Geek Media Expo | Nashville, TN

GUESTS
GMX has gathered some exciting faces, new and old, who you will want to meet! Look for fantastic Geek Media professionals and celebrities at events throughout our 48 hour event!

GARRETT WANG
Born in Riverside, California to Chinese immigrant parents, Garrett Wang(pronounced Wong) spent his formative years on the move, living in Indiana, Bermuda and Tennessee. He moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA where he majored in East Asian Studies and dabbled in theater. He was especially proud of his portrayal of Michio Tanaka in "12-1-A," Wakako Yamauchi's play which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the fateful internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. In his first stage performance outside of UCLA, Garrett received critical acclaim as the lead in Chay Yew's "Porcelain."

After landing his first talent agent in 1993, he booked an unprecedented five commercials in one week. He followed this up with a guest starring role on the first episode of the ABC sitcom "All American Girl" starring comedienne Margaret Cho. This milestone was then eclipsed by winning the role of Harry Kim on "Star Trek Voyager." At the same time, Garrett had also booked roles in two films, "Mortal Kombat" and "Glory Daze" both of which he unfortunately had to turn down in order to work on Voyager. In addition to acting on Voyager for seven seasons, Garrett was named as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People as well as one of E! Entertainment Channel's "20 Coolest Bachelors."

In 2005, Wang portrayed the character of Chow Ping in the TNT mini series "Into The West" It was after the filming this project that Garrett took a break from Hollywood and began traveling, which he has continued to do until present day. He estimates he has flown around 450 thousand air miles since 2005.

Garrett is no stranger to the convention scene. His first convention as a guest was in Minneapolis, MN, January of 1995, the weekend after the Monday night premiere of Voyager on UPN, filling in for an ill Kate Mulgrew. He has taken it one step further by becoming the full-time emcee for Tulsa's Trek Expo and Germany's FedCon. His most cherished duty as of late is the new director of Trek Track at Dragon*Con.

CHRIS JUDGE
Sports would be the stepping stone to an acting career for Mr. Judge. Attending the University of Oregon on a football scholarship, Judge led in kickoff return yardage for 1983-84 and interceptions in 1984, in addition to earning the Casanova Award in 1982 (given to the freshman or newcomer of the year). Judge was also a three time All American, a Pacific-10 Conference Selection in 1984, and played in the 1985 Hula Bowl.

Judge began studying at the Howard Fine Institute in LA in 1989. Some early roles were Bird on a Wire, Cadence, Neon Rider and MacGyver with future Stargate SG-1 star Richard Dean Anderson. In the ensuing years, Judge had small parts in various television shows and movies such as 21 Jump Street (with future SG-1 director Peter DeLuise), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and House Party 2, and as a regular on Sirens from 1994 to 1995.

Judge's largest role came in 1997 with Stargate SG-1, in the role of Teal'c. Out of all the actors in Stargate SG-1, Judge has been in the most episodes. More recent works of Judge's include guest spots on Andromeda and Stargate: Atlantis, the television movie Personal Effects, and the films Snow Dogs and A Dog's Breakfast, the latter written and directed by fellow Stargate actor David Hewlett. Judge has written three episodes of Stargate: SG-1: "The Changeling", "Birthright", and "Sacrifices". After Stargate was canceled, Judge began writing a script for a show called Rage of Angels. Judge also does voice acting for animated series and video games, including the voice of Magneto on X-Men: Evolution and Stargate SG-1: The Alliance. He is also known for voicing Jericho in Turok.

DOMINIC KEATING
An early turn on the stage while he was in primary school gave Dominic Keating a taste for acting. But despite appearing in several stage productions while he was attending London’s University College, Keating’s Bachelor of Arts degree ultimately would be in history, not theater arts. By the late 1980’s however, Keating was alternating between local stage productions and appearances on British television, including a permanent role in Desmond’s, a long-running comedy, and a guest spot in the internationally broadcast Inspector Morse mysteries. But it was his first motion picture appearance, in Jungle 2 Jungle with Tim Allen and Martin Short, that served to expand his career into American productions.

