Hosted By
Felicia Day
Guest Host
Felicia Day has acted in numerous television shows and films. She starred in Eureka, Supernatural, and The Magicians. She is currently appearing in her third season in the cult classic Mystery Science Theatre: 3000. Felicia also does extensive Voiceover work in animation and video games. Her IMDB, with over 100 credits, can be found here.
However, Felicia is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She co-starred with Neil Patrick Harris in the Emmy award winning musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. She also created and starred in the seminal web series The Guild (PGA nominated for “Best Web Series”) which ran for six seasons. The Guild won numerous awards for digital video excellence. Recently, costume and props from the show were admitted to the Smithsonian American History collection. She also founded a digital brand and production company called “Geek and Sundry” which subsequently sold to Legendary Entertainment.
Felicia currently works as an actor, writer, streamer and host. She hosts the official companion podcast for Amazon’s Rings of Power show, and conducts interviews with the casts of Netflix series such as Stranger Things and The Witcher for the Unlocked series.
Felicia has written two New York Times bestselling books, “You’re Never Weird On the Internet,” and “Embrace Your Weird.” She also recently wrote the hit Audible Original “Third Eye”. She has over 6 million followers across social platforms.
Starring
Warwick Davis
As one of the fortunate little people who was hired to portray an Ewok in George Lucas’ Return of the Jedi, Warwick began his remarkable career at the young age of 11. It was truly a lucky break for Warwick, having responded to a radio advertisement soliciting undersized actors to audition for the film. Warwick was chosen partly due to his diminutive stature, and he quickly caught the attention of director Richard Marquand with his childish innocence and abundant fascination. The intense interest he displayed towards everything on the set was especially focused on the R2-D2 robot. Warwick was amazed with the workings of the droid and was always found investigating and examining it closely. Marquand transformed Warwick’s childhood curiosity into one of Jedi’s most memorable scenes: the little Ewok Wicket, on tiptoe, cautiously peering into the eye of R2D2 amid the trees of the Endor forest.
Warwick’s role as Wicket was reprised with two more Ewok movies, The Caravan of Courage an Ewok Adventure and The Battle for Endor. Warwick continued his rapport with Lucasfilm when he was invited by producer George Lucas and director Ron Howard to take the title role in the fantasy theme film Willow. As the character Willow, Warwick proved that even the tiniest of people could be the biggest of heroes when he fulfills his destiny protecting the baby princess and delivering her to safety.
Warwick’s acting career took a very different turn, however, when he donned the horrifying make-up and green suit, replete with striped tights and buckled shoes, that comprise his frightening costume in the movie, Leprechaun. The horror film became so popular with younger audiences and teens that it spawned five, all having Warwick in the starring role.
His relationship with Lucasfilm was sparked again as he returned to the set of the box office smash film, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Warwick managed four roles in Lucas’ long-awaited prequel, including Wald, the alien friend of Anakin Skywalker’s, and Weasel, the unsavory scoundrel friend of Anakin’s master Watto that cheers for the villainous Sebulba during the heart pounding podracing sequence.
Warwick has thrilled fans of science fiction and fantasy films for the past 20 years, and his career continued with his role in Warner Bros. motion pictures Harry Potter. He co-starred as Professor Flitwick, the warlock of levitation, in the film adaptation of the best-selling series of novels by author J.K. Rowling. And for all you Leprechaun fans check out Back to tha Hood (a.k.a Leprechaun 6). You can also see Warwick in a very serious role in the Academy Award winning film Ray.
George Takei
George Takei is known around the world for his role in the acclaimed original TV series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But Takei’s story, which includes an acting career that spans six decades, goes where few have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.
Takei’s acting credits include co-starring in six Star Trek movies and appearances on such TV series as Fresh Off the Boat, Supah Ninjas, Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Psych, Will & Grace, Miami Vice, MacGyver, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone, among numerous others.
In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance, which was inspired by his family’s true-life experiences during World War II. Takei made his London stage debut in “George Takei’s Allegiance” at the Charing Cross Theatre in 2023. In 2017, he starred in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures directed by John Doyle at Classic Stage Company in New York City.
Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei’s Take, exploring the world of technology, trends, current events, and pop culture, and is the subject of the documentary To Be Takei. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad Takei bring viewers into their personal lives in the “heightened reality” web series It Takeis Two. He was a series regular in the second season of Ridley Scott’s anthology drama The Terror: Infamy, which premiered on AMC in August 2019.
His rich baritone has provided narration for the Ken Burns / PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the Peabody Award-winning radio documentary Crossing East, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, for which Takei shared with Leonard Nimoy a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. He has also done voiceover work for hundreds of video games, commercials, films and TV series such as Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, Sega’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Fox’s The Simpsons and Futurama; Disney’s Kim Possible, Mulan and Mulan 2; Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, Disney+ Star Wars: Visions, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Takei is the author of five books, including his autobiography, To the Stars. Takei’s Eisner Award winning and New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy was released in July 2019. Takei’s children’s picture book, My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story, illustrated by Michelle Lee, will go on-sale on April 16, 2024.
Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also Chair Emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations. Takei received both bachelor and master of arts degrees from UCLA (’60, ’64). In June 2019, Takei received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Theater from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT). In June 2016, California State University, Los Angeles, presented Takei with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. In September 2022, Takei received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his distinguished service to the community. In June 2023, the Graduate Center of The City University of New York conferred upon Takei the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
In 2016, Los Angeles-born Takei was inducted into the California Museum’s California Hall of Fame. The California Museum says George and 96 other individuals inducted into the California Hall of Fame are “legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.”
