HyperiCon, Nashville’s premiere speculative fiction and gaming convention, returns this year June 16-18, 2017. The twelfth HyperiCon convention will be held at the Nashville Marriott Airport Hotel. HyperiCon 12 will feature three days of writing, gaming, fandom, art and costuming, panels, non-stop video programming, and a non-stop gaming room, fandom and tech panels.
The geeks have inherited the Earth. Everywhere you turn, there is what used to be a niche culture of comic books, science fiction, fantasy, horror, games on screens and tables, and other fare now being “mainstream.” Plenty of events and brands have come into the geek tribe seeking to prosper among what is now seen as “cool” including the recent Walker Stalker convention, the upcoming Con of Thrones convention at Opyland Hotel June 30-July 2 and the upcoming Heroes and Villains FanFest convention at Music City Center July 7 and 8.
Every June, Nashville’s coolest gathering is the family reunion known as HyperiCon. It is a relaxed, non-commercial event — not focused on autographs and photo ops with celebrities, but on the communal gathering and social interaction of folks who get together to celebrate their geek interests and let their freak flags fly high together in one hotel for a weekend.
This year, join them/us at the Airport Marriott for the 12th HyperiCon. The HyperiCon family is ecstatic to be involved in such a vibrant ‘geek economy,’ and to carry the banner of philanthropic aims and social responsibility. Among the major programming highlights are the HyperiCon Cosplay Showcase; Geek Slam!; the Geek Rides Car Show; Overwatch: Heroes Never Die; and Signature Events & Panels.
Over 120 hours of events present the most unique content, created by fans and for fans. HyperiCon features multiple rooms, many of which run late into the night or never close. Any time of day or night, there is something to do or see. Probably the most remarkable thing about HyperiCon is their Signature Event lineup, with some entertaining new programming as well as the reutrn of some old faves, including: Opening Ceremonies, Burlesque Cabaret, HyperiCon Cosplay Showcase, Talkin’ Dead, The Fred Grimm Memorial Luau, Closing Ceremonies, and Surprise Q&A.
Towering over Nashville’s eastern suburbs is the newly remodeled and stunning Marriott Nashville Airport. An ideal fan-convention hotel, this gorgeous venue features loaded rooms, phenomenal event spaces, a perfect outdoor courtyard for nightlife, relaxing pool deck, and easy access to highways heading in every direction, perched on a hilltop next to Interstate 40 and Briley Parkway. Book your room today for a great convention rate of only $159; with Nashville hotels reaching rates of $400/night, this rate is a refreshing break, and easily affordable.
HyperiCon is organized and operated by an all-vounteer staff and board of directors, the primary project focus of Frontiers Nashville – a non-profit corporation comprised of folks who incorporate the media and culture of this event into their daily lives just like the fans who join in the convention each year. “By fans and for fans” – that’s the method for an amazing group.
Registration is at the door is only $42 for all three days day; or $22 for a one-day membership. Get yours now at http://hypericon.net/
MEET HYPERICON 12’S SPECIAL GUESTS
This year’s Author Guest of Honor is Alethea Kontis
Alethea Kontis is a princess, author, fairy godmother, and geek. Author of over fifteen books and contributor to over twenty-five more, her award-winning writing has been published for multiple age groups across all genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, humor, contemporary and paranormal romance, poetry, graphic novels, Twitter serials, and non-fiction.
A former child actress, Alethea hosted over 55 episodes of “Princess Alethea’s Fairy Tale Rants” on YouTube, and continues to host Princess Alethea’s Traveling Sideshow every year at Dragon Con. She enjoys audiobook and podcast narration, speaking at middle schools across the country (in costume, of course), and one day hopes to make a few more movies with her friends. Alethea currently resides on the Space Coast of Florida with her teddy bear, Charlie.
Cosplay Guest of Honor is Nicole Marie Jean
Nicole Marie Jean is a cosplayer, artist, sculptor and designer from San Diego, California. Nicole began her journey into the cosplay and convention world in 2011. It was the previous year that she discovered what cosplay was. Nicole fell in love with the idea of being able to combine her love of comics and art to bring her favorite characters to life. As Nicole’s profile has risen in the cosplay community, she has traveled around the world for numerous events and conventions as both an attendee and a guest. She has judged a number of contests and been a part of many panels. Nicole has also won numerous awards for her costumes both at conventions and online.
Nicole has created 0ver 100 costumes in the past five years and all are inspired by her favorite characters from comics, movies, books, video games and soon, anime. Nicole is most well known for her take on Bane from the Dark Knight Rises film, which has given her the nickname throughout the cosplay community as “Lady Bane.”
When Nicole isn’t creating or debuting new costumes, she sculpts and makes items for her online store. She hopes to continue this journey for many years to come while meeting new people, teaching and inspiring others, entertaining those who follow her work and becoming better at her craft along the way. Today, over 2.5 million fans follow Nicole across her social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.
Artist Guest of Honor is Bob Hepner
Bob Hepner, AKA “Tattoo Bob,” joined the Navy after high school, serving in the Panama War and the first Iraq War. After coming back home, he decided to learn the art of tattooing and tattooed from 1991 to 2014 professionally. Bob tattooed such notables as Mike Starr from Alice in Chains, Dennis Rodman, Kiss drummer Eric Singer and rock goddess Lita Ford – to name a few.
After retiring from tattooing, Bob submitted his portfolio to many celebrities, gaining attention of many of them at conventions such as Linda Blair and Danny Trejo. Shortly after, they were ordering personal commissions from Bob, and within three years he had amassed 400 clients worldwide. Many of them are well-known rock stars and actors, with works in Bob’s personal commission portfolio for Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Don Dokken, and recently a sketch for Ozzy Osbourne and his family, featuring Jack’s wedding.
