Hey all,
It's been a while since we had any MondoCon news with the other events & releases we’ve had going on, but with just under two months to go until the event we wanted to share some info and updates. But first I wanted to talk a bit on the "what" and "why" behind MondoCon for those who are not familiar.
MondoCon is an event that we started in 2014. The goal from the beginning was to bring together our favorite people, artists, companies, movies, music, toys, food and beer together for one weekend celebration in our hometown of Austin, TX. Our intention was to always keep this a smaller, more intimate affair where fans would engage with their favorite creators in a casual and fun environment. We wanted there to be exclusive products to purchase, interesting panel discussions, exciting screenings and unique experiences that could only happen at MondoCon.
Based on the feedback of attendees and exhibitors last year, we feel like we succeeded, but we also learned a lot about what worked and what didn’t. So when planning for MondoCon 2015 we wanted to enhance what we did well last year and fix a couple of the things that needed fixing. Please consider this MondoCon 2.0.
The most vocal feedback we received last year was just that everyone wanted more; more exhibitors, more panels, more room, more things to do, more food and more beer! So with that in mind, here are a couple of updates:
More space
This year we added over 10,000 square feet of extra event space at the neighboring Holiday Inn hotel where there will be exhibitors, panels and interactive activities. Even though we are increasing the square footage and giving everyone more breathing room, we are still keeping the number of tickets/attendees the same so that this is still as personal as last year.
Artists/Exhibitors
One of the things we are most excited to announce is the incredible lineup of artists and exhibitors. We have a lot of returning favorites and a bunch of awesome new additions. Here are a couple of new additions alongside the previously released lineup:
Florian Bertmer
Hi-Def Ninja
Light in the Attic Records
Dave Rapoza
Mike Saputo
Stan & Vince
William Stout
Kevin Tong
N.C. Winters
Matthew Woodson
Unbox Industries
Martin Ansin
Oliver Barrett
Richey Beckett
Andy Belanger
Burlesque of North America
Scott C
Becky Cloonan
Daniel Danger
Draplin Design Co.
The Dude Designs
Jason Edmiston
Brian Ewing
Francesco Francavilla
Ken Garduno
JJ Harrison
Tom Haubrick
Jock
Rob Jones
Landland
Middle of Beyond
Mike Mitchell
Olly Moss
Ciro Nieli
Randy Ortiz
Phantom City Creative
Gary Pullin
JC Richard
Rockin’ Jelly Bean
Arik Roper
Todd Slater
Static Medium
Ken Taylor
Matt Taylor
The Vacvvm
Waxwork Records
Bernie Wrightson
WBYK
Each of these artists/exhibitors will be on hand to sell products, sign stuff, and chat/engage with. I highly recommend everyone take the chance to walk the convention floor and meet as many as you can. They are all talented and hard working people who are also awesome human beings.
Please note that, unfortunately, Laurent Durieux, Alex Pardee and Skinner had to drop out of attending this year due to scheduling conflicts. We are sad they will not be there, but hope to have them all return next year.
Music
Vinyl has become a huge part of what we do, and we’re incredibly excited to increase the Music presence at MondoCon this year. We are expanding upon the idea of this year's Audyssey pop up shop, with Mondo and Death Waltz Recording Co. presenting the premiere destination for indie soundtrack labels. We have returning favorites from last year as well as newcomers. We will be carrying selections of our favorite titles from our friends at Data Discs, Tiger Lab, Milan, Light In The Attic, One Way Static, Waxwork Records, Terrorvision Records, Lunaris Records, Monster Worship, Ship To Shore Records, Strange Disc and More to be announced soon.
If you love all things vinyl and music you will want to be there!
Panels
Last year's panels were honestly my favorite part of the Con. They are a great opportunity to take a break and listen to stories on how your favorite art or products are created, hear what artists do outside of the collectible world and ask questions you've always wanted to know the answers to. This year we will be bringing back some favorites from 2014 and hosting a slew of new ones. Below are a few we are ready to announce with more to come over the next couple months:
Mondo Talk
Mondo Creative Directors Mitch Putnam, Rob Jones, Jay Shaw, & Head of Creative Production Eric Garza discuss the creative process behind Mondo's work showing how the team works with artists to arrive at final images. The panel will include a presentation of alternate concepts and a look at some of the biggest releases of the year.
Vacvvm Artist Panel
Members of the illustration collective THE VACVVM discuss the advantages of working with each other, the synergy of a collaborative artistic environment and share information about projects past and future.
