GMX has gathered some exciting faces,new and old, who you will want to meet! Looks for these fantastic Geek Media professionals and celebrities at events throughout our 48 hour event!

MICHELLE BANZER
TALENTED. GORGEOUS. GEEK.

Michelle Banzer is an actress, model and beauty queen from Louisville, Kentucky who competed in the Miss USA pageant in 2007. She has been modeling professionally since 1999 on an international level. Her endeavors have awarded her the opportunity to work in such destinations as Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong. She has worked for such marquee names as Se7en Magazine, IGN, Abercrombie & Fitch, Harper’s Bazaar, Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear, among others.

Michelle won the Miss Kentucky USA 2007 title in a state pageant held in Somerset, Kentucky in November 2006 and was crowned by Miss USA Tara Conner, who held the Miss Kentucky USA 2006 title. Banzer represented Kentucky in the Miss USA 2007 pageant that was held in the spring of 2007 in the Kodak Theater. She also represented the United States in the 33rd annual Miss Intercontinental Pageant held in China the summer of 2005, where she won the title.

She recently participated in a special episode of the NBC game show Identity and has been seen on The Asian Poker Tour, G4’s Attack of the Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, E!’s Club TV and the Feature Film Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning. Michelle is currently starring in the much anticipated Science Fiction project, WarSport: 2041 were she plays an investigative reporter on the WarSport International News.

Michelle Banzer was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky. She is also a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration majoring in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in Information Security. In her free time, Michelle enjoys hobbies such as cross-stitching and playing board games. Some of her favorite television shows are Investigators and Forensic Files and her ultimate goal is to enter the field of Computer Forensics to aid in criminal investigations.

JACKSON BOSTWICK
TV'S CAPTAIN MARVEL

Best known for playing Captain Marvel in the first season of the Shazam! television series of the mid-1970s, Jackson Bostwick is an expert in Jeet-Kune-Do and Wing-Chun Kung-Fu. His father was a well-known doctor in Montgomery, Alabama.

In the early 1990s, Bostwick's father fell ill, so Bostwick returned to Montgomery. During that time, he taught theater at Auburn University at Montgomery. He also directed several plays, including Ballad of the Sad Cafe, and founded the L.A. (Lower Alabama) Film Group. Bostwick met his wife, Elizabeth, in Las Vegas, where she was a performer at the time. (From Wikipedia.)

Saturday morning's Shazam! brought the world Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel. Bostwick's era as the Big Red Cheese began in the early 1970's and is only the second guy in history to play Captain Marvel. Tom Tyler was the first in 1941 in the old Republic Studios serial "The Adventures of Captain Marvel." Bostwick became very good friends with C.C. Beck, the artist of Captain Marvel from the Golden Age of comics. He was the original Captain Marvel on the live-action TV show, and set the standard for the highly-rated children's series, which ran for several years. (From Starlog.)

DANIEL BROWN
CG DESIGNER

Daniel Brown, a devoted animation and cartoon fan, started his career early when watching a crowd of people play Don Bluth’s, famous title “Dragons Lair”. He then created his own rudimentary game and began having students play it at school for the cost of a quarter. He also has a passion for old classics including but not limited to Universal Studios Monster films, Clash of the Titans, and Trip to the moon.

He graduated with a BFA at IADT in Chicago. There he studied under many knowledgeable instructors and interned at Live to Tell Pictures, working on their animated film “Death as Usual”.

Daniel, a native to Jeffersonville Indiana, moved back home and began working with companies such as MP Video, and Interactive Media Lab, where Daniel developed his skills in editing, 3d modeling, animation, and motion graphics. Daniel worked with many Commercial companies: including Intel, Six Flags, Yum brands, and Humana doing animations for characters and title sequences. Daniel has been creating E Shopping avatars, and 3D Virtual Mall to be released soon.

Lately he has begun work with Warsport International under Kevin Marshall and Todd Fisher as a Main Title Producer and Designer, creating Warsport motion graphics and 3d animations.

