As organizers begin to explore the realm of virtual events, they’ve also been challenged to find a way to virtually preserve the cosplay masquerade contest experience. Charlene Ingram from Crunchyroll Hime’s Cosplay Cup, Stephanie Guzzardo, Influencer Marketing Manager at Twitch, and cosplayer and coordinator Kirilee will share the effective formats and management for a virtual masquerade and the logistics needed to make it a success.
About the Speakers
Charlene Ingram
Having spent over ten years as a member of the of North American Anime industry, Charlene Ingram has made her mark as the glittering force behind the marketing of many of the medium’s most iconic titles. Making the leap from cosplayer to industry influencer, she started her career at Funimation where she managed treasured brands such as Summer Wars, Dragon Ball Z, and One Piece. Making the move to the West Coast, she spent several years at VIZ Media where she led the animation marketing team, spearheading the launch of iconic titles such as ONE-PUNCH MAN, Boruto, and, what she is best known for, Sailor Moon. Her philosophy is to be a ray of sparkling-dazzling positivity, to work hard, lead by example, go big, and never ever stop dreaming. In 2020, she brought her grit and passion to the team at Crunchyroll Expo, creating and leading the team behind the inaugural Crunchyroll Hime’s Copslay Cup. Currently, she works in brand marketing at one of the world’s largest video game studios, but she has never forgotten her roots in cosplay and is always thrilled to help elevate the craft. You can find her on Twitter- @tristencitrine
Stephanie Guzzardo
Stephanie has been a veteran of the gaming industry for over 12 years, having started her career as a freelance journalist in 2008 before jumping headlong into working for game companies as a community manager and customer support specialist starting in 2010. She started at Twitch in 2017 as a Community Programs manager where she first dipped her toes in helping out with the TwitchCon cosplay contest before taking it over as the Executive Producer in 2018. Since then, Stephanie has moved into Influencer Marketing and working with Twitch Partners on paid programs. However, Stephanie maintains her role as Executive Producer and consultant for TwitchCon North America and (pending future in person events) TwitchCon Europe cosplay contests as it is her passion project and loves working with and elevating the Cosplay Community on Twitch.
Kirilee Cosplay
Kirilee Cosplay is an Australian Cosplayer and YouTuber based in Perth, Western Australia. She represented Australia in the World Cosplay Summit in 2018 and has won numerous cosplay awards, including 1st place in the master division of the “Arda-Con Cosplay Competition”. Through cosplay, Kirilee has made friends all over the world. She encourages creativity and knowledge to be shared between cosplayers, which led to her and fellow cosplayer/ YouTuber Alana Owlet to issue the #ScrapEpicChallenge; an online competition for cosplayers to create a costume using what they had in their material “stash”. In 2020, there was 96 entries from around the world. Kirilee is excited to see how cosplay competitions will continue to grow online, and possibly be reshaped.
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As organizers begin to explore the realm of virtual events, they've also been challenged to find a way to virtually preserve the cosplay masquerade contest experience. Charlene Ingram from Crunchyroll Hime's Cosplay Cup, Stephanie Guzzardo, Influencer Marketing Manager at Twitch, and cosplayer and coordinator Kirilee will share the effective formats and management for a virtual masquerade and the logistics needed to make it a success. About the Speakers Charlene Ingram Having spent over ten years as a member of the of North American
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