Tuesday, 29 November 2011
GM
 Press Release: Anime-zing! 2012 is excited to announce that Cristina Vee and Trevor Mueller will be attending the 2012 Anime-zing! anime convention in Davenport, Iowa. Christina and Trevor will be joining Robert Axelrod and Sonny Strait, in addition to still unannounced guests, for a three-day weekend including autograph signings, Q&A sessions, and various panels. Cristina Vee is an actress known for her work in animation and video games. She has had much success as a voice over actor with leading roles in anime such as Tekken: Blood Vengeance (Alisa), K-ON! (Mio), The Familiar of Zero (Louise), and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (Nanoha). She is widely known as the voice of Noel Vermillion, Nu-12, Lambda-11, and Mu-13 in the Blazblue frachise. Other credits include roles in Dynasty Warriors 7 (Lian Shi), Sakura Wars (Anri Yoshino), Rune Factory Frontier (Cinnamon), Ar Tonelico Qoga (Saki, Sarapatra, Filament, Sakia), and Hyperdimension Neptunia (Compa). She is currently directing the voice over for the already popular indie fighter Skullgirls. Cristina also gathered a following after posting videos on YouTube. Her songs have garnered over ten million views on her channels alone. She released her first single, a theme song for an English language dating sim, Remember Me on iTunes last May with new songs in the works to be released in the near future. Her singing can also be heard in K-ON! volumes 2,3, 4, and her version of Super Driver can be heard in an episode of the ASOS Brigade in the Haruhi Suzumiya: Season 2 DVDs. In the past she sang in Broccolis DUP USA. She is currently promoting K-ON! with live concerts featuring the English voice over actresses of the series main cast. On camera, she hosted season 2 of AnimeTV, played Haruhi Suzumiya in the ASOS Brigade season 2, and starred in the full length feature Broken Spirits. Trevor Mueller, born in Ann Arbor, MI, was shocked to discover his latent writing abilities at an early age. “Am I from another planet?” he used to ponder as a child, but alas he soon discovered that he was a mere mortal by crashing his bike into a tree. Trevor works at an advertising agency by day, and writes comics by night. He is the writer / artist / creator of several popular webcomic series including the fantasy epic THE TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND TEARS and the teen-rated gag strip @$$HOLE!, both of which are self-published and have been nominated for several web comic awards. His web comic work can be found on his website, www.trevoramueller.com, along with his near-daily updates of movie, video game, and comic reviews. In addition to self-published web comics, Trevor has also written and self-published several other works including the all-ages stories ALBERT THE ALIEN and JUNKYARD CHASE. He has also contributed stories to several anthologies, including HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE from Ronin Studios and READING WITH PICTURES from the non-profit of the same name that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve education for all students. In 2009 Trevor joined Reading With Pictures as their Marketing Director, combining his love of comics, education, and advertising. Trevor gives lectures and presentations throughout the mid-west at conventions and schools on several topics, including the power of combining creativity and literacy. Trevor resides in the city of Chicago, with his cat Waffles. This year's Anime-zing! anime convention will feature several special guests of honor, a bigger cosplay masquerade, and a diverse selection from anime vendors and artists. Last year's event drew over 580 people to the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport and guests included Johnny Yong Bosch, Eyeshine, Sonny Strait, Robert Axelrod, Trevor Mueller, Russell Lissau, Samurai Dan, and Lady Jillian. Events at Anime-zing! 2012 will include autograph signings, an expanded cosplay masquerade, a dealer's room, a rave dance, a formal ball, video gaming tournaments, guest discussions, panels, workshops, board gaming, collectible card gaming, anime screenings, and a hall cosplay contest. Anime-zing! also features a ConSuite hospitality suite offering attendees free ramen, free rice, and free soda all weekend. Hotel rooms can be booked for only $95 per night. "This year's convention is going to be better than ever," said organizer Ryan Kopf. Dealer booths are also available, for $90 per 10' x 10' section, including one badge per section. Artist alley tables will be available for $55, including one badge. Anime-zing! is a three-day festival celebrating Japanese animation and Japanese culture, along with the fandom surrounding them. Activities ranging from various cosplay events and video game tournaments to Japanese conversation lessons and Japanese brush writing lessons. More information about events and registration can be found on the convention website, at http://www.qcanimezing.com
Sunday, 13 November 2011
