Guardians of the Jukebox

Aptly described as a “visual and sonic highlight reel of the most influential decade in music history,” the Guardians of the Jukebox is a five-star, nostalgia, ’80s juggernaut! Their shows are packed with high energy and smash hits, accompanied by a video backdrop of everything ’80s featuring music videos, movie clips, and iconic moments

Southern States Pro Wrestling

Founded in 2014 as Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment, Southern States Professional Wrestling has grown into the wildest night in Atlanta nightlife. Featuring monthly events, an online community, and philanthropic projects, Southern States Pro Wrestling is the greatest entertainment community in the South.

Live wrestling matches will be:
Friday 7/28 @ 6PM
Saturday 7/29 @ 7:30PM

1UP Comedy

Producing Atlanta’s best comedy shows at alternative venues throughout the city since 2012, 1UP Comedy is happy to bring the laughs to the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo with 2 1-hour stand-up sets featuring some of the city’s best comedians.

This year, Friday night will feature a roast of Mario with local comics portraying video game characters from the popular franchise. Saturday night will be a traditional 1-hour stand up set from some of the region’s best comedians! Comedian lineups will be announced much closer to the event. Stay tuned!

This event is intended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

Empty Blue

Empty Blue is an electronic artist from Atlanta, GA that blends multiple genres into dreamy and melancholic tracks with a beat to dance to. They wear their heart and influences on their sleeve – from deeply personal lyrics and themes, to homages to the games, anime, and films they grew up on.

https://emptybluemusic.bandcamp.com/

Lacey Johnson

Lacey Johnson: YouTuber, Producer, “Keytar Kween”.

Lacey’s style has best been described as “Nerdy with a twist of pop punk”, “Bursting with energy” and has been “spreading the gospel of VGM” wherever she goes.

Lacey is a Southern-California based Video Game Musician currently creating bi-weekly covers on her YouTube channel in which she is the sole musician, producer, and arranger. Lacey also streams live video game music and gaming on her Twitch Channel. You can also find her creating keytar-focused content on Tiktok.

JRPG games, Anime, and Pop Culture are all huge cornerstones in Lacey’s musical influences (Final Fantasy being her favorite and her reason for staying in piano lessons as a kid).

In 2020, Lacey released her first Cover EP titled “Limit Break”: A synth-rock mini-album dedicated to the music of Final Fantasy VII. In 2021, Lacey followed up with a Full-Length Physical Release Album titled “The Midnight Channel” with 10 tracks from the game, Persona 4. And in May of 2022, Lacey released her album “Next Mission” Dedicated to the music of the Metroid Franchise.

During the Pandemic, Lacey took to the Internet: performing virtually in festivals, concerts, and raising over $2000 for charity on Twitch. This lead to several wonderful performance opportunities: headlining “The Whims Of Fate”: a stacked show in Orlando FL hosted by Ongaku Overdrive, performing in MAGWest 2021, rocking the Mainstage at Super MAGfest 2022 in National Harbor, MD, Shredding Twin Cities at VGMCon 2022 in Minneapolis,MN, in San Jose, CA at MAGWest 2022, San Japan in San Antonio, TX, The Soda Bar in San Diego, CA! And more TBA in 2023!

Recently, Lacey was chosen to provide vocals for the game Granblue Fantasy: Versus for the 2022 EVO fighting game tournament in Las Vegas.

Lacey’s live show is packed with your favorite video game tracks from several genres, some serious Keytar shredding, and high-energy good vibes to go around.

https://laceyjohnsonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/next-mission

Vampire Step-Dad

Some say it’s best to be fashionably late. Vampire Step-Dad took that to heart and arrived about 25 years after the party ended.

Listening to a Vampire Step-Dad release is like sneaking into a movie theater in 1986, and finding a John Hughes film that never made it to VHS. Spanning the emotional gamut, whether a candlelit love scene, a taut suspense thriller, or an action packed crime drama, Vampire Step-Dad’s sound is rooted firmly in 1980’s sensibilities.

After a continuous stream of releases since mid 2015, Vampire Step-Dad is now focusing on bringing his music to the stage. He’s recently opened for Carpenter Brut, Timecop1983, and TWRP. His stage show brings with it not only musical performances, but also a bit of step-fatherly advice, and plenty of dad-jokes that will leave you rolling your eyes while shaking your butt.

Bloody Disgusting says Vampire Step-Dad “oozes nostalgia”. When reviewing Vampire Step-Dad’s Love Bites, Echosynthetic characterized it this way: “You can almost smell the pizza, old carpet, and hear the arcade games off to the side while the DJ calls out for couples-only slow skate.”

When not writing music, Vampire Step-Dad spends time missing garlic bread and struggling to write about himself in the third person.

Watch Out For Snakes

Watch Out For Snakes is 8-bit chipwave from Atlanta geek Matt Baum. Layering old school Nintendo chip sounds, WOFS creates darkly energetic tracks that pay homage to retro video games and 80s films without taking things too seriously.

With a high-energy, keytar-fueled stage show rooted in a hardcore/punk upbringing, WOFS has won over fans to the chipwave camp, making regular appearances at landmark video game music and synth events such as MAGFest, BitGen Gamer Fest, NEON Retrofest, VGM Con, and touring extensively, performing alongside acts such as The Protomen, Com Truise, Makeup and Vanity Set, The Megas, Master Sword, Arcade High, Street Cleaner, and Tim Capello.

In 2018, WOFS debuted his unique blend of chiptune and synthwave with Immersive Atlanta writing that “Baum’s 8-bit hooks still carry that underlying feeling of panic that comes from losing again and again at whatever side-scroller seemed impossible as a kid.”

