves regional favorites and unique
wood-fired fare. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dress code: Casual.
55 Farenheit is New Orleans newest wine bar &
lounge. It features a wine list with over 200 selections, classic american cocktails and regional and
specialty fare. It is open for lunch and dinner. Dress
code: Casual.
Starbucks Coffee House proudly serves Starbucks
coffees, lattes, cappucinos, and pastries. It is open for
breakfast and lunch.
MechACon Policies
MechaCon’s Intent
The primary purpose of MechaCon is to provide a fun
and safe experience for as wide-range of attendees as
possible. Our intention is to bring a balance of Japanese
traditional and pop culture to Louisiana through Anime
and Transformers appreciation.
The ratings of programming available at the convention
vary. Due to differences in international rating structures,
some adult situations may occur in some titles. Whenever possible, we have indicated these shows on the programming schedule to aid in our patrons viewing choices,
but parental guidance is ALWAYS recommended.
Hotel Staff and MechaCon
Please remember that you are a guest of the hotel,
and that there are other guests utilizing the same facilities. Please remember to be courteous and do not disturb other guests with excessive noise levels. If the hotel staff requests that you quiet down or stop a certain
behavior, please do so. If you do not, your badge will
be confiscated. We are all here to have a good time, so
by acting responsibly, we can continue to bring events
such as an Anime convention to New Orleans.
Hands-Off Policy
MechaCon has a strict hands-off policy regarding its
mascots, staff, and attendees. This means that no attendee is to make physical contact with any member
of MechaCon staff, Marriott staff, or other convention
attendees without first getting permission from the
person he / she wishes to make contact with. This includes, but is not limited to, unwarranted “glomping”,
touching, embracing, or hanging-on. All attendees are
expected to be familiar with this policy.
Security Policy
MechaCon security is based on a “three-strikes” rule.
Strike One: Attendee is given a verbal warning and
informed of the policy being violated. Strike Two: Attendee Badge is pulled for one hour and is escorted
from convention function space. Attendee may pick
up their badge at the Security Desk after one hour. A
State issued photo ID, or student ID must be presented at the Security Desk to reclaim your badge. If underaged, a parent or guardian must accompany you
to reclaim your badge. Strike Three: Badge is pulled
for the duration of the remainder of the Convention.
If a badge is pulled, the attendee can appeal the circumstances to the Security Chief and the Director of Operations during the Convention. The Security Manager or
Director of Operations will decide that evening (the day
the badge was pulled) whether or not to reinstate the
MechaCon Convention Attendee’s badge privileges.
Strikes can be issued for the following reasons but are
not limited to: Harassment reports, disorderly conduct/
disruption of the convention and/or the hotel, violation
of any convention polices as stated in this document,
avoiding a Security Staffer trying to speak with you
about a policy violation, or flight from a Security Staffer
after a policy violation has been declared but before
the issue is resolved, or violations of Convention Rules
of Conduct. There is NO time limit between strikes. Example, an attendee who harasses another attendee,
runs when the Security Staffer arrives to deal with the
matter, and then disrupts the convention in the process
of getting away can earn three strikes. MechaCon Security reserves the right to revoke MechaCon Attendee
Membership and eject anyone from the convention
floor at any time without a refund.
Weapons Policy
Items that could be used as a weapon must be
peace-bonded at our Security Desk. Even if your
weapon is a prop, please check in with our security
desk to have it inspected and approved to be on the
floor. All bladed items must be kept in their sheaths at
all times in public/function areas. Ammunition for Gun
replica or other replica projectile weapons will not be
allowed anywhere on the floor at any time. If you are
found brandishing and otherwise acting irresponsibly
with a replica weapon in public/function areas, your
registration may be immediately revoked. As for fantasy or costume weapons, if we cannot tell it’s fake