GM
Press Release: The midwest's Anime-zing! anime convention is excited to announce the return of both Robert Axelrod and Sonny Strait for the 2012 Anime-zing! convention. Anime-zing! will be held June 1-3, 2012 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Davenport, Iowa. Hundreds of attendees are expected to gather in celebration of Japanese arts, animation, cosplay, and pop culture. Robert Axelrod has done everything from commercials and theater to rock music and voice acting. Born and raised in New York City, he did commercials and theater as a child and teen, eventually ending up in the Soho Avant-garde Theater scene in a show called "Little Trips", then Off-Broadway in a play called "The Destroyers". Axelrod left acting for the world of music. He spent eight years as a working rock musician playing electric bass and singing in folk, rock, and soul bands. Music brought him to Los Angeles where he decided to return to acting, a decision he never regrets. Since then, Mr. Axelrod has appeared in over thirty feature films including four with Charles Bronson, the Sci-Fi hit remake "The Blob" with Kevin Dillon and many others. Television appearances include guest star roles on "Amazing Stories", "Star Trek Voyager", "Tim And Eric's Awesome Show", and "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He also starred in the Michael Jackson music video "Stranger in Moscow". Mr. Axelrod is also a busy voice actor. He is the voice of Lord Zedd and Finster on the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". The Lord Zedd voice is one of the most recognizable character voices around. He voiced Armadillomon and Wizardmon on "Digimon, Microchip, The Punisher's sidekick, on "Spiderman", Rico on "Robotech", and has voiced countless Anime features including "Akira", "The Big O", "Cowboy Bebop", "Brain Scratch", et al. As Lord Zedd, he starred in both the first Power Rangers feature film and the wildly popular live show that toured the country. He was a regular character on Saban Entertainment's "Wowser" series (as Ratso Catso), "Journey To The Heart of the World" (as Scarface), "Hallo Spencer" (as Elmer), and more. He just finished narrating the mockumentary "Safety First: The Rise of Women and voicing four Anime series, "Gaiking", "Danguard Ace", "Captain Horlock", "The Adventures of Nadja", and "Fist of the North Star". Sonny Strait, with over 20 years experience in the arts, is most recognized as the voice of Krillin in DBZ and Lupin in Lupin III, and as an illustrator for, arguably, the most famous, independently published comic book series Elfquest. As a voice actor, Sonny is considered to be one of the most recognized voice actors in the business.Besides Dragonball Z's Krillin he has worked on many popular animated characters including Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist, Usopp from One Piece and Cartoon Network's laid back, robot host Toonami Tom. He has also worked as a writer and director on several TV series including Dragonball Z, Case Closed and Lupin the Third. As a comic book artist he has 17 published works to date including his débuted self-published series Mr. Average featured in The Comics Journal and Elfquest which was published by both WARP Graphics and DC Comics. Sonny is considered one of the top Elfquest artists from its over 30 year history. In 2007 Sonny wrote and illustrated a graphic novel about a reluctant punk rock, faerie princess named Goat. The book, called We Shadows, was published by Tokyopop and was nominated by The American Library Association for Best Graphic Novel in 2008. The book received glowing reviews in many trade magazines including Publishers Weekly, Newtype, Play and Anime Insider. Currently Sonny is reprising his roles in both the new Dragonball Z and Full Metal Alchemist series and plays the title role in the Xbox game S'plosion Man. Sonny also began illustrating Marvel Comic's sketch cards recently for Rittenhouse and fetches ebay prices up to $800 per card for his depictions of Marvel's superheroes. Guests will be doing panels, participating in Q&As, and signing autographs throughout the weekend. More information on Anime-zing!'s guests from this year and last year can be found online at http://www.qcanimezing.com/guests Events at Anime-zing! 2012 will include an expanded cosplay masquerade, a dealer's room, two rave dances, a formal ball, video gaming tournaments, guest discussions, autograph sessions, panels, workshops, board gaming, collectible card gaming, anime screenings, and a hall cosplay contest. Anime-zing! also features a ConSuite hospitality suite offering attendees free ramen, free rice, and free soda all weekend. Hotel rooms can be booked for only $95 per night by following the instructions at http://www.qcanimezing.com/locationAttendees can pre-register online for only $25 for person at http://www.qcanimezing.com/register
Wednesday, 07 September 2011
GM