Ernie Hudson
With over 100 film and television credits on his resume, Ernie Hudson has always been a unique screen presence, capable of inhabiting any role. Hudson is strongly identified with his starring role as Warden Leo Glynn on the critically acclaimed HBO series Oz. For his portrayal of the fair-minded warden, Hudson won the International Press Academy Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series. Hudson just wrapped the highly prestigious original TNT film The Ron Clark Story starring opposite Matthew Perry. During this same year, Hudson starred in a wide variety of films including the award-winning HBO film Lackawanna Blues, Miss Hotchiss’ Charm School, and Miss Congeniality 2 reprising his role as FBI Asst. Director Harry McDonald. Hudson also starred in the ABC series 10-8 as Senior Deputy John Henry Barnes. Hudson is especially proud of his portrayal of simple-minded handyman Solomon in the box-office smash The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Hudson remains a beloved icon as Winston Zeddemore, one of the original Ghostbusters. Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a career as a performer seemed like an unlikely path for young Ernie Hudson, who was already married with a young son when he enrolled at Wayne State University as a Speech and English major. Hudson’s early ambition was to be a writer, and for a time served as the resident playwright at Detroit’s Concept East, the oldest black theater company in the country. Later, he founded Actors Ensemble Theater, where he and other black performers staged and appeared in their own original works. After attending Wayne State, Hudson accepted a full writing/acting scholarship to the prestigious Master of Fine Arts Program at Yale University. This led to a number of regional theater roles and critical acclaim, and his feature film debut in Leadbelly.
Hudson earned roles in feature films like The Main Event with Barbra Streisand, The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond, and television projects like Abby Mann’s acclaimed mini-series King and the highly-rated Roots II. In 1983, Hudson was anointed as original Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore and his star was born. Hudson subsequently starred in films such as Weeds with Nick Nolte, Leviathan, Sugar Hill, The Cowboy Way, Speechless, The Basketball Diaries opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Congo, and The Crow opposite the late Brandon Lee.
When he’s not working, Hudson likes to spend time relaxing at home with his wife and family and remains committed to developing all facets of his creativity, including his writing.
Mary McDonnell
Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar-nominated actress known for bringing powerful and complex female characters to the film and television landscape.
McDonnell most recently starred as Madeline Usher in the hit Netflix Miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, written and directed by Mike Flanagan. She has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of the powerful matriarch of the Usher family.
McDonnell recently starred as “Commander Sharon Raydor” on TNT’s hit series, Major Crimes, where she earned an Emmy Nomination for her portrayal of a woman at the pinnacle of her career navigating leadership in the traditionally male-dominated field of law enforcement. The series was honored by multiple community organizations including the LAPD, LAPD Reserve Foundation, GLSEN, Imagen Foundation and Covenant House.
McDonnell starred in Syfy’s AFI and Peabody award-winning Battlestar Galactica in her critically-praised performance as ‘President Laura Roslin’ (2008 Saturn Award – Best Actress on Television). An allegory of 9/11 and the War in Iraq, the series was widely acclaimed for its examination of the issues of war and human rights, and in 2009 McDonnell appeared on a panel at the United Nations to discuss the parallels between the show and real-world issues of terrorism, race relations and gender equality. McDonnell’s Broadway credits include Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, the title role in Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles and Emily Mann’s Execution of Justice.
Extensive film credits include Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayals of “Stands with Fist” in the Academy Award-winning film Dances with Wolves and as a paraplegic soap opera star in John Sayles’ Passion Fish. Other films include Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon and Mumford , Sneakers opposite Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier and Independence Day.
In 2015 McDonnell received the Gina Award from Women in Film, and the Leadership Excellence Advocacy (LEA) Award in 2017 from Women in Cable Telecommunications. In 2018 McDonnell was honored with the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, presented by Trinity Repertory Company. Currently McDonnell is producing projects for TV and film.
Tricia Helfer
Tricia Helfer is a Canadian covergirl model-turned-actress with a storied career and natural screen presence. Tricia currently just wrapped independent features PRIMITIVE WAR, playing a Russian scientist during the Vietnam War, and HELLO BEAUTIFUL, playing the lead role – a true story of a woman fighting breast cancer, based off the best selling book “Walk Beside Me.”
Recently Tricia starred in the Starz series STEP UP as the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, alongside Neyo and Enrique Murciano. She also had the final season of the Syfy/Netflix series VAN HELSING air, playing none other than the iconic vampire of legend, Dracula.
She can be seen in the Lionsgate feature BOMBSHELL with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. Prior to VAN HELSING, Tricia starred in Netflix’s LUCIFER, switching gears from the role as Lucifer’s mother Charlotte to an attorney by the same name in the third season. Perhaps best known for her Leo award-winning role as the humanoid Cylon ‘Number Six’ in the critically acclaimed Syfy show BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, Tricia has also had leading roles in Syfy’s ASCENSION, ABC’s KILLER WOMEN, Jerry Bruckheimer’s DARK BLUE, and a variety of terrific roles in hit series such as BURN NOTICE, TWO AND A HALF MEN, CHUCK, LIE TO ME, SUITS, KEY AND PEELE, COMMUNITY, FRANKLIN & BASH, and countless others.
