Emerald City Comic Con 2018 Recap

I’m just returned from another fantastic Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle. Always one of our favorite shows in general, the 2018 ECCC was particularly enjoyable, with enormous attendance, a cornucopia of talented exhibitors and fascinating panels, and stunning cosplay. But perhaps best of all, a spirit of shared joy and inclusiveness permeated the event. It was a pleasure to behold and participate in.

And participate I did! At this Emerald City, I came to present 3 signature Nerd For A Living panels. Those discussions featured some amazing speakers and thoughtful, exciting conversations. But I also got a last minute invite to moderate a main stage storytelling spotlight, with nerd superstars Jonathan Coulton, Molly Lewis, Patrick Rothfuss, and Anne Wheaton. And, as always, the Emerald City audiences provided the enthusiasm and geek-love that make this show special and keep us coming back.

Below are some of our photos from the event, and social posts from other ECCC attendees who captured our panels.

Thursday, March 1st was our “Marketing (Isn’t) Magic: How to Promote Your Art (and Yourself) Without Selling Your Soul” panel. It featured speakers Rob Boffard (journalist and author, Outer Earth Trilogy), Danielle Davis (Founder, LadyKiller Marketing, Jordan Ellis (Founder, Jordandené), Ashlie Hammond (Co-Founder, Monkey Minion Press), Fonda Lee (author – Jade City, Zeroboxer, Exo), and Hillary from Espionage Cosmetics (subbing in for CEO Jaimie Cordero).

On Thursday, March 2nd, I was tapped to moderate the Storytelling Spotlight panel featuring musician and internet superstar Jonathan Coulton. Joining us on stage were musician Molly Lewis, fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss, and author Anne Wheaton. The main stage panel drew a full-capacity, standing-room-only crowd. The discussion spun from side-splitting humor to deep philosophical thought. It was truly a delight to be involved.

We finished out Saturday at the con with “10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Characters”. The panel featured an impressive line-up of authors, including: David Accampo (comics writer, Lost Angels, The Margins), Alex Marshall (aka Jesse Bullington) (author, The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, The Enterprise of Death), Annalee Newitz (founder, io9.com; author, Autonomous), and writing partners Erica Harrell & Desirée Proctor (MTV’s Happyland, Telltale’s The Walking Dead; DC Comics 2017 New Talent Showcase).

My final event of the show, on Sunday, March 4th, was our signature panel, “How to be a Nerd for a Living: Discovering Careers in Pop-Culture”. This time, our fantastic line-up of profession geeks included Mike Collins (animation artist, She-Ra, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show), Jaimie Cordero (CEO, Espionage Cosmetics), Jordan Ellis (Founder, Jordandené), Adam P. Knave, (author, This Starry Deep; comics writer, The Once and Future Queen; editor, Popgun), and Fonda Lee (author, Jade City, Zeroboxer, Exo).