Press Release: The organizers of the third annual Anime-zing! anime festival today announced that the Quad Cities anime convention will be held June 1-3, 2012 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Davenport, Iowa. This year's convention will feature several special guests of honor, a bigger cosplay masquerade, and a diverse selection from anime vendors and artists. Last year's event drew over 580 people to the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport. Guests included Johnny Yong Bosch, Eyeshine, Sonny Strait, Robert Axelrod, Trevor Mueller, Russell Lissau, Samurai Dan, and Lady Jillian. Events at Anime-zing! 2012 will include an expanded cosplay masquerade, a dealer's room, a rave dance, a formal ball, video gaming tournaments, guest discussions, panels, workshops, board gaming, collectible card gaming, anime screenings, and a hall cosplay contest. Anime-zing! also features a ConSuite hospitality suite offering attendees free ramen, free rice, and free soda all weekend. Hotel rooms can be booked for only $95 per night. "Rooms are closer to the events, so there's a lot less walking," said organizer Ryan Kopf. "The new hotel is absolutely perfect for an anime convention." Early all-weekend pre-registration for the convention is $25 through March 3rd, 2012. Late pre-registration is $30 until May 3rd, 2012, while badges can be purchased at the door for only $35 per person. This one price is for the entire weekend. One-day-only badges will be available at the door for $25 per day. "This year's convention will be both better and less expensive," said convention executive Jesse Larson. "It was already amazing last year." Dealer booths are also available, for $90 per 10' x 10' section, including one badge per section. Artist alley tables will be available for $55, including one badge. Anime-zing! is a three-day festival celebrating Japanese animation and Japanese culture, along with the fandom surrounding them. Activities ranging from various cosplay events and video game tournaments to Japanese conversation lessons and Japanese brush writing lessons. More information about events and registration can be found on the convention website, at www.qcanimezing.com.
QC Anime-zing! is excited to announce that Anime-SPARK!, Iowa's winter anime convention, will be returning February 16-19, 2012 to the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The convention, held in partnership with MaiOtaku.com, will have a valentine's theme for the second year.
Anime-SPARK! will feature voice actor guests of honor, a cosplay masquerade contest, artists, dealers, games, and more. This year will include a larger dealer's room, more video gaming, and even more events. Featured events to return from last year include a Formal Ball, Otaku Speed Dating, an Otaku Date Auction, a Rave Dance, a ConSuite, and more. Anime-SPARK! will run four days long, from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon.
Registration for Anime-SPARK! will start at $25 from July 2011 through October 20th, 2011. Registration from October 20th, 2011 to January 20th, 2011 will be $35. Registration at the door is $40. Registration information can be found online at http://www.animespark.org/register
The convention is run by the organizers of QC Anime-zing!, which will be held June 17-19, 2011 in Davenport, Iowa, in partnership with MaiOtaku.com. QC Anime-zing! includes guests Johnny Yong Bosch, Robert Axelrod, Spike Spencer, Eyeshine, Russell Lissau, Trevor Mueller, and Samurai Dan & Jillian. More information can be found about QC Anime-zing! at http://www.qcanimezing.com More information about MaiOtaku can be found at http://www.maiotaku.com
 Davenport, IA – March 7, 2011 – QC Anime-zing!, the largest three-day anime convention to come to the Iowa/Illinois border, is excited to announce that voice actor Spike Spencer, artist/writer John Bivens, and martial art instructors Samurai Dan and Lady Jillian will be appearing at the convention this June 17-19, 2011. The "animazing" convention will take place at the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa, which features over 100,000 square feet of event space.
Spike Spencer has been a voice actor since the early nineties. He has voiced hundreds of episodes of anime, including titles such as Evangelion, Battle Angel, Suikoden, Orphen, Spriggan, Nadesico, Buso Renkin, and Bleach. Spike is also an accomplished actor, previously working with stars such as Tommy Lee Jones, Sandra Bullock, Frank Langella, and Scott Glenn. In addition, Spike Spencer has voiced many radio and television commercials, video games like World of Warcraft, and several other projects.
The husband and wife team of Daniel and Jillian Coglan are full-time martial arts instructors, specializing in 16th century Samurai arts. When not teaching at their dojo, the Kojokan, they travel across the country performing and teaching the ancient ways of the most famous warriors in history. With a combined 35 years of experience, their show is a unique blend of history, combative skill, and humor, designed to educate and entertain audiences both large and small.