In 2022, WOFS released his third full-length DIS[INTEGRATE] with the single “Fight Those Invisible Ninjas,” characterized by EDM.com as “an exciting car chase through a cyberpunk city viewed from an analog TV.”

https://watchoutforsnakestheband.bandcamp.com

Samantha Kelly

She’s been falling into boiling lava and dodging shells for the last decade. Samantha Kelly is a voice actor and radio personality who has played Princess Peach and Toad since 2007. She’s been playing
characters in video games since 2003, including “Sunny Day” the sports announcer in the Backyard Sports series for kids.

Born in Kenya, she’s lived all over the world, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Germany. She loves doing games that cross borders and taking down bad guys without messing up her hair.

Kenny James

Kenny is best known as the voice of Bowser in the Nintendo Super Mario Bros franchise with over 35 title credits. He has been providing the voice and personality of Bowser since Super Mario Strikers in 2005. Other voice work includes Zingo, a story telling dragon for a children’s program, narration and audiobooks. While he currently lives in Dallas working in voice-over, Kenny was also a prolific theater actor performing in musicals, dramas and comedies, in the Puget Sound area.

Laura Faye Smith

Laura Faye Smith is an LA-based voice actor, best known for voicing Princess Rosalina for Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers games (starting with Super Mario 3D World in 2013) and Noelle in Genshin Impact. She has also voiced Kana (male) for Nintendo’s English cast of Fire Emblem Fates, Tamara “Meds” Melari in the ongoing sci-fi audio drama The Sojourn, as well as numerous characters for Mad Head Games. She has done an extensive amount of commercials, dubbing, theatre, and audiobooks. She appeared as DeEtta Calvert on NBC’s Grimm, and has also appeared in TNT’s Leverage, Brat TV’s Chicken Girls, and Investigation Discovery’s Betrayed and Stranger Among Us. You can find her on Twitter or Instagram at @laurafayesmith.

Phil Moore

Emmy Award winner Phil Moore is most known as the energetic host of a popular ’90s kids video game television show. As a producer, he’s worked on some of the biggest shows in prime time and even one of the biggest internet celebrities of all time. Phil brings his energy and hosting abilities to the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo and will co-host our in-house entertainment including LEVEL-UP: THE GAME SHOW and our HOTLanta Extreme Eating Challenge.

Additionally, Mr. Moore will be signing FREE autographs all weekend long in the walkway of the Cobb Galleria:

Brian Colin

Creator of such videogame classics as RAMPAGE, XENOPHOBE and GENERAL CHAOS, Brian F Colin is a vastly experienced Game Designer, Artist, Animator and Development Group Leader with over 90 video game titles to his credit…. including the creation of some of the most-popular, highest-earning & best-selling titles in video game history!

Recently inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame, Brian is well-known for sharing first-hand; anecdotal insights into the early days of arcade game development… and more recently, sharing stories straight from the Sets, Locations and Premier of the RAMPAGE Movie, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Some of his better-known games include:
RAMPAGE Dedicated Arcade Game
XENOPHOBE Dedicated Arcade Game
ARCH RIVALS Dedicated Arcade Game
PIGSKIN 621 AD Dedicated Arcade Game
RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR Dedicated Arcade Game
STAR TREK VOYAGER Dedicated Arcade Game
GENERAL CHAOS Home Console Game
KOMATSU CHALLENGE Multiplayer Tradeshow Event
ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN Multiplayer Casino eSports Game

Brian’s passion for Game Design is evident in his enthusiastic and engaging approach to audiences of all ages and sizes; giving him a recurring role as a Keynote Speaker at dozens of Industry Events, Fan Conventions, Universities and Community Organizations throughout the country.

COMPANY FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/GameRefuge/

PERSONAL GAME HISTORY http://www.gamerefuge.com/alongtheway.html

GAME REFUGE ARCADE HISTORY STORE https://game-refuge-inc.square.site/

Retro Ralph

Retro Ralph is a popular YouTuber and arcade enthusiast who is on a mission to keep the culture of arcade gaming alive. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, Ralph fell in love with the bright lights, sounds, and addictive gameplay of classic arcade games. However, as he got older, he noticed that arcades were closing down and the machines were being scrapped or sold off. Determined to preserve and share his love of arcade gaming, Retro Ralph began restoring and collecting classic arcade machines. He would document his restoration projects and share them with his followers on YouTube, providing tips and advice on how to maintain and repair these iconic machines.

Through his efforts, Ralph has become a leading voice in the arcade community, advocating for the preservation and promotion of arcade culture for future generations to enjoy. Whether it’s through restoring classic machines, hosting gaming events, or simply spreading the word about the joys of arcade gaming, Ralph’s dedication to his mission has made him a true steward of this beloved aspect of gaming history.

Bob Carter

Bob Carter is an internationally recognized Voice Actor, Audio Director, and Voice Coach known for voicing characters in the Street Fighter series, Mortal Kombat 9, Dragonball Z, Smite, Lifeless Planet, and many other popular characters in a wide range of video games! Carter also has voiced many anime projects such as Fairy Tail, My Hero Academia, Dragonball Z, Full Metal Alchemist, Samurai 7, Blassreiter, and many other cartoons, anime series, audio books, and audio dramas. He also owns the Neighborhood Studio, a Teaching & Production Studio in Atlanta where he helps Aspiring Creatives become Working Creatives.

Bob is mostly known for his Video Games and Animation projects but is also a successful Voice Talent, Director, & Coach who teaches people how to actually become working Voice Talents.

