FanX 15 - Ireland Reid, Queen of the Nerds

Costume designer Ireland Reid said that she stumbled into an opportunity that changed her life. After 15 years of designing outfits for fitness competitors, she came across a chance to create and wear her own costume at a comic con event. “Everything just kind of fell in place from then,” Reid told me while at Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2015 in January. Now a popular cosplayer, model and geek girl extraordinaire, she travels the world, appearing at comic and pop culture conventions as a featured guest.

“I get to travel all over […] the world, basically, showing and creating and designing costumes based upon cosplay characters that I’ve actually grown up with and learned to love and appreciate,” Reid said. “It’s pretty exciting.” Some of Reid’s most popular and well-recognized costumes include Batman nemesis Poison Ivy, Star-Lord of Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men’s Emma Frost, Jessica Rabbit and outfits inspired by the popular Harry Potter and Assassin’s Creed franchises. When I asked her how many cosplay outfits she had, in total, she responded that she had “completely lost track,” but has a room full of mannequins with costumes on them.

Reid loves creating Pokémon-themed costumes, as well. Aside from her iconic Pikachu and Pichu costumes, she has several other stylish outfits, including a jewel-encrested Shiny Eevee outfit, which she debuted in Salt Lake City.

“This is a never-before-seen costume,” Reid said, describing her Shiny Eevee. “It’s actually been done for three months, so I was pretty excited to get it out and [have it] see the light of day.”

While she was thrilled to debut her new costume, there was one thing that Reid was not excited about – the cold Utah weather. It was the California native’s second trip to the Beehive State, but she had never experienced wintertime in Utah. “I’m from Southern California,” she said. “It was around 80 degrees when I left, so this is a change.” (Full disclosure: 40 degrees feels like summer in January for Salt Lake City residents, so if she was trying to avoid snow and really cold weather, she picked the right January to visit.) She did have some nice very things compliments about Utah, however, saying, “I absolutely love this city. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Everyone is super friendly and nice. I love it.”

Reid maintains an incredibly busy schedule, cramming in all of her modeling, prop making, costume designing, acting and a slew of other social media shenanigans. While she maintains a cool, professional demeanor when appearing at conventions, Reid’s bubbly, ultra-nerdy personality is perhaps most best showcased on her YouTube channel, where she uploads videos when her limited availability permits. Reid explained that her videos cover a wide variety of topics. “I do unveils for [subscription services] Nerd Block, Loot Crate [and] Arcade Block,” she said. “I also do … a lot of skits – kind of funny or humorous – and then a lot of behind the scenes of how I make some of my cosplays.”

Ireland Reid’s official social media accounts include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, and her prints and a more detailed biography can be found on her official website, Store Envy and NerdGlam.com.

Salt Lake Comic Con: One-on-One with Valerie Perez

Back at Salt Lake Comic Con in September 2014, I had the opportunity to spend some time getting to know actress, producer, model and self-proclaimed “day brightener” Valerie Perez. Without having any prior familiarity with her career, she graciously allowed me to interrogate her with my journalistic curiosity. Her outgoing personality, friendly disposition and upbeat sense of optimism quickly made her one of my favorite guests at the convention.

“I do a fair amount of conventions every year,” Perez told me. But, despite her recurring appearances at comic cons and pop culture events across the United States, this was her first time coming to Utah. After working with show producer Dan Farr on several occasions, Salt Lake finally snagged her for the show in Fall 2014. By all indications, she seemed to be enjoying her stay. “Everyone’s been so nice!” she said through her practically permanent smile.

Perez is best known for her roles as a butt-kicker in several hit web series. With roles ranging from serious to satirical, Perez has appeared in web videos including “Universal Dead,” “Superhero Speed Dating” and Nerdist.com’s “Justice League” videos, and she starred in Atlantis Studios’ live-action comicbook series, “The Adventures of Paula Peril.”

Becoming an actress was something that Perez said wasn’t easy. “I wanted to do other things, because you’ve all heard about how terrible it is to get into acting,” she said. “You have to be pretty masochistic to want to take all that rejection. But then I realized [that] I really like flexing those muscles of communicating with people.

