Heroes of Cosplay Sanctuary

Consistency goes a long way – you might not stand out with this, but if you are in it for the long haul and you have a plan – this episode will help you see what goes into standing out in a an online space inside the Cosplay Community. You can be edgy – but I think what helps overall is if you have camera skills, public speaking skills – things that will get you out of the comfort zone for your au...

Why are you building an image and are you?  You’re in Cosplay – there are rules – unwritten or otherwise on conduct, on what you shouldn’t cosplay, on collabs, on shoutouts – there are many rules. We’ve stayed in the center and been as neutral as possible on many occasions – there are things that we stand for – but what I see often is Cosplayers standing for things just to trend – they don’t actua...

We had the opportunity to speak with international sensation, Beci Bombshell on her Cosplay platform, and the many ins and outs of Cosplay - how it has shaped for her over the years, what she's working on now, and how she's found connection through Cosplay. With hundreds of Cosplays created over the years, Beci is a veteran of what goes into every aspect of creating and re-creating momen...

There’s no sauce.  Everyone is looking for this secret kernel of information related to making money online or success or popularity, but the reality is – there’s no sauce And that’s not because I haven’t looked or I’m taking an easy way out or that it just isn’t working for me – there really is no fast / standard way to do anything that just gets you rich quick that people are hiding from you. In...

If you only do what’s popular – wait…isn’t everything with Cosplay more or less something that was or is popular?  Aren’t all the characters and costumes well known to some extent? What I mean is – and what I kind of talked about yesterday, is that you don’t need to limit yourself to doing only what’s trending in entertainment to be relevant in what you create. Possibly the cosplay doesn’t resonat...

Pop Cosplay is a term that I use to describe a growing population of Cosplayers that only cosplay whatever’s coming out next in movies, or on streaming.  It’s whatever’s popular that week, or day, or month – they ride trends. Do you as a Cosplayer need to get into Pop Cosplay?  Are you feeling pressure to create new cosplays at a breakneck pace and only those that are popular based on the release...

How do you navigate asking someone in the Cosplay space to do something with you? Asking for things in Cosplay isn’t as daunting as it sounds.  Many creators are easy to approach, but like anyone else and in any other circumstance – there are a few don’ts when asking someone to collaborate, be a part of a project, sell something – whatever the case may be. Find us online: https://www.heroesofcospl...

We link YouTube here at Heroes, but wow is it a lot of work for nothing. Will YouTube make you rich?  Not likely – unless you were already.  Or were a celebrity, journalist, or had a notable career prior learning something connected to media or entertainment – that sells on YouTube.  There’s also the crazy stuff – which gets a lot of views and often does not require much production.  You just do c...

This is going to be a strange episode.  It’s not really about shout outs and being shouted, it’s not about making side deals and having people talk you up for money or something else that you’re trading.  It’s about how people feel about you and how you feel about them in the online space. I say online, because it’s very different in real life – if you meet someone at a Con, you may or may not eve...

Linktrees are more and more often including a link to space that isn’t really Cosplay related – it is however money related – and what you’re selling, well…it’s probably the oldest profession out there. Is this what you wanted?  You built a following to coerce people into buying YOU? Your time, your opinions, your…”art” so to speak? We’re not here to bash, but you could have easily done all of tha...

Rarely do we have the opportunity to speak to a guest who has created an entirely original universe of content. My next guest has done just that – creating a fun, enchanting world for all ages to enjoy. Her work on YouTube, and creative adventure series Bellossoms is funny, clever, and showcases the many talents of my guest.  In this episode we're talking with artist, animator, voice actor, a...

Super short episode – we’re going to C2e2…again – and I’m not recording at the show this time!  I’m just going to enjoy it. Not going quite as long this year – really going to check everything out all day Saturday and just enjoy what I can for panels and extras Friday and Sunday.  I may or may not cosplay for this one – it’s not the priority for c2e2. See You At the SHOW! Find us online: https://w...

Another issue with Cosplay – we begin to obsess not just over the actors and characters, but over the people portraying them – we spend more time congratulating and paying compliments to total strangers – for YEARS – on the internet, than we do our own friends and loved ones.  We spend more time trying to gain access to a total stranger, whom we know almost nothing about (because let’s face it…IG...