Keating first came to major public attention in the UK when he had a semi-regular role as Tony in the Channel 4 sitcom Desmond's (1989–95). He went on from this to a role in Inspector Morse, as well as other guest-starring roles. Having moved to the United States, he gained the role of the demonic warrior Mallos on the short-lived 2000 series The Immortal. He also made guest appearances on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, G vs E and Special Unit 2 as well as on several other series prior to a major role on the series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he played Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. Since then he has had a guest roles on the series Las Vegas, Holby City and the CSI: NY episode "Uncertainty Rules". Keating joined the cast of hit show Heroes for its second season and played an Irish mobster in a four episode arc. He also held a guest-starring role for three episodes on the Fox TV series Prison Break.

His feature films include Hollywood Kills, Species: The Awakening and Beowulf. Most recently Keating co-starred in two motion pictures: as the dangerous “Godfather”-like title character in The Ninong, and in the upcoming martial arts/fantasy tale, The One Warrior.

JAMES O'BARR
James O’Barr was born in a trailer in Detroit just in time to see Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy die, but he claims no responsibility for either. He spent his first seven years in an orphanage and foster care as the token white kid (it was, after all, Detroit) and as such had poor communication skills. When he was adopted, James brought along his crayons and has been using them ever since.

While stationed in Berlin in the late ‘70s, he created The Crow as an attempt to deal with the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver. It took nearly 10 years to finish, and no publisher was interested in it ("too gloomy, too confusing..") until, on a whim, Caliber published the first issue in 1989. It is currently the best selling independent graphic novel of all time at over ¾ million copies sold.

In 1993, his book was adapted into the cult film of the same name starring Brandon Lee. Nearly all of the money made from the film was donated to children's charities, and James had nothing to do with the subsequent 3 sequels or TV show (though he does like Mark DaCascos) and scoffs at the current plans to remake the first film.

He has worked for every major publisher, with the exception of DC who is apparently afraid of what he would do with Batman.

In Italy, 1995, James won the Academy Award of comics, the Yellow Kid award for best storyteller and has been ignored ever since.

After 35 years in Detroit (shot, stabbed, and run over by Sanford and Son are not too subtle hints that it is time to move) he currently lives in Dallas collecting old books, records, skulls and the hearts of young wives. He does commissions from his website (JamesOBarr.net, how clever), paints, draws and writes every day.

James is tall, happy, approachable, quite charming and looks nothing like Robert Smith (except for maybe the smeared lipstick on Goth night at The Church).

JEPH JACQUES
Jeph Jacques writes and illustrates the webcomic Questionable Content. He was born in Rockville, Maryland, and graduated from Hampshire College with a degree in music. He lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts with his wife (and business manager) Cristi. They have three pet rabbits and one enormous dog, Shelby.

APPARITION ABOLISHERS
The Apparition Abolishers are a group of steampunk costumers, artists, prop-makers and performers. As a group, they have won Best In Show at Dragon*Con Masquerade 2009 and MidSouthCon Masquerade 2010. Individual members have won multiple awards and gained recognition within their respective areas of concentration. You can learn more and follow their characters' adventures in the web comic at http://apparitionabolishers.com.

CONVENTION VIXENS
Convention Vixens is a compilation of original characters by creator Merika Rock and are supported by artwork and partnerships with mainstream illustrators such as fantasy and sci-fi artists Larry Elmore and Matt Busch. ConVixens™ as they are nicknamed is an organization of traveling girls dressed as these original characters which represent and bring the artwork and stories to life so the fans can meet in person.

The ConVixen™ characters are inspired by different genres of fandom which reflect everything from sci-fi, pop culture, video games, comic books, anime, and fantasy. The models that portray the ConVixens™ take pride in supporting their love for fandom and the special and unique characters they represent. With their eye-catching appeal, friendliness, and eagerness to connect with the fans, they are a memorable addition for attendees to meet!

JACKSON BOSTWICK
Jackson Bostwick is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (1969), AFTRA (1969) and holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Southern California (1973). He has starred in or been featured in a large number of films, among them Walt Disney’s Tron and Gus. Also, The Hughes Mystery, in which he starred opposite Broderick Crawford and Cameron Mitchell; Escape from DS-3 and The Killing’s at Outpost Zeta for Anne Spielberg (Steven’s sister); The Prey with Jackie Coogan; A Matter of Honor; Mutant Species with Wilfred Brimley and Powers Booth; and others. In television he has appeared on The Red Skelton Show with Mr. Skelton and Audrey Meadows; the pilot for Funny Face starring Sandy Duncan, directed by Jerry Paris; and Walt Disney’s Secret of Lost Valley with Gary Collins and Mary Ann Mobles, directed by Vic Morrow, among others. He has appeared on stage with Dorothy McGuire in Sweet Bird of Youth (Tom Jr.) with Alex Segal directing. Jackson won the Drama Logue’s acting award for his portrayal of Mike in The Philadelphia Story.” Mr. Bostwick produced, wrote, starred in, and directed, Southern Fried Shakespeare (in the 25th century), the 1991 Gold Medal winning short at Worldfest Houston.