Beyond their martial arts skills, the dynamic duo collaborated to write, direct, host, and star in a 12 episode TV series entitled "The Way of the Samurai". Daniel is also an author with several martial arts articles published, and he is currently working on his second full-length novel.
John Bivens graduated from Northern Illinois University. Since that time he has done work for Sam Costello's SPLIT LIP horror anthologies, the award winning COMIC BOOK TATTOO anthology, POPGUN volume 4, the READING WITH PICTURES benefit anthology, and OMEGA COMICS PRESENTS. He spends whatever spare time he can with his lovely fiancée Mallory.
Spike Spencer, John Bivens, Samurai Dan, and Lady Jillian will be joining Johnny Yong Bosch, Eyeshine, Robert Axelrod, Russell Lissau, and Trevor Mueller as guests at the convention this June.
Artist alley and dealer registration for the convention is fulling quickly; for dealer/artist registration information, visit http://www.qcanimezing.com/exhibitors
QC Anime-zing! 2011 is a festival focusing on Japanese animation, video gaming, and general geek culture. The three-day convention includes events ranging from a complete costume contest masquerade to video game tournaments to anime screenings. Registration for Animezing! is available online at http://www.qcanimezing.com
Thursday, 24 June 2010
GM
 QC Anime-zing! is excited to announce that next year the anime convention will be held June 17-19, 2011 in Davenport, Iowa at The RiverCenter which features over 100,000 square feet of convention space. QC Anime-zing! is a three-day festival celebrating Japanese arts and animation, and the fandom surrounding them.
QC Anime-zing! was first held this past weekend at The Lodge Hotel & Convention Center (Jumer's Castle Lodge) in Bettendorf, Iowa.
QC Anime-zing! 2011 is delighted to be expanding to the RiverCenter, which has over 100,000 square feet of usable convention space. The convention will utilize much of this space for a greatly expanded Exhibit Hall (Dealer's Room and Artist's Alley), and an expanded mainstage area.
"We had such an amazing convention this year, next year will be unbelievable," said Ryan Kopf, the convention's senior executive committee organizer.
QC Anime-zing! 2011 guests will be announced in the near future, pending guest announcements from two other convention's organized by the staff of QC Anime-zing: Anime-ZAP! and Anime-SPARK! Guests in 2010 included Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo, Lelouch, Vash the Stampede, Black Power Ranger), Robert Axelrod (Lord Zedd from the Power Rangers, Wizardmon), and Spike Spencer (Shinji Akari, Rolo Lamperouge, Hanataro Yamada, Marth).
Events at QC Anime-zing! 2011 will include a cosplay masquerade, a rave, a formal ball, video gaming, guest discussions, panels, workshops, board gaming, collible card gaming, anime screenings, and a hall cosplay contest. The convention will also include a ConSuite hospitality suite that features free ramen, rice, and soda all weekend.
Rooms for the convention can be booked at The Radisson, which is attached to the convention center via SkyWalk. The convention rate is $109.00 per night. QC Anime-zing! 2011 has worked out a discounted rate of $69.00 for Sunday night, and some programming is expected to continue into late Sunday evening. Rooms can be booked by calling The Radisson at (563) 322-2200 and mentioning QC Anime-zing!
Registration for the entire weekend for QC Anime-zing! 2011 starts at $30.00 until March 20th, 2011. The price increases to $38.00 through May 20th. Weekend registration at the door costs $45.00.
Press Release for June 22nd, 2010
QC Anime-zing!, the first anime convention on the Iowa/Illinois border, is excited to announce at-con registration discounts for single-day registrations for their June 18-20, 2010 convention. The biggest part of the announcement includes the addition of single-day registrations. Friday costs $25, Saturday is $35, and Sunday is only $15. Full weekend registration is $50 at the door.
"We've toppled all of our pre-registration goals," said Ryan Kopf, the convention's senior executive organizer. "We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy what we're putting together."
Anime-zing! is also happy to announce family-friendly discounts added to registration options. Registrations for children under age 13 are only $25, and registrations for children under age 7 are free. Both options require an adult registration (max 2 children per adult).