Bob set the Guinness World Record in Nashville doing a large sketch of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein. After conquering the horror and sci-fi business, Bob decided to submit his portfolio to the Topps and Upper Deck company to produce artwork for Marvel and Star Wars. Hepner was selected to create the Joe Jusko honorary set for Marvel, hundreds of cards for the new Rogue One Star Wars series for Topps, The Walking Dead, and Bowman Cards by Topps for their 1951-styled sets.
To date, you can see Bob at many of the top conventions as a licensed artist for Marvel and Star Wars, representing Topps and Upper Deck. Hepner is a licensed artist for many of the top horror and sci-fi movies, has done more than 10,000 drawings, and his tattoos can be seen sold in many of the top tattoo catalogs, and more than 2000 drawings and paintings for clients to get signed for shows and conventions.
Master of Ceremonies is Big Daddy Cool Johnny Delarocca
“Big Daddy Cool” Johnny Dellarocca is a walking talking reminder of a time long past. He is a tough as nails ex-gangster turned entertainer and Chicago night club impresario supreme.
Step back in time to the swing-era, and swing hard, baby! “Big Daddy Cool” Johnny Dellarocca is the performance persona of award-winning actor, singer and magician John B. Pyka. He is a lifelong comic reader and collector, a Star Wars “freakasaurus”, pro wrestling personality, and movie fanatic, but is best known for his work onstage as a new vintage variety artist, fusing music and magic with comedy and dance in a 1920s – 1940s style in what is described as “Dieselpunk.” He can be seen performing in theaters, at festivals and cons around the country. He has been seen previously as an official guest/performer at Geekonomicon, Midsouth Con, Indy Pop Con, Nashville Comic Festival, River City Comic Expo, Fandom Fest Louisville, GMX and many more!
“Big Daddy Cool” is also the subject of the Dieselpunk pulp adventure series, Tales From the Flip-Side from Pro Se Press and the star of the upcoming web series Big Daddy Cool in the 21st Century! In addition, he is a manager personality with NWA Wrestling and can be heard on the Diesel Powered Podcast, THE Voice of Dieselpunk on iTunes and Stitcher, which consistently is ranked in the top 10 performing arts podcasts!
Gaming Guest of Honor is Robert Schwalb
Robert J. Schwalb has worked in tabletop games for over fifteen years as a designer, writer, and developer. Having started work in the heady days of the D20 boom, Schwalb went on to develop Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and design A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying based on George R. R. Martin’s popular book and television series. Schwalb then worked as a contract designer for Wizards of the Coast, contributing to numerous books for the 3rd and 4th editions of that game before joining the design team behind 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. In 2014, Schwalb left Wizards of the Coast and started his own imprint, Schwalb Entertainment, to publish unsettling games for tabletop play. Shadow of the Demon Lord, a wildly popular horror fantasy RPG, appeared first after a successful Kickstarter and has received over one hundred sourcebooks, card decks, and digital accessories since its release in 2015. Schwalb lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he spends far too much time working on the next big thing.
Performance Art Troupe is The Bombshell Kittens
The Bombshell Kitten are: Ginger Oh Snap, Luna Devika, Marie Merlot, and Crystal Starr.
Also on tap for you to enjoy this year are: Artist, Melissa Gay; Author, Glen Cook; Burlesque Phenom, Diletta Delight; Author, Editor, Radio Personality, Allan Gilbreath; Architect of the Disney Musical Renaissance and Author, Andy Hill; Kid’s Steampunk & Young-Adult Fiction Author Leonardo Ramirez; Drag Entertainer, Venus Ann Serena; and celebrity panelists Kyle Baker, Scavenger Squad Cosplay, Cosplay Collective, Lydia Sherrer, Cosplay, Inc., and David Joel Stevenson.
CHECK OUT THIS EXCLUSIVE ADVANCE LIST OF HYPERICON 12’S SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
PLAN WHICH EVENTS, PANELS AND WORKSHOPS YOU WANT TO ATTEND NOW
Major Events:
Burlesque Cabaret w/Big Daddy Cool & The Bombshell Kittens
Spam Slam
Luau Pool Party w/Special Entertainment
Cosplay Contest
Time Traveler’s Ball
Geek Car Show
Geek Slam by GMX
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Art Show
24 Hour Tabletop & Video Gaming
New Game & Movie Sneak Peeks
Panels with our Guests
Mixers with Your Favorite Fandoms
Cosplay Photo Shoots & Group Shoots
Panels:
Designing Meaningful Characters
Being a Rich Nerd
Music of Fandom
Marketing your Craft
Video Game Believability
Well Traveled Writers
Getting a Job in Fandom
Realism in Writing Action
From 0 to Video
Podcasting 101
Worldbuilding for SciFi and Fantasy
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Feminism in Star Wars
Iron Artist
Sex and the Single Robot
Magic for Newbies
The Last Jedi
State of Tabletop RPGs
Ocarina
Turning Cosplay into a Career
From the Page to the Screen
Actors & Authors Roundtables
Workshops:
Creating Amazing Art
CrossPlay 101
Chainmail Workshop
Hands on Art w/Local Artists
Character Acting
Lightsaber Fighting
Geek Trivia
Predicting the Future
Live D&D Gameshow
Paranormal Investigating 101
Dieselpunk Podcast
Make a Game in an Hour
Cosplay for Beginners
The World of Steampunk & Dieselpunk
Makers & Making
