If you're a writer or artist attending the Comic Creator Connection, this is your chance to practice giving your pitch before the networking event and get some free coaching from a pro. So what's a pitch? A pitch is simply the way you present yourself or your project to others. It is usually a brief speech designed to persuade and interest your listener in what you're doing or what you've made. Most creators have no trouble coming up with fantastic ideas for new comics, but they often struggle to talk clearly and concisely about those ideas to other people. Giving a good pitch is a vital skill you must have to bring your project to life. Fortunately, it's also a skill you can learn and improve with practice,and Pitch Review is a great place to do that. Pitch reviews will be conducted by Douglas Neff, an experienced presentation coach and professional public speaker who hosts the Comic Creator Connection and From Fan to Creator: Goal-Setting for Creative Types. This is not a panel. Instead, these are 3- to 5-minute individual coaching sessions for as many people as they can accommodate in the scheduled time. Everyone is welcome. Please note that showing up is not a guarantee that you'll get a review session. Spaces are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, sits down with NPR's Petra Mayer to talk everything from the explosive success of The Lunar Chronicles to the power of YA fandoms, her first Lunar Chronicles graphic novel, to what fans can expect from Heartless, this fall's most-anticipated young adult novel. Arrive early for a front row seat for a Lunar Chronicles Fan Appreciation video.
Sunday July 24, 2016 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 24ABC
The Winner Twins, Brittany and Brianna, multiple award-winning and national bestselling science fiction authors, as well as award-winning writing teachers, are best known for their popular Strand series and The Write Path series. They will teach you how to create your own novel step by step, from building your universe to overcoming writer's block to the different paths to publishing. The twins have taught their unique creative writing method to hundreds of thousands of convention attendees, teachers, and students across the country. They will be joined by Graeme Manson (co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Orphan Black), Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo/Tom Zarek of Battlestar Galactica, author of the bestselling Battlestar Galactica book series), and Stephen Glickman (comedy writer, producer, star of Big Time Rush, Workaholics) and special guests to share their war stories, answer your questions, and teach you how to craft your story idea into a marketable novel, television series, or film franchise.
Knock, knock jokes. Fart noises. The word "butt." Hilarious books for kids succeed at making everyone laugh, including grownups who haven't quite grown up. Moderator David Mariotte leads children's book authors Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series), Dan Santat (Are We There Yet?), Ed Masessa (Wandmaker), Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnbloom (Dream Jumper), and Brandon T. Snider (Peter Powers and His Not-So-Super Powers) discuss their personal formulas for creating funny books-and getting paid for it! Leave the milk at home, as there are no guarantees it won't come shooting out of your nose while watching this panel.
Sunday July 24, 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
A lot of science fiction/fantasy takes place in worlds inspired by Western and European cultures. How can writers break that trend and create fully developed, unique cultures for their stories? Moderator Michael Spradlin is joined by authors Stacey Lee (Outrun the Moon), Indra Das (The Devourers), Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation), Elizabeth Briggs (Future Shock), and Ru Xu (NewsPrints) to talk about how they developed inclusive futures (and presents and pasts).
Sunday July 24, 2016 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 28DE
NEW: Mon, Jul 11, 09:56AM Are you a writer with a great idea for a comic book series, but you can’t draw? Or maybe you’re an artist looking to illustrate an incredible story, but you can’t write. Perhaps you’re both looking for someone to collaborate with so you can jumpstart your careers in the comic book industry. At San Diego Comic-Con 2016’s Comic Creator Connection, you just might find each other! San Diego Comic-Con is proud to once again host the Comic Creator Connection, a fast-paced networking event that puts writers and artists together to help them meet new creative partners. Here’s how it works: in two 2-hour sessions—on Friday, July 22, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM and Sunday, July 24, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM—writers and artists will sit down across from each other at a table. (And by artists, we mean pencillers, inkers, colorists, etc. All are welcome!) Then, in 5-minute sessions, you will talk one-on-one with each other about your ideas and skills. At the end of each 5-minute period, you will get up and move on to the next person. If you’re interested in furthering the conversation, you’ll exchange contact information. Think of it as speed-dating, but for writers and artists! Sign ups are taken in advance for this event, but space may still be available on site.
New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows Leigh Bardugo and the acclaimed graphic novelist and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Gene Luen Yang get together for a one-on-one conversation about diversity in literature and readers, fandom, fantasy, and more.