There’s a line we need to discuss in Cosplay – and it’s when we begin to harm ourselves in order to remain relevant in the Cosplay space – financial, physical, social hurt.  It can burn us out.  It can make us broke.  It can become an obsession, and we can dwell on what the trolls are telling us about ourselves that isn’t true. Draw a line.  Do not kill your relationships for Cosplay. Do not alien...

You will go broke trying to keep up with other cosplayers – Cosplay in and of itself is a hobby, which you can control the flow of money towards however… If you’re getting into Cosplay – then get into it – don’t get into Influencer Marketing that centers around Cosplay – that’s something different and if you’re out to show off on Instagram (and really…that’s the #1 place right now besides TikTok)...

Fun seems to be a word that is less and less associated with Cosplay.  Fortunately, today’s guest reminds us that if you’re not having fun, it’s not really Cosplay. My next guest has no limits to her creativity, and there’s no Cosplay that can’t be made and made for the joy of creating a character. She’ll tell you that sometimes it takes being someone else to really be yourself.  Lifelong creator...

I was thinking of going overboard on an overexplain week of talking up Inferno, but I’ll only do one episode – you can find out all about this Saga online in many spaces. This is a fun episode where we talk about the inspiration behind the project and the season that we're moving through by the same name - Inferno Saga. Find us online: https://www.heroesofcosplaysanctuary.com/ Find the Sanctu...

We're diving into many what-ifs about the X-Men in the MCU, the big project coming out from Heroes of Cosplay Sanctuary, and really just a lot of fun X-Men discussion. Claremont seems the reasonable space to start, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hickman’s X-men ended up being the model for Snyder.  It’s more recent and the tree of plots probably fit better for a younger audience that’s now…we...

In this episode, we're talking about the X-Men Inferno Saga and how we've worked to adapt a version of Chris Claremont's work into a Cosplay tribute trailer video. In short, it’s not going to be cannon.  But it will tell the story and we want to be true to the story itself. Characters – We omitted quite a few – because there are so many in Inferno.  It’s a crossover event, so there...

Shamelessly promote the coming work we’re doing on Inferno Saga in this episode Who – 15 Cosplayers getting together to make a short teaser of what I’ve envisioned the Claremont’s saga to be – with a few changes - it's not for profit, self-funded, and so far, really looking very cool. We’re over on the website, and we’ll put the video in as many places as we can at the end of 2022 There are s...

I’ve run into this before a few times.  Maybe more than a few. Certain Cosplayers seem to drop enormous amounts of content on many platforms, be at premieres, on lives, and seemingly never busy…they’re everywhere and nowhere at the same time.  Weird. I can attest – creating content takes up a lot of free time.  Maybe photosets do not if you’re set up at home – then it’s really just motivation. But...

I don’t really have roommates at Cons, and I’ll tell you why in this episode. Roommates can help with expenses, help if makeup, costumes, and make your time at the con go really fast, but when you get to a certain age, you may be less inclined to A – stay at a Con that long and B – room with anyone because you’ve gotten set in your ways. If you’re used to having a roommate, like you did in college...

My next guest finds her passion for expression in many many ways, from art, to comedy, drama, dance, and with the written word, each piece tells a story that entertains, amazes, dazzles, and in many ways inspires. In a word, she brings Joy to the cosplay community, and is nothing short of phenomenal. To talk about how her art and Cosplay co-mingle, her thoughts on the community, her work, and goin...

I’ve noticed, going through Artists alley that there’s a lot of pressure to sell at a Con – actually the whole Con floor.  Some are more into it than others – and maybe not the comic book booths – they seem more interested in showcasing than selling.  BUT – there’s pressure to sell and it’s an art in and of itself. So – what are you selling, why, and who are you selling to?  Are you giving away a...

What do we do when we don’t look like anyone?  And by anyone, I mean no one currently playing a super hero part in a series or movie. It’s become such a thing that we’re beginning to alter our appearances – photoshop or otherwise – in order to promote a ‘look-alike’ platform and gain attention.  Gain the attention of the actor, or the Industry and get things for doing that. But I’m not, nor will I...