Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast

We head back to the wizarding world in the second half of our LeakyCon convention special! We celebrate reaching the big 5-0 episode count and share how the podcast has allowed us to grow as fans and people. We also explore the takeaways Victoria encountered at the con about the Harry Potter fandom, its commitment to social justice, and the impact on our own lives and worldview as members of the generation who got to grow up with Harry. We have another group of five fantastic fangirls to hear from as well! They are: Hayley Burson, an avid Harry Potter fan and costume maker. With her husband Michael, they specialize in creating screen replications from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. She’s also a co-host on Hold My Butterbeer, a podcast about all things wizarding world canon. Where to Find Hayley: Instagram & TikTok: @hobbitparty Hold My Butterbeer Podcast: https://www.holdmybutterbeer.com/podcast Facebook: @michayleycosplay YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDsgsIsSeZKHoRVc_Rtv0Q Porshea Patterson-Hurst, Bayana Davis, and Connie Gibbs from Black Girls Create. Through substantive but accessible content, Black Girls Create is an intersectional hub for black creators and critical fandom. They collaborate to champion the increased media representation of Black women specifically, and people of color in general. Bayana Davis, serves as Editor in Chief of Black Girls Create & co-host of the #WizardTeam podcast, Connie Gibbs is Black Girls Create Managing Editor and co-host of the TARBIS podcast, and Porshea Patterson-Hurst, contributor at Black Girls Create, volunteers with the Harry Potter Alliance and co-hosts the Game of Thrones podcast Castle Black. Where to Find Black Girls Create: Instagram & Tumblr: @blackgirlscreate Twitter & Facebook: @weblackandnerds Blackgirlscreate.org WizardTeam & TARBIS Podcasts: http://blackgirlscreate.org/bwc Where to Find Porshea: Twitter: @porshea_obvi Where to Find Connie: Twitter & Instagram: @constar24 Constarwrites.com Where to Find Bayana: Twitter: @yana_hallows Melissa Anelli has been reporting on the Harry Potter phenomenon since 2001, and since then has served as the webmistress of the premier Harry Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron, authored the New York Times bestselling book Harry, A History and founded Mischief Management, a company that produces fan events, LeakyCon included, focusing on community, content, and creativity where she serves as CEO. You may know her from the long-running Harry Potter fan podcast Pottercast or from one of the Mischief Media podcasts, Make New Mistakes and Extraneous. It’s no surprise that we’ve been seriously inspired by Melissa and been fans of hers for years, so we were thrilled when she took time out of running the show at LeakyCon to chat with us. Where to Find Melissa: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @melissaanelli http://www.melissaanelli.com/ Buy Melissa’s book Harry, a History on Amazon Where to Find LeakyCon: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @leakycon Leakycon.com http://www.mischiefmanagement.com/

We’re sending everyone back to school in fangirl style on this week’s episode with Dr. CarrieLynn Reinhard! Dr. Reinhard is an associate professor at Dominican University, where she also leads the Social Media Minor for the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences. Her research and work in popular culture blends communication studies, fan studies and psychology. When it comes to examining fandom academically, her book Fractured Fandoms: Contentious Communication in Fan Communities is one of the many she has published through her academic career, and she also serves as editor of the Popular Culture Studies Journal. Finally, she’s a fellow podcaster and co-hosts The Pop Culture Lens podcast. CarrieLynn explores with us the merits of examining fandom and online communication in fan cultures intellectually, opening yourself up to critiquing the media you love, and how we can communicate better as fans in the digital space! Where to Find Dr. Reinhard: Twitter: @mediaoracle playingwithresearch.com Listen to the Pop Culture Lens Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and PodBean.