Jackson is best recognized for his role starring as Captain Marvel in the #1 CBS Saturday morning television show, Shazam! (1974-80). He has taught acting classes and directed four(4) plays at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama, 1987-89 as well as teaching professional workshops and assisting with Lurene Tuttle’s acting classes. Also, starred with Isaac Hayes in the 2003 feature film, Dodge City, shot in Nashville, and Suitable for Murder filmed in Denton, Texas in January 2008.

Presently, editing the feature film, Bloody Mary-Lite (an urban fairy tale), that he produced, wrote, directed, and acted in and that was shot in and around the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Also, has his book, Myth, Magic and a Mortal, reflecting on the years leading up to and during the Shazam! series that will be available in the near future.

WHATTHECAST
WhatTheCast, nominated for a 2010 Parsec Award, is a look at geek culture from the minds behind Dragon*ConTV. Everything from movies, comics and the latest news viewed through the eyes of an engineer, rocket scientist, improv comic and web developer. Think of us as a portable version of the best conversations you overhear at a sci-fi convention, only without the inappropriately dressed cosplayers.

CINEGEEK
CineGeek is THE place for the true hardcore fan of Film, TV, DVD/Blu-Ray, Books/Comics and Pop Culture in general. News, reviews, contests and previews are added to the site daily. The site and the show are brought to you by the creators of the XBOX 360 documentary series “Con Trek” and the award winning film “Fans and Freaks: the Culture of Comics and Conventions”. The CineGeek Webcast is a weekly audio podcast covering all of the things that CineGeek readers love with added commentary from contributors to the site. CineGeek.com and the CineGeek Webcast combine to bring fans real geek journalism and fanboy commentary all in one place!

At GMX, CineGeek will be hosting a live webcast and giving away prizing provided by major film and television studios, as well as from webcast sponsor Vroom Foods during the show! Check out the live show Friday night at 8pm (check the schedule for location)!

BOB AND CARL: SCI-FI JANITORS
Originally concieved by Michael Goodwin as a video piece for an Atlanta puppet slam, Bob and Carl went on to take Dragon*Con 2010 by storm. Their geeky humorous shorts were a fan favorite on Dragon*ConTV's programming. There was such a positive response that the Bob and Carl Team (Beau Brown, Matt Nitchie and Patrick Freeman) decided to keep making more to release on the internet. Come watch some of their hilarious videos and meet part of the Bob and Carl Team.

SCOTT CHRISTIAN SAVA
You've seen Scott Christian Sava's work. It's everywhere.
It's in TV and Film projects such as Digimon, Power Rangers, and Spider-Man.
It's in games such as Aliens vs. Predator, X-Files, and Starcraft.
And Scott's work is in comics such as Spider-Man, Star Trek, and Mortal Kombat.
Scott's had a long career as both an animator, game designer, and comic book artist.

But Scott's biggest claim to fame? The Dreamland Chronicles.
For the last 3 years...Scott's put his epic fantasy story online every day where over 13 million readers worldwide have fallen in love with the romantic, fantastic, child-like innocent story about a boy who returns to the land of his childhood dreams.

With 3 award winning books in stores and a fourth on the way...The Dreamland Chronicles is told in stunning "Pixar-like" 3D computer generated style. Truly a sight to behold.

Writing mostly for an "All Ages" audience...Scott enjoys living in Franklin, TN with his wife and twin sons. Scripting stories for his little "monsters" who are just starting 1st grade and love reading "daddy's comics".

As well as his work on Dreamland, Scott also has 6 other "kids graphic novels" available in stores worldwide that read perfectly for ages 5-10 years old. Titles include Gary the Pirate, My Grandparents are Secret Agents, Cameron and his Dinosaurs, Ed's Terrestrials, Pet Robots, and Hyperactive.