from 10 feet away, you should not bring it.
Notice to Parents
If you’re not staying in our hotel, please don’t leave
your children here overnight without someone legally
responsible for them. We are NOT a babysitting service. We also require a way to reach you in case of an
emergency. You will be held responsible (legally and
financially) for any damages incurred by your child or
charge to hotel and/or MechaCon property. Any criminal damages and/or activity will be met with criminal
charges, as well as a permanent ban from ALL future
Sennin Productions, LLC events. All attendees are
subject to the laws and ordinances set forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments.
Notice to Students & Minors
We expect you to behave yourselves so we don’t have
to call your parents. Your behavior is what’s important,
not your age. You and your parent(s)/legal guardian
will be held responsible (legally and financially) for
damages incurred by you to hotel and/or MechaCon
property. Any criminal damages and/or activity will be
met with criminal charges, as well as a permanent ban
from ALL future Sennin Productions, LLC events. All
attendees are subject to the laws and ordinances set
forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments.
Notice to Adult Attendees
ALL attendees are expected to conduct themselves
respectably. You will be held responsible (legally and
financially) for damages incurred by you to hotel and/or
MechaCon property. Any criminal damages and/or activity
will be met with criminal charges, as well as a permanent
ban from ALL future Sennin Productions, LLC events. All
attendees are subject to the laws and ordinances set
forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments.
guest AutogrAphs
AcKnoWleDGements
Convention Organizers
2010 Cover Art
Senior Staff
A very special thanks to Robby Musso
for his incredible cover and interior
character art and for all the long hours
he put into developing the G.E.A.R.E.
with us. Thanks to you, at long last,
MechaCon has its own mech.
Peter Bares – Sennin Productions, LLC
Jon Russo – Sennin Productions, LLC
Courtesy of Robby Musso
Dwayne “Bob” Borel – Chief of Operations
Hunter Domingue – Electronic Gaming Coordinator
Travis Farrar – Floor Manager / Mascot Story Writer
James “Stoney” Potter – Table-top Gaming Coordinator
Melanie Russo – Registration Coordinator / Advertising Sales
Staff
David Carter – Stage Manager
Justin David – Mascot Department Manager / Cosplay Support
David Doerr – Overnight Ops Manager
Dom Ducote – Panels Coordinator
David Giles – Table-top Gaming
Mascots
Brian Hill – Video Rooms Coordinator
Camille Beard - JETT
Brandon LeBlanc – GoldPass Liaison
Siobahn Carroll - ZEE
Greg Martin – Guest Relations Coordinator
James Parker – Volunteer Coordinator
Guest Liaisons
John Parker – Main Events Coordinator
Sherry Savage – Registration
Eliot Altman
Richard Bares
Seth Daudey
Support Staff
Brandon Delcambre
Bobbie Adams – Artists Alley Liaison
Andrea Evans
Donnelise Bruney – Cosplay
Larry “Fuzzy” Furry
Cole Clark – Ops Support
Michael Ganier
Kristy Doerr – Overnight Ops Support
Blake Rebouche
Nicole Hauerwas – Registration Support
Alexis Tucker
William Hebert – Table-top Gaming Support
Lauren Wagner
Stu Keller – Table-top Gaming Support
Abby Williford
Seth Segura – Table-top Gaming Support
Matt Traylor – Stage Support
Gary Navo – Electronic Gaming Support / Tournaments
Event Facilitators
David Adams / DJ Wildfire – MechaCon House Party
Travis Farrar – MC for Opening Ceremonies & Formal / Semi-formal Dinner
Clover – MC for Cosplay Competition
Rebecca Rathbun & Jessica Reese – Cosplay Chess Facilitators
Van “Ai no Shinobi” Nguyen – MC for Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball
Alliance Cosplay – Host Club for Formal Ball & Cosplay Half-time Show
Travis Farrar – AMV Contest
Event Crew
Brad Daigle – House Party Crew
Tonia LaJaunie – Registration
William & Jennifer McFarlain – Videographers
Amber Theriot – Maid & Host Club Liaison
Copyright © 2010 by Sennin Productions, L.L.C., Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A.
2010 Promotional Art
Courtesy of Amelie Belcher
A very special thanks to Amelie Belcher
for capturing the spirit of Fullmetal
Alchemist for our 2010 Jett & Zee
promo card art. And thanks for the
killer transmutation effect on the back
cover of this book, too!

Welcome to our sixth annual MechaCon!

Transcription

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