VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Passion and community shine at Syracuse Collectors Con
Brooke Borzymowski: This past weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse’s largest pop culture convention brought together vendors, passionate fans, families, and even some familiar characters? Let’s take a look. Whether you’re looking for pop culture-inspired creations or to dress up with a fellow fan, Syracuse Collectors Con at the State Fairgrounds has it all. James Sullivan, known as “Sketching the Beast,” is a comic-style artist who attends the event as a vendor. Selling his work is a plus, but that’s not the best part of the weekend for him.
James Sullivan: I get to talk to all sorts of people, anybody who’s interested in anything. I mean, even if it’s somebody you just come across, you know, just to get to see some cool cosplay. You get to see some of some awesome art. You get to see what, what kind of cool, crazy stuff people are creating and crafts and stuff. It’s just a lot of fun.
Borzymowski: For Will Damante, collecting isn’t just a hobby. He started this lifestyle 40 years ago, when his parents gifted him his first Transformers comic. He’s now up to a quarter of a million comic books and reflects fondly on how they connect people.
Will Damante: A dad and a daughter, you know, talk about like, “Oh, I love Harley Quinn, or I love Spiderman.” They enjoy that together. It’s really a nice bond and building like a foundation for relationships with people.
Borzymowski: And whether your interest is superheroes, ninja turtles, or even Dr. Who, there’s something here at Collectors Con for everybody. Oh, I think I’m getting a call. Someone else who’s taking calls?
Ava: I’m actually a real ghostbuster with my family.
Borzymowski: With your family?
Ava: Yeah.
Borzymowski: Ava’s dad’s group, Ghostbusters of CNY, realizes these shows are bigger than the nostalgia they invoke. They use their passion for “nerding out” to collect money for a good cause.
Ava: At Christmas time, we go and shop for all the kids at the hospital.
Borzymowski: Collectors Con was just the two days, but Ava’s fellow Ghostbusters told me their group does charity events throughout the year, and the same goes for the vendors and artists that are making their fandom a way of life. You can go to NCCNewsOnline to find out what those groups and businesses have going on all year-round.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — For some people, collecting pop culture memorabilia or keeping up with a movie franchise is just a hobby. For others, it’s a way of life. Whether you’re a mere browser of comic books or you participate in the cosplay contest, there’s something for everyone at Syracuse Collectors Con.
The largest pop culture convention in Central New York took place on March 29 and 30 at the New York State Fairgrounds in the Center of Progress building. With the purchase of a one or two-day ticket, attendees had access to vendors, celebrity guests, artists and exhibitions that made for a memorable event.
One of these vendors is James Sullivan, whose comic-style art business is called “Sketching the Beast.” For the past five years, Sullivan has been making traditional and digital artwork that he sells through his website and events like Collectors Con.
He’s found his niche in the artwork space, but he said his favorite part of conventions is that there’s a flavor for every attendee.
“Everybody’s looking for anything that interests them, and it’s anything – Star Wars, in some cases Pokémon cards, for some people Marvel or DC, and even some indie stuff. Some people are looking just to support artists, too,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he loves how Collectors Con is a chance to learn about other fandoms and see what else passionate creators like him are making.
Individual creators shine at these events, but so do groups like the Ghostbusters of Central New York. They are a local charitable and cosplay organization that participate in conventions and local events to raise funds for children’s hospitals. Donations and proceeds from a raffle at Syracuse Collectors Con will go towards Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.
AJ Logan handles the public relations and props for the group, and he feels that he found his place with the Ghostbusters of CNY.
“Finding someone that is as passionate about the same things as you is refreshing,” he said.
Between “nerding out” with fellow fans of the Ghostbusters franchise and giving back to the community, the common interest is a meaningful one for Logan.
Some people connect with their fandom later in life, like Logan did when he met the Ghostbusters of CNY at a movie screening.
Others, however, find their passion much earlier on, and they make it a way of life. Will Damante’s parents gifted him his first Transformers comic when he was five.
He remembers his parents telling him, “I don’t care what you’re reading, as long as you’re reading,” and the rest is history.
Damante is now known as the “Undisputed Comics King” and makes a living off his impressive comic book collection. His warehouse has around 250,000 comics, and he sells and buys those books and memorabilia at conventions and online.
Investing in comic books is diving into modern mythology for Damante.
“There’s always subtext and allegories and metaphors to the real world. When the writer and artist blend, they always have something to say,” he said.
While bombastic battles and rare superpowers don’t occur in the real world, Damante said the moral lessons and “good-guy” decision-making can still teach us how to live.
From Funko Pop collectors to Spiderman fanatics, events like Syracuse Collectors Con give people with common interests a place to foster community. Damante said his favorite thing about conventions is how they build a foundation for relationships within a fandom, friends and family members.
Whether it’s your first convention or your hundredth, the message was the same – have fun, ask questions and get involved. And if you leave with a collectible, good memory or even a new friend, that’s just a bonus.