We’re bringing you all another convention special, this time from Kristen’s home turf in Raleigh, North Carolina! She contrasts the benefits of attending GalaxyCon Raleigh as opposed to larger events like Star Wars Celebration, and shares her highlights, discoveries, and takeaways from the convention. In the midst of fangirling with Victoria she takes us across the galaxy of geekdom and introduces us to five awesome ladies on this week’s episode: Ellen Walsh is the founder of Elden Fragrances, which creates ‘mythical scents for the modern nose’ and has several fandom-inspired perfumes. Ellen shares how she got into perfumery and what inspires her in designing her scents. Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: @eldenfragrances https://eldenfragrances.com/ Debbie, also known as Iron Heart Cosplay, is cosplayer who has put her own spin on characters such as Riri Williams/Iron Heart, Supergirl, Sailor Mars, and Broly. After winning a local cosplay contest, Debbie secured a table in Cosplay Alley at this year’s GalaxyCon. Instagram: @iron_heart_cosplay1.0 Bria LaVorgna is the Managing Editor of Tosche Station.net with bylines for StarWars.com and on essays in the Marvel Comics series that highlights the ages of the Republic, Rebellion and Resistance. She also volunteers with noted Star Wars cosplay groups, 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion. Twitter & Instagram: @chaosbria http://toschestation.net/ Read Bria’s Padme Amidala Essay in Age of Republic: https://comicstore.marvel.com/Star-Wars-Age-Of-Republic-Padme-Amidala-2019-1/digital-comic/50890?r=1 The Craft Collective is a partnership between two business owners, Lauren and Ellie who fuse fandom fun and practicality. Lauren founded La Jolie Fraise, whose textiles add a fandom twist to her handmade scarves, cosplay aprons and more. Meanwhile, Ellie has Ellie Hoops, uniting her fitness expertise with her love of fandom through decorated hula-hoops to promote exercise and fitness in the fan community. Ellie: Instagram & Facebook: @elliecerceaux elliehoops.com Lauren: Instagram: @la_jolie_fraise Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaJolieFraise Have you ever been to a local convention? Tell us about your experiences!

We’re back from summer break and thrilled to welcome Tiffany Melius, owner of The Perky Nerd, on the podcast! Her Burbank storefront is one of the few female-owned comic book shops in the country. Since its opening in 2016, the store has established itself as a pillar of the LA geek community and was nominated for this year’s Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Retailer Award. Tiffany takes us through founding the store and shares her advice on starting a geeky small business! We also discuss girl power in comics from tackling gatekeeping at comic books shops to championing fangirls in her local community through book clubs and events! Where to Find Tiffany & The Perky Nerd : Instagram: @theperkynerd Twitter: @theperkynerd Facebook: @theperkynerd Online Store: https://www.theperkynerdstore.com/ Listen to this episode below or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

In our second WonderCon feature, Victoria returns to the Anaheim Convention Center to interview four artists about their creative expressions and their experiences with fandom. Before our guests, Victoria reflects on her second WonderCon, from the challenges to the thrills -- not to mention the important tips to remember when attending a convention! This week, we interview: Penelope Gaylord is an illustrator and character designer who has worked with Penguin Random House, Acme Archives Direct, Boom Studios and IDW. She is also a founding member of Identity Comics Studios, where each artist brings their own unique art style to the studio, enabling them to fund and publish several graphic anthologies. Follow Penelope: Instagram and Facebook: @pengpengart Twitter: @peng_peng Follow Identity Comics Studios on Instagram at @identitycomicsstudios Elaine Ho is a California-based illustrator, and previously created concept art for theme parks and virtual reality experiences. Her background in psychology greatly informs her work today, to her series in on Final Fantasy Villains and Disney Women, to her own re-imagining of the Beauty and the Beast trope, Tempest and the Fire. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @artofelaineho Check out Elaine’s Patreon for Tempest and the Fire: https://www.patreon.com/artofelaineho Elsa Chang is an illustrator who has worked with every major animation studio and is currently a character designer at Disney TV animation. She’s also illustrated children’s books for major publishers including Random House and Simon & Schuster. During our chat, Elsa also shares her love of the Sherlock fandom! Instagram and Twitter: @elsasketch Facebook: @artofelsachang Jenny Parks is a scientific illustrator and self-described shameless nerd and cat lover. While she illustrates realistic scientific and wildlife works, she is perhaps best known in fandom circles for her reimagining of our favorite sci-fi characters as cats. Her amazing recreations began with Phantom of the Opera and has evolved to more fandoms, from Doctor Who to Marvel to Star Trek, of which she has published a licensed book with CBS. jennyparks.com Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @jennyparksillus Stay tuned for our next episode with Kristen at Star Wars Celebration, and in the meantime, comment below with any suggestions for future convention special episodes!

We’re kicking off 2019 with a bang this week with director, producer, and writer Peyton Reed! He joins us after the success of last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is of course the sequel to his first Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Ant-Man. A lifelong Marvel fan, Peyton discusses his process crafting movies within the MCU, bringing lesser known characters Scott and Hope to the big screen, and the pressure to follow Infinity War! He also shares how he has navigated a fandom as deep, vast, and enthusiastic as Marvel and gives us his advice on how we can turn our inspiration from these films into our profession! Where to Find Peyton: Twitter: @mrpeytonreed Instagram: @mrpeytonreed Ant-Man and the Wasp is available on DVD, Blu-Ray & Digital!

