Hi Huneybees,
Yes! I just got back from Sri Lanka and am so happy that was in time for the STGCC Press Conference. Held at the infamous Central Perk Cafe drawn from the F.R.I.E.N.D.S sitcom, we got a chance to sit and chat with a few of the headliners ahead of the convention this weekend and check out what's to expect too!
This year, STGCC will be expanded from 2 convention halls to 3 with a specially dedicated Gaming Experience zone - GGXP (Good Game Experience) with live eSports gaming championships and the latest gaming and product showcases for game fanatics to play with.
At the centre stage of GGXP, be sure to check out the ROG Masters 2017 - DOTA 2 - Singapore Qualifiers and ROG Masters 2017 - CS:GO - Singapore Qualifier finals, where the top 2 playing teams will be facing off in a best-of-three playoff for a chunk of the S$20,000 total prize pool. There will also be the semi-finals to finals of Vainglory Championship 2017 - Southeast Asia happening on 10 September, where the top 4 teams will battle towards the grand finals for their portion of the USD$5,000 prize pool.
Other than GGXP, the STGCC is also more organized to bring you through the retail experience first, through the Artist Galore to meet your favourite artists and toymakers, then the Star Wars Experience which I'm definitely looking forward to and then to the Akiba Zone where it's inspired by Tokyo's famous Electric Town, you can even go there to fix up your cosplay should you be having a wardrobe malfunction!
Ok, so getting down to the meet and greet. I got to chat and get my autographs with the talented Emmy-Award winning writer and illustrator - Frank Cho, Singapore’s first Eisner Awards winner and graphic novelist - Sonny Liew, one of Disney's top artist - James C Mulligan, popular Italian cosplayer - Leon Chiro, Japanese idol and J-pop singer - Rie Yunohara, Star Wars movie set and prop maker - Stefan Cembolista and the creative director and co-founder of tokidoki, who is present at every year's STGCC - Simone Legno!
Every year, I have my canvas and sharpies ready for autographs whilst I speak with these talented artists. It helps as I pluck up my courage to speak with these legendary titans of the comics and toys world.
Frank Cho's gorgeous drawings of ladies might be controversial these days, but I remember flipping through the library books during my animation days, admiring and grasping how he can get the lady anatomy down to such sexiness. I was tongue-tied in front of this idol and still regretting as I write this blog why didn't I speak with him?!
James C Mulligan is definitely excited to meet his fans at STGCC, looking smart in his leather jacket, I got an adorable Stitch autograph! Don't miss his live painting session on the main stage on Sunday and meet him at Walk of Fame!
Sonny Liew shared with me his experiences in SDCC and we are both in the hopes that STGCC will be of the same scale in the near future. Thanks for the 'self-portrait' autograph and be sure to catch him at the Walk of Fame too!
It's always a wonderful experience to meet my favourite artist, Simone Legno. I've missed him last year, due to an overseas trip and seeing him again this year, I had a few items ready for him to autograph. When asked about his multiple collaborations with brands and products, does he get tired out, he says he is overwhelmed and honoured instead and that he wishes to be approached by an airline for collaboration in the future. OMG! YES! Someone answer his prayer and let me be the first passenger please?!
Next, I chatted with the adorable Rie Yunohara, who was looking super kawaii in her kimono outfit. She spoke of how she was discovered performing in STGCC back in 2014, she cosplayed amongst those big mecha cosplayers and she stood out with her performance. She's a graduate from MKM-ZERO and PhantomVoice, and currently performing as a solo artiste, she has been crowned as the official idol of Japan’s biggest food entertainment festival Niku-Fes. Be sure to catch her on centre stage on STGCC!
Leon Chiro was a hot favourite, I only got a few minutes to speak with him and boy was that wait worth it! He shared how gaming companies approach him and how he gets into character, how he makes a character comes to life, his cosplaying process, but the highlight has got to be when I asked him how long he trains for those killer abs, he jokingly said photoshop and pulled his top up for a little ab trick!
Lastly, we spent a little more time with Stefan Cembolista. He shared his stories of how a little hobby of converting scraps to Star Wars props, got his crew noticed and became known, meeting George Lucas and J.J. Abrams, traveling the world with Star Wars and Disney and attending all the comic cons in the world, simply everything a Star Wars fanatic can ask for. He was very jovial and would definitely love to share his stories with you. Catch him at the exclusive Star Wars : Experience The Force Zone as you go relive your Star Wars moment with his lifesize props!
Ok! For those who are interested in a little retail therapy at STGCC, there is gona be a ton of exclusives and merchandises for you to dig in. These include a limited edition Mr Kiasu figurine available at Action City's booth, limited edition Hot Toys 2017 Toy Fair releases, rainbow-coloured vinyl toys and items by designer Mark Nagata and his collaborators, Daniel Yu's signature Jiang Shi and don't miss out on this special hologram Darth Vader from Beast Kingdom!
So, prepare, get your gear on and be there early for there will be tons filled for you to experience these 2 days! Be there early for fear of getting disappointed. See you there!
Connect with STGCC on their platforms for more updates:
Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
At the centre stage of GGXP, be sure to check out the ROG Masters 2017 - DOTA 2 - Singapore Qualifiers and ROG Masters 2017 - CS:GO - Singapore Qualifier finals, where the top 2 playing teams will be facing off in a best-of-three playoff for a chunk of the S$20,000 total prize pool. There will also be the semi-finals to finals of Vainglory Championship 2017 - Southeast Asia happening on 10 September, where the top 4 teams will battle towards the grand finals for their portion of the USD$5,000 prize pool.
Every year, I have my canvas and sharpies ready for autographs whilst I speak with these talented artists. It helps as I pluck up my courage to speak with these legendary titans of the comics and toys world.
Frank Cho's gorgeous drawings of ladies might be controversial these days, but I remember flipping through the library books during my animation days, admiring and grasping how he can get the lady anatomy down to such sexiness. I was tongue-tied in front of this idol and still regretting as I write this blog why didn't I speak with him?!
James C Mulligan is definitely excited to meet his fans at STGCC, looking smart in his leather jacket, I got an adorable Stitch autograph! Don't miss his live painting session on the main stage on Sunday and meet him at Walk of Fame!
It's always a wonderful experience to meet my favourite artist, Simone Legno. I've missed him last year, due to an overseas trip and seeing him again this year, I had a few items ready for him to autograph. When asked about his multiple collaborations with brands and products, does he get tired out, he says he is overwhelmed and honoured instead and that he wishes to be approached by an airline for collaboration in the future. OMG! YES! Someone answer his prayer and let me be the first passenger please?!
So, prepare, get your gear on and be there early for there will be tons filled for you to experience these 2 days! Be there early for fear of getting disappointed. See you there!
Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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