KAYLA PERKINS
Kayla Perkins is an Actress/Model, ready to make her impression on the world at a young age, Kayla is quickly making a name for herself. Kayla states that it was such an honor to get to work with George Bonilla which was awarded 2008 Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year on his upcoming film, which was Kayla's first featured film titled Hell-Ephone. Kayla was cast as Madison Monroe. This was a demanding and challenging role for Kayla. "She just blew us away with her acting ability and work ethic. It was hard to believe she was new to the business. She has the skills of a seasoned pro," said director George Bonilla.

Kayla has landed several lead and featured roles this year and has loved every minute of it. "I love Acting and it has been an honor to work with so many talented Filmmakers in our area," said Miss Perkins. You can also look for her in the upcoming films called Big Momma's House 3 starring Martin Lawrence, Dreamer starring Dakota Fanning & Kurt Russell, Love Don't Let Me Down starring Tim McGraw & Gwyneth Paltrow, Disney's Secretariat starring Diane Lane & John Malkovich, Kayla is Starring in The Runaway, Nightmare Fuel & Halloween Homecoming. You can also watch for her in Hell House, Haunted KY, Cry, Haddonfield, Mountain Mafia, The Legacy, Devils Playground, The Girl, Red River, Santa Vs Zombies and others coming out in 2010.

Kayla is also a Dream Calendar Model, She posed for Miss August 2009 Dream Girl. Miss Perkins has also been featured in Magazines and was in Supermodels Unlimited Magazine as a Rising Star, The Next Supermodel. Kayla also worked as a dancer in Alan Jackson's Music Video "Good Time", Montgomery Gentry's "My Town", Doyle Lawson "Sadie", and many more. Kayla has also done TV Commercials, Runway Fashion Shows, Been on Billboards, and is a Print Model where she has done Catalog work for Clothing Companies.

In her spare time, Kayla does a lot of volunteer work and works with several organizations raising money for different charities. Kayla is also former Junior Miss Kentucky! On Dec 14, 2009 Kayla received A Proclamation Award from Mayor Karen Tingle-Sames and The City of Georgetown for her outstanding achievements and all she has accomplished at her age.

DANIEL BROWN
Daniel Brown, a devoted animation and cartoon fan started his career early when watching a crowd of people play Don Bluth’s famous title Dragons Lair. He then created his own rudimentary game and began having students play it at school for the cost of a quarter. He also has a passion for old classics including but not limited to Universal Studios Monster films, Clash of the Titans and Trip to the moon.

He graduated with a BFA at IADT in Chicago. There he studied under many knowledgeable instructors and interned at Live to Tell Pictures, working on their animated film Death as Usual.

Daniel, a native to Jeffersonville Indiana, moved back home and began working with companies such as MP Video, and Interactive Media Lab, where Daniel developed his skills in editing, 3d modeling, animation, and motion graphics. Daniel worked with many Commercial companies: including Intel, Six Flags, Yum brands and Humana doing animations for characters and title sequences. Daniel has been creating E Shopping avatars, and 3D Virtual Mall to be released soon.

Daniel is the Director of Digital Media for WarSport International, Inc. He oversees production and development of Broadband Media productions including on-demand content, pay per views, straight to Blu-ray, straight to DVD, online comics and internet-delivered content.

Daniel’s slate of projects includes over 58 hours of original programming beginning in 2010 with WarSport International News (a video podcast dedicated to delivering news based in the WarSport world) and Inside WarSport (an audio podcast delivering exclusive interviews with creators and content providers for WarSport).

In his spare time, he's an instructor at ITT technical institute in Louisville KY where he teaches and motivates future aspiring artists.

RODNEY COX
Highly motivated, truly dedicated, locked, cocked and ready to rock is Rodney Cox! As a young boy growing up in the West End of Louisville he always knew that he wanted to be an actor. He never really tapped into this hidden talent until after his return from Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Since then, Rodney has appeared in several impressive productions throughout the Midwest and nationally from commercial print to the big screen. His list of works include KFC Yum Brands, General Electric, The Courier Journal, Dillards, Miller Lite, Seagram’s Gin, Humana, Kroger Co., Ford Motor Co., Atlas Van Lines, Big O Tires, and Bank of America, just to name a few. He has also acted in a nice string of indie films and a couple of major ones. While working and patiently waiting... the perfect opportunity landed in his lap when Rodney hooked up with the infamous Todd Fisher, creator of Warsport, and mentor to Rodney. Watch for Rodney’s breakout performance as R.J. Escobar in the upcoming mini-series WarSport: 2041.