He is also a Celebrity D&D Gamer with decades of experience playing in & Running various D&D, Pathfinder, Heroes Unlimited, and Star Wars Campaigns if people or other Creatives want to get together for fun Celebrity Panels as well.

Abby ADOS

Abby ADOS is a veteran award winning cosplayer who has been part of the Atlanta cosplay community since 2006. She loves using her wide variety of knowledge to teach the newer cosplay community, often running panels on how to get started and basic cosplay skills as well as panels more focused on armor and props. She’s excited to bring her knowledge and experience to once again run the cosplay contest for Southern Fried Gaming Expo again this year and hopes to see you all there.

Anissa Alexander

Anissa is an avid gamer, who enjoys everything from card and board games to video games. She values opportunities to build community and the social interaction that comes from gaming experiences. She particularly loves in Atlanta Warriors of Light, an up and coming final fantasy trading card game community.

AnEternalEnigma

AnEternalEnigma is a full-time Twitch streamer and Twitch Partner. His original rise to notoriety came through speedrunning but he has now evolved into an all-around entertainer on Twitch. Even though he is now decked out in gaudy outfits and comes off as a game show host from another dimension, Enigma always pays tribute and returns to his speedrunning roots!

Fernando Aragon

Fernando is a lifelong gamer with a passion for game development, computer programming, instructional design, and teaching. Currently, he is the supervisor of the Gwinnett County Public Library’s makerspace which has hosted two Game Jams! Fernando has taught game development for Gwinnett Technical College and Georgia State University and continues to teach part-time.  In 2016, Fernando started Hungry For More Games and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for “Steal The Show!” Theatrical Party Card Game and its stand alone expansion. Fernando always seeks opportunities to learn and share what he has learned over the years!

Severo Baltasar

Severo Baltasar is the founder of the Warriors of Light Final Fantasy TCG community, a young, growing group of FFTCG enthusiasts in the northeast Atlanta area. When it comes to building hobby communities, some could consider his passion contagious.

Combining grassroots initiatives with a heart for bringing people together around the hobby, his volunteer work has contributed to the growth of various hobbyist communities in his career. Some of his previous roles include game store manager, assistant workshop director of Gundam model building at Momocon, and swing dance instructor.

An avid gamer, his favorite kinds of games are Console RPGs, Fighting Games and Trading Card Games. He was first introduced to Magic the Gathering in 2008, which began his journey into TCGs leading him into the worlds of Pokemon, Yugioh, World of Warcraft, Vanguard, and Final Fantasy, which he has played since its release in 2016.

Robert Bevan

Robert Bevan took his first steps in comedy with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and his first steps in fantasy with Dungeons & Dragons. Over the years, these two loves mingled, festered, and congealed into the ever expanding Caverns & Creatures series of comedy/fantasy novels and short stories.

Robert is a writer, blogger, and a player on the Authors & Dragons podcast. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and his two kids.

Adrian Black

Adrian has been fixing vintage computers on his Youtube channel “Adrian’s Digital basement” since 2016. He got his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20, in 1982 at the age of 7. This put him on a lifelong journey of tinkering and working with computers and technology which brings us today, where Adrian can often be found down in his basement making videos about troubleshooting and repairing broken vintage computers. Entirely self taught, Adrian specializes in pinpointing exactly what is wrong with a computer and explaining to his viewers how they can use logical thinking to figure out what has failed on the system. This allows for pinpoint repairs versus randomly replacing parts until the system works again.

Adrian is from Montreal Canada but now resides in Portland Oregon.

Bobby Blackwolf

Bobby Blackwolf is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of the Voice of Geeks Network, a podcast network and Twitch channel devoted to all things geek culture, founded in 2012. He is also the host of The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly live Internet show and podcast about video games that has been on the air since July of 2005, and is one of the longest running video game podcasts on the internet. It airs live every Sunday night at 8PM ET/5PM PT and includes chat interaction and live calls from listeners.

He was previously the internet radio station manager for All Games Radio, the brainchild of G4TV co-founder Scot Rubin, and broadcast from many gaming events from around the country, such as E3, the Game Developers Conference, and PAX, including streaming 8 hours live from the PAX show floor in 2008. He was also the host, director, and producer of a weekly video streaming show in 2009 and 2010 called Friday Night Gaming, which broadcast from gaming centers and stores in the Atlanta area showcasing new games being played by customers in 2009 and 2010 – several years before Twitch made it popular. More recently, he has appeared as a host and donation reader for several “Games Done Quick” charity marathons featuring video game speedrunning.

Jamie Boyd

Jamie is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the US Air Force, and a veteran of the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He is currently a small business owner, partner and consultant, as well as the Director of Operations with FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Blue Roof Program.

His pinball hobby spans two decades as an operator and collector. He owns and manages Pinball Mania LLC in Pensacola Florida, specializing in playfield restoration as well as general pinball maintenance and refurbishment. He is the designer and developer of the custom pinball machine – Mindcrime – his first, but not last homebrew pinball machine!

Bob Burnham

Bob began his own route more than 20 years ago with a single pinball machine. Over the course of the last 20 plus years he has turned that one pinball machine into over 200 locations and well over 1000 machines in the Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming regions. Bob recently opened a distribution warehouse in Cheyenne Wyoming as well. Bob currently serves as a board member in the AMOA and is in line to become president of the AMOA inside of two years.