Adding to her impressive resume, Tricia can be seen on the big screen in films such as NBC’s BEHIND THE CAMERA: THE UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF CHARLIE’S ANGELS, playing Farrah Fawcett; in MEMORY opposite Dennis Hopper and Billy Zane; A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDINGS with Harvey Keitel, Scott Caan, and JK Simmons; and AUTHORS ANONYMOUS with Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting. Tricia has also done prolific voiceover work in mega-hit video game franchises, playing Commander Veronica Dare in Halo: ODST, EDI in Mass Effect 2 and 3, and Sarah Kerrigan in Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, winning the 2010 VGA for Best Performance by a Human Female.
Tricia, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, currently resides between Los Angeles, CA and Chattahoochee Hills, GA.
Grace Park
Prior to HAWAII FIVE-0, Grace Park was beloved by audiences for her starring role on the critically acclaimed series “Battlestar Galactica,” in which she played not one, but two leading roles. Her performance in the season one cliffhanger garnered her a place in TV Guide’s “100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History.” The series received a Peabody Award in 2006 and has been named one of television’s best shows by Rolling Stone , TV Guide , The New York Times Magazine , Entertainment Weekly and Newsday . Park earned a nomination for Outstanding Newcomer Award in 2006 by the “Asian Excellence Awards” for her work in the series.
For her role on HAWAII FIVE-0, Park brought to life the iconic role of Kono Kalakaua (not as a man as originally written, but as a woman!) was nominated in both 2011 and 2012 for a “Teen Choice Award” for Choice TV Actress: Action. In 2010, she received the “Achievement Award in Entertainment” by the KoreAm Awards. In 2014, Park was honored with the “Asian Hall of Fame Award” and “APEX Inspiration Award.”
Born in Los Angeles and raised in Canada, Park received a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia before turning her attention to film and television. Early on, she was cast in the Canadian teen drama “Edgemont” as she pursued her dramatic studies. Years later Park would return to the Canadian airwaves starring in the television series “The Border” for which she was nominated for a “Gemini Award” for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. In addition, her credits include the acclaimed cable series “The Cleaner,” starring opposite Benjamin Bratt. Also, Park appeared in the stage production of “The Boys Next Door”, and most recently “A Million Little Things” on ABC/Hulu.
Rekha Sharma
Rekha Sharma is a Canadian actress of Indo-Fijian descent. Lauded for her recent role as the mysterious badass Jessica Roberts on the Emmy-Award-winning Showtime hit series Yellowjackets, Rekha is known for her ability to bring passion, strength, humour, and vulnerability to her work.
Widely known for her portrayal of the elegant yet fierce ‘politician- turned-Cylon’ Tory Foster in Syfy’s AFI and Peabody Award-winning Battlestar Galactica, Rekha’s performance in Season 3 garnered her a place in TV Guide’s “100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History.” Battlestar Galactica has been named one of television’s best shows by Rolling Stone, TV Guide, The New York Times Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Newsday.
Having carved out a place for herself in the genre world, she was thrilled to return to Sci-Fi years later to join the legacy that is CBS’s iconic Star Trek. She played three different versions of the militant Security officer Commander Landry across multiple universes, and was considered by many to be one of the “least Starfleet” (and most fascinating) Star Trek characters ever.
Rekha’s early years were spent mostly in the forests of North Vancouver, BC playing make-believe with her friends, drawing, painting, and obsessing over dogs. She knew from a young age she wanted to live her life as an artist, but she couldn’t have dreamt up what was ahead of her. Now based in Hollywood, CA, Rekha loves cooking, eating, spending time in nature, being with her loved ones, and attempting to meditate.
Rekha’s numerous credits include Susan Redman in The Cleaning Lady, Neeta Devi in Transplant, Shivani in Roswell, New Mexico, Dominique Crain in The Imperfects, Aunt Fern in The Binge 2, Ursula Monroe in Another Life, Dr. Lorelei Tsing in The 100, Claire Abbot in Arrow, Nisha Patel in Nikita, Sarita Malik in V, Kali in Supernatural, Nurse Helen in Alien vs Predator: Requiem, Dr. Harden on Smallville, Danni in The Core. She is currently filming a dark thriller TV series to be released on AppleTV+ sometime next year.
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson is a versatile force in the entertainment industry, known for her memorable roles in Power Rangers, Felicity, and Flashpoint. She has expanded her talents to filmmaking with her acclaimed debut feature film, Tammy’s Always Dying, which starred Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As a musician, Amy Jo has released three albums and is preparing to launch her forthcoming EP, Still Here, with an announcement on its release date expected soon.
In addition, Amy Jo has entered the world of comic book writing with the successful launch of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return. This four-issue series revisits the iconic role that kickstarted her career, offering a nostalgic journey for long-time fans!
Amy Jo will be also be joining bandmates Scott Grimes and Greg Grunberg as part of The Action Figures Band onboard Comic-Con: The Cruise!
Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg is best known from Star Wars, Star Trek, A Star is Born and alongside Al Pacino in the film Paterno. As well as on series Heroes, Lost, Alias and Felicity.
Currently Grunberg is starring in new series Duster for HBOMax.
A strong advocate in the Epilepsy community, Grunberg created TalkAboutIt.org & TalkAboutItOnVideo.com as well as his podcast Talk About It.
Most recently, Greg is shooting The Caregiver Series in partnership with Jazz Pharmaceuticals on YouTube (TheCareGiverSeries.com).
