I would like to take a few moments and applaud this years Space Award Nominees. More information can be found at www.spacieawards.com
I would like to take a few moments and applaud this years Space Award Nominees. More information can be found at www.spacieawards.com
Florida Fandomania 2016
How I came into contact with the show
Several weeks ago, I was driving down on Wickham Rd after having spent time at Viera Comics with my friend Peter J. Pappas when I got a call from a gentlemen representing Fandomania. He asked for my email. I provided my email and he promptly emailed me a packet about setting up at the show as a comic book retailer. I quickly sent a message thanking him for the email, but I let him know I wasn’t a comic book shop. I was a publisher of a local magazine called Space Coast Comixx, a blogger for Broken Infinite, and a consultant to Space Coast Comic Con. He apologized for the confusion and told me I was invited to the show with a press pass. I accepted the invite and asked for information for the show because I didn’t know much about it, and I wanted to help spread the word.
Week before the show
I noticed a week before the show that I didn’t get any email from the show regarding my pass or information to help promote the show. I reached out and asked for the information. I received the press release, and I did help promote the show. It made me worried to say the least. I do a lot of marketing for different people, and normally people have to hit it hard on all their social media pages and get people chattering about it. There was very little chatter, so I gladly shared the information.
When I arrived at the show
The show was a three day event, but I could only go on Saturday since I was on vacation the week before, and the next day was Father’s Day, and I had plans. When I reached the show, I let them know who I was, and I came with my crew along with my partner and owner of Space Coast Comic Con. At the show, they gave me a wrist band, but I wasn’t quite sure they knew who I was. In fact, I noticed other people for press had actual badges, but no big deal as this was all last minute on their part when they invited me. I still came to enjoy myself.
The Show
For a first year show, Fandomania pulled out an impressive list of guests. They had cast members from the Walking Dead including Justin Kucslulain, Dahlia Lagault, Jeremy Palko, and Chris Harrelson. Also in that section were Cecil Grimes and Chris Twellmann who were cosplaying as Rick Grimes and Abraham from the Walking Dead. They had voice actors Brina Palencia, Eric Staurt, and Kira Buckland.
They had other guests too such as Charles Watson, Ruby Rapture, and Clinton T. Hobart. They had notable guests such as Rick Stafford, who is known as The True Aquaman. He did panels. The Chalk Twins created an awesome piece of original art as everyone watched them work. You could buy comics, toys, videos, and so much more at this show. They had something for everyone. I even saw my friends from MarkWho42 who were running all the panels for the three days of the convention.
There were two types of panels going on at the show, which helped keep the show running. They had the main stage, where people heard their favorite actors talk about their roles, their upcoming promotions, and other things. They even had Asian karaoke. MarkWho42 had their hands full running around getting dirty. I was even invited to be on MarkWho42’s panel of the Match Game on Saturday evening.
My opinion of the show
The show had a lot of great guests and very talented artists, writers, and lots of other cool people. It was in a prime location, and you could see that the promoters loved what they were doing. I loved that they had a huge stage for their guests to talk on and plenty of chairs. I also liked that they had a separate panel room. I know they put in a lot of time for this show, and putting on a show of this magnitude is not an easy job. I know from working with my partner David Grace that hours upon hours are put into making a good show. No one sets out to make a terrible show.
What I didn’t like
The attendance seemed low. I think they needed to advertise a bit more. I didn’t know a thing about this show until the call and email I got a few weeks earlier. They needed to use more of the community and engage with people like me and others. I also didn’t like that they had these giant curtains cutting the show up. It made it hard to see who were in the others rows and made it difficult to walk around and engage with the vendors. There was no proper artist alley, there was no rhythm or reason why an artist or novelist was mixed into a row or not. I was confused to a degree and felt that they needed to organize this a bit better. They needed to have a better program which indicated when and who was having a panel. It made for a confusing time. There were other rumors swirling around on the floor that made me uncomfortable that I won’t talk about.
