Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 20, 2014 Contact: Ryan Downey, 757/728-5328 [email protected] Victoria Spencer, 757/903-5705 [email protected] Journey Down the Rabbit Hole At NekoCon 17! --Annual Anime convention to take place at the Hampton Roads Convention Center November 7-9-- Hampton, Virginia- This November 7-9, join over 6,000 anime and Japanese culture enthusiasts as the Hampton Roads Convention Center welcomes back Virginia’s longest running anime convention, NekoCon 17! The convention includes numerous activities such as panels hosted by guests and fans, nightly concerts and dances, and ever-popular cosplay (where individuals dress up as their favorite character or creation). In addition, NekoCon 17 also has a Vendor’s Room where fans can purchase DVDs, posters, t-shirts, manga, imported Japanese goods and traditional clothing, art supplies, -More- Journey Down the Rabbit Hole At NekoCon 17! - Page 2 theatrical makeup, and more! The show will feature an Artist Alley where attendees can interact with, and browse, the creative output of many independent artists and studios. Attendees are also invited to participate in workshops, a karaoke contest, live action role play (LARP), and video and table top gaming with tournaments. Other major highlights include the anime music video contest, Asian Ball Joint Doll Tea Party, Lolita Picnic, and an art show. NekoCon 17 Highlights Reiko, Miyoko, Akiko, and Takeo will be hosting a tea party in spirit of this year’s theme, Down the Rabbit Hole. Each mascot has their own unique blend of tea created by Discover Teas, so join the festivities during the convention! NekoCon 17 is proud to announce the return of “Chibi Neko,” a programming track specifically designed for children. It features origami classes, character creation, drawing sessions, and many other fun activities. Join us for night concerts and dances. Friday night’s concert will feature nerdcore artists KristyBee!, Adam WarRock, Tribe One, Dr. Awkward, and Schaffer the Darklord. The music won’t stop there as we transition to that night’s dance, featuring local DJs Evolution, O-No, Hiki, Darius Twin, and Dreadwolf. On Saturday night we will be joined by Japanese music artist, SAYA, with an opening performance by Gold Record Artist, Jason Charles Miller. The Saturday Night Dance will feature DJ Arcade, in which Junkyard, Alien, and Haze will each get 30 minutes to incorporate a popular video game theme into their set. After DJ Arcade you will have the opportunity to groove to a set by Unabomber before the 2013 Spin Cycle Winner, Genki, finishes out the night. Join us on Sunday for our annual Charity Auction. The proceeds from the auction will benefit NekoCon’s chosen charity, ShelterBox which provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world that are affected by natural disasters. NekoCon 17 Guests Adam WarRock’s unique brand of indie nerd raps has amassed him an Internet following that has stretched to every realm of fandom. His pop=cultural based song have been featured in TIME, the New York Times, and WIRED. He has garnered attention from celebrities such as Nathan Fillion, Dan Stevens, and Nick Offerman. -More- Journey Down the Rabbit Hole At NekoCon 17! - Page 3 Dr. Awkward is a nerd hip hop artist from San Diego, and has become a staple at conventions all over the world. Early last year his The Last of Us inspired song “Echoes” grabbed the attention of Naughty Dog and PlayStation. His music has been featured on NPR, MTV, Wired Magazine, and local publications all over the world. Drowtales has over 13 years of experience in the webcomic field. They have tried it all, including comic, video game, audiobook, podcasting, and livestreaming. The main duo of artists will be present to display their latest stories. Jason Charles Miller is an accomplished and multi-faceted performer, with more than two decades of professional experience as a musician, songwriter, singer, and voice actor. Career highlights include The Legend of Korra, World of Warcraft, and the Street Fighter series. Songs he’s written can currently be heard on True Blood, WWE Friday Night Smackdown, The NFL Today, and The Guild. Jez Roth fell in love with the art of cosplay at Katsucon. After years of competing at anime convention masquerades he moved to Las Vegas to work for The Venetian designing costumes, eventually landing at Cirque du Soleil’s O. He currently works freelance out of his own studio. Josh Grelle has been working in voice work for over 10 years. His roles include Armin in Attack on Titan, Kyohei in The Wallflower, Yuki in Future Diary, Dave in Borderlands 2, the “energetic” custom character in Dragonball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi. KristyBee! aims to captivate the audience through her lyrical prowess and array of subject matter. Although new to the scene as a solo artist, she has been perfecting her skill set since 2011 as one-third of the Virginia Beach-based rap group The Nerdlucks. Kyle Hebert is a Los Angeles-based anime and video game voice actor whose credits include Wreck-It Ralph/Street Fighter (Ryu), Naruto (Kiba), Bleach (Aizen, Ganju), League of Legends (Ezreal, Jarvan, and Graves) and Gurren Lagann (Kamina). He is best known as the Narrator and Teen Gohan from the FUNimation dub of Dragonball Z. Lauren Landa first began acting in the stage production of Annie. Within that world behind the mic she is most known for roles such as Kasumi in Dead or Alive 5, Litchi Faye Ling in the BlazBlue series, Kyoko Sakura in Madoka Magica, Yan Leixia in Soul Calibur V, Boiboi in REDLINE, Squigly in Skullgirls, Leia in Tales of Xillia, and Annie Leonhardt in Attack on Titan! -More- Journey Down the Rabbit Hole At NekoCon 17! - Page 4 SAYAKA is a pop singer born Akita, Japan. She received the grand prize from the 3rd National Anime Song Festival with her debut entitled “Seisai no Ripieno,” the second opening theme to the anime Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra. A year after her debut, Sayaka had a solo concert. The concert was in February of 2011, and all of the tickets were sold out after one day of sales. Schaffer the Darklord has toured with such acts as mc chris, MC Frontalot, and MC Lars. He has made multiple appearances on the Science Channel’s Oddities and produces/co-hosts his podcast The Epic Piecast. His latest record Sick Passenger was released in October 2013 to glowing praise. Tribe One is a rapper from Atlanta, Georgia, who writes smart, personal, and emotional songs about things like comic books and video games. Tibe One has released three albums with his group, The Remnant, and two solo EPs. Todd Haberkorn has been on stage, on set, and behind a mic for many years. Todd’s credits include Natsu from Fairy Tail, Italy from Hetalia, Ling Yao from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Allen Walker from D. Gray Man, Hikaru Hitachin from Ouran High School Host Club, Death The Kid from Soul Eater, and many others. NekoCon 17 Hours: Friday, November 7: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Saturday, November 8: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 9: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. NekoCon 17 Memberships: At the door (Friday, November 7): $50 At the door (Saturday, November 8): $45 At the door (Sunday, November 9): $35 At the door children (6-12 years old): $15 Hampton Roads Convention Center 1610 Coliseum Drive Hampton, VA 23666 For more information on NekoCon 17, check out www.nekocon.com or email [email protected]. Also, like NekoCon on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NekoCon or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NekoCon. -More- Journey Down the Rabbit Hole At NekoCon 17! - Page 5 Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America's first continuous English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air & Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others. ### .