NEW YORK, NY – August 14, 2012 – The largest gathering of Star Wars fans, Star Wars Celebration VI, is about to take place again in Orlando, Florida August 23rd through the 26th and Ashley Eckstein announced today that she and her fangirl apparel company, Her Universe™, will be there in a big way with a special event, a panel and exclusive merchandise.

• After receiving hundreds of requests from female fans all over the country to be a Her Universe model, Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) is offering a free Her Universe photo shoot on Saturday, the 25th from 10am till 7pm in room W305A. Girls are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite Her Universe top or hoodie to be photographed by professional photographer Preston Mack (www.pmack.com). Her Universe shirts will be provided just for the photo shoot if girls do not have one on that day. A sign-up sheet will be posted outside of room W305A that morning for those wishing to reserve a time slot and it will be first come, first served. The completed photos will be posted to a special photo board following the event on Facebook so girls can tag, share and download their photos. “Her Universe is a brand for the fans, and when the fans overwhelmingly tell me what they want, I do my best to make it happen,” said Ashley Eckstein. “It’s important to me that I am not the only Her Universe model because fangirls come in all ages, shapes and sizes and I want to represent the entire fangirl community by using real fans as my models. I am also so excited to have Preston Mack! He is such an accomplished photographer and I am honored that he will be sharing his time and talents with us!”

• In addition, Eckstein will be hosting a very special panel with author Carrie Goldman based on her new book, Bullied – What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear. Carrie is the mother of Katie Goldman, the little girl who was bullied for carrying a Star Wars water bottle to school. Carrie has spent the past year and a half researching and writing about this topic and Ashley encourages fans to come and join the conversation. The panel will take place on Thursday, the 23rd from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM in room W311 ABCD.

• Celebration would not be complete without exclusive Star Wars merchandise and Eckstein divulged that Her Universe will have two exclusives that fans have been asking for at the Her Universe booth #915. One of the most popular characters from the Star Wars expanded universe, Mara Jade, will be featured on a stunning new V-neck shirt with original art by renowned artist, Cat Staggs. Only 300 of these shirts will be available at CVI. “This is a shirt I was very excited to do,” said Cat Staggs. “I love Mara and wanted to depict her as both beautiful and powerful. She, like Leia, is such a fantastic character that while charming your socks off she can also take you down… I hope fans enjoy the shirt just as much as I did creating it.” Second, to accent the Mara Jade V-neck shirt, fans will have one more chance to pick up the exclusive R2-D2 3D Sterling Silver plated charm to add to the existing Star Wars by Her Universe charm bracelet. Standing 3/4” in height, there will be only 300 of these adorable little droid charms available at the convention. However, Eckstein recognizes that not all fans have the opportunity to join the fun and travel to Celebration VI, so she is making available a limited number (50 of each) of the two exclusive CVI items on www.heruniverse.com. The exclusives will be available starting at 10 AM EST on August 23rd. First come, first served. In addition to these exclusives, fans can buy Her Universe merchandise at booth #915 for female fans of all ages, including babies and plus sizes. Ashley will also debut two new tank top designs where fangirls can show their allegiance to the Republic or make a statement that they prefer the dark side.

About Star Wars Celebration
The biggest party this side of the galaxy, Star Wars Celebration VI brings fans of all ages together, from all points of the globe, to celebrate the pop-culture phenomenon that is Star Wars. Both hardcore and casual fans will gather to have fun while celebrating their passion for all things Star Wars, discovering what’s new, and being the first to see what’s next. It’s four fun-filled days of exhibits, a vibrant, interactive show floor, screenings, exclusive merchandise, celebrity guests, panels, autograph sessions, fan-inspired activities, and other surprises. The event runs from August 23rd to August 26th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. More info visit www.starwarscelebration.com .

About Her Universe
Her Universe was launched in 2009 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein, and her partner, The Araca Group, known as one of the most innovative theatrical production and merchandise companies in the world. Her Universe was created to directly address the expanding market of female fans by entering into its first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for the Syfy network including such shows as Battlestar Galactica and with BBC America for its Doctor Who franchise and with CBS Consumer Products for Star Trek. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein on Twitter and visiting the Her Universe Facebook page.

About Photographer Preston Mack
Preston Mack is a professional photographer based in Orlando, FL. He shoots for advertising agencies such as Yellow Shoes Creative, The Meyocks Group, GSD&M, Carol H Williams Agency, PUSH and Fry Hammond Barr. His corporate clients include MLB Advanced Media, ECCO Shoes, Southwest Airlines, Kraft, Hy-Vee and Walt Disney World. For more info visit www.pmack.com/Facebook/Twitter: @photopreston