“I grew up kind of a lonely kid,” she continued. “So … feeling that great feeling of being heard and sending the idea to somebody – filling up the space, if you will – feels really great. And, as someone who’s always lived in their head, I really appreciate that because, you know, I’m a computer geek. I really like the interaction and collaboration and creativity, so… It’s kind of like going to the gym, working those muscles. I’m working my communication muscles and they feel good.”

That hard work is paying off for Perez, whose work was nominated for multiple Geekie Awards in 2013.

In retrospect, Perez said that early exposure to comicbooks helped inspire her career as a model and cosplayer. “Wonder Woman is the reason why I picked up my first comicbook,” she said. “I saw that reboot with George Perez – a beautiful montage cover. He drew her just like my mom, and there was my name – Perez. I thought this book was made just for me and it became my manifesto. That first issue, I re-read it every year from the time I was eight until I was 18. She just blew my mind. … [There was] this great sense of purpose I really identified with.”

Now, Perez has earned the opportunity to don the iconic red and blue Wonder Woman costume for herself in web videos for the popular geek culture website Nerdist.com. “I always was a fan of Wonder Woman,” she said. “To be able to bring it to the next generation, to help highlight what she is, it’s a great honor.”

Along with her classic Wonder Woman costume, Perez also debuted a new, Marvel Comics-themed costume for the Salt Lake convention: Gamora, of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame. Perez said she had a friend help her apply green body paint with meticulous detail in the early hours of the morning so she could be ready for the event. “I love the colors, I love the textures and I love being here with my Baby Groot,” she said, showing off a miniature, potted version of the lovable wooden superhero that anyone familiar with this summer’s blockbuster would appreciate.

In closing, Perez offered words of encouragement to aspiring cosplayers and convention-goers. “To those who are interested in cosplaying, feel free to try to celebrate your favorite mythos and to celebrate your favorite characters that you don’t think get enough love. It’s a lot of fun.”

For more information about the Wonderfully talented Valerie Perez, follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

My chat with a cosplayer: Spotlight on Joanie Brosas

"Cosplay," as defined by the trusty dictionary.com, is "the art or practice of wearing costumes to portray characters from fiction, especially from manga, animation, and science fiction."

That seemed really weird to me back in September of 2013. There I was, a first-time convention-goer  at Salt Lake Comic Con. I basically refused to dress up. "Dressing up is for losers," I said. So there I was in my Back to the Future t-shirt (which is very cool, mind you), but I was faced with a dilemma. As part of the non-costumed minority, I realized that I was the loser! I was the one who felt like he didn't fit in. Dressing up, it seems, can be cool if you do it right. And nobody does it better than people like professional cosplayer Joanie Brosas.

Brosas' life took an unexpected turn when she was in attendance at a Star Trek convention several years ago and was approached by Dan Farr, the eventual founder of Salt Lake Comic Con. Farr, at that time, was heading a 3D modeling company called DAZ 3D. Brosas was dressed in her favorite Star Trek costume - an Orion slave - and Farr asked if she wanted to go model for his company's booth. That chance encounter led to a dramatic shift in Brosas' modeling career and her eventual relocation to the Salt Lake Valley.

These days, although she maintains a normal job on the side, Brosas still tries to attend as many conventions as possible, including an annual trip down to the Star Trek show in Las Vegas. Her love for costuming has turned into a bit of an obsession - but for good cause, as she has occasionally been asked to appear as a special guest with other professional cosplayers.

One such convention where Brosas made a special appearance was April's Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience. As part of the media, I was put in an opportunity during the convention to interview several of the pro cosplayers, including LeAnna Vamp, Kristen Hughey and Nicole Marie Jean. But with Brosas living here locally, I figured I had better talk to her, too. It was probably the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life and I had to promise each of them that I was with the newspaper and not just some pervert or something. Anyway, I recently sat down with Miss Brosas to talk to her about her life, her career, her fascination with all things science fiction and the reason behind why Utah is such a nerdy state. Here are some of the highlights from that interview.

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Signs of the Times: When you do cosplay, describe your style to me. Is the Star Trek [costume] your favorite one or do you have a theme for your other costumes, as well?