In his spare time he's an instructor at ITT technical institute in Louisville KY were he teaches and motivates future aspiring artists.

MATT BUSCH
ROCK STAR OF ILLUSTRATION

In the early 90's, Matt Busch began his career in Hollywood, working in every aspect of the movie business, from concept design work on THE MATRIX, to storyboards for CON-AIR, to poster design for HOME ALONE 3. Simultaneously, he began illustrating books, magazines, posters, comics, trading cards and toys for notable pop culture properties, including LORD OF THE RINGS, INDIANA JONES, THE CROW, HEROES, G.I. JOE, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, The HULK, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, RESERVOIR DOGS, BRUCE LEE, WITCHBLADE, ROBOCOP, The MUMMY, STARGATE SG-1, and STAR TREK.

Mostly known for his work with the STAR WARS universe, Busch has written and illustrated dozens of STAR WARS books and magazines. He created the cover of TALES From The EMPIRE, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Busch has also been involved with creating artwork for advertising, marketing, and licensed products for all three STAR WARS prequels. Being that its the 30th Anniversary of the saga, this year has packed a punch for Busch- as he has already produced 7 different STAR WARS posters this year alone!

Busch also provided nearly 400 drawings and paintings for the critically acclaimed YOU CAN DRAW STAR WARS book from DK Publishing. A sellout at every major show this year, Busch has also extended his own unique drawing and painting tutorials to video, with episodes at StarWars.com. Later, these episodes topped the charts on MySpace.com, with several videos going straight to Number One. Further, the first two seasons of exciting (and hilarious) episodes have been collected on limited edition DVDs: Volumes One and Two!

A closet musician himself, Busch has had the pleasure to produce art for major musical artists like ALICE COOPER, BEASTIE BOYS, BECK, BLACK SABBATH, CINDERELLA, FOO FIGHTERS, GARBAGE, KID ROCK, L.L. COOL J, BILLY JOEL, MEGADETH, MOTLEY CRUE, TED NUGENT, OZZY OSBOURNE, POISON, and JESSICA SIMPSON.

The first hardcover collection of his work, "FANTASTIC VISIONS: The Art of Matt Busch" was Published by Avatar Press, which included an Introduction by POISON's Rikki Rockett. SQP Publishing released a follow-up hardcover collection titled "PUCKER: The Seductive Art of Matt Busch" which featured an Introduction by SYSTEM OF A DOWN's John Dolmayan. Recently, Hermes Press published the quintessential collection, titled "THE WORLDS OF MATT BUSCH."

In 2006, Busch released his first independent movie, CONJURE, a film he wrote, directed, starred in, and even composed music for. Financing the entire movie himself, the unique film was met with critical acclaim and shattered records- becoming "The Highest PreSelling Movie of All Time" according to HorrorMovies.com.

For over a decade, Busch has also found success as a writer, having written numerous books and magazine articles on art techniques. Busch has also written and illustrated creator-owned comic books, including ALIZARIN'S JOURNAL and DARIA JONTAK, and a highly regarded graphic novel, "CRISIS". One of Busch's biggest endeavors, a screenplay titled "THE TAURUS FACTOR" is currently in development with Producer Don Murphy (TRANSFORMERS, SHOOT 'EM UP).

Busch now resides in a mutlitple-studio house set up in Macomb Township, Michigan, complete with an art studio, digital editing suite, recording studio, product warehouse, and even a mini movie theater. Here, Busch continues to work on many 'Hollywood' projects in his own playground. Currently on a promotional World Tour, Busch has been toting videographers to film his travel adventures for an upcoming double disc DVD documentary called ILLUSTRATION NATION.

ED CHERNIGA
COMIC ARTIST, ILLUSTRATOR, TATTOO MAESTRO

Ed Cherniga is a comic book artist, illustrator and designer whose work has been published by Fantagraphics, Marvel Comics, Fictioneer Books, and Dark Horse Comics.

He designs tattoo flash in his spare time. He is also creating an art show in support of the Dina Babbitt artist's rights cause.

