Authors Vanessa Le (His Mortal Demise), Bree Paulsen (The Firelight Apprentice), Sasha Peyton Smith (The Rose Bargain), and LaDarrion Williams (Blood at the Root) delve into magic systems, power structures, and the creatures who hold their secrets. Moderated by I.V. Marie (Immortal Consequences).
Saturday March 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 208
In the YA and MG world, there are several popular prose books and graphic novels. Moderator Joshua Pruett (Gyro and the Argonauts), and authors Sara Phoebe Miller (You Belong Here), Simón Estrada (Otto Normal's Monsterton), Tom Phillips (The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves), and Patrick Ness (Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody) discuss the different challenges of creating their stories, characters, and plots.
Saturday March 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
Room 208
From inception to the shelf, graphic novels are a labor of love, patience, creativity, and a whole lot of perseverance—and no one knows that better than creators Jen Wang (Ash’s Cabin), Jordan Morris (Youth Group), Brittney Williams (Mixed-Up), and Sara Phoebe Miller (You Belong Here). They explore the making of a graphic novel, including the journey of bringing their own recent and upcoming graphic novels to life. Moderated by Thien Pham (Family Style).
Saturday March 29, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
Room 208
Jesse Negron (Mechanical Cake), Tom Moran (Scott Free), Dave Elliott (Mechanical Cake), and Anthony Francisco (senior visual development artist for Marvel Studios) discuss what is on the horizon for Mechanical Cake and Scott Free, starting with their debut graphic novel, Modville, Ridley Scott’s first foray into graphic novels. Modville is a sci-fi Southern Gothic crime drama with AI humans in future New Orleans. Moderated by Chris Northrop (Horrible Future). Book 1 of Modville is written by Jesse Negron and drawn by Hendry Prasetya and Eko Puteh.
Saturday March 29, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 208
Kumari Bakhru (Paramount, Disney; teacher), Susan Spohr (postproduction supervisor, associate producer, author), Victoria Blake (distributor, Seismic Releasing), and Valerie Lettera-Spletzer (DreamWorks Animation; animator, content creator) talk about the latest in the industry, and everything from developing your project to distributing it and finding creative ways through production. Moderated by Dustin Quick (actress, model, musician, and filmmaker).
Saturday March 29, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 208
As technology reshapes the entertainment landscape, physical media continue to hold a unique appeal—what drives their staying power? Industry leaders Vicki Tunkel, Kasey Yee, Dino Espinosa, and Chris Kawagiwa (Foundry LA) join Matthew Marone (business development manager at Scanavo) for an in-depth discussion of the past, present, and future of home entertainment. Explore the creative process through the eyes of designers, marketers, and ultrafans. Moderated by Joe LeFavi (Genuine Entertainment).
Saturday March 29, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 208
Wormholes, magic spells, and singing lions may seem unrealistic, but there are scientists involved in bringing those to life onscreen and on the page. Science advisors Erin Macdonald (Star Trek shows, Space Cadet), Stuart Sumida (Kung Fu Panda, The Wild Robot), Elizabeth Rega (World of Warcraft, Strange World), and Ronald Coleman (Joe Ledger book series) work with the creatives behind your favorite TV shows, movies, video games, and books to add a dose of reality to the magic of science fiction and fantasy storytelling. Hear about the questions they get asked and how they help writers, actors, directors, and designers bring just the right amount of facts to your favorite fiction.
Saturday March 29, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Room 208
Small press publishers: What makes the difference between an item that will get news coverage, previews, and interviews and what won’t? Many publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, and why they are being overlooked for coverage. Comics journalist Rik Offenberger (First Comics News, G-Man Comics) moderates this panel on just what it takes to get coverage, with the comic journalists themselves telling you what they are looking for in your submission. Panelists include Tim Chizmar (Fangoria, co-chair of the Horror Writers Association), Jaesa Evermore (Temple of Geek, First Comics News), Jez Ibelle (First Comics News) Heidi MacDonald (The Beat) Grant Offenberger (Grant Me Peace), Alex Raymond (Monstar, Hollywood Gone Geek), Francis Sky (First Comics News), and Josh Waldrop (Ultima Media).
Saturday March 29, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Room 208
James Thompson (A People's History of Comics), Alonso Nunez (Little Fish Comic Book Studio), Mary Ellen Stout (San Diego State University), Charles Hatfield (California State University Northridge), Fadi Bayaa (writer, technology/gaming expert), and Jameson Rohrer (Butte County Library) explore the fantasy and horror tropes that dominate comic youth markets from early readers to young adult, allowing for magic metaphors of acceptance, tolerance, and awakening sexuality and difference within traditional romance, melodrama, and comedy narratives. Favorite books and authors will be discussed.
Saturday March 29, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 208
Dr. Vanessa Hintz (Umm . . . About That! podcast), Dr. Kaela Joseph (Side Quest Psychology), and Ruby McCoy (thanatologist and doctoral candidate) discuss representations of both Blackness and queerness in horror and the impacts on identity development and overall wellness. In addition, panelists will highlight the efforts of modern-day horror to combat harmful tropes and to feature more authentic representations of diverse characters.
Saturday March 29, 2025 7:30pm - 8:30pm PDT
Room 208