Joanie Brosas: I don’t really have a theme. I mean, Star Trek is obviously my favorite. Like, I love talking about "Star Trek." I want to dress up in things that I can talk about with other people because it’s like… I absolutely love it. I’m working on Chun-Li [from "Street Fighter"]. I keep getting frustrated with it, but I’m working on it! That was the first video game I ever played – "Street Fighter 2" – and I loved it, and, like "Kirby," I play "Kirby,’"but I don’t know what I would dress up [as] in "Kirby." …  I know there’s a lot of women out there that aren’t exactly comfortable or secure with themselves and I’m, like, super tiny. I’m super petite. ... I’m trying to just encourage girls to just be comfortable with themselves. I didn’t really start getting comfortable with myself until I started modeling and seeing what I look like on camera. I’m like, "I can be that pretty." So, I just try to do it to encourage other girls.

SotT: How many costumes do you have?

JB: Oh my goodness. They’re like one-and-dones. I am so cheap! (Laughs) But that’s also my other kind of theme, I guess you could say, is kind of, you know, going on a budget because you find what’s in your closet and do it because you’re out there to have fun. Some people are more about accuracy and stuff, you know? As long as it makes sense when you see it and people will be like, "Oh! I know that!" That’s kind of the goal, but, you know, it’s whatever you’ve got and then, you know, just work towards it. ... I’ve got my Vampirella ... I’ve got my Aphrodite IX… I did a Felicia cosplay at one point, but that one definitely was a one-and-done because it was all glue (laughs) ... and then my Orion Slave. I’d say at least four or five so far. I’m getting more as I go, but yeah: four or five, right now. I’ve got three more in the making.

SotT: I saw on Twitter the other day that you asked what movie-quality costume you would want. What is your answer to that question?

JB: Oh my gosh! So I was thinking about this the other day and I really, really want a "Halo" costume. That would be just mind-blowing, for one, but I want it to be pink! I want a pink Master Chief costume. I think it would be so awesome, but I know – I’ve been looking up tutorials and they are so hard! You need, like, a workshop for it. But one of these days! One of these days I’m going to have help, I’m going to do it. Yes. [Even] if it’s foam an plastic, I’m going to do it. (Laughs)

SotT: What do you like the most about doing cosplay?

JB: Talking to people. It just gets people talking. Yeah, it’s definitely just… I don’t know. It’s finding people that love what you love and getting to talk about it because, I mean, as you can see, I’m a talker. (Laughs) I talk way too much. I love, I mean, even the whole… the biggest conversation starter is Star Wars versus Star Trek – and you get that all the time, but it’s just a conversation starter where you can get to know people. There’s people from, like, Germany. You get people from Ireland. Everywhere. You get different kinds of people and they just come together to love the same thing. It’s awesome.

SotT: What is the most difficult thing about it?

JB: Oh my goodness. I guess, finding the confidence to do them sometimes? Me, being as small as I am, there [are] a lot of women out there – and I love these women. They’re the most [awesome] women in the world. They have curves or they got curves, you know? And sometimes, I’m just not feeling it today. I kind of focus on my abs because, you know, you feel flat-chested some days.

SotT: I know the feeling. I feel your pain.

JB: There you go! See? It’s … just getting the confidence and what gets me there is saying, "You know, there are other girls that are feeling the same way that I do. Go out and show them that they can do it, too." It’s really hard. It’s like waking up in the morning and saying, "You know what? I’m doing it. Just do it. Get it on." And people love it. People end up loving it. And that’s what changes my mind.

SotT: Do guys give you a hard time? Do you have a lot of trouble with guys being perverts or being creepy?

JB: You have to expect it. ... I just laugh it off because it’s funny. ... I really don’t care. I do a lot of motorcycle shows and those are probably the most kind of crazy people out there who’ll say whatever they want, you know? So I’m kind of immune to it. I get it a lot, so it’s just funny. I love it. ... I get a lot of negative stuff. I get "Eat a cheeseburger" like 20 times a day. Whoop-dee-do. I don’t care.

SotT: "No, YOU go eat a cheeseburger."

JB: Exactly.

SotT: Did you have a good time at FanX?

