TL;DR Because the FREE virtual panels they’re offering have A LOT of valuable content for anyone who’s in the business of being creative. There are FIVE days worth of panels to scroll through. So stick with me if you want a guide to which panels are good for creatives and small business owners. #Business-Advice #How-To
I know why I care about Comic-Con@Home and it’s because I live in San Diego and going to Comic-Con is a tradition during the summer. Even when we aren’t lucky enough to get passes in the ridiculous lottery based badge purchasing system, we still head downtown to partake in all of the promotional activities around the San Diego Convention Center. It has grown every year and in more recent years it’s taken us 2 days to fully explore even just the events and activities outside the Con.
But one thing we NEVER get to do, that we never have the patience for, are the panels. The most popular ones involve camping out on the sidewalk for days, and the smaller ones involve getting your timing right. Comic-Con@Home is an opportunity to learn from Pop Culture Industry professionals and at your leisure. Each panel will be available on YouTube and for free. No limits on attendance, no lines, no waiting once the panel has gone live.
Here are my color coded panel recommendations for creatives, artists and small business owners:
Blue – Business Building/ Tips & Tricks
Pink – How To
Green – Celebrating Art and Creativity/Inspiration
Purple – Encouragement
THURSDAY – Links will be live at the indicated time on Thursday
10a – Building a Geek Brand: Surviving a Pandemic
Do you dream of starting your company or brand inspired by your favorite pop culture passions? It’s hard enough to grow a start up but even harder during a pandemic! Join industry professionals in the area of apparel, publication, and cosplay as they share about the challenges of starting a geek business, how to survive a pandemic and how to contribute to Black Lives Matter. Tony B Kim (Hero Within) hosts this spirited and inspirational discussion along with panelists Linda Le (VampyBitMe Cosplay), Rachel Litfin (author), and Victor Dandridge (comic book creator).
10a- How to Get News Coverage
YouTube:https://youtu.be/dbJpzloS0wc
Small press publishers: What makes the difference between an item that will get news coverage, previews, and interviews and what doesn’t? A lot of publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, or why they are being overlooked for coverage. Comics journalist Rik Offenberger (First Comics News, Archie Comics) moderates this panel on just what it takes to get coverage, with the comic journalists themselves telling you what they are looking for in your submission. Panelists include (in alphabetical order): Martin Boruta (The Hey Kids Comics Radio Show, First Comics News), Peter Breau (Second Sight Publishing), Ed Catto (Captain Action, Agendae), Holly Golightly (Broadsword Comics), Michael Kingston (Headlocked Comics), Rob Salkowitz (Forbes, ICv2), and JC Vaughn (Gemstone Publishing, The Scoop). Find out what it takes to self-promote and make a significant impact on your ability to sell your comic.
12p – Comics During Clampdown: Creativity In The Time of COVID
YouTube:https://youtu.be/LjATnuiNR5k
How do cartoonists deal with writer’s block in the face of a global pandemic? How do you balance homeschooling with publishing deadlines? Panelists Brian Fies (A Fire Story), Keith Knight (The K Chronicles), MariNaomi (Life on Earth trilogy), Ajuan Mance (1001 Black Men), Thien Pham (Sumo), Jason Shiga (Demon), Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops), and moderator Andrew Farago (Cartoon Art Museum) discuss work-life balance, sanity, and survival in the midst of our brave new world.
1p – Insider Art: A Compendium of Comics, Crafts & Cats for All Ages
YouTube:https://youtu.be/8C0UTAP1r38
Insider Art is a comics initiative that begin during the early days of the COVID19 pandemic; a way to bring female and non-binary creators together to raise money for our own: female and non-binary comic book retailers who faced financial hardships under quarantine. 8 editors, 1 retailer liaison, and over 100 creators from around the world united for one grand mission: to bring over 250 pages of comics, crafts and cats to the masses and conquer the tedium of the greatindoors.
1p – The Future of Entertainment
YouTube:https://youtu.be/lVPyZPd9Lek
As the world continues to technologically advance, find out how leading experts in entertainment are paving the way to a new future. Featuring experts in virtual and augmented reality, digital human creation and design, as well as creatives working in virtual production, eSports, and more, learn about how emerging technologies will shape everything from Hollywood to the educational experience.
