5/1 – 5/3: AWESOME CON ONLINE

Washington, D.C. (April 27, 2020) – LeftField Media announced today the full schedule for Awesome Con Online – a first of its kind virtual gathering of fans of all ages, artists and special guests, taking place Friday, May 1 through Sunday, May 3 in lieu of Awesome Con, which has been postponed to December 11-13.

The mid-Atlantic’s premier pop culture convention, supported by Third Eye Comics and Oni Press, goes virtual this weekend – for free – and promises three days packed with vendor boutiques, virtual Artist Alley and Maker’s Market pavilions, a virtual costume contest, panels and programming with a range of talented guests, movie watchalongs, games and challenges, a virtual fun run, celebrity live chats, giveaways, and personalized merchandise. All exhibitors, artists and guests are participating for free and all revenue collected from purchased event sponsored merchandise, autographs or pledged donations will directly support The Red Cross relief efforts across the country.

Fans can access Awesome Con Online for free from mobile devices, desktop computers, tablets – wherever they are, virtually. Many events will live stream on Awesome Con’s Facebook. Guests can RSVP for updates and to follow along with the fun.

Schedule of Events

All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) as the show is local to DC

Friday, May 1

Awesome Con Short Film Festival, 2019 Replay, presented by Astray Productions
10:00 AM – 4:45 PM | Livestreamed to Facebook

Movie Watchalong: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Live chat happening in designated thread in the Facebook event

Virtual Cosplay Karaoke, Presented by District Karaoke
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Sign ups now open and one karaoke room will be livestreamed to Facebook

Saturday, May 2

Panels and Programming from Awesome Con Panelists and SPECIAL guests!
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Livestreamed to Facebook
Tune in to see a wide variety of panels and programming covering topics like comics, cosplay, science fiction, movies, TV and more. The schedule will include:

• Careers at a Glimpse: NASA – Ever wondered what it might be like to work at NASA? Join four local science fiction fans from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. These incredible women will be highlighting their journeys through the worlds of science and space.
• Sci Fi on TV: The Best and the Brightest – Join David Bushman, longtime TV curator at The Paley Center for Media, and Scott Ryan, founder/editor of The Blue Rose magazine, as we rank our five favorite sci fi/fantasy shows of all time, and then tell us how we are wrong — or right.
• The Marvel Cinematic Universe with Nerdy Notions – Nerdy Notions with Sasha Kaplan presents to you a special Awesome Con Online edition as she discusses the Marvel Cinematic Universe with producer and contributor Michael Lindenbaum.
• Modern Journey of the Comic Book: From Creation to Store Shelves and Every Step in Between! Join veteran comics writer, editor, educator and publisher Andy Schmidt, along with special guests Travis McIntire (Source Point Press President and Editor-in-Chief) and Bon Alimagno (former Marvel Comics Talent Coordinator and Harris Comics Editor-in-Chief) for a run through the whole process—writing & art, promoting, pricing, publishing, printing and distribution!
• My Favorite Alien – The Movies that Matter podcast team each chooses a favorite movie alien to visit earth and explains the benefits to humanity.
• Live Q&A with celebs Zachary Levi and Ross Marquand – Zachary and Ross may not be at Awesome Con in person, but these live Q&A’s will allow fans to ask questions and engage with these talented actors through cyberspace.

Awesome Questions with District Trivia
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Live in our Facebook event

Movie Watchalong: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Movie)
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Live chat happening in designated thread in the Facebook event

Sunday, May 3

Artist Alley, Maker’s Market, and Exhibitor Highlights and Programming
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, and 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM | Livestreamed to Facebook
Tune in for celebrations of the artists, makers, crafters, vendors, exhibitors, and creators who were planning to be at Awesome Con in person, May 1-3 and are now streaming to you live!