CONVENTION VIXENS
FANDOM'S OWN SUPERMODELS

Convention Vixens is a compilation of original characters by creator Merika Rock and are supported by artwork and partnerships with mainstream illustrators such as fantasy and sci-fi artists Larry Elmore and Matt Busch. ConVixens™ as they are nicknamed is an organization of traveling girls dressed as these original characters which represent and bring the artwork and stories to life so the fans can meet in person.

The ConVixen™ characters are inspired by different genres of fandom which reflect everything from sci-fi, pop culture, video games, comic books, anime, and fantasy. The models that portray the ConVixens™ take pride in supporting their love for fandom and the special and unique characters they represent. With their eye-catching appeal, friendliness, and eagerness to connect with the fans, they are a memorable addition for attendees to meet!

RODNEY COX
ACTOR, REAL-LIFE TOUGH GUY

Highly motivated, truly dedicated, locked, cocked and ready to rock is Rodney Cox! As a young boy growing up in the West End of Louisville he always knew that he wanted to be an actor. He never really tapped into this hidden talent until after his return from Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Since then, Rodney has appeared in several impressive productions throughout the Midwest and nationally from commercial print to the big screen. His list of works include KFC Yum Brands, General Electric, The Courier Journal, Dillards, Miller Lite, Seagram’s Gin, Humana, Kroger Co., Ford Motor Co., Atlas Van Lines, Big O Tires, and Bank of America, just to name a few. He has also acted in a nice string of indie films and a couple of major ones. While working and patiently waiting..... the perfect opportunity landed in his lap when Rodney hooked up with the infamous Todd Fisher, creator of “Warsport”, and mentor to Rodney. Watch for Rodney’s breakout performance as R.J. Escobar in the upcoming mini-series “WarSport:2041”.

TODD FISCHER
GEEK PRO OF MANY TRADES

Over the last eight years Mr. Fischer created the WarSport™ project through its parent company WarSport International, Inc. He has guided the project since its inception, negotiating global content production deals in film and television, publishing, gaming, on demand, DVD and Broadband. His global strategy insures WarSport™ content in a worldwide marketplace beginning in 2010.

Based on the short story Peace Wars, written in 2001 by Mr. Fischer, WarSport™ tells an idealistic vision of the near future where the civilized world is at peace and is thrilled by the entertainment of full scale world-wide war games conducted with non-lethal weaponry. Citizens of the world rally for their troops while political powers threaten to undermine it from within. From the action on the battlefield to the conspiracies that lie beneath, WarSport™ engages the mind while dazzling you with a unique and innovative twist on the future of the world.

Prior to WarSport™ Mr. Fischer worked as an Independent Motion Pictures and Television Professional working on more than 115 hours of programming for international broadcast. He worked on such successful shows as Beverly Hills, 90210, Doogie Howser, M.D., Family Matters, Saved by the Bell and Married with Children as well as the feature films Home Alone 2, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Tombstone, Broken Arrow and many other productions too numerous to mention.

Mr. Fischer has also worked successfully in publishing, digital media and dance education. As a personal manager he has handled the careers of film and television celebrities, renowned lecturers, fitness experts, musicians, models and top dancers from around the world.

Todd is also a well-known photographer. Working alongside M. Rock Style™ Image Consulting, he has photographed over 1,500 models, athletes, musicians and celebrities. His photography is so popular he once shot over two million photographs in an 18-month period.

He has stood center stage at the Ryman Auditorium and Radio City Music Hall. He was a percentage owner of the Louisville Fire Arena Football Team. He has marched to the White House and spoken on the steps of Capitol Hill on behalf of the ALS Association. Mr. Fischer worked alongside the University of New Mexico’s contract archeology department conducting ground-breaking research at the UFO Crash at Roswell debris field, and on the investigative team conducting research on the Kecksburg, Pennsylvania incident. He is most proud of working with the Manhattan Project’s, Chester Lytle, who developed the detonator for the original atomic bomb. Todd worked with Mr. Lytle shortly before his death, helping him to collect his memoirs, document his research and recount his stories for publication later. Much of his work is still classified by the U.S. Government to this day.