For this week of All About Conventions August we have a super-sized convention special for you! Not only do Victoria and Kristen recap their experiences this year at San Diego Comic Con, they share their lessons learned from their trip to help you crush your next con. We also share our interviews from the convention floor with four fabulous female creators! They are: Agnes Garbowska is an illustrator known for her work illustrating titles such as the New York Times Best Sellers & Gem Award winner DC Superhero Girls for DC Comics, My Little Pony for IDW, and Grumpy Cat. She’s also drawn covers for IDW titles including, Jem and the Holograms, Transformers, and Powerpuff Girls. Check out Agnes's latest artwork in the graphic novel DC Super Hero Girls: Out of the Bottle on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MD9KQZ Twitter: @AgnesGarbowska Instagram: @AgnesGarbowska Facebook: @AgnesGarbowska.Art Tumblr: http://agnesgarbowska.tumblr.com/ https://agnesgarbowska.com/ Diana Greenhalgh is a professional illustrator and designer, primarily working in comics, trading cards, and film and television. Diana's first love is comics, where she works as a professional inker on numerous independent and mainstream comic books titles spanning over a decade. Diana also works as a prop artist and graphic designer for film and television. You can see her prop work in season 1 of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, and she's designed and illustrated one sheets for 20th Century Fox's Deadpool and X-Men Apocalypse films. Instagram: @mechangel Twitter: @DianaGreenhalgh Facebook: @DianaGreenhalghArt Check her out at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mechart Beth Sotelo began working in the comic book industry in 2001 as a colorist for Top Cow Productions. Since then she’s worked for Aspen Comics, DC and Marvel. Her recent coloring credits include DC Comics' Suicide Squad: Most Wanted and coloring/illustration work for 20th Century Fox. She is also the writer and illustrator for her creator-owned digital graphic novel “Grump”. Instagram: @midimew Twitter: @midimew Bethsotelo.com EK Johnston is an archaeologist-turned-author who has lent her words to retellings like Exit, Pursued by a Bear and Spindle. She has contributed two works for the Star Wars canon with a young adult novel Ahsoka and “By Whatever Sun” in the From a Certain Point of View anthology. Her repertoire continues to expand, with The Afterward due to come out next year. And at SDCC, it was also announced that she would be writing Queen’s Shadow, a novel based on Padme’s transition from Queen to Senator -- a dream come true for the author! (And Victoria. Obviously.) Twitter: @ek_johnston Tumblr: http://ekjohnston.tumblr.com/ Instagram: @ek_johnston ekjohnston.ca

We’re continuing All About Conventions August this week with our coverage of the Her Universe Fashion Show! Kristen and Victoria share their experiences at the event - getting to fangirl out together, squeeing over the surprise guests, and which were their favorite designs from the show! We also introduce you to the amazing fangirls we encountered at the Fashion Show: Carina Langley-Lacy was a finalist in this year’s fashion show. She is a costume designer and technician who has worked on costumes for the LA Opera and for television shows including the CW’s Supergirl. She has previously competed in the Her Universe Fashion Show before, and her design “Vincent and the Exploding Tardis” was inspired by the episode of Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor". Follow Carina on Instagram: @carinaterra8787 Lynne Martens, another finalist at this year’s event, is a costume maker, cosplayer, and fashion designer from LA. 2018 was her third year competing in the fashion show and her brand, Classy Looking Nerf Herder is described as geek vintage couture. Her look for the fashion show “Flight of the Phoenix” was based on Fawkes in Harry Potter. Follow Lynne on Instagram: @classylookingnerfherder Corina Marie Smith was one of the winners of the Her Universe Junior Fashion Design Competition. This was the inaugural year for the Junior Fashion Design Competition, which awarded 4 winners under 18 who designed looks inspired the Powerpuff Girls in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the show. Corina designed a Blossom-inspired look, drawing from Japanese street fashion, punk and juniors fashion. Sarah Garringer is the Global Social Media & Content Manager at Singer Sewing Company. Singer was a new partner of the Fashion Show this year, and the company sponsored an additional award to recognize a designer that showcases exceptional sewing and construction. Follow Singer on Twitter: @SingerCo and Instagram: @SingerSewingCompany For more on all the fangirl fabulousness that went at this year’s fashion show, check out Kristen’s blog post recapping her thoughts and insights about the event! We’ll be back on Tuesday 8/21 with our next episode featuring more awesome female creators that we interviewed on the convention floor at SDCC - stay tuned! Where to Find Her Universe: Heruniverse.com Twitter: @heruniverse Instagram: @heruniverse Facebook: @heruniverse Tumblr: https://heruniverseofficial.tumblr.com/