Greg’s graphic novel series Dream Jumper is out now from Scholastic.
And Grunberg started the celebrity party band for hire: The Action Figures (TheActionFiguresBand.com).
Virginia Gardner
Virginia Gardner is establishing herself as one of the industry’s most exciting young actresses on the big and small screen. Gardner is known for her role as ‘Karolina Dean’ in Hulu’s original Marvel series “Runaways” for three seasons, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Based off the Marvel comic book series, the show centered on a group of teenagers who band together to run away from their homes to atone for their parents’ super villain actions, and to discover the secrets of their origins.
In 2015, Gardner made her feature film debut as ‘Christina Raskin’ in Paramount Pictures’ “Project Almanac,” which was produced by Michael Bay. Additional film credits include “GOAT,” which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival opposite Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer, as well as the independent film “Starfish.”
More recently, Gardner was seen recurring on HBO’s “Righteous Gemstones” opposite Danny McBride and John Goodman, in David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” feature for Universal with Jamie Lee Curtis, and in Netflix film “All the Bright Places” with Elle Fanning and Luke Wilson.
Gardner appeared on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Stories” on FX, in the feature film “Fall” with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and on Starz’s “Gaslit” opposite Julia Roberts and Sean Penn.
This year, she co-led Voltage’s “Beautiful Wedding,” reprising her role opposite Dylan Sprouse from “Beautiful Disaster,” based on the Jamie McGuire’s novels of the same name. Virginia will also star opposite Lucy Hale in Lionsgate-Buzzfeed’s comedy-thriller, F*** Marry Kill, slated to release later this year.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Grace Caroline Currey
Grace Caroline Currey has been in back-to-back films across every genre. Most recently, she toplined The Breed, an unconventional reimagination of the Wes Craven classic. Grace was also the lead of the Lionsgate adventure thriller, Fall, directed by Scott Mann, which was released theatrically, as well as portrayed Superhero Mary Marvel and Mary Bromfield in the Warner Bros and DC Entertainment franchise sequel, Shazam: Fury of the Gods. Prior to that she starred in New Line’s popular Conjuring franchise, Annabelle: Creation. Grace brings her boyfriend home to meet the parents in the rom-com, Most Guys are Losers, based on the best-selling book. She has studied at the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and was nominated for Best Actress at the Milan International Film Festival for her role in Badland, an indie feature with Vinessa Shaw. She is also a trained ballerina to boot!
Ethan Embry
Ethan Embry has been working in film and television for over 35 years, debuting in the John Hughes cult classic, Dutch and more recently in the longest running series on Netflix, Grace and Frankie. Filling out the middle of his career with iconic roles in Empire Records, Vegas Vacation, Can’t Hardly Wait, Sweet Home Alabama, and the Tom Hanks directorial debut, That Thing You Do. It was just announced that he is joining the cast of Scream 7. Ethan currently lives in Atlanta Georgia and it’s OK that his hairline is receding so far back, because he is in fact a grandfather. Yes, you are that old Ethan Embry is a grandfather.
Jonah Ray
Jonah Ray is a Hawaiian born stand-up comedian, actor, director and podcast host. Ray currently stars as Jonah Heston in the Netflix series Mystery Science Theater: 3000 The Return. Recently, he has co-hosted a Comedy Central show “The Meltdown w/ Jonah Ray & Kumail Nanjiani,” Wrote and starred in the travel parody show “Hidden America with Jonah Ray,” appeared in the latest installment in the Hatchet franchise, “Victor Crowley” and shows up on Talking Dead every once in a while. Jonah also co-hosts the Nerdist (now ID10T) podcast, which he started with Chris Hardwick while working as a writer and producer at the G4 Network shows Attack of the Show and Web Soup.
Sam Jones
Sam has over 75 films and numerous television shows to his credit. He is best known as Flash Gordon, The Spirit, The Highwayman, SG-1’s The Bounty Hunter and for his memorable comedic performances in TED and TED 2.
As an Actor-Producer for 45 years and a Marine for 50 years (once a Marine always a Marine), Sam brings a rare and unique quality to the film industry, as well as to the public speaking circuit, or as Sam would say “To the human condition circuit.”
With hundreds of public speaking appearances (in the past 20 years), Sam’s common-sense, practical thinking, life-changing message reaches every age, ethnicity, culture and economic demographic. “We as human beings are designed for community and for helping others.” So, in this world – filled with self-centeredness, confusion and uncertainty – We need to step-up and be doers in serving others before self, with an unwavering mind-set of “If not me, then who? And if not you, then who?
Sam is the recipient of numerous Entertainment, Civic and Humanitarian awards including:
- Former National Chairman of Kid City, John Rossi Youth Foundation, Santa Monica, California.
- Saturn Award, presented by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
Films. - ICFA Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
- The Outstanding Achievement Award in the Entertainment Industry, presented by the Southern California Motion Picture Council.
- Courageous Citizen of the Year, presented by District Attorney of Los Angeles County, The California State Senate, The City of Los Angeles, and The North Hollywood Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.
- USMC Air Station Miramar’s Military Police Unit’s Certificate of Appreciation for providing high-risk environment personal security training for Iraq Deployment.
Melody Anderson
From Flash Gordon’s Lady Love Dale Arden, to becoming a respected expert on treating families facing addiction, loss and trauma, Melody Anderson offers her compassion, humor and intelligence.
