Voidmynx Cosplay

Greetings Attendees,

This is perhaps one of the hardest communications I have ever had to write as it relates to a significant security and safety issue from the 2017 convention. Some of you may have seen or heard about issues surrounding Cosplayer Laura Williams/Voidmynx Cosplay and David Allen/464 photography. And those of you who were especially observant may have noticed an increased security presence this year.

After doing some research and taking to Laura Williams/Voidmynx Cosplay it became obvious to us that David Allen/464 photography was not someone we wanted at our event. We reached out to David Allen/464 photography and informed him that we did not want him at our event. He did not take this very well. Threats were made against the staff and Laura Williams/Voidmynx Cosplay. Because of the nature of the threats we felt it necessary to bring this to the attention of the H.R.C.C. as well as the Hampton Police Department.

At this point because of the nature of the threats leveled in order to continue with the event we had to bring on additional security at great expense. Additionally both the H.R.C.C. and the Hampton Police Department requested that Laura Williams/Voidmynx Cosplay not attend for the safety of both herself and others at the event. I want to stress that Laura Williams/Voidmynx Cosplay was not banned from our event but asked not to attend for safety reasons. Understandably a large number of our senior staff was very stressed out and communications were kept to a minimum to reduce the risk of escalating events.

I never thought we would see the day where we had a active threat against our staff and attendees during our event. Fortunately nothing happened and only a small amount of people were inconvenienced. Unfortunately this does mean that we will have to readdress our security for next year and tighten up some areas. We will continue to try and make these changes as painless as possible but some changes are coming.

Always remember while the bulk of the anime community is very accepting and non-threatening there are individuals out there who have less than good intentions. Use the buddy system when meeting up with new people and even then make sure someone knows your planned schedules and locations. I ask that you all continue to be safe while attending any convention, including Nekocon. While I am not going to turn this into a long comment on how to protect yourself at conventions, I note that there are many resources out there that can help you do so, and that Nekocon staff is committed to the safety and security of the attendees.

-Sincerely
Martin Mathews
C.E.O. E.S.S.I.

Guest Announcement for Nekocon 21: Eric Stuart

Brooklyn born and raised singer/songwriter Eric Stuart is a special blend of talent. He has successfully combined the world of music, voice acting and directing for many years. Besides starring in hit shows including Pokémon (Brock, James) and Yu-Gi-Oh! (Seto Kaiba), Eric has toured with such rock legends as Peter Frampton, Ringo Starr, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Dave Mason, Julian Cope, Dave Davies, John Entwistle, Steve Howe, The Alarm, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Jeffrey Gaines, and The English Beat.
In April 2015, The Eric Stuart Band released their 7th album on Widow’s Peak Records, an EP entitled, Character. This 5 song project includes the edgy rock/pop single One Last Dance and the stripped down acoustic song Tattered And Torn which is to be used on the soundtrack to the upcoming independent film Torn.

In June 2013, the Eric Stuart Band released their album, Lipstick and Barbed Wire. This was their sixth full-length release on the indie label Widow’s Peak Records and it features Grammy winning guitarist Peter Frampton.

In the summer of 1997, Eric’s classic rock and roll style was noticed by Ringo Starr who invited him to open the Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band tour, featuring Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce (Cream), Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) and Simon Kirke (Bad Company). That exposure served as a springboard for Eric to open for the Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Paul Rodgers tour that same summer. Since then, Eric Stuart has been touring on a regular basis including two U.S. tours with Peter Frampton. In 2000, Frampton produced Eric’s next album, Blue, Dressed In Black, along with John Regan and Harvey Jay Goldberg.

Now living in Nashville, Eric’s songwriting talents have given him the opportunity to begin co-writing with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters. The band’s great live show of all original, guitar-driven rock/pop has made the Eric Stuart Band a must-see in the area.

Other projects in Eric’s impressive career are Viva Piñata (Les, Pecky), Ultimate Muscle (DikDik Van Dik), Dinosaur King (Dr. Z), Kirby (Metaknight), Slayers (Gourry), Chaotic, Sonic X, TMNT, GoGoRiki, One Piece, F-Zero, Magical DoReMi, Fighting Foodons, Shaman King, Descendants Of Darkness, Labyrinth Of Flames, Valkyrie Profile, Tama And Friends, and voicing many national radio and TV commercials and audiobook narrations. Eric also stays busy attending anime conventions as a VIP guest.

Eric Stuart stars as the voice of Seto Kaiba in the highly anticipated North American feature film release of Yu-Gi-Oh! THE DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS.

Guest Announcement for Nekocon 21: Tara Jayne Sands

Now that the Catpocalypse has passed, we move on to more exciting times to come with our first guest announcement of the year! NekoCon 21 welcomes Tara Jayne Sands!

Tara Jayne Sands can be heard as over 50 characters on the original Pokemon series, including Bulbasaur, Richie, Jasmine, Oddish, and Tori. Other roles include Biscuit in Hunter x Hunter, Mokuba in Yugioh, Kari in Digimon Adventure Tri, Circe in Generator Rex, Summer in Barbie: Life In The Dream House, Karla in Gundam Thunderbolt, Kombu Infinity in One Punch Man, Cynthia in Pokemon Generations, Anna in Shaman King, Kippie in Glitter Force Doki Doki, the voice of the plants on Netflix’s Disjointed, Tyler and Angel in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Chase in Fighting Foodons, and lots more. Some video game credits include Fire Emblem Echoes, Dead Island, God Eater 2,Danganronpa, Tales of Berseria, Tales of Symphonia, and others. Upcoming projects include roles on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Anohana, and some top secret stuff!

Tara has narrated over 150 audiobooks and for over 100 episodes, Tara was the on-camera host of the Cartoon Network show “Fridays.” There, Tara interviewed dozens of celebrities and had more on-camera food fights than she cares to remember.

You can follow Tara on instagram and twitter @TaraSandsLA