We are excited to announce that Nerd for a Living will be presenting two panels at Planet Comicon in Kansas City, MO. The show runs Friday, March 13th through Sunday, March 15th at Bartle Hall, Kansas City Convention Center. N4AL’s Adron Buske will be at the convention all three days at table 440 in Artist’s Alley. (Come say “hi!”)
Our first of 2 panels is on Friday, March 13 at 4:30pm. If you’ll be at the show, don’t miss this amazing line-up of guest speakers:
How to Be a Nerd for a Living
Friday, 4:30pm–5:20pm
Room 2504 (Lower Level)
Do you want to work in a nerd-related industry, but you’re not sure how to break in? Get advice on how to create a path to the career you want from those already living it. This panel of professional “Nerds for a Living” will share insights into how they got to where they are, and offer tips to those looking to break in. Panelists will discuss a variety of jobs and opportunities that exist within comics, animation, gaming, film, voice-over, and more. Learn about types of training, mentorship opportunities, online and offline resources, and overall tactics to employ when trying to get started in your dream industry. This panel will conclude with a 10-minute Q&A.
Guest speakers include:
- Ande Parks – writer and comics inker; Capote in Kansas, Ciudad, Green Arrow
- Monika Lee – cosplayer; Blizzard Entertainment
- Dayton Ward – novelist, Star Trek
- Kevin Mellon – storyboard artist, Archer; illustrator, Suicide Sisters
Moderated by Nerd For A Living’s Adron Buske.
Guest Bios
Ande Parks has inked comics for every major American publisher. He’s best known for his run on Green Arrow, with frequent collaborator Phil Hester and writers Kevin Smith, Brad Meltzer and Judd Winick. He is currently inking a two-part series for DC’s Convergence event.
As a writer, Parks has penned three original graphic novels for Oni Press. His latest, Ciudad, came out in December of 2014. It was created with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Ande has also written The Lone Ranger and Green Hornet for Dynamite.
He has written the historical fiction graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas. The latter was recognized as a Notable Book by the state of Kansas – the first graphic novel to win such an honor.
Follow Ande Parks:
- Follow Ande on Twitter: @andeparks
- Check out his Comic Book Database listing.
Monika Lee’s love of anime/manga, pop culture and video games led her to the cosplay community at age 13. She has competed in numerous craftsmanship contests, winning several Best in Shows and other various awards. An avid gamer, Monika spends most of her time playing video games, making costumes from video games and has worked for companies such as Hyperkin Inc., Blizzard Entertainment and Carbine Studios. She spent her 2013 and 2014 summers working as a licensing intern for Blizzard.
When she’s not cosplaying, Monika is a 4th year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology majoring in Industrial Design.
Monika has been invited to conventions and events across the country as well as Mexico, Japan and Canada and her work has been featured on Associated Press, GamesRadar, Kotaku, IGN, and Game Informer. She was recently a featured cast member of SyFy’s Heroes of Cosplay.
Follow Monika Lee:
- Visit her official website.
- Follow Monika on Twitter: @mnikalee
- Like her on Facebook.
- Shop her online store.
Dayton Ward is the New York Times bestselling author or co-author of numerous novels and short stories, including a whole bunch of stuff set in the Star Trek universe, and often working with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore.
He’s also written or co-written for a number of genre magazines and websites, and is a monthly contributor to the Novel Spaces writers blog.
You can find Dayton hiding out on the web in his digital tree fort, The Fog of Ward.
Follow Dayton Ward:
- Check out the Fog of Ward website.
- Follow him on Twitter: @daytonward
- Check out the Novel Spaces writers blog.
Kevin Mellon is a storyboard artist for Floyd County Productions, where he works on the hilarious animated spy comedy, Archer. The popular program is currently in its sixth season on FX.
A graduate of the esteemed Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Kevin has a long history in the indie and professional comics world. You can find his art in Gearhead and Lovestruck with writer Dennis Hopeless, Heart with writer Blair Butler, and many more.
Right now, Kevin is writing and drawing volume 2 of his creator-owned comic, Suicide Sisters. The book follows two sisters riding across Texas on their motorcycles, trying to find the Devil so they can take their souls back.
Follow Kevin Mellon:
- Find out more about Kevin at his about.me page
- Follow him on Twitter: @kmellon
- Check out his storyboards and more on Tumblr
- Like his page on Facebook
- Read his book Suicide Sisters