The popularity of geek culture has grown exponentially over the past few years.
It’s a trend that has become all the more visible thanks to the increasing size of conventions such as Oz Comic-Con, a two-day event that will be hitting Sydney again in September. And with impressive guests such as Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger [pictured above]), Daniel Portman and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Game Of Thrones), Aaron Ashmore (Smallville, Warehouse 13) and Charlie and Max Carver (Teen Wolf), it’s set to be bigger than ever.
But it isn’t all about the awesome guests and the merchandise. What really makes Oz Comic-Con special is its ability to bring people together to have an amazing experience, and provide them with opportunities to break into the pop culture industry itself. Event organiser Rand Ratinac speaks about the con and what makes it unique, despite it being located a long way from Hollywood.
“Everyone involved in the industry knows that the Australian shows are never going to be the same as the American ones,” he says. “We just don’t have the ready access to talent that they do and we don’t have a constant film industry going here.
“There are some great things that pop up – Thor is filming and I believe one of the new Star Wars will be filming here. Hopefully that kind of stuff keeps growing and expanding. But in the meantime, almost all of the mainstream media guests that we bring in are imported from the US or UK. There’s only so much of a budget that you can do that with, but we want to do our very best to bring the fans the people they really want to see. We’re also trying to build a community around the event itself, and giving an experience not just with the guests themselves but with every aspect of the show that makes people excited.”
Australia may be tucked away in its own little corner of the world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some amazing homegrown film and television talent ourselves. Oz Comic-Con is passionate about showcasing the Australians who are dominating the local and international entertainment scenes. Ratinac also sees it as a way to support the up-and-comers who are looking for a way to build their skills and secure their big break.
“We’ve always thought that if people can’t come to the show and say to themselves, ‘This is something that I would like to make into a career,’ and then can see avenues on how to do that, there’s no real point to it. The reason we have always been interested in bringing comic professionals – even editors and people involved in the business side – is to give opportunities to up-and-coming Australian creators.”
This mentality also applies to costume design and cosplay, which itself has become increasingly popular not only as a hobby but a legitimate career avenue.
“In terms of costuming, we have some really talented people locally and we also bring in well regarded people from overseas who know a great deal about how to make the best costumes they can and turn that into a living,” says Ratinac. “The show has always been about people being able to find the information that they need to potentially make connections and meet people who could possibly give them work in the future.”
Location and budgetary restraints may have forced Oz Comic-Con to take a slightly different approach to hosting a convention, but this certainly hasn’t been a deterrent for the organisers or attendees. Instead, the focus on community, workshops and events has been an asset; something that feels uniquely Australian.
“If you go to San Diego Comic-Con, what you’ll see is a hundred or so thousand people and they’re mostly there to see the guests from the shows,” Ratinac explains. “But there’s always still a bunch of people who want news and to see what’s cool. Even in the US there’s an aspect of engagement with the community of pop culture fans and that’s one of the things that we’re definitely trying to bring. Part of the fun is seeing the guests and hearing them talk, seeing all of the great cosplayers. We’re also trying to always bring in new cool things from exhibitors – the experiences that will make the show unique and different every time.”
One of the most exciting new experiences on offer this year is the Oz Comic-Con Fashion Show. Hosted by the queen of Australian cosplay, Eve Beauregard, the show is open to aspiring designers who wish to unleash their inner geek on the catwalk.
“It’s definitely the first of its kind in Australia, which we’re quite proud of,” says Ratinac. “It’s something that we had in the works for some time – we threw it out as a possibility right from the beginning. That kind of event is not something that is a natural fit at a pop culture show, but it is something that is very cool.”
At this point, one wonders: considering the rising popularity of geek culture in the mainstream, can we really still say that such an idea isn’t a good fit for an event like Comic-Con? After all, geek-inspired clothing labels are more popular than ever. Ratinac agrees.
“If you have a look at the likes of Black Milk and even your old-school pop culture T-shirts, it shows you that there is a market for people who want to show their passions on their person. A runway show isn’t your normal kind of pop culture show event, but I think it’s going to work really well and people will be excited by it.”
The community focus isn’t only restricted to the venue itself. Over the past few years, the Oz Comic-Con after-hours events have become an institution in their own right, as well as a fantastic opportunity for local businesses. Game-themed bars such as Spawn Point have not only hosted parties, they’ve offered discounts to convention attendees. Although Ratinac must be tight-lipped about this year’s after-hours program, he does offer a few hints.
“The thing about the show is that it isn’t just the floor or the weekend. There is always a great feeling of community when fans, people who are involved professionally and people who are interested in breaking into the industry get together after the show. It’s about being able to sit down and take it easy with some friends or go to a party, meet a bunch of other people and have some fun.
“With the after-hours events it’s a little more organised where we have different outside businesses getting involved. Whether it’s a costume party, gaming event or whatever, it’s something that reaches out to the community and to the fans and says that things don’t have to end at 6pm. You can still have fun now and then come back tomorrow for more.”
Oz Comic-Con 2016 takes placeSaturday September 10 – Sunday September 11 atSydney Exhibition Centre, Glebe Island, where you can expect to see Robert Englund, Daniel Portman, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Aaron Ashmore and many more.
