It’s time to introduce another appearance at our upcoming GeekGirlCon ‘13. She’s been here before, and we love her dearly. Geeks and gentles, it’s Jane Espenson, co-creator and producer of the hit web series Husbands!
For those of you who aren’t yet in the know about Jane Espenson, we are here to help. Espenson started her screenwriting career with the likes of Disney and Ellen (the ‘90’s sitcom, not the talk show), and has worked extensively with Joss Whedon’s creative team on shows from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel, Dollhouse, and Firefly. She has penned episodes and produced for shows such as Tru Calling, Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, and Game of Thrones. Espenson has shared Hugo Awards for an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“Conversations with Dead People”) and for a first-season episode of Game of Thrones (“A Golden Crown”). Along with Husbands, Espenson is also co-creator of the SyFy hit Warehouse 13. As if that wasn’t enough of an amazing résumé, she can currently be found as a writer and producer of NBC’s runaway hit Once Upon a Time.
Espenson’s latest project, a collaboration with writer and co-creator Brad Bell, is the hit web series Husbands; it has won critical acclaim from multiple sources, including both mainstream press and the LGBTQ community. Its second season came about thanks to a fan-funded Kickstarter campaign, which led to its third season being picked up by CW Seed, a subsite of CWTV.com.
Appearing at his first GeekGirlCon will be Husbands director Eli Gonda. Gonda is best known for producing movies American Teen and Swimmers, and for directing short film The Rooster (written by Buffy alum Danny Strong). He and Espenson will discuss their work together on Husbands and the future of the series, as well as taking questions from the audience.
Join Espenson and Gonda for a special look behind the scenes of the fun of making Husbands. Jane Espenson will also be signing copies of the Dark Horse comics graphic novel Husbands.
GeekGirlCon ‘12 is a wrap, and the exhaustion is setting in. But we want to be sure to take a few moments to say thank you.
Darth Makenna stole the show at GeekGirlCon ’12
Thank you to the incredible panelists and guests, who helped us discuss incredibly important topics; geek out about comics, video games, science, technology, and pop culture; and discover how we could jumpstart our futures.
Thank you to our individual and corporate sponsors for helping us expand and grow. Without your support, none of this would have been possible.
Thank you to the amazing professionals who spent time in our GeekGirlConnections room and gave advice to attendees on how to jumpstart their careers.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers, who worked hours upon hours to keep the convention running smoothly — always with a smile on their face. You were so professional, thoughtful, helpful, and sincere. Our GeekGirlCon Agents are the best!
Thank you to the families, who came out in droves. The Zelda Family, the Darth Vader Princess (Darth Makenna), the little Wonder Woman, the robot, and every other outfit that left us “ooo”-ing and “aww”-ing. These young children are truly our future, so thank you for encouraging them to ask questions, think critically, and believe in themselves.
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to all of our attendees. You were willing to brave the traffic, you got up early to ensure you could attend every panel, you asked amazing questions, and you wanted to discuss uncomfortable yet important topics. More than 3,000 people walked through our convention doors each day.
If you were one of these 3,000+, you got to see the world premiere of Season 2 of Husbands, the webseries created by GeekGirlCon ‘12 guest Jane Espenson. Nobody else has seen this yet! You talked about sexism in geek culture in standing-room-only rooms. You connected with women from NASA, some who even had the opportunity to work on the project that successfully retrieved images from Mars. Mars, people!
She-Ra, Princess of Power!
You also sat on panels that addressed issues of diversity — in comics, pop culture, and the broader geek world. You got to hear from some of your favorite creators, leaders, activists, and entrepreneurs. And you got to enjoy our special events, including a nerdy comedy improv, a GeekGirlCONcert, a “Once More, With Feeling” sing-along, and a screening of Wonder Women! The Untold History of American Superheroines during our closing celebration.
On the gaming floor, you entered gaming tournaments and designed new games through the Mystery Box Game Design Challenge. You learned how to create a superhero mask. You learned how to play new games you hadn’t even heard of.
And, likely, you purchased a lot of adorable, beautiful, awesome stuff at our Exhibitor Hall. From math as art, to board games, to books, to socks, to jewelry, our exhibitors and artists offered a range of amazing accessories for geeks of any type.