Panelists include Ted Schilowitz (futurist, Paramount Pictures), James Pearse Connelly (production designer, The Masked Singer), Ilyasah Shabazz (professor, community organizer, author, motivational speaker), Cathy Hackl (futurist and two-time LinkedIn top voice in tech), Leslie Shannon (head of ecosystem and trend scouting, Nokia), PhilQuist (music agent, CAA), and Leigh Steinberg (sports agent, Steinberg Sports). Moderated by Travis Cloyd (futurist at FIU, co-founder of Worldwide XR).
1p – This is Not the Apocalypse You’re Looking For: Real Life Disasters, Fictional Recovery
YouTube:https://youtu.be/hr9qq-sOKBc
Things are rough right now, but we’re going to pull through together. Tyler Houston (comic and culture expert), Kelley M. Boston (infection prevention epidemiologist), Bobbiejean Garcia (public health epidemiologist), and Monti Pal (trauma therapist) talk about how disaster events and emergency management are often handled in pop-fiction, and in the real world. Art and fiction give us a way to think about our world as it is now and our future. Science fiction and comics are used as a frame to discuss how humans respond to disaster events, and how individuals and communities move from disaster to healing and wholeness.
2p – Artist Bootcamp by DeviantArt
YouTube:https://youtu.be/54a_hr6sg_Y
Get your art in shape! DeviantArt presents Artist Alley all-stars Jeffrey “the CHAMBA” Cruz (artist), Edwin “ironpinky” Huang (illustrator), and John “Overlord_JC” Crayton (artist) as they share their secrets to warming up, getting in the mindset to create, and pulling yourself out of a rut. Moderated by DeviantArt’s Matt “ggMattB” Buchholtz (head of social media). Jeffrey “the CHAMBA” Cruz (https://www.deviantart.com/thechamba) Edwin “ironpinky” Huang (https://www.deviantart.com/edwinhuang) John “Overlord_JC” Crayton (https://www.deviantart.com/overlordjc) Matt ‘”ggMattB” Buchholtz (https://www.deviantart.com/ggmattb)
2p – Music for Animation
YouTube:https://youtu.be/4KwaNROG6sA
Find out what it takes to create the sonic worlds of your favorite animated shows! Learn how creatives in entertainment write songs, create sounds, and compose music for projects like the Harley Quinn animated series, Central Park, JJ Villaird’s Fairy Tales, King of the Hill, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, and more! Featuring panelist songwriters Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Central Park), and composers Jefferson Friedman (Harley Quinn), Roger Neill (JJ Villaird’s Fairy Tales), Sebastian Evans (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Tim Davies (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia). Moderated by actors Keith David (JJ Villaird’s Fairy Tales, Gargoyles) and Alan Tudyk (Frozen, Harley Quinn).
3p – Artist as Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur
YouTube:https://youtu.be/B1w5dz7Gb58
Greg Spalenka (professional artist in publishing, film and higher education, Sandman, The Golden Compass, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader),
moderates a panel discussion on art career sustainability. Learn strategies on how to create income from your talent on your own terms. Panelists include Ciruelo (quintessential dragon artist, patrons include George Lucas, Christopher Paolini, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Steve Vai, MTG, Tor, Ballantine), Daniel & Dawna Davis (artist/designers of Steam Crow, publisher of monster themed items, books, prints, clothing and the Monster Rangers), Shiflett Brothers (award-winning sculptors of comic and original designs, Marvel, Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee, Verotik comics, Moore Creations), and Jacquelin de Leon (Illustrator, comic artist, DC Comics, artist entrepreneur, and influencer through Instagram and her Youtube channel).
6p – How To Write and Create Manga
YouTube:https://youtu.be/OmGVE_oJkXg
Austin Osueke (publisher of eigoMANGA) will moderate a series of Q&A sessions with comic book writers Jeff Loew (The Frog Princess), Brandon Chen (Somnia), Mohammad Umair Ali (Somnia), MinoMiyabi (5D), and Natashia McGough Clarke (Danity Kane). They will discuss the fundamentals of comic book outlines, scripting, writing, and overall storytelling.
FRIDAY – Links will be live at the indicated time on Friday
11a – Make Your Own Felted Friends!