MARILYN GHIGLIOTTI
CULT FILM ICON - CLERKS

Best known for her role as Veronica in the 1994 cult classic Clerks, Marilyn Ghigliotti discovered her love for acting while searching for a creative outlet after a divorce.

Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Marilyn grew up in places as varied as New Jersey to Puerto Rico. She initially pursued a career in cosmetology after graduating high school. But in 1988, Marilyn began studying at The Actors Training Institute in the techniques of Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. She followed her studies there with time in community theater where she performed in such productions as Crimes of the Heart, Same Time Next Year, and Wait Until Dark. Marilyn also greatly enjoyed working with a Murder Mystery Company that played throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. It was actually in response to auditions for a student film that landed Marilyn her most notable role.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1997, she has continued to pursue her acting career and has since appeared in several shorts and independent features. She has also added producing to her credits with a theater production titled “Bedroom Stories”, a series of one act plays in which Marilyn also acted in. Also helping a friend, Sheila Cavalette, in her directorial debut “Bad Hair Day” also written by Sheila, starring Marilyn. Marilyn continues to grow as an actor having appeared in many short films that are currently in various film festivals around the country and a horror feature length film titled “Dead and Gone” which went directly to DVD July 2008. Also on DVD as of July 2008 is “Adventures of Johnny Tao” where you can see Marilyn’s work as key hair and makeup for the film.

NATALIE HAVEN
BREAKOUT STAR

Natalie Haven’s break-out performance in “WarSport: 2041” as WarSport International news reporter Nina Cooper has put her on the Hollywood map. She was recognized as not just another pretty face but as a talented young actress with the acting chops to hold her own with showbiz giants.

When not involved in acting or modeling, Natalie enjoys reading and exercise as well as practicing the saxophone, violin and keyboards.

LARRY LANDSMAN
ENTERTAINMENT EXEC

Larry Landsman has served the entertainment industry for nearly three decades most notably as a multi-faceted cable television executive and entertainment public relations professional with a proven track record of accomplishments in prime time program development and off-channel guerilla marketing.

Most recently, he served as Director, Special Projects for SCI FI Channel where he was responsible for conceiving and developing top rated original investigative programming, as well as overseeing the Channel’s public affairs initiative, “Visions for Tomorrow.” Landsman conceived and developed SCI FI's highest rated documentary specials including "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," “The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence,” and “The Bermuda Triangle: Startling New Secrets,” among others. He also conceived and developed the Channel's six-part investigative paranormal series "Sci Fi Investigates."

Prior to joining SCI FI Channel in 2002, Landsman served as Director, Public Relations Operations and Photographic Services for Showtime Networks Inc. where he managed the company’s unit publicity division, as well as directed photographic services for the network. He successfully managed dozens of U.S. and internationally based freelance unit publicists and photographers to generate marketing, publicity and advertising materials for national campaigns. By investigating various new technologies in an effort to improve media communications, Landsman was instrumental in developing cable’s first CD-ROM multimedia press kit. He first joined Showtime in 1987 to execute national publicity campaigns for a wide range of genre programming including series, comedy, science fiction, original movies and pay-per-view events.

Before joining Showtime, Landsman served as an assistant publicist for Zarem, Inc., a New York based entertainment public relations company, where he handled celebrity clientele including Alan Alda, Sylvester Stallone, Pee-wee Herman, and film producers Martin Bregman, Charles Evans and Keith Barish. He started his career in the field of broadcast market research in 1979 as a research analyst for various television rep firms including Katz Communications, Metromedia Television and MMT Sales Inc.

In August 2001, St. Martin’s Press released Landsman’s Planet of the Apes Revisited, with a foreword by Charlton Heston. This in-depth history behind the unprecedented motion picture series Planet of the Apes and the cult phenomenon it inspired garnered acclaim from critics and fans alike. Publishers Weekly said, “Apes fans will be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive, authoritative and entertaining guide.”