Melody Anderson is the Poster-Child for Life Change. Her varied careers include modeling, performing as an on-air journalist for radio and television, having a successful acting career, writing screenplays made into films, selling her paintings and lecturing to the international medical community about addiction. Whether discussing how to adapt to challenges in life, or discussing Hollywood, Ms. Anderson is the guest speaker who can discuss any topic.
After a successful 17-year career on stage, film and television, Ms. Anderson completed her Masters in Social Work from New York University in 1997. She created and was the coordinator of the Family and Out-Patient programs for Hazelden in New York. Ms. Anderson is trained in several techniques to treat trauma. She has brought this training to several addiction treatment centers in Los Angeles and New York. She developed a call-in radio-therapy program, “A New Day,” for WWRL in New York City. Currently, she has private practices in Los Angeles & New York, is The Clinical Director for Friendly House, a women’s addiction treatment center and is writing a book for parents with children who abuse drugs.
Media savvy, she was interviewed about addiction and the family on the ShowTime Documentary by the academy-award winning director, Robert Zemeckis and has appeared on CBS radio, CBS’s Morning Show and several talk shows.
Ted Lange
Ted Lange is a graduate of London’s Royal Academy with a career as a prolific director, writer, and actor since the 1980s. This classical background as well as his years before the camera have enabled him to become known as an actor’s director inspiring not only emotional but also comedic scenes.
His four-camera directing expertise includes sixty episodes for Entertainment Studios’, The First Family and Mr. Box Office, and twelve episodes of Are We There Yet?, for Executive Producer, Ali Leroi.
His one-camera directing experience is showcased in the independent films, Othello and For Love of Amy as well as the one-camera television comedies, The New Gidget and The Brothers Garcia for Universal.
The Fall Guy and Mike Hammer exemplify his directorial work in action shows.
Co-Starring
Robb Pearlman
Author / Industry Insider
Robb Pearlman is a pop culturalist, Trekspert, publishing professional, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author, host, interviewer, editor, and award-winning author of over 70 books. Robb brings an authentic and celebratory look at pop culture. His unique brand of engaging, interactive, and fun events, panel discussions, book clubs, crafting activities, scavenger hunts, games, and even workouts are always fun, interactive, inclusive, and memorable.
Robb has written books based on characters and stories from fan-favorite properties including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Star Trek, The Golden Girls, The Office, The Smurfs, Rick and Morty, Bob’s Burgers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Alien, Game of Thrones, and Bob Ross. He is the author of original books including “Live Like a Vulcan, Love Like a Wookiee, Laugh Like a Hobbit,” “I Adulted,” “101 Ways to Kill a Zombie,” “Movie Night Trivia,” and “Nerd Haiku,” and stewarded books based on The Princess Bride, Hamilton, The Joker, Parks and Recreation, All in the Family, and Variety Magazine, as well as memoirs and monographs by acclaimed pop culture icons including Don Bluth, Ralph Bakshi, Bill Plympton, and Charles Busch.
Bob Bergen
The Voice of Porky Pig
Four-time Emmy nominated actor Bob Bergen announced to his parents when he was five he wanted to be Porky Pig. His mother replied, “Honey, you can’t be Porky Pig. You’re Jewish.” Despite this, he was determined. At fourteen he phoned Mel Blanc after researching a dozen or so phone books, crashed a recording session pretending to be Blanc’s assistant, and watched him in action. Realizing he needed training, and for his voice to change, he began studying voiceover with every vo coach LA had to offer. Combined with two years at a Meisner acting conservatory and three years of improv study with The Groundlings, he was able to secure an agent at eighteen and pursue his dream, while tour guiding at Universal Studios allowed him to eat. He’s performed in all aspects of on-camera television: from sitcoms to soaps to game shows – hosting Jep!, the kids’ version of Jeopardy! for Game Show Network.
His voice is heard in thousands of commercials, promos, games, animated series and specials. He’s voiced dozens of animated features, including Minions: The Rise of Gru, Sing, Wreck it Ralph, The Secret Life of Pets, Trolls, Tangled, Spirited Away, Cars, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Iron Giant, The Emperor’s New Groove, WALL-E, Toy Story 2 & 3, and Up. Series work includes Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Ridley Jones, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Robot Chicken, Oddballs, I am Groot, Bugs Bunny Builders, Animaniancs, It’s Pony, Dew Drop Diaries, Teen Titans Go!, Spidey and his Amazing Friends, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Pretzel and the Puppies. 2024 marks his 34th year as the predominant voice of Porky Pig. Bob is also one of the most sought after coaches for animation voiceover.
Thomas Surprenant
Makeup Artist
Thomas Surprenant is a multifaceted artist whose passion and expertise span across various creative realms. Born with an innate curiosity and an insatiable drive for artistic exploration, Surprenant has carved a distinctive niche for himself in the realms of makeup artistry, special effects, and prosthetics.
With an early fascination for the transformative power of makeup, Surprenant embarked on his journey in the world of beauty and special effects at a young age. His innate talent and relentless dedication soon caught the attention of industry professionals, propelling him into the limelight of Hollywood.
Over the years, Surprenant has amassed a stellar portfolio, showcasing his unparalleled skills in makeup artistry and prosthetic design. His work spans across a diverse range of mediums, including film, television, theater, and beyond. From crafting intricate creature designs to seamlessly blending prosthetics with live-action performances, Surprenant’s creations never fail to captivate and mesmerize audiences worldwide.