YouTube:https://youtu.be/4GPej7SvCtY
Hosts of In Quest of Geek (Alix Catherine, Cole Garrison, and Jason Patrick Galit) hold an arts-and-crafts panel that adds a new activity for sheltering-in-place! Along with the cast of Perception Studio (Art Vega, Ryan Keiser, Willow, and Cucumber), families can learn how to make their own “felted friends” (puppets) with crafts already around the house. A discussion about puppetry and performance art is included between crafting as well! @inquestofgeek @perceptstudio
1p – From Idea to Hired: Books, TV, Film, and Comics
YouTube:https://youtu.be/6FCzVWQKClY
Agents, managers, and book editors come together to answer questions about how to take your writing career from the blank page to sold. They’ll answer questions about writing the breakout project, getting representation, what it takes to sell a book to film, industry scoop, and more. Moderated by Nathan Bransford (author of How to Write a Novel), this year’s panel features Quressa Robinson (Nelson Literary Agency), Holly Root (Root Literary Agency), DongWon Song (Howard Morhaim Literary Agency), and Lars Theriot (Industry Entertainment).
2p – GirlsDrawInGirls: Industry Professional Women Artists in Quarantine: Balancing work, art, homeschooling, and life
YouTube:https://youtu.be/j3b-PhVmOdE
GirlsDrawinGirls founder Melody Severns,The Simpsons director Debbie Bruce Mahan, Disney Television Animation artist Sherry DeLorme, and other industry professional women artists address working from home during a pandemic and all the challenges they’ve faced with staying productive in the ever changing world that is the year 2020.
2p – UnMasked: Rhapsody PR’s Behind-the-Music Panel
YouTube:https://youtu.be/kKX0Qh049ds
Music creatives Sean Callery (Homeland), Jeff Russo (Star Trek: Picard), Maggie Phillips (Fargo), Torin Borrowdale (Locke & Key), Amanda Jones (Twenties), and Nathaniel Blume (Prodigal Son) reveal the secrets behind creating music for TV’s most groundbreaking and thrilling programs. Moderated by actress Mary Chieffo (Star Trek: Discovery).
4p – The Nacelle Company: Pop-Culture Under Quarantine
YouTube:https://youtu.be/-y10yaM9K0w
Brian Volk-Weiss (Nacelle Co. CEO), Richard Mayerik (Nacelle Co. producer), Victoria Bennett aka Bevin (vlogger), and David Vonner (toy designer) join Robin Henry (writer) for a lively and engaging discussion on creating new content during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hear the all latest about the new series A Toy Store Near You (Amazon Prime) and more!
4p – How to Make a Comic From Start to Finish
YouTube:https://youtu.be/NVskunRro4Q
Wanna learn how to make a comic? Where to start? How panels work? What does one letter with? Does it need to be in color? And much, much more! Acclaimed industry pro Brian Haberlin (Spawn, Witchblade, Sonata, The Marked) will take you through the process using his Image Comics creations as examples and will touch on the whole process from soup to nuts! Join for a LIVE Q&A session after the panel. Details at https://www.instagram.com/brianhaberlinofficial/
SATURDAY – Links will be live at the indicated time on Saturday
11a – Eye of Newt and Wool of Bat: the science behind magic potions and spells
YouTube:https://youtu.be/rH1zV9YqM6Q
Potions class is in session! Is there some truth behind the enchanted elixirs and demonic deterrents in fantastical fare like Harry Potter, The Witcher, and Sabrina? Naturopathic doctor DeJarra Sims will walk you through nature’s real-life tinctures for healing, sleeping, wit-sharpening, and love, and explain the science behind their effects. Introduced by Fast Company’s Susan Karlin.
11a – Finance for Creatives
YouTube:https://youtu.be/MFVOT9NPr5g
The Coronavirus outbreak has affected so many individuals and businesses financially in the creative industry. This panel will be discussing some of the financial, tax, and credit issues that creatives are experiencing, including resources of where to turn to for help and support. Panel guests include Sean Nisil (certified financial planner), Neil Narvaez (owner, Professional Tax Services, LLC), Eric Atilano (loan officer, C2 Financial), industry professionals Chris Neuhahn (5-time Emmy-award winning producer & animator), and Alonso Nunez (founder and art director, Little Fish Comic Book Studio). Moderated by Karen Martin (The Princess Project).