CaptNRetro

CaptNRetro makes content you probably haven’t watched.. that’s ok.. he’s legit and has been a mainstay in the Atlanta pinball and arcade world for the last 10 years making deals and restoring some amazing machines

Elijah Claude

A self-professed ‘TechnoWizard in training’, Elijah is obsessed with changing the world for the better with empowering, inclusive, and magical technology. He has operated one of the highest-rated VR arcades in the world and is transferring that customer experience to develop exceptional UX for XR as a design strategist at Futurus, a future technologies company. He also works with groups like the Open Metaverse Interoperability group to help create and protect the freedom of virtual worlds.

Brett Connell

Renowned streamer Brett Connell has been gaming from the forests of Mineral Springs since he was a wee tot. When he’s not lying in a hammock enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles, The Silver Case, Metal Gear Solid, or Silent Hill, he’s studying psychology for school or throwing back cold ones with the boys. He also enjoys a healthy amount of baseball, hiking, tennis, and of course, streaming.

Marty Connell

Marty Connell is 1/2 of the amazing podcast Rolling Dice & Taking Names. He and co-host Tony McRee produce Rolling Dice & Taking Names, dedicated to exploring the board gaming hobby where they review the latest games, interview designers and discuss popular topics. Have a listen and they’ll show y’all a good time.

Travis Connell

Travis Connell is a Twitch streamer and an experienced game master, having game mastered for more than half his life. He emphasizes player interaction with the world and making sure his players receive satisfying encounters and an organically developing story.

Bob Crowell

Bob loves everything to do with the world that is board gaming. Dice placement is probably his favorite mechanism of all time. He loves learning new games and loves teaching them just as much.

Ken Cromwell

Ken Cromwell joined the pinball industry in 2020 as the Marketing and Communications Specialist at Jersey Jack Pinball. He has helped in the roll out of three games at JJP (Guns N’ Roses, Toy Story 4, and The Godfather) and is the host of the Jersey Jack Pinball Podcast. Ken’s pinball collecting days started in 2006 with the purchase of an Earthshaker pinball machine. Ken is also the co-creator of the popular Special When Lit Podcast.

Annie Eaton

Annie Eaton is an immersive content producer, specializing in engaging and interactive virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. She currently acts as the CEO of Futurus, an Atlanta-based software development company, and Executive Producer of Amebous Labs, a virtual reality-focused game studio. She also serves as the volunteer Director of Arts Programming with Women in Technology, and as an advisor for the virtual reality hardware startup Unlocked Reality. As a Georgia Tech graduate, she stays involved in the Atlanta technology community, managing XR Atlanta, a local organization that now boasts over 1,600 members. Annie is also involved with Women in XR Atlanta and The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR). She has been recognized by various organizations for her work in tech, and Futurus has won recognition for their workplace efforts as well as project work. Annie has vast public speaking experience, having been invited as a speaker for conferences, podcasts, educational institutions, and corporate events to share her love and knowledge of immersive technology and her entrepreneurial journey.

Jordan Eggleston

Jordan Eggleston is a Unity Developer at Futurus specializing in immersive training simulations. Jordan likes to keep the end user in mind whenever developing these simulations, and even when working on his side project, Mop Boy, he likes to make things as accessible as possible. Reducing the barrier of entry is one of the best ways to get people excited and participating in something new!

Emceemur

Gamer since 1985 and collector since 1991, Emceemur is a preservationist of vintage games and a YouTube content creator on the rise. Mur has acquired some of the rarest pieces in existence and has extensive knowledge on the subjects of both gaming and its history as well as the state of the market and its current trends. The Emceemur Show features showcasing of vintage to modern gaming items scavenged in the wild as well as day one reviews of new releases on all platforms.

Bug Emery

Bug is the host of the long-running Spooky Pinball Podcast and game designer for Spooky Pinball LLC.

Zane Everett

After spending 10 years creating video and board games for education and entertainment, Zane has been an instructor with Unity for over 2 years. He is passionate about the intersection of games and learning, and enjoys teaching people the psychology, economics, and process of creating games and real-time software. Zane has mentored and taught people that either worked at or went on to work at game development studios, both big and small, locally and internationally. After spending the pandemic as the only Unity Instructor in Cambodia, he has returned home to Atlanta to be Unity’s Senior Technical Trainer for the Americas.

Kevin Delp

Kevin Delp has been playing board games since he can remember – Parcheesi with Dad, Skip Bo with Grandmom and he even met his wife Melissa while playing a card game. Kevin Delp co-designed the fan expansion for T.I.M.E Stories, Submerged Atlantis with his wife Melissa and both are part of Tantrum House. Tantrum House is a board game media group intent on pursuing ever improving video, audio, and visual quality standards in the passionate promotion of our hobby because we believe that games have incredible power ​to connect people and bring them joy.

Melissa Delp

Melissa Delp grew up playing games like Clue, Mastermind, Pay Day, and Rook and her fondness for board games never ended. Her favorite games involve solving mysteries and puzzling out the best strategy. She also has a secret passion for Pinball. So watch out for her around those machines during the Expo! Melissa co-designed the fan expansion for T.I.M.E Stories, Submerged Atlantis with her husband Kevin and both are part of Tantrum House. Tantrum House is a board game media group intent on pursuing ever improving video, audio, and visual quality standards in the passionate promotion of our hobby because we believe that games have incredible power ​to connect people and bring them joy.

Michael Fox

Michael Fox has been in Sales and Business Development at Jersey Jack Pinball for the past 3 years. Prior to his current role, he worked at Pinball Life for 11 years managing the parts department. Michael has been collecting, repairing and restoring pinball and arcade machines over the past 25 years. At Jersey Jack Pinball, Michael works with existing and new distributors as well as representing JJP at some of the national pinball shows.