Surprenant’s collaborative spirit and meticulous attention to detail have earned him widespread acclaim and recognition within the entertainment industry. His creative contributions have graced the screens of blockbuster films, hit television series, and iconic stage productions, leaving an indelible mark on the visual landscape of contemporary media.
Beyond his achievements in the realm of entertainment, Surprenant is also a passionate educator, sharing his wealth of knowledge and expertise with aspiring artists through workshops, seminars, and mentorship programs. His commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent reflects his enduring legacy as a visionary artist and a generous mentor.
With a career spanning decades and a portfolio that continues to evolve and inspire, Thomas Surprenant remains at the forefront of innovation in makeup artistry and special effects, leaving an indelible mark on the world of visual storytelling.
Yaya Han
Cosplay Guest
Yaya Han is a cosplayer, designer and author. She discovered cosplay in 1999, when it was still a small, quirky section of the geek-fandom. Armed with a used $40 sewing machine, Yaya threw herself into making costumes headfirst, and quickly absorbed the heart and soul of costume design and creation. To this day, Yaya has made more than 400 personal costumes in every fandom genre imaginable, as well as her own original designs. Her long-standing consistency of creating intricate and lavish costumes has made her a craftsmanship Icon and beloved competition judge in the cosplay world, and inspired countless people to get into cosplay.
Over the years, Yaya has played a pivotal role in introducing cosplay to the mainstream audience and shaping it into a commercial industry. She has been a Guest Judge on 3 seasons of TBS TV Network’s “King of the Nerds” competition show, starred in the Syfy TV Network’s Docu-Series “Heroes of Cosplay”, and been interviewed by countless magazines, books, newspapers and online media outlets.
In 2020, Sterling Books published Yaya’s self-written book about the evolution of modern cosplay called “Yaya Han’s World of Cosplay,” in which she also chronicles her life story of being born in China, raised in Germany and coming to America as a teenager and setting her life’s work in motion through the discovery of cosplay. The book is available worldwide wherever books are sold.
Yaya’s current focus is on making tools and materials more available to the cosplay community, through collaborations with global creative companies. She designs Yaya Han branded cosplay sewing patterns for The McCall Pattern Company, which are distributed worldwide. JOANN Fabric & Craft Stores carries the “Cosplay by Yaya Han” line in key categories of fabric and trims in stores and online, and she even partnered with Dremel to bring rotary tools to JOANN stores. In 2023, Swiss sewing machine company BERNINA launched a Yaya Han branded sewing and embroidery machine, the bernadette b79 Yaya Han Edition. It became an instant hit with cosplayers and sewists around the world,
Commercial ventures aside, Yaya often participates in charitable projects involving cosplay, and strives to be a positive force in the community. Through hard work, unmatched passion and infectious enthusiasm, Yaya has helped cosplay gain respect and integrity as an art form in the fandom world and art communities, and her decade long campaign for creativity has helped raise Cosplay to the standards we know today. Everyday, Yaya continues to pave the path for the beloved art and lifestyle we know as Cosplay.
Cowbutt Crunchies
Cosplay Guests
Cowbutt Crunchies Cosplay is an internationally acclaimed LGBTQ+ couple who specializes in couture cosplay, education, and incredible pop culture design. Always pushing the envelope of creativity, their experimental mixed media builds feature a wide mastery of unique techniques, from advanced embroidery, to extreme wigwork, to intricate armor. Their work is both intricately detailed and impossibly over the top, making use of their ever-growing skill sets including advanced needlework, extreme wigwork, detailed armor, makeup effects, moldmaking, lighting, and animatronics.
Their passion for cosplay has taken them around the world as educators, judges, and competitors with numerous national titles under their belts including the 2019 Crown Champion of Cosplay. In the professional sphere they have created corporate promotional builds for video game and TV launches, with a client list that includes Riot Games, miHoYo, and Marvel. You can also find their creations in various media outlets including ABC’s To Tell The Truth and Adam Savage’s Tested.
As experienced cosplay educators, they are passionate about sharing their knowledge and experiences with the community. To date they have hosted over 100 in-person panels and created hundreds of online tutorials for aspiring cosplayers to follow. They are also the authors of three published cosplay books – The Art of Extreme Wig Styling, Fabulous Cosplay Footwear, and The Cosplay Book of Ballgowns.
With over 20 years of experience, their focus is on learning and creativity – encouraging other cosplayers through cosplay education and community events that they’ve pioneered such as the Cosplay Couture Gala and maker meetups. They strongly believe in giving back to the community through workshops and online tutorials, as well as through their cosplay charity site. The name “Cowbutt” and “Crunchies” comes from their first two adopted cats, and to date they have raised over $25,000 for cat-related rescues.
Partners
Comic-Con International
The San Diego Comic Convention (Comic-Con International) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.
Peanuts
Featuring artists Justin Thompson and Mary Shyne
Comic-Con: The Cruise is excited to partner with Peanuts in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Charles Schulz’s beloved creations, including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang! Join us for programming and panels featuring Peanuts’ illustrators.
Justin Thompson is a Senior Artist and teacher at the Charles M. Schulz Studio, and a Creative Consultant for Apple TV+’s Peanuts animated series and specials. Justin’s own comic strip, MythTickle is now in its 18th year of syndication.