1p – Creative Renaissance: How To Thrive When It’s Hard to Survive
YouTube:https://youtu.be/0Cj1cO0Z39k
The continued need for social distancing has brought about a creative renaissance in the digital space. Join the conversation with Joe Barrette (Creators, Assemble!), Phil Jimenez (Creators4Comics), Alonso Nunez (Little Fish Comic Book Studio), and Kit Steinaway (Book Industry Charitable Fund) to hear how nonprofit organizations are working with comics creators to support each other and their communities during these challenging times. You will hear about new learning opportunities, collaborations, how to forge new creative friendships in a time of global disconnect, and what it means to find your tribe through fandom and shared passion. Moderated by Dan Wood (comics librarian, Escondido Public Library).
3p – Authors on the Best Advice I Ever Got
These authors have some writing advice for you! Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching), Micaiah Johnson (The Space Between Worlds), Sarah Kuhn (Haunted Heroine), and Josh Malerman (Malorie) talk about the best writing advice they ever got, and what advice they would give to aspiring writers. Moderated by Del Rey editorial director Tricia Narwani.
3p – Learn How to Color Comics
Do you know how comic books are colored? Learn about the creative art of comic book coloring as Hi-Fi’s Brian Miller (The Flash) and Kristy Miller (Femme Magnifique) demonstrate the step-by-step transformation of a comic book page from black and white to full color. Learn professional techniques for flatting, rendering, color holds, and special effects, along with top digital coloring tips.
4p – 20 Years of DeviantArt: An Oral History
Angelo Sotira (co-founder and CEO), Justin Maller (CCO), Andrew McCann (co-founder), and Danielle McKay (director of community relations) dive into the 20-year history of the art community and social media network. Tune in for a discussion of DeviantArt’s place in the early culture of the internet, creating an online home for artists, and how the site handles change. Angelo Sotira (https://www.deviantart.com/spyed) Justin Maller (https://www.deviantart.com/ekud) Andrew McCann (https://www.deviantart.com/mccann) Danielle McKay (https://www.deviantart.com/moonbeam13)
5p – Comic Shops : Perservering Through Crisis
This COVID-19 lockdown has impacted many industries, and it has been especially devastating for the front line of geek culture; the nation’s comic shops. Learn how leading retailers developed entrepreneurial strategies and plans to get through these difficult times. Join Joe Field (Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, Concord, CA), Marc Hammond (Aw Yeah Comics, Harrison, NY), Jeff Beck (East Side Mags Montclair, NJ), and Dr. Christina Blanche (Aw Yeah Comics, Muncie, IN) for a surprisingly engaging discussion on retailing endurance. Moderated by entrepreneur Ed Catto (Ithaca College, Agendae).
6p – How to (Still) Be a Nerd For a Living
Have you built a business or career in the “nerdy” industry you love – but now that a global crisis has blindsided the world, you’re not sure what to do? You’re not alone! This evolution of our annual How To Be a Nerd For A Living panel will share advice (and plenty of real talk) from a variety of pop culture industry professionals about the changes they’re making for our current times. Panelists including Robyn Warren (founder of Geek Girl Strong), Valentine Barker (freelance illustrator and comic artist), Chris Sanchez (editor-in-chief of Mad Cave Studios), Jazzlyn Stone (freelance comics marketer and host), and Wendy Buske (co-founder of Nerd For A Living, Fictitious podcast) will discuss how they’re industries are evolving (sometimes day-to-day), where they are struggling, and what they’re doing to stay productive and plan as much as possible for future.
Panelist info:
Wendy Buske, co-founder of Nerd For A Living and Fictitious podcast, NerdForALiving.com, FictitiousPodcast.com
Robyn Warren, founder of GeekGirlStrong, host of Healthy Geek podcast http://geekgirlstrong.com, https://www.patreon.com/GeekGirlStrong
Valentine Barker, freelance illustrator and comic artist, https://valentinebarker.com
Chris Sanchez, editor-in-chief, Mad Cave Studios, https://madcavestudios.com
Jazzlyn Stone, freelance comics markerer, Very Very Shopping Network co-host, https://www.jazzlynstone.com
SUNDAY – Links will be Live at the listed time on Sunday
1p – Tor Teen: Own Your Magic
From journeying under the stars to learning what makes you extraordinary, join Tor Teen authors TJ Klune (The Extraordinaries), Mark Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert), Bethany C. Morrow (A Song Below Water), and Sarah Henning (The Princess Will Save You), and Charlie Jane Anders (Victories Greater Than Death) as they discuss the power behind owning your magic. There’s no limit to what might happen when one begins to bend the rules. Visit bit.ly/torSDCC for more on all these authors and some fun surprises!