Gamer Ahmer

Gamer Ahmer has been collecting for just about 7 and a half years and have a pretty decent collection to show for it! She havs over 300+ Videogame systems, 7000+ physical games, 22 Videogame Store Kiosks, 6 Arcade Machines, 100+ standees, displays, signs, lights, etc. I also have 100s of collectors edition statues, limited edition items, toys, figures, etc. She spend most of her time “hunting” for deals. She’s constantly searching at flea markets, secondhand stores, thrift shops, garage sales, yard sales, and online sites where people sell secondhand items!

Gamer Ahmer is part of Game Junction Media!

Chan Grant

In 2014, Chan Grant was first introduced to virtual reality when a friend brought an Oculus Quest Dev Kit 1 to the game lab of Southern Polytechnic State University. Little did Chan know, he’d be working in the XR space from that moment on. From games to simulations and even medical assistance, Chan has been developing XR products for various industries and purposes. Despite this, Chan feels that the space is still growing and needs to develop into several key spheres to continue to thrive. As the lead developer at Futurus, he is actively working towards expanding upon the possibilities of XR.

Ryan Gutowski

Ryan and his family have been sharing the board game hobby with people way before founding One Board Family in 2016. Ryan is an extrovert who loves building community around the game table. He’s a Dad to 3 amazing teenagers and works in web development as his main job.

Brandon Hurles

Brandon Hurles is a content creator, YouTuber, writer, podcaster, and lover of pop culture. You can see him over on Game Junction creating various content.

Game Junction is a network and platform for the community, offering something for everyone who loves gaming and pop culture. Their mission is offer every form of content, from written to long form to even podcasts. Stay tuned as the continue to grow and expand their efforts.

Tim Jenison

Tim Jenison is described on the Wikipedia page for Tim’s Vermeer as: “an inventor and successful founder of NewTek, a company working in various fields of computer graphics, most notably the 3D modeling software “LightWave 3D.”

Jenison is also considered a pioneer who helped democratize video editing through products like the VideoToaster. The documentary Tim’s Vermeer highlights some of his more recent work. This is focused on how Vermeer likely used optics as part of his painting process.

JonoAlmighty

JonoAlmighty is an affiliated streamer that has been streaming for 7 years with a focus in Survivor and Horror games. He lends his expertise as a web developer to the production of the streams and loves sharks. Jono has presented the panel “So, You Wanna Stream Video Games” at EXPCon, WasabiCon, TampaBay ComicCon, MegaCon, and Atlanta Comic Con.

Joseph Juray

Joseph Juray has been around arcade games all his life thanks to his dad who had a vast collection of games for two decades. Joseph assists his father in repair and is still learning, he is considering a career in electronics.

Paul Juray

Paul Juray is a Monitor Technician who is self-employed. He has been working in the field of arcade game repair for over 20 years. He is known for his expertise in repairing arcade monitors, and he has helped to restore many classic arcade games to their former glory. Juray is also a skilled electronics technician, and he is able to repair other components of arcade games, such as the power supplies and the control boards.

Christopher Kao

Chris has been playing video games since the days of the Apple 2e. Having grown up in the height of the 8 bit era, he is an avid fighting game player, a lover of all things retro, and a GBA collector. He is an expert in the gaming industry and gaming history with over a decade of experience as a designer, producer, and product manager for companies such as Riot Games, Adult Swim, and Zynga. He loves talking about games and pop culture and has spoken on panels at Digital Hollywood, Dragon Con, and San Diego Comic Con.

John Marsh

John Marsh is an experienced gamer and computer engineer with a distinct passion for homebrew pinball. His fascination with gaming dates back to his childhood, and his professional skills have enriched this interest, transforming it into a unique hobby.

For the past decade, John has been an active member of the homebrew pinball community. His dedication is exemplified in his unique creation, “Spaceballs: The Pinball Machine”.

Guided by a genuine enthusiasm for the craft and a desire to contribute to the community, John is always ready to share his knowledge. He hopes to encourage others in their pursuit of creating their own pinball machines, enabling them to experience the joy and satisfaction that this unique blend of gaming and engineering brings.

Sara Meadows

Sara Meadows has been video/board gaming since she was knee-high to a grasshopper (popular Nebraskan slang for “the year Centipede came out”). Her love for retro video gaming is only surpassed by her love of board gaming (…and chocolate, and her kids, and…). Sara “let” Will start Tantrum House in 2014 after they had been hosting regular Game Nights in their home every Monday night since they first got married in 2005. Together, by teaming up with some good friends, they have built a popular board game channel where they produce daily Kickstarter preview videos, Playthrus, and Top10 lists. Sarah’s favorite board game is Endeavor: Age of Sail, and we are also big fans. Tantrum House is a board game media group intent on pursuing ever improving video, audio, and visual quality standards in the passionate promotion of our hobby because we believe that games have incredible power ​to connect people and bring them joy.

Will Meadows

Will, and his wife Sara, are board gamers to the core! They’ve been hosting weekly game nights out of their home since their teenagers were rugrats—hence the name “Tantrum House”—and they’ve managed to pull in a number of good friends along the way! TantrumHouse.com is now a media powerhouse of board gaming content run by 4 couples (all with very different gaming tastes). From weekly live Playthrus and Podcasts to their very own gaming convention in NC, TantrumCon, they are a constant source of high-quality, family-friendly, hobby-focused fun.