QC Anime-zing! 2010 will be held June 18-20, 2010 in Bettendorf, Iowa at The Lodge Hotel & Convention Center at 900 Spruce Hills Drive in Bettendorf, Iowa. The convention's panel schedule has been released online, and can be found at http://www.qcanimezing.com/events
Featured events include a concert featuring Eyeshine and The Man Power, and special guests Johnny Yong Bosch (Vash, Trigun; Ichigo, Bleach; Power Rangers), Robert Axelrod (Lord Zedd, Power Rangers), and Spike Spencer (Shinji Ikari, Neon Genesis Evangelion). Learn more about the convention online at http://www.qcanimezing.com/
Registration will be available at the door starting Thursday evening.
Press Release for May 25, 2010
Monday, 07 December 2009
GM
 QC Anime-zing!, the premier anime convention of the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities, is hoping to answer questions that arose in the last week. "We're hoping to make up for some confusion that's been going on the past week," said Ryan Kopf, recently elected to chair the convention. Two of the convention's former executive hopefuls left the convention in November, claiming the event was cancelled. A majority of the convention staff voted otherwise, and instead appointed new leadership through an online vote. "We all want the con to happen," said Jesse Larson, one of the convention's leaders who is staying to put the convention on. "It's going to be great no matter what." The Mindbridge Foundation, who were originally slated as backers of the convention, had trouble with all the confusion. "We've seen a lot of turbulence, and that makes it tough," said Dennis Lynch, point person for the Mindbridge Board. "If they put on a great show this year and come to us next year then we would be receptive to that. We wish them the best with the con." Though Mindbridge is not giving financial or organizational support to the convention, they have invited con staff to learn from and talk to AnimeIowa staff to ensure the convention is run smoothly. "We're looking into announcing more guests and events soon, so keep an eye on our website," said Larson. Convention events so far include a concert by Johnny Yong Bosch and his band, Eyeshine, on Saturday evening. There will also be a dance, a ConSuite, several panels, along with a board gaming and videogaming sections and two video screening rooms. The convention will be held from June 18-20, 2010 at The Lodge Hotel and Convention Center in Bettendorf, IA. Registration begins January 1, 2010, starting at $30 for the weekend. Attendees can get updates or register at www.qcanimezing.com. Registration gets attendees into all the convention's events.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
GM
 Mindbridge Foundation, the organization behind much of sci-fi, anime, and fantasy fandom in eastern Iowa, is pleased to announce that it has created the first ever weekend anime convention in the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois, called QC Anime-zing!.
The convention will be held from June 18-20, 2010 in The Lodge Hotel in Bettendorf, IA. This three-day convention will be a celebration of Japanese animation, manga, and culture. Activities will include multiple panels and workshops, a dance, a masquerade cosplay contest, a consuite, video game tournaments, anime screenings, a dealer's room, and an artists alley. The convention plans to book voice actor guests of honor to do panels and provide more entertainment for attendees. The convention's venue, The Lodge Hotel, brings a distinct fantasy feel to the event. The Lodge's Victorian castle theme creates a majestic atmosphere for convention attendees where big, poofy dresses will fit in well right next to maids and butlers - many original steampunk characters will fit in especially well.  QC Anime Zing! The convention is fully backed and structurally supported by the Mindbridge Foundation, an eastern Iowa organization dedicated to promoting science-fiction, fantasy, games, and anime. Mindbridge also organizes AnimeIowa in Coralville, IA, along with two additional annual conventions. Mindbridge has run over 50 conventions over the years. "We are absolutely ecstatic to bring an anime convention to the Quad Cities," said Project Executive Patrick Murphy. "There are a lot of people in the immediate area that are already thrilled." Anyone wishing to learn more or get involved with the convention is welcome to attend any meeting of the Mindbridge Foundation or QC Anime-zing!, and can find out more via the website at www.qcanimezing.com. About QC Anime-zing!QC Anime-zing! Is a three-day anime convention held in Bettendorf, IA. The convention will feature special guests, panels, discussions, screenings, cosplay, contests, and more. Registration and information is available at www.qcanimezing.com About Mindbridge FoundationMindbridge is a not-for-profit corporation organized to provide social venues and a social outlet for people interested in Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Nongambling Gaming, Anime, and related subjects in eastern Iowa. Learn more at www.mindbridge.org About The Lodge HotelThe Lodge Hotel, officially Jumer's Castle Lodge, offers unique character with the beauty and majestic charm of a Victorian castle. Each of the 210 rooms is touched with unique elegance such as priceless antiques and specially designed tapestries, creating a fantasy feel that fits perfectly with the convention. Learn more at www.lodgehotel.com
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