My final verdict
The show gets 3 rockets out of 5 rockets because I did have fun. I enjoyed talking with the people that were at the show. I noticed that a lot of hard work was put into this show, and the promotors were trying to be as honest as possible. I think if they work on their issues, next year’s show could be even better. Maybe they can scale back on a guest or two and make a stronger floor plan so there is an easier flow to the traffic. They also have to promote the show harder. They should take out ads in local publications, let people know that they exist, and push to get the fans they so desperately need to attend excited about this show.
Guys keep up the good work, and don’t quit. Thank you for your effort. You can make it wonderful. WE CAN DO THIS.
Jake Estrada is a publisher, writer, artist, entertainer, and actor who enjoys talking comics, making comics, and writing about the medium he has worked in for a decade and a half. If you want to have Jake come by your show, just contact him here at estradejake@yahoo.com
Check out their page here: www.floridafandomania.com
Jake Estrada
Publisher
Space Coast Comixx
Super heroes take on bullies at Florida FandoMania event set for June 17-19 in Fort Pierce
Super heroes, immortals and sci-fi characters will join forces June 17-19 to fight bullying at Florida FandoMania, the Treasure Coast’s largest and most comprehensive comic, gaming and anime convention ever.
Florida FandoMania celebrates the fans, shows, movies, music, anime and games that capture the attention of the world, and will raise funds and awareness to combat bullying – particularly among young people.
Dozens of events, seminars, meet-and greets and panel discussions, as well as music and entertainment will fill the three-day FandonMania celebration with something for everyone at the Havert Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Avenue in Fort Pierce.
Anyone who has ever played a video game or watched a movie and wanted to know more about the story, the characters in it and the people who created them, is not merely a fan, but part of a fandom!
This is a great opportunity to dig into the details of a favorite show, movie, anime or video game. Florida Fandomania is all about providing opportunities to connect with other fans, explore new genres and interact with the stories, music and celebrities that attract fans from every walk of life.
Florida FandoMania opens at 4 p.m. Friday, June 17 with a scavenger hunt and continues until 10 p.m. Saturday’s hours are 10 a.m to 11 p.m. Sunday’s hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More details and a complete schedule are available at www.floridafandomania.com.
Florida FandoMania is a division of PRAFHA Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes diversity in the fields of animation, video game creation, graphic design and life in general.
PRAFHA provides scholarships and cultural educational opportunities to high school and college students in St. Lucie County through yearly conventions and events. The organization has been involved with important causes on the Treasure Coast for many years, supporting high school and college students and encouraging education.
PRAFHA has discovered a need for awareness about bullying in schools and online. The goal of Florida FandoMania is to raise awareness about anti-bullying throughout the Treasure Coast and nationwide.
During the 15 years of its existence, PRAFHA has produced cultural events for communities on Florida’s Treasure Coast such as the San Juan Festival & Business Expo, Treasure Coast International Film Festival, and we help with Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Indian River State College.
For more information, contact:
Joe Garofalo
(772) 380-4405
Executive Director
Robert Roldan
(772) 216-0285
President PRAFHA
May 7th is the holy grail of all comic book lovers out there. It is one of the best holidays right next to Christmas. It is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!! So make sure you mark your calendars. There are three local Brevard County shops that are participating in this awesome Holiday and we suggest you go running down there this fine day.
First up is our friends Viera Comics!
Free Comics! From 11AM to 7PM we will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Free Comic Book Day. People will get to choose 10 free comics from the Free Comic Book Day tables and there will be lots to choose from! Cosplay Contest at 1:00PM Hosted by Make ‘Em Laugh Films and raffle giveaways as well! Save The Date! Lots of Comic Characters to get your pics with!
3550 S Washington Ave, Ste 29, Titusville, Florida 32780
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Lastly there is Famous Faces and Funnies
Nino Mesarina of Space Coast Comixx had the chance to chat with Frank Fosco over at his flat in Chicago. Frank Fosco is a seasoned professional who is known for working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Please check out the pictures we are sharing with you, and come back in January for the exclusive chat we had with the legend himself.