Yoko Mizuhara

Yoko Mizuhara has been making and modeling cosplays for two decades. In that time, she has debuted over 150 cosplays! Since 2010, she has been sharing her experience with others by running panels and hosting cosplay contests across the Southeast as well as staffing conventions. Yoko has helped present dozens of different panels as well as worked as staff at over 20 events. She loves giving back to the Atlanta community with the group “Cosplay Volunteers of Atlanta” which she has been involved in since its founding in 2013. She is an admin coordinating events for Cosplay Volunteers of Atlanta which connects cosplayers with charities and non-profits like Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Make a Wish, UMDF, City of Marietta, Atlanta Zoo, and many others in the greater Atlanta area by volunteering as popular children’s characters such as princesses and superheroes to bring magic to kids at children’s charities and community events!

Musao

Musao is an affiliated streamer of 8 years experience with a focus on the competitive fighting game circuit, real time strategy games such as Starcraft and First Person Shooters. Lately he has immersed himself into Diablo 4 as well as exploring the lore. Musao brings his expertise as Technical support manager and presented the panel “So, You Wanna Stream Video Games” throughout Florida and Georgia.

Tara Powell-Blackwell

Tara Powell-Blackwell embodies Peace, Love, & All That Good Stuff which has been the tagline of her popular youtube show MissPtv where thousands tune in weekly. Tara is an educator, digital creator, brand strategist, and author. She has been in the tech and entertainment industry for over 10 years with over 98+thousand subscribers and followers. She has worked with over 100 brands including VH1, Nike, BravoTV, and Latham Entertainment. Audiences and brands love her humor and honesty. Her podcast “Another Word with MissP” was featured as Essence’s Top Featured Black Podcasts. Tara earned her MBA from Fayetteville State University and her career expands over several industries including healthcare, education, marketing, and technology. She is currently a middle school career and technical education teacher in the NC school system teaching Coding in Minecraft featuring Makecode, Javascript, and Python. She is a dedicated professional and always willing to give her audiences no matter the type an impactful experience they will never forget.

Kat O’Connor

Although raised in the Garden State, Kat never visited NJ’s infamous Action Park. Instead, she lived it, racing her ATC protected only by nature’s helmet: her skull. After consuming hours of MTV, Kat taught herself to play a likely-haunted 100-year-old ukulele that she found buried in an attic. Having spent her youth jetant to exhaustion to Frank Stallone’s “Far From Over,” as an adult Kat went full Tony Manero by earning her MA in Creative Arts Therapy with focus on dance. And although she was never possessed by the evil spirit of a fallen warrior, like Lucinda Dickey before her, Kat is also a ninja with a second-degree black belt in ninjutsu and the shuriken to prove it.

Ian O’Donnell

Ian O’Donnell is a Voice Actor based in Atlanta, Georgia. Ian has done a variety of voiceover, from commercial to audiobook to telephony, but his heart is in VO that involves characters & accents!

Ian grew up doing lots of voices for fun & entertainment. Rolling that inclination and experience into the voiceover profession was a pivotal turning point. Recent industry recognition includes receiving the ‘Best Voice Acting’ award in the VO / Animation battle, hosted by ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association. He was also a Top 3 finalist in the 2022 SIEGE Game Design competition, providing character voice as well as casting voices and designing & creating the game itself.

Ian was honored to represent the Voiceover industry as a Guest Speaker for the International Creativity Conference in 2021 and 2022. Speaking & presentation engagements also include VOAtlanta, OneVoice USA, DragonCon, SIEGE, GGDA (Georgia Game Developers Assn), CONjuration, and more.

Mr. O’Donnell has voiced characters for video games, as well as full-length animation and audio drama, including portraying characters in the latest game in the Jurassic World franchise. He has also done voice matching for feature film. In addition to character voices, Ian is known for versatility and believability with a wide range of regional and language-based accents and dialects.

Ian has a theater background, acting & performing in stage productions like: Pirates of Penzance, Oklahoma, Hello Dolly, Cabaret, and more. He is also a Game Show host, as well as a musician & singer, with decades of live performance and studio recording experience.

Will Padilla

Growing up a latchkey in the 1980s, in the heart of Jersey City, NJ, Will was raised by pop culture. He-Man made Will believe he had the power. And Spielberg encouraged him to seek adventure. So, in his youth Will’s Huffy became an X-Wing and the abandoned factory on his city block became the Death Star. And as his own 1980 coming-of-age story entered its denouement, Will’s love of media had him longing to entertain.

First pursuing acting, Will trained at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (as a company member alongside Peter Dinklage, future star of “Game of Thrones”), at Bill Esper Studios (New York) and with Olympia Dukakis. Will performed in productions throughout New York and New Jersey, including those at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and Paper Mill Playhouse. Additionally, Will appeared in fledging plays at Columbia University, The Collective (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, and Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Frustrated with the audition process, Will next turned to writing. He adapted John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost into a dark commedia, which was produced at HERE (New York) as part of the American Living Room Festival. Will also wrote and performed with Those Lazy Bastards (New York) a sketch comedy group that he founded with (now legendary voice actor) Yuri Lowenthal. (Will is currently editing his first novel, one set in the 1980s.)

Having consumed hours of Harold Faltermeyer, and having studied music theory at university, Will additionally composed and designed sound for theater. He scored Goodbye, My Friduchita (starring Tony Award winner Priscilla Lopez) at The Director’s Company (New York), then transferred to Off-Broadway; The Duchess of Malfi (directed by Michael Kahn), Mojo (starring Glen Howerton of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Pains of Youth and Macbeth, all at The Juilliard School (New York); and Romeo and Juliet (directed by Erica Schmidt future screenwriter of “Cyrano”) at Present Company Theatorium (New York).

