Ryan Kopf's Blog

Did you know you can grow your own food at home. If you have enough of a yard, you can. (And sometimes even if you don't have any yard at all.)I can tell you from personal experience that it's not only easy but also incredibly rewarding.

It's no secret that I'm a nerd. Obviously I must be, since my main job is running anime conventions. I love anime, video games, manga, and all that fun nerdy stuff. So, since I am also a computer programming, that must mean I'm interested in game design, right.

Tixily has been a secret to AnimeCon.org's success for years. As an anime convention organizer for almost 15 years, I've seen the industry grow and change. Conventions have become more popular and diverse, but the work of organizing them has only become more complex.

They want you to think we are not poor. Who's "They". Powerful interests. No, I'm not talking conspiracy-theory shadow government organizations that run the world. No, I'm not talking about some specific evil rich person like Elon Musk or Rupert Murdoch or Charles Koch or George Soros.

Often I ask myself: why do anime conventions become hotbeds for unforeseen drama and challenges. These vibrant hubs for fandoms seem to attract a unique blend of issues. From internal staffing issues to filling public fountains with soap and causing a mess, I've seen it all.

As an anime fan, I have always been passionate about the community and the culture. Growing up, I found it difficult to find like-minded individuals who shared my interests. My school wasn't really filled with nerds, and most of the anime people in my school were even more socially awkward than I was.

What a weird sentence to start with, right. "Abortion Is Not Allowed Because Your Body Is Property". What on Earth could that even mean. It sure grabs attention. But what could I possibly mean. Abortion is such a divisive issue.

It's a tale as old as time: the ultra-rich exploit the working class for their own gain. And nowhere is this more evident than in the practices of billionaires like Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, and Peter Thiel, who use all kinds of complex business practices like, just for example, using outsourcing and automation to replace workers just so they can make way more money.

Hey fellow nerds. We are excitedly gearing up for another fantastic year of Con+Alt+Delete at the Hyatt Regency O'hare in Rosemont. But as we prepare, I came across another anime convention in my news feed.

Today I write to you about organizing anime conventions - it's not always so easy, and there's growing challenges. You might think that I would celebrate seeing failures from other conventions. After all, doesn't the chairman of Coke smile whenever Pepsi stock goes down.