• How artist Amanda Preske uses broken circuit boards to make jewelry & art
• Sarah’s Stitches presents: Home-Made Mask Making
• Cat/Dog Cosplay: Our Little Fur Babies Join the Fun
• Tom Servo Inkwash Demo with Ted Woods
• Bring Me to Life: Live Drawing by Chauer from Dedkitty Studios
• Cuddle Up For A Cause – Spreading Autism Awareness & Acceptance Through Nerdy Crafting!
• Bites of Terror Live Diorama Build with Cuddles and Rage
• Bigger than our pockets: the importance of community and social justice within the geek chic clothing company, Little Petal

Virtual Costume Contest hosted by Mikal Mosley
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM | Livestreamed to Facebook
Our Virtual Costume Contest will air, with your host, costume designer and professional cosplayer Mikal Mosley! Check out the best and brightest in this mini digital cosplay showcase, featuring fans from 3 categories: Kids, Solo and Group. The winners will win a badge to Awesome Con December 11-13!

Movie Watchalong: Tangled
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Live chat happening in designated thread in our Facebook event

Exciting Additional Programs

Virtual Awesome Con Fun Run 5k

Introducing the first ever virtual Awesome Con Fun Run 5k, powered by Fanthropy Running Clubs! Where? Wherever! Find out more about the Virtual Fun Run – plus, be sure to share a sweaty selfie using #AwesomeConFunRun and get featured during the Fanthropy Running Clubs panel during Awesome Con Online!

Live Celeb Q&A broadcast to Zoom and Facebook

Awesome Con Online will host free, live Zoom calls with Zachary Levi and Ross Marquand, which is pretty awesome! The live Q&A will be broadcast to both Zoom and Facebook for fans to view. If you’re interested in asking a question, you will need a Zoom account and your video feed will be shared with Ross or Zachary for a few minutes so you can ask your question. Zachary and Ross are also selling autographs and all of the proceeds from the sales are being donated to The Red Cross. Learn more about how to participate in the Live Celeb Q&A at http://awesome-con.com/live-celeb-qa-during-awesome-con-online.

Personalized Merch

Awesome Con designers have created original artwork and commemorative merchandise with 100% of the proceeds to be donated to The Red Cross. Unlike some traditional Con merch, Awesome Con Online merch will be customizable with a range of designs, colors and inks to choose from.

Awesome Con Jr. At Home

Awesome Con Jr. offers free, educational and interactive online resources to help you and kids at home stay entertained. Download fandom-themed printable coloring books, tour outer space with NASA, make a superhero self-portrait, and more. Be sure to check out Awesome Con’s website, as new content will be pushed out regularly each week.

For the full range of resources, activities and events available to the public during the coronavirus crisis, visit www.awesomecon.com. For photos or b-roll from previous Awesome Con events, contact Catherine Llamido at catherine@lindarothpr.com.

About Awesome Con

Awesome Con is the biggest annual comic and pop culture convention in Washington, D.C., having welcomed over 72,000 attendees in 2019. Awesome Con celebrates all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, with a wide assortment of engaging events, comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and more. Awesome Con is presented in partnership with LeftField Media, an event organization company developed by the founder of New York Comic Con. Learn more at www.awesomecon.com.

About LeftField Media

LeftField Media, LLC is an events company focused on developing face-to-face events in a range of communities rooted in contemporary culture and shared passion. LeftField was formed in 2014 by Greg Topalian (President, LeftField Media) and is now owned by Topalian and Clarion Events Ltd. With a keen sense of the evolving needs of businesses and their consumers, as well as new opportunities created by change, LeftField takes a clean slate approach to its work. LeftField’s portfolio includes Awesome Con (awesomecon.com), Washington D.C.’s Comic Con; Rose City Comic Con (rosecitycomiccon.com), in Portland, OR; Anime NYC (animenyc.com), a Japanese pop culture festival in New York City; and Anime Frontier (animefrontier.com). LeftField Media is headquartered in historic Trumbull, CT (leftfieldmedia.com).