Sunday July 24, 2016 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 29AB
There is no limit to the depth of experiences that can be created in the realm of virtual reality. But is a trip to the bottom of the ocean or a walk on the surface of Mars enough to keep audiences coming back for more? Creators who are working on the front lines of this exciting new technology discuss innovations such as 360-degree movies and the art of creating interactive story experiences. Moderator Neo Edmund (screenwriter, author of the Red Riding Alpha Huntress Series) is joined by panelists Micke Hjorth (chairman of the board, Starbreeze Studios), Sarah Kinga Smith (producer of motion picture, digital and VR, CEO of RES literary talent management & production), Andrew Cochrane (digital & interactive director, Mirada Studios), Varun Lella (digital, business development & TV literary agent, Paradigm), and Kane Lee (head of content at Baobab Studios).
Sunday July 24, 2016 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Learn from children's book literary agents Deborah Warren (East-West Literary), Kelly Sonnack (Andrea Brown Literary), Taylor Martindale Kean (Full Circle Literary), Jill Corcoran (Jill Corcoran Literary), and Jennifer Azantian (Jennifer Azantian Literary) about writing children's books, acquiring representation, and becoming traditionally published. Moderated by picture book author Henry Herz (Mabel & the Queen of Dreams).
Sunday July 24, 2016 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 24ABC
Whether you're thinking about launching your first Kickstarter project or you're ready to embark on your fifth, our lineup of veteran creators has a wealth of invaluable information for you. Jamie Tanner (Kickstarter's comics outreach lead), Hope Nicholson (The Secret Loves of Geek Girls), Kel McDonald (Sorcery 101), and George Rohac (CEO, Breadpig) discuss all things Kickstarter, from the best way to promote your project to avoiding common pitfalls and everything in between.
Strong protagonists, engrossing romance, humor, action, and angst! Join us for this popular annual chat about the hottest new titles and trends in YA fiction. Moderated by Nathan Bransford (The Jacob Wonderbar series) and featuring Renee Ahdieh (The Wrath and the Dawn series), Victoria Aveyard (The Red Queen series), Michelle Hodkin (The Mara Dyer Trilogy), Lauren Oliver (Vanishing Girls), Brendan Reichs (Virals series), Victoria Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic), Laini Taylor (Strange the Dreamer), and Adam Silvera (More Happy Than Not).
This annual panel is for any group with a goal. It presents the vital basics of group management and networking that can apply to literally any project, from hobbiest to professional. Whether your goal is a career or professional-level hobby, your projects are a full-time job and you have only part-time hours to accomplish them. Much of achieving your goals rests with everyone helping each other with the skills, training, or talents no one individual has. Topher Davila (art director, GeekdomWear), Heather Joseph-Witham, Ph.D. (Mythbusters), Amber Goelst (Wacom Enterprise/Education), Sean Glumace (Adobe education leader), Gene Turnbow (general manager, Krypton Radio), Renah Wolzinger (higher education leadership: statewide technical assistance provider), Brendan Creecy (Radio Brendo Man podcast), Ron Coleman, Ph.D (molecular geneticist), Stephen Burns (Photoshop digital artist, author, and lecturer), Chris Dickens (writer and co-creator of Vigilante Project), and Mario Martinez (co-creator, TomatoTV) provide a mix of speaking, questions, and some short interactive applications where the audience can directly apply the topics covered. Handouts will be provided that cover tips, wisdom, and dos and donts from previous panels. As a bonus to help get your creative work life further along, you'll get a one-year subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud. They also have a second tool to give away of particular use to anyone that even touches artwork: A Wacom tablet! You must be at the panel to be eligible for either giveaway.
Sunday July 24, 2016 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 24ABC
Video game media is a growing platform teaming with a plethora of avenues for geektastic careers, including podcasting, journalism, literary writing, broadcasting, video production, and more. Genese Davis (The Holder's Dominion, MMORPG), Michael Annetta (Nevermind, Flying Mollusk), Kiri Callaghan (Geek and Sundry Kiriosity), and Aaron Carter (Video Game Bang) divulge the ins and outs for breaking in and producing quality and unique content. Speakers will reveal not only their tips and tricks but also vital dos and don'ts for writing, podcasting, and creating in video game media and how these avenues influence the industry.
Sunday July 24, 2016 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 29AB