Underscore: A Soundtrack Panel
Record Label Manager Spencer Hickman & Production Manager Mo Shafeek discuss the creative process behind Mondo & Death Waltz's soundtrack releases. The panel will also include insight into the production process of Vinyl manufacturing for independent labels. Featuring special guest panelists from various other soundtrack labels, distribution and authorities of the medium, as well as announcements and artwork reveals of forthcoming soundtrack releases.
The Art of Toys and Collectibles
A behind-the-scenes look at the Mondo collectibles line with Creative Director of Toys/Collectibles Brock Otterbacher & a number of special guests. This panel will give fans a look into the toy making process along with a few upcoming release teases!
William Stout Career Retrospective
The legendary William Stout returns to MondoCon for a look into his incredible career which includes design work on over 35 feature films – both Conan films, The Hitcher, Invaders From Mars, First Blood and Return of the Living Dead. This panel will include a myriad of artwork & illustrations from over the years and never-before-told stories about Stout’s time in the industry.
And as much as we enjoy the larger group panels, we also wanted there to be opportunities for more one-on-one discussions with artists. When thinking about this idea we realized that our pal Mark Brickey does this better than anyone with his Adventures in Design podcast, so we invited him to take over the 50 seat conference center inside of the Holiday Inn for a 2-day Adventures in Design podcast session. Mark will be interviewing a collection of artists in attendance at the Con and fans will be allowed to sit in and watch the interviews and ask their own questions. It's going to be a really great time and something I am looking forward to a ton. If you are unfamiliar with Adventures In Design I highly recommend you check it out here.
Screenings
We are planning some pretty awesome evening screenings as well. Like last year these will be separately ticketed events that are only open to MondoCon attendees. First up, we’re excited to announce a re-score of the film PIECES with Umberto (Matt Hill) performing live in the theater. Last year at MondoCon Umberto and Andton Maoif performed a re-score of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and it blew everyone away. We knew we had to have him return for an encore performance at this year's MondoCon and expect this one to wow as much as last year. Every attendee at the screening will receive a FREE exclusive colorway of a new Umberto 7’ due on the Death Waltz jukebox series featuring two brand new unreleased tracks. We’ll also have copies of the Rock Action LP and Matt will be signing after the performance.
Other screenings are being finalized and we hope to announce those soon. Also just a note, the previously announced closing night wrestling event has been cancelled to make room for other activities. Stay tuned for details and ticket on-sale info!
Mondo Exclusives
The Lil Mikey Red & Gray Variant
Lil Mikey harkens back to when the TMNT comics were Black & White and all of the turtles donned red masks. Based on artist Mike Mitchell's Just Like Us series. This version is limited to 100.
Army of Darkness Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Artwork by Richey Beckett. Pressed on 180 Gram Black Vinyl & Baby Blue & Black Vortex Swirl (Limited to 1,000 Copies). Cut at 45RPM for best sound quality
MondoCon will also feature new poster premieres from Ken Taylor, Martin Ansin, Kevin Tong, Aaron Horkey, Tom Whalen & more!
Food
Good food and good beer is important to us. We love to eat and drink so when putting together our ideal convention we knew we had to make sure there are delicious food options nearby and plenty of delicious beverages to drink. Below are the list of food trucks we will have on hand at this year's event. These trucks will be in the parking lots at the event site so you will never have to go far for great local eats. Oh, and we made sure there was coffee this year!
Frank - purveyors of artisan sausages & hot dogs - from venison to veggie. Look for MondoCon exclusive menu specials!
Micklethwait Craft Meats - Texas Hill Country Style Barbeque serving smoked meats, fresh breads, and sides.
Shhmaltz - serving all vegetarian and vegan Jewish deli food — big delicious sandwiches, pickles from scratch, and hand crafted kombucha.
Stony's Pizza - some of the quickest and most delicious, authentic East Coast Style pizza in Austin served by the whole pie or slice.
Arlo's Austin - vegan comfort food designed and prepared to satisfy omnivores and herbivores alike.
Therapy Coffee - mobile espresso and tea bar dedicated to bringing light, love, and joy to your day one handcrafted artisan beverage at a time
Kebabilicious - delicious Turkish style wraps, salads, rice bowls, and more.
We're looking to make this a great fan experience for you guys and are excited to share more announcements in the coming weeks. For those of you who've purchased tickets, we look forward to seeing you there! For those who haven't, tickets are still on sale - we hope you can make it!
-
You can purchase tickets for MondoCon 2015 here. If you're interested in volunteering at the Con, you can sign up here.