KIMBERLY RICHARDSON
After being found as an infant crawling among old and dusty books in an abandoned library, Kimberly Richardson grew up to be an eccentric woman with a taste for listening to dark cabaret music while drinking tea, reading books in every genre, and writing stories that cause people to make the strangest faces. Her first book, Tales From a Goth Librarian, was published through Kerlak Publishing in March 2009 and was named a Finalist in the USA Book News Awards for Fiction: Short Story for 2009 and in the International Book Awards for Fiction: Short Story in 2010. Kimberly is the Editor for the Steampunk anthology Dreams of Steam, also published by Kerlak Publishing in 2010. Her family, albeit normal, loves her as much as she loves them. She currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee.

MERIKA ROCK
Merika first burst onto the scene as an illustrative art model hired for her ability to portray an assortment of ethnicities. Being born of an eclectic mix of Mexican-Spanish-German and Cherokee decent, she’s found herself doing studio work for fantasy artist Larry Elmore for such covers as Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest™ and most recently Peregrine Entertainment’s Books of Lore Elf Stone, as the main character “Jolie”, with a preview comic just released this September of 2009.

Being a Celebrity Stylist by day, having worked with such stars as Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, to VH1’s Harvey Waldon from Celebrity Fit Club and American Idol’s Kimberly Locke; she has also worked up close and personal with such stars as Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters, Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, Kynt and Vyxsin of The Amazing Race, and an array of Wrestling Superstars, character actors, Reality Show Faces and Playmates alike.

Merika is also the Creator of Convention Vixens™ a project made up of a group of multi-fandom characters ranging from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Anime, and will be releasing a book series set for 2010-2011 based on the ConVixen Characters and she travels for convention appearances. She has partnered with such artists as sci-fi and fantasy illustrators such as Larry Elmore and Matt Busch for a series one and two compilation, each artist depicting four art pieces on various characters of the ConVixens™ World.

Stay tuned for the ever growing roster of new ConVixens characters, as well as a continuing convention appearance schedule to bring the project to the fans.

ALLAN GILBREATH
Allan Gilbreath denies that he was raised by wolves, but still enjoys quiet moonlit evenings. He is an accomplished skeptic, cook, gardener, computer geek, martial artist and avid student of arcane knowledge. Allan is also a nationally recognized and award-winning author, publisher, speaker and instructor. He has appeared on television, stage, radio, web/podcast and tours the country in live appearances. He enjoys serving on convention panels and can cover a wide range of topics from the serious to the outrageous. In his adult vampire novels, Galen and Dark Chances, he links sensual fantasy with danger and predation to excellent effect. His exceptional use of plot tension between the various characters sets a wonderful stage for the little details that bring it all to life. Allan's Jack Lago supernatural mysteries are known for their attention to detail and suspense. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and his collection, Allan Gilbreath: A Short Story Collection.

GEORGE WILLIS
George Willis from "The Colony" is one of the survivors in Season 2 of the Discovery Channel reality series. George ("The Colony 2") is a 46-year-old model maker. George Willis currently lives in Los Angeles, California, but is originally from San Diego, California. George ("The Colony 2") has an MFA in Film from UCLA, 1996. George Willis is skilled in metal working, mechanical effects, martial arts, archery and fencing. George ("The Colony 2") is also SCUBA certified.

George Willis is an industrial artist and inventor who loves to work with recycled materials. At a young age, George Willis's mother trained him in martial arts, while his father taught him jewelry and blacksmithing. George ("The Colony 2") is a renaissance man whose previous jobs have included building prototypes for the toy industry, diamond setting, special effects for movies, documentary filmmaking, and working as a massage therapist on private jets. George Willis is also a Red Cross disaster volunteer, a musician, and a regular attendee at Comic-Con and the Burning Man festival. George ("The Colony 2") now works for an architecture firm in Los Angeles.

AARON DOUGLAS
Aaron Douglas was born in and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he films and stars in the critically acclaimed Sci-Fi television series Battlestar Galactica. CANCELED - Read Aaron's letter to the fans here.

APRIL HUNTER
April Hunter is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model. CANCELED.

J.D. MICHAELS
J.D. is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names J.D. Michaels and J.D. Maverick. CANCELED.

BILLIE RAE BATES
While the rest of the world is wondering who will be the next American Idol, author Billie Rae Bates would rather know if Larry Hagman is going to do another episode of Nip/Tuck or where John Schneider's next Dukesfest event will be. CANCELED.