As a devotee of the performing arts, Landsman has accumulated numerous non-Equity stage credits to his name (as director and performer). Consequently, Tony and Emmy Award-winning playwright-composer Rupert Holmes (“Curtains,” “Say Goodnight, Gracie,” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”) asked Landsman to develop and stage his original comedy thriller, Thumbs, which had its acclaimed world premiere in May 2001.

Landsman lives in New Jersey with his wife, Alyson, two sons Jared and Justin, and golden retriever, Max.

KEVIN MARSHALL
DIGITAL MEDIA PRO

Kevin Marshall is the Director of Digital Media for WarSport International, Inc. He oversees production and development of Broadband Media productions including on demand content, pay per views, straight to Blu-ray, straight to DVD, online comics and internet delivered content.

Kevin’s slate of projects includes over 58 hours of original programming beginning in 2010:

- WarSport International News, a video podcast dedicated to delivering news based in the WarSport world.
- Inside WarSport is an audio podcast delivering exclusive interviews with creators and content providers for WarSport.
- WarSport: Confidential is a video podcast delivering exclusive day-in-the-life, exclusive access into the private lives of the actors, performers and creators that make WarSport happen.
- WarSport: ConTour is a news magazine video podcast delivering highlights from pop culture conventions around the world. Keep up with WarSport sightings, special events and appearances with this informative show.

A Georgia native, Kevin attended Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah with a concentration on English and is theatrically trained. Aside from many theater productions too numerous to mention, he has worked on the feature films, The Adventures of Ociee Nash, Burning Desire and Hell Night. Kevin has also worked with PopFilms in Atlanta, Georgia on various projects. He was also the front man for the rock band Axewagon.

A man that wears many hats, Kevin is often writing, producing, directing and editing his projects. When not attending conventions and tradeshows around the country, he still finds time to take the occasional acting job or continue to write music and lyrics.

JD MICHAELS
PRO-WRESTLER, UP & COMING TV STAR

J.D. is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, known by his ring names J.D. Michaels and J.D. Maverick. He has competed for numerous independent promotions all over Canada, Europe and America and held several titles. He also stars in the upcoming Sci-Fi mini-series WarSport: 2041 as disgraced WarFighter Joe Garrison.

Despite his resemblance, he is not related to professional wrestler Shawn Michaels. He was given that "gimmick" when he began wrestling in western Canada due to his look, and that he was commonly in the ring against many of professional wrestling legend Bret Hart's relatives for Stampede Wrestling.

On June 4, 2005, Michaels appeared on WWE Velocity, teaming with Teddy Hart in a loss to the Basham Brothers. In 2006, he relocated to Wallingford, Connecticut with hopes of getting noticed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He made another appearance for WWE in June 2007 before a SmackDown taping, losing to Chris Masters in a dark match.

On August 30, 2006, J.D. married former model and professional wrestler, April Hunter, in a small, private ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michaels has modeled for various companies, including Hot Bodz catalogs, and has also participated in photoshoots with his wife. He is also a sought after art model, posing for such fantasy legends as Larry Elmore.

J.D. is of Ukrainian heritage, as has a large Ukrainian trident tattoo on his back which means "strength and freedom". Before deciding to become a professional wrestler, he competed in both hockey and football. He is also owner of SuperStar Gear, which designs and makes wrestling attire.

MERIKA ROCK
MODEL, STYLE MAVEN, VIXEN-MAKER

Merika first burst onto the scene as an illustrative art model hired for her ability to portray an assortment of ethnicities. Being born of an eclectic mix of Mexican-Spanish-German and Cherokee decent, she’s found herself doing studio work for fantasy artist Larry Elmore for such covers as Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest™ and most recently Peregrine Entertainment’s Books of Lore Elf Stone, as the main character “Jolie”, with a preview comic just released this September of 2009.

Being a Celebrity Stylist by day, having worked with such stars as Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, to VH1’s Harvey Waldon from Celebrity Fit Club and American Idol’s Kimberly Locke; she has also worked up close and personal with such stars as Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters, Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, Kynt and Vyxsin of The Amazing Race, and an array of Wrestling Superstars, character actors, Reality Show Faces and Playmates alike.