3p – Making a Living Being Creative
Screenwriter AC Bradley (Arrow, Trollhunters, and Disney+ upcoming What If?), storyboard artist Jess Cuffe (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and HBO’s upcoming Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai), and freelance artist Lee Kohse (Star Wars, Voltron, Aliens) discuss the ins and outs of working full time as a creator, how they broke into the industry, what it’s like to work in the entertainment industry, and give advice to up and coming creatives. Moderated by Johnny Kolasinski (writer for ScreenRant and Podcaster for DISCO Trek, and Hi Everybody: A Bad Medicine Podcast).
4p – Careers in Geek Fashion
Fans can express what they love and connect with most in pop culture through fashion now more than ever. From clothing to cosmetics, the industry expands every year and fans can be more than just consumers of it. Moderated by Lisa Granshaw (GeekFold, Backstage), panelists Rosa Menendez (Esports Makeup), Dan Madsen (Svaha), Jeff Trexler (Fashion Law Institute), and Dan Richard (DPI Promo, Bethesda Gear) will discuss different ways you can work in geek fashion, their career paths, how the current situation with the coronavirus has impacted the industry, and more. Continue to connect with the panelists at: https://linktr.ee/geekfold
4p – Full Time Creative Work On A Part Time Schedule
This panel is for any group with a goal. That claim may sound lofty, but there is a reason this panel has been lucky enough to be on San Diego Comic Convention’s schedule for 12 years. This panel is a unique approach of talking about vital, but base concepts which means the covered topics can apply to any project size or scope in any media or anything in creative or geek culture from purely fun to high end professional quality hobbies to profit generating professional endeavors. How is the information that widely applicable? No matter what your project is there is always the challenges of time management, resource management and communication. Anyone working on any of the following could use the information covered: comic books, TV/film, animation, podcasts, costuming/cosplay, fan groups, music, illustration. blogging, music or web comics. Just some of the topics covered in the panel this time is the need of working with others, sharing your dreams with a team, changing ways people remember you after you’ve meet, tips on what is important when building your website, and what success means to you and your project or end goals for whatever your creativity is expressed as. The panelists are: Moderator Ron Coleman Ph.D. (molecular geneticist and comic writer) joins James Frye (manager editor for TheConGuy.com), Luke Cheeseman (director of media for TheConGuy.com), Sean Glumace (Adobe education leader, comic book letterer), Gene Turnbow (founder/station manager Krypton Radio), Dr. RenahWolzinger, (owner Renzone Music), Topher Davila (art director for GeekdomWear.) Links – https://linktr.ee/FullTImePartTimeCreative
4p – The Grind NEVER stops, not even during a quarantine
This is a panel video to get you energized and ready to rise and grind. There is no better time than now to get yourself in the best position to produce creative work. The pandemic is no excuse, it is actually the catalyst to work even harder. Bryan “Kaiser” Tillman, a long time panelist at San Diego Comic-Con, best known for his Proper Pitching and Promoting Yourself panel, is giving you tips on how to crush your time during this pandemic. Now’s the time to get to the grind and with these tips and tricks you will be well on your way to developing a fantastic project to show at Comic-Con 2021.
Make sure to follow Bryan on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/c/followthekaiser
My initial review of these suggested panels is that there is a lot Comic Con has to offer the small business owner, especially if they are a craftsman or an artist. The fantasy and science fiction worlds that Comic Con tries to wrangle into 5 days are designed to be a source of inspiring stories. So if you get anything from this long weekend of FREE panels it should be the inspiration to go after your dreams like these people did. Happy Con everyone! And hopefully next year, some of you will be walking the halls of the San Diego Convention Center!
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After more than a few years, and a few failed attempts at working for other people, I’m coming back to the idea of helping others with their businesses. I’ve learned a lot from the jobs I held since 2016.
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