Mary Shyne is a Senior Artist at the Charles M. Schulz Studio. Her debut graphic novel, You and Me on Repeat, will be published in May 2025.
King Features
King Features is a premier producer and distributor of the world’s most iconic intellectual properties and a leader in classic character licensing and franchise development. With one of the longest-running consumer products programs in the industry, our portfolio includes world-renowned pop culture brands such as Popeye®, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, and The Phantom™. Headquartered in New York, King Features is a unit of Hearst.
Bob Ross, Inc.
Happy Little Bob Ross Crew
Featuring Douglas Hallgren CRI, Eddie Cuervo CRI, Jessie Mason CRI, Sean Bush and Ron Scalzo
Bob Ross. You’ve seen him before. He’s the soft spoken guy painting happy clouds, mountains and trees in twenty-six minutes, using big housepainting-type brushes and cooing soothing you-can-do-its to his audience. The Joy of Painting program is the most recognized, most watched TV art show in history. Today Bob Ross Inc. supports a unique line of Bob Ross painting products, certified instructors and whimsical collectibles.
Artists’ Alley
Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner is an iconic multi-talented award-winning writer and artist that has worked on many of the top titles in comics for companies like Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. Amanda created the original character of Nautalie, who will serve as the emblem of Comic-Con: The Cruise Celebrates Sci-Fi festivities. Amanda and her husband Jimmy Palmiotti will continue to craft artwork for the three remaining theme nights, each piece infused with their signature style while featuring unique characters tailored to the theme of the night.
Amanda’s work can also be seen in such places as ABC’s Nightline, New York Times, MAD Magazine, Nickelodeon and on shows like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. She has also enjoyed a huge success with her husband Jimmy Palmiotti, reimagining DC Comics’ Harley Quinn into the character you see today in film and animation. She continues to work on her own creator owned titles as well as other companies’ top characters like Powergirl, Silk Spectre, Painkiller Jane, and so many more.
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes is best known for his instantly recognizable stylized comic book renderings of Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Black Widow, She-Hulk, Lara Croft, Betty and Veronica, and a host of other super heroines, damsels in distress, and other female characters. His artwork can be seen on an amazing assortment of comic books for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom!, and Image Comics, as well as many places outside the comic book industry including on trading and sketch cards for sets like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and many others.
Jimmy Palmiotti
Writer, editor and award-winning character creator (including co-creating Comic-Con: The Cruise’s Nautalie) Jimmy Palmiotti has a wide range of experience in advertising, production, consulting, editorial, film writing, development and production, media presentation and video game development.
He is the co-founder of such companies as Event Comics, Black Bull Media, Marvel Knights, a division of Marvel comics, and Paperfilms, where he is partners with his wife, Amanda Conner. Several of his contributions for both DC and Marvel can be found in major motion pictures and TV series including Black Panther, Painkiller Jane, Daredevil, Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn, Random Acts of Violence, Deadspace: Downfall, and more.
Afua Richardson
Best known for her work on the Eisner Award-winning series “Black Panther World of Wakanda,” Afua made history as one of the first Indigenous Afro-American female artists to work for Marvel Comics as a penciler, inker, and colorist, earning her the Nina Simone Award for artistic excellence.
Afua Richardson is an Eisner award-winning American Comic book illustrator, writer, Musician, Lecturer and cosplayer known for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther World of Wakanda, Indigenous Voices, X-Men 92, DC’s Batman/Superman World’s Finest, and such films as HBO’s Lovecraft Country and Spiderman Across the Spiderverse.
Afua is also creator of the “Aquarius, the Book of Mer” series, and a Juilliard-trained classical flutist, singer, songwriter, vocalist and performer.
Kip Rasmussen
Kip Rasmussen is an illustrator, author and independent film producer. Inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien, he interrupted his career as a family therapist to illustrate scenes from The Silmarillion, the work he considers more fundamental than both The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. His illustrations have been included in Peter Jackson’s DVD “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” in seven books for the Hachette Publishing’s Tolkien commentary series and were specially featured at Salt Lake City Comic Convention. Kip is a published author as well as a producer of feature-length science-fiction and fantasy films. As an artist, Kip’s greatest wish is to promote The Silmarillion to those fans who know Tolkien’s more familiar works but who find The Silmarillion somewhat more difficult to read. Kip’s work was also selected for the official 2023 Tolkien calendar and “The Illustrated World of Tolkien: The Second Age.”
Sarah Myer
Comic Artist, Writer, and Colorist Sarah Myer (They/Them) is an Eisner and L.A. Times Book Prize nominated author of the graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story (First Second Books). Sarah is currently the illustrator and cover artist of several comic issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, and was previously the colorist of TMNT vs Street Fighter and TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures comics, as well as a variant cover artist of TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen issues for IDW Publishing. Sarah’s other work includes their independent webcomic Cheer Up, Michael!, Hello Kitty & Friends Coloring Book (VIZ Media), the Ringo Award Nominated Anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment (Little Red Bird Press) for which they wrote and illustrated the installment “Asian American Exclusion,” and the graphic novel Maker Comics: Create a Costume! (First Second Books). An avid convention attended since 1999, Sarah has constructed and worn over 50 cosplay costumes and enjoys cooking, weight lifting, and spending time with their cat Loki when they are not creating comics. Sarah can be found at sarahmyer.net and on instagram @smyercomics.
