On October 14th, 2018 I headed up to Essington PA with Steve Myers, Jacob Jones Goldstein, and Marcella Harte. I had been up for several hours by the time Marcella (my wife), and I had gotten the car packed, and we headed over to pick up Jacob and Steve. I was full of anxious energy as we pulled out of Steve's complex. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go, but I wasn't nervous. This convention marked an important first for me, and the waiting was agony.
Now, this wasn't my first convention. Being a Star Trek and Anime fan for decades presumes a familiarity with conventions. I've walked the dealers' floors, purchased my share of merchandise. I've waited in insanely long lines for autographs that have special meaning for a subset of fans (Jeremy Bulloch comes to mind). But this time it was different.
This wasn't the first convention that I was attending as a vendor. I spent a year traveling with Marcella as she sold her first children's book, The Mermaid in Rehoboth Bay. That was a wonderful year, as I got to watch people gush over the illustrations that I was lucky enough to watch take shape in our house. I've always considered myself incredibly fortunate to be married to such a talented woman. But this time it was different.
It's not even the first convention that I've sold my stuff at before. As a part of the All-Out Monster Revolt , I wrote a manual, How to Utilize Giant Monsters, which I have available for sale on my publications page. Working with Justynn Tyme on that was an amazing experience, and I'm very proud of the result. The thrill of being at my first convention with something that I had written was a thrill, and I'll never forget that first Galactic-Con where my work was on sale. But this time it was different.
This convention was unique because of a very important first. It was the first public appearance of Oddity Prodigy Productions. OPP is a collective of artists, cosplay designers, and authors that all work together towards the same goal. That goal is to bolster each other's success and present a unified marketing face towards the world at large. Our members are Jacob Jones Goldstein, an internationally published author. Steve Myers, professional comic writer/artist and creator of SuperChum: the world's friendliest superhero. Marcella Harte, nationally award-winning illustrator, and wife to the luckiest man in the universe. Shasta Schatz, whose skill with cosplay design continues to blow me away. And yours truly.
So when we arrived at the convention and I saw that we were not only billed as "Special Guests" of the convention, but billed second only to Darren Auck! Now, the Philadelphia Comic Conis a Collector's Con. It's a convention that you attend if you are looking to find back issues to fill holes in your collection. There are no panels or cosplay contests. It is not a large convention, but in the six hours that we were there, we made the table fee back plus a small profit. For a small convention, making the table fee back is a big deal. To make it even better, every hour they announced us to the entire convention. We were treated like rock stars, and it is something that I will never forget.
So, I guess what this post is really about is my involvement in Oddity Prodigy Productions. I'm so privileged to be a part of such a fantastic group of people. And as of October 14, 2018 everyone should know. We are here so get ready!
On October 14th, 2018 I headed up to Essington PA with Steve Myers, Jacob Jones Goldstein, and Marcella Harte. I had been up for several hours by the time Marcella (my wife), and I had gotten the car packed, and we headed over to pick up Jacob and Steve. I was full of anxious energy as we pulled out of Steve's complex. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go, but I wasn't nervous. This convention marked an important first for me, and the waiting was agony.
Now, this wasn't my first convention. Being a Star Trek and Anime fan for decades presumes a familiarity with conventions. I've walked the dealers' floors, purchased my share of merchandise. I've waited in insanely long lines for autographs that have special meaning for a subset of fans (Jeremy Bulloch comes to mind). But this time it was different.
This wasn't the first convention that I was attending as a vendor. I spent a year traveling with Marcella as she sold her first children's book, The Mermaid in Rehoboth Bay. That was a wonderful year, as I got to watch people gush over the illustrations that I was lucky enough to watch take shape in our house. I've always considered myself incredibly fortunate to be married to such a talented woman. But this time it was different.
It's not even the first convention that I've sold my stuff at before. As a part of the All-Out Monster Revolt , I wrote a manual, How to Utilize Giant Monsters, which I have available for sale on my publications page. Working with Justynn Tyme on that was an amazing experience, and I'm very proud of the result. The thrill of being at my first convention with something that I had written was a thrill, and I'll never forget that first Galactic-Con where my work was on sale. But this time it was different.
This convention was unique because of a very important first. It was the first public appearance of Oddity Prodigy Productions. OPP is a collective of artists, cosplay designers, and authors that all work together towards the same goal. That goal is to bolster each other's success and present a unified marketing face towards the world at large. Our members are Jacob Jones Goldstein, an internationally published author. Steve Myers, professional comic writer/artist and creator of SuperChum: the world's friendliest superhero. Marcella Harte, nationally award-winning illustrator, and wife to the luckiest man in the universe. Shasta Schatz, whose skill with cosplay design continues to blow me away. And yours truly.
So when we arrived at the convention and I saw that we were not only billed as "Special Guests" of the convention, but billed second only to Darren Auck! Now, the Philadelphia Comic Conis a Collector's Con. It's a convention that you attend if you are looking to find back issues to fill holes in your collection. There are no panels or cosplay contests. It is not a large convention, but in the six hours that we were there, we made the table fee back plus a small profit. For a small convention, making the table fee back is a big deal. To make it even better, every hour they announced us to the entire convention. We were treated like rock stars, and it is something that I will never forget.
So, I guess what this post is really about is my involvement in Oddity Prodigy Productions. I'm so privileged to be a part of such a fantastic group of people. And as of October 14, 2018 everyone should know. We are here so get ready!