Malibu’s Chris DeMoulin presents the Los Angeles Comic Con featuring a myriad of fandoms, cosplay, and special appearances
“We’re a very fan-centered Comic Con,” said Malibuite Chris DeMoulin, CEO of the Los Angeles Comic Con. “We invite those guests whom the fans have requested and we make all of our programming decisions in response to the fans’ preferences — we try to cover all bases of the fandoms because that’s what LA is all about.”
Growing up, DeMoulin was a devoted Star Trek fan and collected comic books. For 10 years, he worked at Disney in the licensing group, where he became very involved in entertainment. He segued into the world of trade shows, working in apparel. Now, he thoroughly enjoys working with the studios on the business side as he plans and coordinates the biggest comic convention in the world, always striving to satisfy mainstream fandoms while incorporating new, interesting experiences.
Something old. Something new. Something for everybody.
This year, fans can meet the cast of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” from the iconic Nickelodeon animated series all weekend long. Cast members attending include Zach Tyler Eisen, Jack DeSena, Olivia Hack, and James Sie.
In response to fans’ repeated requests, Michael J. Fox and the entire “Back to the Future” cast will meet and greet fans.
“We hope to raise at least $25,000 for Fox’s charity that funds Parkinson’s Disease research to find a cure,” DiMoulin noted.
There will also be an “Addams Family” reunion featuring Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, Carel Struckyen, Jimmy Workman, and Christopher Lloyd.
A lifelong “Star Wars” fan, DeMoulin is excited to announce appearances from that iconic series. Fans can meet “Star Wars” cast members, including Hayden Christensen, whose credits include “Ahsoka,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Jumper” and “Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy.”
Ewan McGregor, also of “Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” as well as of “Birds of Prey,” “Halston” and “Trainspotting” will also participate in a main stage panel. “Star Wars” guests also include Ming-Na-Wen, Emily Swallow, Vivien Lyra Blair and Daniel Logan, DiMoulin noted, adding that stars from “The Mandalorian” also will make appearances and Giancarlo Esposito, an L.A. Comic Con favorite, also will be available for photo ops, autographs, and a main stage panel.
Other experiences focus on “Spongebob Squarepants,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” “Lord of the Rings,” “House of Dragons,” “The Boys,” and many others.
DeMoulin and his team strive to provide fandoms for those of all ages. The comics, the toys, the collectibles, the comic creators, a video hall with 100 computers offering a free play area — and a special peak at levels of games that are not yet released — the panels featuring key figures in the Comic Con and pop culture universe — all will also be there.
“The nice thing at our convention is that we have bigenerational experiences.” DeMoulin said. “Many of the original Comic Con fans have kids and 30 percent of our attendees include parents with their kids, which is a higher bigenerational attendee percentage than most comic conventions.”
Between 40 to 45 percent of attendees are first-time comic convention goers and 25 percent of attendees purchase a weekend pass, he added.
DeMoulin has helped build and improve the convention since 2012, the show’s second annual event. The convention includes an additional hall specifically for gaming, e-sports, and anime. Voice actors from anime shows will delight attendees. The event also features approximately 800 vendors and exhibitors.
This year’s Comic Con will host Gonna Need Milk’s inaugural The Milk Cup LAN “Fortnite” Championship, where 99 of the best female gamers will try to win their share of a $250,000 prize pool — the largest in North American history. To make the championship accessible to younger gamers, LACC is selling a specially priced Milk Teen ticket for ages 13-17.
“We put our main stage right in the middle of the show floor, because I don’t think it’s fair to have fans have to leave the convention and go wait in line for two or three hours to view the show, as is the case with some other Cons,” DeMoulin said. To him, the Comic Con should not waste fans’ time as it successfully brings together creators and fans.
Old fans. New fans. All are welcome to geek out at the Los Angeles Comic Con from Oct. 4-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“Everybody is a fan of something,” DiMoulin notes. “Our goal is that if you come to the LA Con, you’ll find what you love.”