Joe Wos
Joe Wos has been a professional cartoonist since the age of 14. His career path over the past 35 years has taken as many twists and turns as one of his mazes, as he finds new and innovative ways to pursue his passion for the cartoon arts. Joe is the Emmy Award winning host and creator of “Cartoon Academy” as seen on PBS affiliates. Some highlights include spending 30 years touring nationwide as a performer, illustrating stories live as he told them; founding and running a cartoon art museum in Pittsburgh; illustrating symphony performances live with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; and exhibiting his art in museums worldwide. Joe has also been the visiting resident cartoonist of the Charles M. Schulz Museum for the past 19 years. With MazeToons – a unique hybrid illustration that is part cartoon and part puzzle – Joe has fulfilled a lifelong dream to appear in the funny pages. MazeToons is distributed world-wide by King Features Syndicate. He is the author and illustrator of a dozen books including “A-Maze-Ing Peanuts” featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang. Joe is the Brand Character Integrity Consultant and artist for Charlie the Tuna of StarKist fame.
Joe is the winner of the 2020 Divisional Reuben Award for the Variety Category as presented by the National Cartoonists Society. With great delight, he has heard every variation of the phrase “A-maze-ing.”
Marcus Williams
Marcus Williams is an Atlanta based creative who’s freelance illustration and design work shaped his artistic career working with media giants like Cartoon Network, Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation, DC comics/Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon and Amazon to name a few, but soon pushed him towards co-creating and publishing the hit comic series (Tuskegee Heirs-Flames of Destiny (https://tuskegeeheirs.com/). His latest project “EyeLie Popeye” defines his entry into the comic industry as a writer/artist for one of the most well-known characters in history, Popeye the Sailor Man, for a new generation of readers.
Featuring
The Action Figures
Featuring Greg Grunberg, Amy Jo Johnson, and Ethan Embry
The ULTIMATE celebrity convention cover band!
The Action Figures is a spin-off of Band From TV, the iconic charity celebrity cover band, but with a new twist! For the past 12 years, Band From TV has been the featured entertainment for major corporate and charity events all over the world, recorded on TV soundtracks (House), and even appeared on American Idol, The Tonight Show, at NASCAR, and at The Emmys galas! With a cast of major stars from TV and film, they have lit up countless stages across the globe.
Now, for the first time ever, The Action Figures are ready to make a big splash on the audience they know best…The convention crowd! The Action Figures features a professional back-lined band, supporting – at minimum – celebrities including Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alias, LOST) on drums, and Scott Grimes (The Orville, American Dad, Band of Brothers) on keyboards/vocals, and Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers, Felicity, and Flashpoint) on guitar. Backing the band are actor and producer Brad Savage and actor, musician, and composer Nick Marzock. Whether it is a convention, corporate event, casino, or private party, The Action Figures are ready to do their thing like they’ve been doing for years! In this age of celebrities connecting with a global audience, this is THE opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind, unique experience at your conventions and special events!
The Action Figures has the experience and agility to pull from their extensive song library, and always encourages last-minute convention special guests to get up and join them in the fun!
Alanah Pearce
Celebrity DJ
Alanah Pearce (@charalanahzard) is a writer, producer, content creator, voice actor, DJ, and personality who has shared her passion for video games and pop culture across all forms of entertainment media for over a decade.
As the epitome of a multi-hyphenate creator, she contributes greatly to the writing team at Sony Santa Monica Studio, known for the “God of War” series. She is also the executive producer of multiple podcasts, runs highly engaged YouTube channels, and streams on Twitch. Alanah has voiced characters in several major video game titles, including “Cyberpunk 2077,” “Gears 5,” “RWBY,” and “The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.”
Alanah has built a dedicated audience of over 2.2 million followers across all social media platforms, showcasing her influence and reach within the industry.
In addition to her work in the gaming industry, Alanah is a talented DJ and has performed at notable events such as Amazon’s San Diego Comic-Con event in 2022, and is confirmed to be a headliner on Comic-Con: The Cruise in 2025.
In 2020, Alanah raised nearly $1 million through her Charity Streams, and she was selected as one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” in 2021. Additionally, Alanah spearheads the annual Video Game Accessibility Awards, an awards show that honors games and studios that did the most in a given year to make their games accessible to all players.
Brian Wilk and Brad Heron
Dueling Piano Players
Brian Wilk began playing piano as early as he could reach the keyboard. Pursuing a life in music, he began performing with the ComedySportz improv troupe. There is almost no song Brian doesn’t know (or can make up the words to).
When Brad Heron was a baby, it wasn’t long before he started reaching for a Casio keyboard. As Brad grew to manhood, he hit the open road and took any job he could find, learning a lot but ultimately being let go. But it was all for the best, because eventually his gift for music led him to working as an entertainer for cruise lines, where he was free to play every song possible.
Funky Bonez
Party Band
Funky Bonez is unlike any live show you’ve ever seen!
Dressed in full original UV-activated cosplay and surrounded by UV-activated props, their shows offer a truly unforgettable audio and visual spectacle of neon lights and funky beats that leads to nonstop fun on the dancefloor.
Funky Bonez’s blasts irresistible and danceable music ranging from classic Funk, Pop, R&B, and Old School Hip Hop. From their infectious grooves to their high-energy performances, Funky Bonez’s electrifying and nostalgic passion for meticulously crafting each song and infusing each track with their unique twist will keep you on your feet all night long!