Merika is also the Creator of Convention Vixens™ a project made up of a group of multi-fandom characters ranging from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Anime, and will be releasing a book and comic series set for 2010. She travels for convention appearances with her cast of beautiful models that portray the characters of her creation. She has partnered with sci-fi and fantasy illustrators such as Larry Elmore and Matt Busch for a series one and two compilation, each artist depicting four art pieces on various characters of the ConVixens™ World.

Stay tuned for the ever growing roster of new ConVixens characters, as well as a continuing convention appearance schedule to bring the project to the fans.

SCOTT CHRISTIAN SAVA
ANIMATOR, GAME DESIGNER, ARTIST

You've seen Scott Christian Sava's work. It's everywhere. It's in TV and Film projects such as Digimon, Power Rangers, and Spider-Man. It's in games such as Aliens vs. Predator, X-Files, and Starcraft. And Scott's work is in comics such as Spider-Man, Star Trek, and Mortal Kombat. Scott's had a long career as both an animator, game designer, and comic book artist.

But Scott's biggest claim to fame? The Dreamland Chronicles.
For the last 3 years...Scott's put his epic fantasy story online every day where over 13 million readersworldwide have fallen in love with the romantic, fantastic, child-like innocent story about a boy who returns to the land of his childhood dreams.

With 3 award winning books in stores and a fourth on the way...The Dreamland Chronicles is told in stunning "Pixar-like" 3D computer generated style. Truly a sight to behold.

Writing mostly for an "All Ages" audience...Scott enjoys living in Franklin, TN with his wife and twin sons and scripting stories for his little "monsters" who are just starting 1st grade and love reading "daddy's comics".

As well as his work on Dreamland, Scott also has 6 other "kids graphic novels" available in stores worldwide that read perfectly for ages 5-10 years old. Titles include Gary the Pirate, My Grandparents are Secret Agents, Cameron and his Dinosaurs, Ed's Terrestrials, Pet Robots, and Hyperactive.

THAT GUY WITH THE GLASSES
THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC

That Guy with the Glasses is a website that showcases original entertainment for an audience including video game enthusiasts and movie buffs. It primarily stars Chicago native Doug Walker aka "That Guy with the Glasses." That Guy with the Glasses has been a success, with 800,000 unique visitors. As a result of this, several sister sites are planned, beginning with Bar Fiesta and Blistered Thumbs.

The website is home to several episodic series, starring Doug Walker and others. The main Doug Walker series are 5 Second Movies (hyper-edited feature films), The Nostalgia Critic (reviews of 1980-90s films and television), Ask That Guy with the Glasses (comedy question and answer show) and Bum Reviews with Chester A. Bum (reviews of current feature films). Other videos and written articles are hosted on the site, including some minor series and sketches starring Walker.

WHAT THE CAST
PODCAST POOBAHS

WhatTheCast is a look at geek culture from the minds behind Dragon*ConTV. Everything from movies, comics and the latest news it viewed through the eyes of an engineer, rocket scientist, improv comic and web developer. Thinks of us as a portable version of the best conversations you overhear at a sci-fi convention, only without the inappropriately dressed cosplayers. Available at www.whatthecast.com or on iTunes.

TERRANCE ZDUNICH
REPO CO-CREATOR & STAR, ILLUSTRATOR

Terrance Zdunich is best known for co-creating the cult film REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA in which he also played the fan-favored role of GRAVEROBBER. As an illustrator, Zdunich provided storyboards for Sony’s animated series ROUGHNECKS: THE STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICLES, the live-action biopic WHAT WE DO IS SECRET (about the legendary punk band THE GERMS), and the Oscar-nominated INTO THE WILD, directed by Sean Penn. Zdunich also provided conceptual artwork for Fox’s TV series BONES. His most recent endeavor is a graphic novel series entitled THE MOLTING. For more info visit www.TerranceZdunich.com.

GMX is pleased to welcome this multi-talented iconic geek media figure to our show. He'll be with us all weekend!