DRAGON CON CELEBRATES Y’ALLYWOOD

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Convention Guests Include Actors and Game Creators from Pop Culture Works Produced in Georgia.

ATLANTA – August 16, 2018 – As Georgia continues to grow its entertainment industry, the number of Georgia-made productions featured at Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, grows right along with it.

An estimated 85,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con 2018 this Labor Day Weekend – from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 – with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta – and AmericasMart Buildings #1 and #2.

Actors from a pair of hit summer movies Ant-Man and The Wasp and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as the Netflix hit series Stranger Things and CW newcomer Black Lightning will all join us at Dragon Con this year. Fans will also get a chance to talk with creators from Smite, perhaps the most popular video game to come out of Georgia.

“Georgians are awesomely creative. It really shouldn’t surprise anybody that the city that gave the world Georgia Tech and the Center for Puppetry Arts, to name just two, is also responsible for some of the world’s best pop culture,” said Rachel Reeves, convention co-chair. “I think it’s wonderful that television and movie production, not to mention digital gaming, is blossoming here in Georgia.”

Evangeline Lilly, star of Ant-Man and The Wasp, and a trio of actors from Avengers: Infinity War – Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Benedict Wong – will be on hand greeting fans and leading panels. Gillan and Klementieff also starred in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Portions of all three Marvel movies – as well as Gillan’s Jumanji – were filmed in and around Atlanta.

Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, the middle school heroes from Stranger Things, will be at the convention. Four actors representing Black Lightning – China McClain, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, and Nafessa Williams – will be there too.

Like filmed entertainment, digital gaming is big business in Georgia as well. Alpharetta-based Hi-Rez Studios’ flagship game Smite and Smite: Adventures will also be well represented. Senior game designer Daniel Fishman and voice actor Kellen Goff, who voiced multiple roles, will help make this year’s convention awesome.

Overall, Dragon Con will welcome more than 400 guests – not just celebrities but also authors, artists, and other creators and experts – from across science, science fiction, and fantasy worlds – in whatever medium.

A number of our guests have found work in the Georgia film and television industry, but not always in front of the camera. Some guests work in costuming – different than cosplay – prop building, fight choreography, script writing, and other technical roles.

“Dragon Con has something for everybody,” Reeves said. “If you’re interested in getting into the production side of film or gaming, you have the chance at Dragon Con to talk with the professionals who are already there, making the movies, shows, and games that make so many people happy.”

About Dragon Con:

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.