A new blog is now installed directly on the Yaoi Press site. Please go here:
http://www.yaoipress.com/blog.htm
This Word Press blog you’re now at will no longer be updated.
09
Jul
New Yaoi Press Blog
Barbara and Claudia of Le Peruggine have been in the USA for a week and a half doing a convention tour with me. They’re the artists of Yaoi Press‘ Winter Demon series and the creators of Cain. I told them Winter Demon had a large following here. They met fans one after the other throughout Yaoi Jamboree and Anime Expo (including some from Germany). Then, at Anime Expo, these two walked up:
That was so fantastic for us.
30
Jun
See you at Anime Expo
Please visit Yaoi Press booths 1005 and 1104 in the industry area at Anime Expo. It will be me and Le Peruggine at the booth. We’re giving away free YWAG to the first 300 people (16 or older) who visit the booth. In between jaunts to the Strip and Downtown Vegas, Le Peruggine whipped up some lovely art prints to sell at the booth.
Anime Expo is at the Los Angeles convention Center July 3-6.
My God, the YJAM hotel was so new and shiny! Everyone working there was so nice to the group. They even stocked Japanese snacks for everyone in their coffee-shop.
Although I don’t have the time to bask in the afterglow of the event, I’m putting down a quick list of highlights while it’s still fresh in my head. More detailed reports, photos, and video will be forthcoming on yaoijamboree.com
Top Ten Yaoi Jamboree Hits =
1. The Bishounen Wheel. This was the biggest hit of the show thanks in no small part to our actors. I can’t wipe the smile off my face when I think about it. The boys went wild, and the crowd egged them on. The two sessions drew the biggest audiences of all the events during the show.
2. Catch a Bishie. There were two sessions for this too, even though we’d originally planned just to do it once. It was such a hit on Saturday we did it again Sunday. Saturday when our Bishie was caught he was carried on the stage by this big musclely guy. On Sunday I randomly picked a cute guy in the audience to be the bishie and it worked out fantastic! This guy ran so incredibly fast. The first time he was caught he squirmed free. It was a riot!
3. Happy Guests and Grateful fans. All the guests were so approachable and the fans were so gracious! Eiki-sensei and Tsuda-sensei both hugged me before they left for the airport today ;_; Of course, I spent the most time with Le Peruggine. I’m glad I’ve got over a week more to be with them (they’re my guests in Las Vegas right now). Their commissions were a huge hit in the dealers room. So many fans came to meet them.
4. Slants and Dance! I love the Slants so much! Everyone was giving me and Kyla kudos on booking such a good band. Then the dance turned out better than we had even anticipated. The very talented DJ Beryl (also the chair of Anime Central) took control of the mixer and made the dance a win.
5. Wonderful Vendors. It was great to have at least one of each type of vendor the fans wanted, as well as the industry there to sell and put on some of the programming. Our dealers room was impressive.
6. Dedicated Staff and Volunteers. I won’t try to put my thank yous here. I’ll end up missing someone, because there were so many volunteers and staff keeping the show running smoothly. I made so many new friends at this show while working with everyone.
7. Sketch Jams! I hope other conventions will take note of this: This was a GIGANTIC success. It was something that was easy to put together, easy to staff and run, and was loved by the fans. We never had a problem getting cute boys to pose. Dozens of artists sketched, and many others stayed in the area to take photos of the models. We sold cheap art supplies at the table next to them to make sure everyone that wanted to draw was able to. People raved about this! This should become a staple of conventions up there with the anime and game rooms. If your show has an artist alley, you should have a little corner of it dedicated to Sketch Jams. They are an easy hit activity for just about any show.
8. The Game Room. Of course, the anime room was no slouch thanks to the generous anime donations from Bebeautiful and Media Blasters, but I was thrilled at the wonderful equipment we had in the game room. It looked like the game room of a much more established convention. This is something I have to thank Kyla and all her local people for. I have no idea where they came up with all that stuff. (Or even how they transported it all!)
9. The Naruto Parody Skit. Although I was running around at the time, I understand some of the Japanese guests requested a second showing of the awesome skit on Sunday.
10. Hentai Slide Show. It was standing room only in the panel room for this. I had a blast making everyone laugh. It ended an hour late. I’d rather do this panel than industry panels. It’s so much more fun!
I know I’m missing about a dozen other things worth noting like how generous fans were at the charity auction and the fun Yaoi Jeopardy sessions for instance, but now I must catch up on three days of lost sleep. Yaoi Jamboree will return next year at a different time and different location. Stay tuned for more news on that.
Yaoi Jamboree, June 20-22, Phoenix, http://www.yaoijamboree.com
I feel like a bride with her wedding eminent. I’m so thrilled about all the wonderful stuff we have planned. I just want to clarify that the entire convention isn’t in the Media Center. There is also a ballroom, panel rooms, a game room, and an anime theater.
I can’t believe it…just a few more days to go!