JB: I did. Yeah. I wish I could walk around more. I usually don’t and then I forget to eat. It’s all bad. You just kind of go on auto-pilot. You talk to people, and then you realize that it’s 8:00 at night. You’re like, "OK, it’s done."

SotT: "I should probably go eat some lunch or something."

JB: Exactly, yeah. I just… I don’t walk around much and I guess I don’t enjoy them as much because I don’t get out there. I just need a reminder – like, I need an alarm clock on my phone to say, "Hey, go out and have fun a little bit."

SotT: When you’re doing conventions, do you have celebrities that you want to see? Like, is there anybody where you get star-struck a little bit?

JB: Oh, star-struck? I don’t know. I don’t get too often star-struck. I get star-struck about the stupidest things. Well, not "stupid." They’re not stupid to me, but first, some people are like, "Who is that?? I don’t even know who that is." My favorite author – and [he’s] actually local; I went to one of his signings – is Brandon Mull. I’m sure you know his books. I am like a super-fan of his books. He has my favorite books. I love Harry Potter, but I love his books more. That’s a lot to say. I love Harry Potter; I love [Brandon Mull’s] books. I flipped out when I saw him! It was the dumbest thing. … I can talk to William Shatner, [but] I kind of freaked out a little [after meeting Brandon Mull]. I didn’t freak out so much to meet him, but after, like, I flipped. But when I talked to him, my hands were sweating and I was like, (screams), and I couldn’t stop talking… They actually had to say, "Well, we’ve got a lot more people to go…" I was like, "OK-I-gotta-go-bye!" Ugh. It was crazy. But yeah, so I get a little bit star-struck on those people. My favorite person to meet is Brent Spiner.

SotT: Did you meet him at FanX?

JB: I met him at my first Star Trek convention and I’ve talked to him at every single convention [that we’re both at]. He remembers me and I love it. It makes me so happy. He’s so awesome. He’s so funny and he’ll sit there and talk to you for five, ten minutes – it doesn’t matter how long his line is. He will dedicate himself to each person in line and he’s so awesome.

SotT: There was an article that recently went viral about Utah being the “nerdiest state.” Some of the criteria there was, like…

JB: Star Wars, Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons…

SotT: Cosplay was one of them.

JB: I didn't know that!

SotT: And Utah was number one [in that category].

JB: “Because everybody knows how to sew here! Like, everybody! I don’t, really. I got a sewing machine, I learned it… I’m not like a pro, but lots of people know how to sew here! So I understand that. There’s EA here, there’s eBay, there’s tons of video game places, so I don’t doubt it at all. We’re huge geeks. I went to a Star Trek convention once, I dressed up as an Orion slave, I met three other Orion slaves – which nobody dresses up as … - and there were two dudes and one girl – the sweetest people you’ll ever meet – but we were like, "Oh hey, you’re an Orion [slave]. Let’s all take a picture together!" And we were all from the same state! It was really, really weird. So yeah, I totally understand that.

SotT: I was going to see if you knew why [Utah was number one], but everyone knows how to sew. Good point.

JB: Yeah, sewing – if you know how to sew. Plus … I think it was "Game Informer" magazine? It was showing all the top schools for video game designers and stuff – and this is one of the states where – I don’t know if it’s in, like, third place in the country or whatever – but it’s one of the top states for computer graphics, all that stuff. ... [Utah is] full of talented people and I think they’re, like, nerdy-talented people, you know?

SotT: The last question I have is that we talked a lot about why you’re doing it – to encourage people and things like that – so I was just wondering what advice you have for people who are thinking about getting into it or people that are [already] into it, but struggling to get going or whatever. What advice would you have for people like that?

JB: I would say, "Just do it." Even if you don’t have all the parts, get something that looks like all the parts. If people aren’t going to understand the costume, make sure they’re going to understand it. I mean, look in the mirror and say, "Are they going to know who this is?" OK, if they’re going to know who it is, you’re fine. Go to thrift stores – because I think all of us [cosplayers] go to thrift stores.

SotT: That’s another thing we have a lot of in Utah. Thrift stores.

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Joanie Brosas can be found on Twitter at @TheOrionSlave.