Since 2019, Will has been hosting 1980s Now. Joined by his co-hosts, Kat and Jon, the weekly podcast demonstrates that nostalgia alone doesn’t account for the contemporary fascination with their favorite decade. Instead, they share personal experiences and interview experts to demonstrate how the “era of greed” bore the greatest moments in movies, music and television—and that those continue to influence media today. 1980s Now has covered a wide variety of topics, including punk rock, movie stunts, and classic video games. To date, Will has spoken with countless 1980s icons like Ernie Hudson, Taylor Dayne, Cassandra Peterson, Dee Wallace and Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Jon Reddick

Jon Reddick is a well-credentialed nerd of the 80s, classic game fan, and technology geek and he merged those interests into the creation of GenXGrownUp.

Rob Roberts

Rob Roberts is an internet broadcasting veteran with over two decades of broadcasting experience online. He is also a live host and emcee of cult & horror cinema screenings as well as variety shows throughout Northern California. He is an experienced panel moderator, having moderated panels as conventions such as Dragon Con, Fanime, Sacramento Horror Film Festival, Sinister Creature Con, and more.

His internet broadcasting career started with his first shows- a weekly Sunday show and a morning show at KCSC- California State University, Chico. After college, Rob was a part of the show Under Sedation Live! during its run as the #1 reality station on the Live365 network.

In 2002, Rob co-founded the live weekly video game talk show Orange Lounge Radio with co-hosts Jamie Summers and Loki. Orange Lounge Radio is now the longest running weekly video game podcast online. The show was the winner of the inaugural award for Best Video Game Podcast at the Podcast Awards, and was a multi-time nominee for the Best of Live365 awards. Rob also co-founded the Warcraft themed podcast Horde House in 2010, winning the Geek Life Awards Podcast of the Year in 2011. Rob has contributed to several other podcasts that have completed their run over the last two decades. These shows include Pokestop Podcast, Reading is Fundamental, Shaking and Crying, and Guys on a Show.

Rob is also a regular host/emcee at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival, having hosted showings of cult cinema such as the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Repo: The Genetic Opera at various venues in Northern California since 1998. He has been a moderator for celebrity panels about cult cinema at Sinister Creature Con in the Sacramento area. These panels include celebrity discussions with actors from Rocky Horror Picutre Show, Twin Peaks, The Lost Boys, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and more.

Rob also streams gaming content to Twitch.Tv as a recognized affiliate.

Rob lives in Sacramento, California with his husband Allen and their cats, Mr. Smoosh and Cheddar.

You can find links to all of Rob’s socials at http://www.linktr.ee/RobRoberts

Bob Rose

Based in nostalgia and fueled by craft beer, arcades are back and bigger than ever.  Token Taverns is a documentary that takes a boozy look into three Arcade Bars and their owners over 2 years as they try to thrive and survive through a global pandemic. Token Taverns also features some of the legends of arcade history such as Walter Day, Tim Kitzrow (NBA JAM), Daniel Pesina (Mortal Kombat) and Doc Mack.

Bob Rose is the director of Token Taverns. Bob is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker and has been working in documentary and unscripted television for over 15 years. Token Taverns is his 3rd feature film.

James Sanderson

James is the other founder and owner of S&T GeoTronics LLC and started his adult life in the 3rd Infantry division as a M1 tank systems mechanic. Upon leaving the army, he became a millwright. After many years of working on every possible type of equipment, from programming logic controllers to building drive systems from scratch, he was ready to build his own grassroot electric car (truck).
His passion is Open Source electronics, ham radios, and solving technical problems.

Servo One

Srv0 is an affiliated streamer with 8 years of experience, has an interest in the occult and brings his skills as a certified instructor to help moderate the panel. He also has discovered a newfound enthusiasm for Blood on the Clocktower. Srv0 has presented the panel “So, You Wanna Stream Video Games” throughout Florida and Georgia.

Mo Smith

As someone who barely manages to squeeze in as a GenXer Mo’s memories include more of the 70’s than those younger GenXers. Reading and movies are his passions with some video gaming thrown in there for good measure!

Paul Schreiber

Paul Schreiber started as a co-op student in 1977, working on TV games and then was Steve Leininger’s technician for the Model 1. After graduating from Texas A&M in 1979 with a BSEE, he worked at Data General
on the Dasher family of video terminals, returning to Tandy in 1980. From 1980-1984, he designed over 30 products including modems, stereos and music equipment, the Model II graphics card, and the Model 3/4 graphics ASIC.

Leaving in 1984, he returned in 1988. From 1988-1993, he went back to school (MSEE, SMU) and worked on a succession of monumental failures such as THOR, DCC, VIS, and the Tandy Sensation. None of these
failures were his fault. He also designed digital voltmeters and was heavily involved in patent litigation/consumer product safety. He holds 12 US patents.

Ernie Silverberg

Getting into pinball within the last few years, Ernie has dove head first into the homebrew pinball scene. Creating his first game, League of Legends, which has had many iterations since its conception April of 2022. He also has plans for a homebrew pinball based on the Goonies and one based on Legends of Vox Machina. He has introduced DIY Homebrew Kits to Pinside, to help usher in new people to the homebrew scene. He believes the future of pinball rests in the hands of the players at homes to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Jack Sloan

An avid gamer, Jack has a passion for story telling at a tabletop roleplaying game. He prefers Pathfinder second edition, but has run games in Call of Cthulhu and Cyberpunk 2020. A Game Master and Player he will build a narrative that is certain to get your eyes watering or your diaphragm in stitches.

