Written by: August Aguilar
Follow me on Twitter: @AugustAA92 & @elburritoblog
Fanboy has officially begun today in Knoxville as hundreds of attendees blasted through the doors to be part of the unique culture of entertainment. When I first arrived, like any other convention I attend, I always take the time to stroll around the whole expo to see what there is to offer. Many of the guests had not shown up yet, but there were plenty of amazing artists and vendors from all around the region to keep me occupied. What I love most about Fanboy is that there is always something new and it always gets bigger each year. Within the first hour, I was already tempted to spend all of the money that was in my pocket.
Celebrity Guests
Since it was the first day, many of the guests were either late coming in or were scheduled to come for Saturday and Sunday. However, those who did make an appearance such as Barbara Eden, Sam Jones, Ricky Steamboat, and (finally) William Shatner, had the lines stretched with eager fans to greet them. I was able to snag an interview with two guests: Arti Shah, who played the motion capture double for Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the stand in for Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, and also spoke to Tara Sands, the voice actress for many anime shows like Pokemon and YuGiOh! I will upload these interviews as the weekend goes on to share my experience with these kind people. I’m currently waiting on a few answers with more celebrities to speak to for the rest of the weekend.
Notable Vendors
There were a few notable vendors at this year’s Fanboy Expo that I feel worth mentioning. These vendor’s aren’t here to with a vast array of merchandise to sell, they are actually here for noble and charitable reasons. The Cosplay Collective is a charity group who helps people who cosplay at conventions, either by showing them how to make a costume or even fixing a costume that may have a rip or needs repaired. But it doesn’t stop there; with their cosplay volunteers, throughout the year they make special trips to children’s hospitals as well as senior homes, or any occasion that may need them to cheer someone up as they come dressed up and give gifts and entertainment. The other group is the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital game-a-thon. Basically, this group encourages people to sign up to play video games for a period of time as donations come in and help children’s hospitals around the nation. I spoke with both of these groups on camera and will likely put something together to show it more clearly.
To Be Continued…
I still have two full days of excitement and fun ahead of me. Tomorrow a lot more activities will be going on such as the cosplay contest and an after party with Eric Stuart (another anime voice actor) and his band. With lots more to cover and money that is slowly falling out of my wallet, it looks like a good weekend to be in Knoxville. Be sure to keep up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more pictures and updates! Stay tuned.