You came in amazing cosplay, proudly representing your favorite characters. We had crossplay Avengers, a few different versions of Carmen Sandiego, and characters from Zelda, The X-Files, Buffy, The Hunger Games, Scooby Doo, and so much more.
Because of you, GeekGirlCon is gaining attention, from a CNN and Reuters article that quickly spread across the Internet, to local stories from KING 5, KIRO, KOMO, The Seattle Times, GeekWire, The Stranger, and so much more.
Because of you, we are continuing these conversations on social media, where you told us you left feeling inspired. You left feeling a part of a community, one where women support other women. You were excited to put together your own panels next year. And you were motivated to take action — whether big or small — to make an impact in the world.
Because of you, we will be able to make adjustments to ensure GeekGirlCon ‘13 is even better. Your feedback is incredibly important to us. So we encourage you to take the time to fill out our post-con survey, which you can find here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPZCL5R. Tell us what programming and events you loved, and what you want to see more of next year.
Thank you, once again, for being a part of GeekGirlCon ‘12. For those who were unable to attend, thank you for being a part of our online conversations and for continuing to support GeekGirlCon.
Keep that fire — still burning from this weekend — alive. Don’t let it dwindle, as we’ll be back for GeekGirlCon ‘13 (date TBA). And please be sure to keep an eye on our website, as we will be hosting a number of special events in the greater Seattle area that you won’t want to miss.
Did you think we were done announcing guests for GeekGirlCon ‘12? We’re not! Today, we are excited to announce the addition of Renae De Liz, an amazing comic book artist.
Cover for Anne Rice's Servant of the Bones
In 2011, Renae created and managed Womanthology, a 350-page comic anthology created entirely by women, with all proceeds going to charity. She raised $109,000 on Kickstarter, making Womanthology the most successful comics project and 25th most successful Kickstarter of all time.
In addition to the overwhelming success of Womanthology, Renae De Liz has illustrated the New York Times bestselling graphic novel adaptation of Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn for IDW, as well as other adaptations including Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones. She lives in Maine with her husband, sons, and cats.
“We are exceptionally excited to have Renae joining us for GeekGirlCon ‘12,” announced Jennifer K. Stuller, Creative Programming Director for GeekGirlCon. “The overwhelmingly positive reaction and support for the Womanthology Kickstarter project is an indication that there is a great market for comics created by women. We are looking forward to hearing about her experiences creating and managing the project, as well as illustrating great graphic novel adaptations.”
Cover for The Last Unicorn designed by Renae De Liz
In Seattle, the Emerald City Comicon just reached its tenth year. In Portland this weekend, the Stumptown Comics Fest is going into its eighth. In Vancouver, we just had our first ever major con.
Organized by the same people who hold Fan Expo Canada in Toronto (over 80,000 people last year), Fan Expo Vancouver took over the Vancouver Convention Centre last weekend (April 21-22). It was long overdue.
Some great Batgirls at Fan Expo Vancouver (Photo by Ryan Ingram)
So if it’s your first convention or you’re not used to maneuvering around downtown Seattle, you might need help. So here’s a few tips from the folks at GGC to maneuver your way through the downtown Seattle area.
New to Seattle?
Getting Around:
Walking– The area around the Seattle Center is relatively flat, so for the most part your legs will do just fine.
Monorail – The Seattle Center Northwest rooms just happen to be in easy distance of the Seattle Center House. This building houses the monorail which, for a small fee, will take you directly to and from the Westlake Shopping Center.
Metro/Bus – Parking downtown is pricey and sometimes you’re lucky if you can even find it. So if you think taking a bus is an option, you should check out King County Metro and SoundTransit. If you dont’ have a pass, bring cash–and remember, drivers can’t make change.
Car – If you’re likely driving to the convention, come early. The Seattle Center tends to be a hub of activity and with a convention going on, it’s bound to be a little crazy. There are two major parking garages near the Seattle Center: One on Harrison and 5th and another on Mercer and 3rd. The Mercer Street Garage will be the closest of the two to the Northwest Rooms. Once you’ve secured a parking space, best to spend the rest of the day on foot or public transportation and leave your car until you’re ready to leave the area for the day.
