Wasabi Anime

Wasabi Anime (also known as Green Mustard Entertainment) is a company that produces events and programming for anime conventions (and other fan conventions) in North America along with their stand-alone conventions. Starting in 2001 (with the registration of the WasabiAnime.com website[1]) the group started as an anime club before evolving into an LLC in 2007 and then a corporation in 2010. As of July 2012, Wasabi Anime has hosted events in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Las Vegas.

Wasabi Anime
IndustryFan Conventions & Events
FoundedAugust 13, 2001
FounderTom Croom
HeadquartersFlorida
ParentGreen Mustard Entertainment, Inc.
WebsiteGreenMustard.com

History

Wasabi Anime was started by Tom Croom with a group of motivated anime fans shortly after the completion of Anime Festival Orlando II in Kissimmee, Florida. The group felt that dedicating help to one single convention and club didn't serve the purpose of helping all of the fandoms, so Wasabi Anime (then called "Wasabi Anime of Florida") began networking pre-existing anime clubs and helping support new anime clubs. Wasabi Anime club members had access to photo I.D. cards that granted discounts a local anime and comic stores in Florida. Clubs in the Wasabi Anime network included:

  • Anime Goes Anime Club Miami
  • Gator Anime
  • HIYAH! The Southwest Florida Anime Club
  • Japanese Animation Club of Tallahassee
  • Lake Brantley High School Anime & SciFi Club
  • Mile Stretch Anime Club
  • North Port Anime Club
  • Oukyuu Anime Club
  • Wasabi Anime: Deltona
  • Wasabi Anime: Englewood
  • Wasabi Anime: Ft. Lauderdale[2]
  • Wasabi Anime: Green Cove Springs[3] (went on to become the Anime Belle Club)
  • Wasabi Anime: Jacksonville
  • Wasabi Anime: Miami
  • Wasabi Anime: New Smyrna Beach
  • Wasabi Anime: Orlando
  • Wasabi Anime: Tampa (went on to be the original volunteer staff for MetroCon 2003)
  • Wasabi Anime: Titusville
  • Wasabi Anime: Treasure Coast[4]
  • Wasabi Anime: West Palm Beach

Occasionally, the core group running Wasabi Anime would host stand-alone events to try and gather the clubs together. This included the Wasabi Anime Halloween Cosplay Parties in 2001 and 2003.

Around 2004, Wasabi Anime began to step away from networking clubs and started focusing more on designing events for anime and fan conventions. These included themed panels, game shows, dances, and stage shows (like the Wasabi Animusical.)

Appearances

Wasabi Anime has designed entertainment and programming for several anime and fan conventions since starting in 2001.

California

Florida

Georgia

Indiana

Nevada

  • NeonCon 2010

Conventions

In 2007, Wasabi Anime began producing its fan conventions. Since some of these productions were not anime-centric, they often operated under corporate names (either Green Mustard, LLC or Green Mustard Entertainment, Inc.)

Convention NameThemeDatesLocationAttendanceGuests
ASSIMILATION
(as Green Mustard, LLC)
Science FictionSeptember 29–30, 2007Radisson Worldgate Resort Orlando
Kissimmee, FL
160 attendees
(85 unique)
Ethan Phillips, Glenda Finkelstein, Michael A. Stackpole, Richard Horvitz, Rooster Teeth Productions, & Tracy Scoggins
MuggleCon
(as Green Mustard, LLC)
Harry PotterNovember 21–22, 2008Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort & Convention Center
Kissimmee, FL
TBDThe House of Black & Witherwings
InvaderCONInvader ZIMMarch 26–27, 2011[5]Marriott Century Center
Atlanta, GA
TBDAndy Berman, Eric Trueheart, Melissa Fahn, Richard Horvitz, & Rikki Simons
Florida Anime Experience 2011AnimeMay 27–29, 2011[6]Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort
Kissimmee, FL
1931 attendees
(925 unique)
Anime World Order, Brett Weaver, Brittney Karbowski, Daric "Jingoro" Jackson, & Steve Blum
Florida Anime Experience 2012AnimeMay 25–27, 2012[7]International Palms Resort & Convention Center
Orlando, FL
2167 attendees
(1027 unique)
Anime Addict Anonymous, Dan Woren, Darrel Guilbeau, Daric "Jingoro" Jackson, & Terri Hawkes
Project Anime 2012
(with Anime Expo)
Anime ConventionsJune 27–28, 2012Westin Bonaventure
Los Angeles, CA
33 uniqueN/A (conference; no guests)
InvaderCON II: DOOMCONInvader ZIMJuly 28–29, 2012[8]Torrance Marriott South Bay
Torrance, CA
TBDAaron Alexovich, Eric Trueheart, Jason Stiff, Jhonen Vasquez, Melissa Fahn, Richard Horvitz, Rikki Simons, Rodger Bumpass, & Wally Wingert
PinUpaloozaPin-Up, Burlesque, & RockabillyOctober 6, 2012International Palms Resort & Convention Center
Orlando, FL
TBDTBD
WasabiConGeek CultureOctober 27–28, 2012Jacksonville Marriott
Jacksonville, FL
TBDTBD
Florida Anime Experience 2013AnimeMay 24–26, 2013International Palms Resort & Convention Center
Orlando, FL
TBDTBD

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.