2024 Guests of Honor
Guests so special, they need their own page!
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You may have heard him as foul-mouthed, under-caffeinated NPCs Lor [Borderlands 3] and Paladin Mike [Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands], or even in various anime [Chainsaw Man, Pop Team Epic!, Tomo-chan Is A Girl!, Requiem of the Rose King, AOASHI, Apothecary Diaries, The Case Study Of Vanitas, SK8 the Infinity, Fruits Basket, and more] — but IRL he’s Ciarán Strange, an eccentric transgender/genderfluid voice actor, Twitch affiliate, sci-fi author, mental health advocate, indie rocker, and multimedia artist.
At the tender age of seventeen, he left his family, friends, and English fishing village behind in order to chase his dreams across the Atlantic! Strange has become a familiar face throughout the American geek scene, in most parts via his music. After touring the US, UK, Canada, and Japan, performing at hundreds of shows, conventions, and festivals, Ciarán is known for his geeky covers and parodies, as well as his own original songs blended of pop, punk, and rock. Vocal ventures aside, this British import to the States has been swept up in his LGBTQ+ urban sci-fi series. Its debut novel, Black Tie by Ciarán Strange, is a gay romance thriller he’s pitched as “an awkward James Bond navigating a world full of superheroes”, which you can read now on Amazon! After a hiatus, Ciarán is returning to live streaming this Spring with a fresh concept project, combining his love of song-writing, world-building, story-telling, mental health & LGBTQ+ activism, and (with any luck!) a Nat 20 or two in charisma... So make sure you check in with him this weekend to hear about the long-awaited launch of his cosmic new Vtuber — CL (@CLisCiel)!! |
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Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, KT Strange is a new media powerhouse. As a USA Today Bestselling Author and Amazon Top 100 Author, she's sold over 500,000 books worldwide. But KT's journey isn't confined to the pages; she's rocked the worlds of big rig mechanics (nearly blowing up in the process) and the music industry as an artist development strategist, working with big names like Tenille Townes and Who's Live Anyway.
Not to mention, KT's a producer and casting director of audiobooks, new media projects, and music, having collaborated on projects with talents like Ciaran Strange and Jonah Scott. She's even played a role in preventing a war and brought the youngest-ever nominee to the Canadian Country Music Association Awards red carpet. A fierce advocate and activist in the LGBTQ+ community, KT Strange's greatest joy is found in mentoring other artists, and hopes to bring her experience and wisdom to a new generation of talent who are looking to break barriers and achieve their dreams. |
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Nancy Kepner loves to joke around with her friends about the ridiculous things that happen in the crazy world of fandom and just in everyday life. It’s easy for her, because at heart she’s just a huge fan… who sets her love of all things fandom related to music. Armed with a guitar and clever song lyrics, Nancy Kepner has performed songs such as “The Explaining Anime to Your Parents song”, “I Watch it for the Plot”, and many more at numerous conventions!
You can also find her all year round on her YouTube channel HeartfeltHumor delighting viewers with original compositions, live performances, and the occasional music video. If there’s something ridiculous that happens in a fandom she’s a part of, Nancy has probably written a song about it. And if she hasn’t, let her know! She loves suggestions! |
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Charles Dunbar is a consummate fan. And they never expected their fandom to become such a huge part of their life. After deciding (on the road back from a con, no less) to study con culture back in 2008, they have spent the next decade of their life devoted to not only Japan (and its history, monsters, and culture) but to building their own base of knowledge from which they can draw and teach others.
Since then, they have lectured at over 200 cons (including Anime Boston), libraries, and universities on all manners of fandom, history, culture, and folklore, and anything else that strikes their fancy, in hopes of bringing new perspectives and points of view to the appreciation of Japanese animation, and everything else associated with it. You can keep track of their ramblings on Facebook.com/StudyofAnime. |
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Laughing Mecha, returns to Hazard Con, bringing stories, humor and of course Gundam models as he hosts The Gunpla Workshop, History of Gunpla and It Came from The Con (Con Horror Stories).
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