Convention Confessional
Welcome to Convention Confessional. My name is Katy Hunt and for the last 20 years, I have been either going to or working for multiple conventions across the New England area. Some have been very successful and some... well. That’s what this podcast is for, sharing the good memories and the not so good memories. The goal is to bring on guests to share their own stories and hopefully a few Special Guests from time too time to talk about their own run ins.
Episodes
This week we rant about how to pack a bag for the convention. How things change through the years. From the first con where you have to bring half of creation with you, to 20 years later and you bring pills and underpants to get you through it all. We give some tips, some things you have to pack because it's the rules and some ideas of how to keep yourself organized. We'll see you at Anime Boston 2025!
Let's just dust this off here... HEY GUYS! Back with another episode of Convention Confessional! Don't get excited, we're still working on getting back into the swing of things. This week, we're talking about Rhode Island Comic Con and how we gave the convention a third chance and we're pleasantly surprised! Feels good to be back... don't get used to it.
So ends the trilogy. Rob is back to talk about one of the bigger costumes he made from a little show called FLCL. And in pure Rob fashion, that costume was a giant robot, Canti! Sounds easy, right? (sarcasm). A big ass red robot with a television head, it's own guitar and caused a man to become allergic to the material it was made from...
Sometimes, you have the best laid plans when it comes to skits. And sometimes, you need to know when to turn in the towel. This is that story. Jess is back this week to talk about some of her best skit background stories. Learn from our mistakes, but also know when to listen to the signs!
Nicole is here and we talked about the flood at Anime Boston 2023, things from conventions past that don't exist anymore, some behind the scenes moments of working at conventions, trying not to fall off the stage and a special not sponsored plug for Icy Hot. Cause we old.
Jen is here! And by the time this podcast is done, you'll love her as much as we do. She swung by to talk Star Lord, Star Wars and Harry Potter cosplay. Well, Harry Potter before Joanne decided to make poor life choices.
Sami came on the show to talk about her first convention experience! Being 'chaperoned' by her brother who was in different hotel room on the other side of the convention... We also talked about my new cookbook, how conventions have changed through the years and more!
Tory, Anime Boston's Best In Show Performance Winner 2023, came on the show to talk about the experience! We also discussed when it is and isn't okay to take pictures, not asking for uncomfortable pictures and cats. Those topics aren't related, but who doesn't love talking about their fur babies?
What better way to kick off our third season, than getting the gang back together? We got the gang back together for another round of 20 Questions and no one disappointed! Lots of sage advice from some cosplay veterans.
Mel is back this week and have we got some tales to tell. We lament about the days before wigs were so good and sacrificing our own hair, group cosplays and other sound advice for those competing!
HERE IT IS! Your favorites of 2022 and we were delighted to see such a great group of people's stories being appreciated! It was such a close call this time around, because of wonderful listeners like you being so consistent with your downloads. If only we could be the same... ANYWAYS! Thanks so much for an amazing year and we can't wait to see what we're brought in 2023! Happy Everything Everyone!
Liz has finally landed on the podcast and as the 'newest' cosplayer of the friends group, we talked about some of her favorite moments of the past ten years. First con, first guest, first creep and more! We also brought up a boy who has alluded her for several years at Dragoncon and how I'm certain they're meant to be.
Some people were a little upset about our stance on certain voice actors last week, so Ryan came around to discuss it. But we also spoke about other types of trolls. And how our host is always right, especially when it comes to judging people. Their personal cross to bear.
It's guest palooza this week on the show! Patrick joins the five timers club as we talk about some great guest encounters. Which include: playing DOOM with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 people, Scotty from Star Trek, and some not to great times with Vic Mignogna. Also, full disclosure, we don't support Vic on bit on the podcast. Period.
Jess and I have done some serious (and not so serious) judging in our lives. One time we judged a whole masquerade before it was even done. Well, it was done, but no one seemed to mention it to their last contestant... ANYWAYS! This week, we're all about our best and worst moments judging and hand out some helpful tips to those making their way on stage. The general message is JUST HAVE FUN!
Elizabeth is back and we talked about some cosplay failures. Not every costume is perfect and not every piece is right but you always try your best! Even if the universe tries to tell you no, or you pack the wrong shoes or cut the really expensive fabric out wrong. It's fine... IT'S FINE.
Doug is back, because he wasn't out of stories just yet. This week, a trip down to a convention in an area smacked around by Hurricane Sandy, greetings with a copious amount of libations and then talking about Doug's favorite thing to get from the artist alley: commissions of Wartortle! Doing something awesome, of course!
We took to our Q&A block over on Facebook to answer one of our listeners questions. This week, Matthew asked us about Cotton Eyed Joe. And you're wondering, what that has to do with conventions and I, have the answer you're looking for. We're here for you, for the crowds and it's all about fan service this week on the show. It's also about kissing Ryan Pagella... because somehow these things always turn into kissing Ryan Pagell...
Our friend Courtney stopped by this week to talk about a Lolita convention. What could have been a cute day of fluffy dresses, cute desserts and tea parties, turned into over priced snack cakes, no guidance from those in charge and guests worst nightmare. There also might have been some questionable people with questionable opinions involved. Certainly a horror story if we’ve ever heard one!
This episode was not an easy one to record. It's a story we always planned on sharing when we felt the time was right. Not every convention is made the same, some start off wonderful and end on a sour, bitter sweet note. Sometimes, we hang onto things too long, thinking things will change. This week, a cautionary tale. Always do what's best for you, folks.
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