Jonathan Soon

Jonathan started playing games with the NES and 80s era arcade games. A renaissance gamer, Jonathan has played many games across varied genres on consoles as well on the PC. He helped cofound TheKBLife YouTube channel which has to date raised over $2,000 for CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) via Extra Life. Recently, he’s gotten into pinball and co-founded Slamdown Pinball which has run over 50 events in Southern California. He is currently on a quest to climb the World Pinball Player Rankings.

Adam Spring

Dr. Adam P Spring, PhD has been working at the top end of computer vision and 3D imaging technologies for nearly two decades. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and won the Talbert Abrams Award for his A History of Laser Scanning articles.

Dr. Spring sees computers like the Amiga – along with developments made by pioneers like Tim Jenison – as part of his formative years. He is considered a thought leader in his field. His love for what he does is reflected in many of the high profile projects he has been a part of.

Gerry Stellenberg

Gerry, a computer engineer from Austin, TX, shook up the pinball industry in 2009 with the release of his P-ROC board. This circuit board helped hundreds of pinball enthusiasts and new pinball manufacturers realize their dreams of creating new games. Gerry later founded Multimorphic to manufacture the innovative P3 Pinball Platform. With its state of the art features combined with the ability to swap physical playfield layouts in just seconds, the P3 represents a large leap forward…and its story is just beginning.

Peter Stolmeier

Peter Stolmeier is an independent simulation artist and a passionate advocate for the future. Currently, he is immersed in the development of the VR game Shuko Sun, where players are transported into a mesmerizing virtual world filled with adventure and excitement. Peter’s dedication lies in pushing the boundaries of storytelling and interactivity to create a truly immersive and captivating gaming experience.

Alongside his work on Shuko Sun, Peter is also involved in the creation of interactive avatars in real life. These digital representations, offer users a unique and interactive way to engage with virtual characters. Through his exploration of avatars, Peter delves into the realm of human-computer interaction and seeks to blur the lines between reality and the virtual world.

With a passion for emerging technologies, Peter continuously strives to push the creative limits and create unforgettable experiences. His commitment to the future of simulation and interactive artistry shines through his projects as he ventures into new frontiers, captivating audiences with his imaginative vision.

Amy Stout

Amy is dedicated to creating immersive experiences and pushing the boundaries of what is possible by leveraging the power of emerging technology. As the COO at Futurus, she finds fulfillment in sharing her passion for creating impactful and engaging experiences. She serves on the advisory board of The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR), where she helps to shape the future of virtual and augmented reality. In addition, Amy is a founding member of the Women in XR Atlanta organization, where she uplifts women working in the tech field and volunteers her time mentoring young women who are interested in the XR industry.

George Sumpter

George Sumpter is a lifetime lover of all things geek. Born in 1971 (best year ever) most of George’s childhood was spent playing baseball or Atari 2600 with a smattering of school and social life in between. A huge pop culture trivia nerd, George is always ready with an insightful quip or story to entertain.

Marc Tessier

Marc is one of the two founders and owners of S&T GeoTronics LLC, and their products include the “Open Enigma” and the “Open DSKY (Apollo Guidance Computer)”. Back in 2015, he left a long career as a Wireless Network Engineer to follow his passion as a maker and entrepreneur. Fluent speaker and writer in French and English, he’s a creative and detail-oriented individual with an interest in custom projects and hi-tech solutions. Loves to tinker with Arduinos and build various niche electronic devices for Geocaching, Escape Rooms, and even an interactive bar (which has been said to be London’s best)!

TheDirectEdition

TheDirectEdition is an affiliated streamer of 9 years with a focus on indie games and superheroics. In addition, he also utilizes his stream to raise money for the local children’s hospital of Jacksonville with Extra Life. He brings his expertise as an analyst and has presented this panel throughout Florida and Georgia, including EXPCon, WasabiCon, TampaBay ComicCon, MegaCon, and Atlanta Comic Con.

Ric White

Ric has created content around board games for about 6 years now with One Board Family. In his role as a teacher, he has also taught several classes in board game design to girls in middle and high school. He currently leads a monthly community meetup in Clarkston.

Nick Wright

Nick Wright is a writer, cartoonist, video producer, graphic designer, voice actor and aspiring 1-day Jeopardy! champion in the Atlanta, GA area.

Throughout his life he has steadfastly refused the common sense approach of doing one thing very well and opted instead to do ten things kinda sorta OK. He has created webcomics (Treading Ground, Peached), produced, wrote and voice acted in web series (That SciFi Guy, Trash Panda Vegan, Nostalgia Critic), written a comedy Twitter account (Star Trek Saves), worked on video games (MadMaze 3D, Murder Without a WIT:NES, Gremlins in Space!), done improv comedy (with Dad’s Garage and Laugh Out Loud), and managed to have a successful career as a software engineer on top of all that, because frankly none of the other stuff pays the bills!

Nick is currently working on a reboot of his comic Treading Ground as well as the upcoming VR Game Shuko Sun: A Lucidity Holo-Novel.

Rosemarymaiden

Rosemary Maiden is an award winning cosplayer, who started attending cons back in 2014 and has now created over 60 costumes. As a child she fell in love with storytelling and character design, which led her to study Illustration. She later discovered cosplay and her passion for bringing these beloved characters to life. Rosemary specializes as a seamstress; finding joy in the details and adding fancy embellishments. But don’t let that fool you as she also dabbles in prop work, wig styling, makeup and 3d modeling. Her love for crafting inspired her to start creating online tutorials and process videos, offering unique tips and tricks to help others create the cosplays of their dreams! She’s a small entrepreneur both in stature and in business, but that won’t slow down her dream to build a creative community that inspires others!