Food/Shopping:
The Seattle Center House – Along with monorail, the Seattle Center House has a decent food court. Need a pick-me-up? There’s a Starbucks (and free wi-fi for those of you who need to blog it up while attending the con). You’ll also find things from burgers, to Chinese, to thai food to some pretty epic fair-style hot dogs. Or maybe you just want a delicious snack–try a beignet.
Westlake Plaza – In the event you want to hop onto the monorail, you’ll be taken to the Westlake Plaza, which not only includes Westlake’s Shopping Center and food court–but will land you right in the heart of downtown Seattle’s shopping. So if you feel the need to wander off to check out shops like Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstroms–even Betsy Johnson–you now know how to get there from the convention.
The Solo Bar – The Solo bar has been more than a friend to GeekGirlCon (as we have hosted previous events there) it’s a great place to eat and grab a cocktail. So if you’re wondering what to get for dinner–this place is well worth checking out.
Weather:
If you’re an out-of-towner, you probably know Seattle is notorious for rain. If you’re from Seattle, you know it’s kind of exaggerated and may even wish it rained more. The important thing to remember is that our weather, if anything, is schizophrenic. So pack your sweatshirts and sunglasses!
As a general rule, a light jacket with a hood or a hooded sweatshirt is usually your best defense this time of year.
Umbrellas – Now you may think, “Rain, okay, I’ll bring an umbrella” and while you may want to get one of those tiny collapsable ones to put in your bag as a “just in case”, for the most part, I’d advise against bringing them. Seattle rain has the tendency to fall very diagonally–meaning we get a lot of wind. Most of the time when you try to use an umbrella, it gets blown inside out and ends up being more of a hinderance than a help.
New to Conventions?
Planning:
Even for convention veterans, cons can be a little hecktic and while GeekGirlCon is still starting out and on the smaller side, some planning can go a long way. Carefully look over the programming of both Saturday and Sunday and plot out what ideally you would like to see. Some decisions will have to be made, you may have to choose between two or even more panels that you want to see, but if you don’t plan, you might miss everything all together.
Make sure you also set some time aside to check out the vendors!
Registration:
Always arrive early because even if you’ve pre-registered, you still need to get your badge. And there’s nothing worse than arriving a little late and having to stand in line to wait for your badge while that panel you were excited for is carrying on without you.
Cosplay:
Cosplay, if you don’t know, is the practice of dressing up in a costume to resemble an established (I use this term loosely) character. It’s not unusual to see cosplayers running about at a convention and ours will be no different. Of course, we do want people to keep it family friendly and safe, so if you’re thinking about joining the crowd and wearing a costume, check out these guide lines. It is also important to remember that even if you’re really excited about someone’s costume, it’s not appropriate to tackle-hug them without their explicit permission.
Be Polite:
Remember we’re all here because we all love the same things. So be polite to your fellow geeks!
Food/Beverage:
It sounds silly but remember to eat and drink plenty of water! Sometimes you can get a bit overwhelmed at a convention and forget the most basic standards of keeping yourself healthy and energized.
Hygiene:
When you get a lot of people in one location, it can get a little crowded and create what a lot of us know as “Con Funk”. To avoid “Con Funk”, make sure you and all of your party members remember to shower and equally important–don’t wear heavy colognes or perfumes.
Help:
If you’re ever confused about a procedure, lost, or just need directions, you can flag down one of our helpful volunteers who will be clearly marked (as they will be wearing bright yellow shirts that say ‘volunteer’ on the back) and they’ll point you in the right direction.
If all else fails? Visit the info booth!
Suggestions:
If you don’t like the way something is done, or rather know of a way it could have been done better, please email us feedback. After all, this convention is for people like you so we want to do our best to accomidate.
Espenson’s latest project, a collaboration with writer and co-creator Brad Bell, is the hit web series Husbands; it has won critical acclaim from multiple sources, including both mainstream press and the LGBTQ community. Its second season came about thanks to a fan-funded Kickstarter campaign, which led to its third season being picked up by CW Seed, a subsite of CWTV.com.
