John McGeary is a v-p for show organizer Reed Exhibitions (PWCW’s sister company) and one of the men behind the successful launch of New York Comic-con. He’s also the show manager of the New York Anime Festival, a new fan festival and trade show focused on Japanese animation and manga publishing, that will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City the weekend of December 7-9. PWCW talked with McGeary about the intersection of anime and manga and what will make NYAF different from other anime conventions.
PW Comics Week : Whose idea was it to organize an anime festival?
John McGeary : We took a look at the marketplace and thought, “Now that comics have been successful, what else can we do? Is it possible to take a segment [of the comics crowd] and make its own show?” So what part is a bit different from Comic-con? The anime group. It’s a bit of a different community. But because there’s so much involved—anime, music, manga—it has so much to offer to its fan base that it’s hard to do anime justice at [a show like New York] Comic-con.
PWCW : What kind of show is this going to be? Is it for the fans? Is it a trade show?
JM : It’s going to be several things; part professional, part fan. The day before the show [trade news Web site] ICv2.com is going to have [an anime and manga] conference. And the first day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is for professionals only: retailers, licensors, librarians, educators, producers. And we’re going to have sessions just for them—some of them basic. We see ourselves teaching the community—especially from the librarian’s standpoint. They understand what it’s all about. They see NYAF’s educational value and can recommend titles depending on what a reader’s interests are. We specifically want to be more helpful to that group. And to retailers as well. We consider ourselves as a place to learn [more about anime and manga] and where to sell it.
PWCW : New York hasn’t had its own anime festival or manga convention before, has it? Why have one now and what are you doing to get the fans involved?
JM : Three or four years ago, there was [an anime/manga convention] at the Marriott Marquis. We’re not sure why it doesn’t exist anymore, but there’s a bit of a pent-up demand. That’s the feedback that we’ve been hearing from the fan base. We actually have a blog and we’re on MySpace. We invite fans to sign up for newsletters. We ask them who they would like to see at the event, and we do our best to [mold the show to their feedback].
PWCW: What can the fans expect to see?
JM : Our #1 guest of honor is Kobun Shizuno. He is codirector of [the acclaimed anime] Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone. He’s directed many Japanese films in the industry. He’s extremely popular in Japan—Evangelion premiered in Japan in September. He was one of the requested guests from fans. And if you go back into history, there’s one anime in U.S. from the 1960s called Speed Racer. It’s very much in the anime style, and Peter Fernandez and Corine Ore are both voice actors [from Speed Racer] who will be at the event. Peter Fernandez is doing voice-over work in the new live action Speed Racer movie coming out in May 2008.
PWCW : What does registration for NYAF look like?
JM : It’s looking really good. We have 2,000 fans and professionals signed up for the event.
PWCW : How many attendees are you anticipating?
JM : We’re expecting anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000 attendees. And we expect a lot of registration to happen in the week leading up to the event.
PWCW : Despite being called the New York Anime Festival, there’s quite a bit of programming being devoted to books—to manga. Why is this connection so important?
JM : Most anime shows and events throughout the country do encompass manga as well. Most anime fans are manga readers. They go hand in hand. The [visual] style of [anime] translates to the visual style of manga as well.
PWCW : What makes this show different from other anime shows like Otakon or AnimeExpo?
JM: Well, we’re embracing Japanese culture as well. We’ll be having J-pop bands there, like Unicorn Table and Happy Fun Smile—they’re a homegrown band out of New York. They do eclectic Japanese folk songs with a twist. We’ll also have a simulated samurai sword fight and one of my favorites, a maid cafe where there will be Japanese snacks like ramen and Pocky, and waitresses dressed up as maids.
PWCW: Will you have a butler cafe as well?
JM : Our sponsor doesn’t want butlers, but we may bring in butlers for 2008.
PWCW : The convention season doesn’t typically begin until spring and summer. Why launch the NYAF in December?
JM : A lot of people have asked that and one of the reasons is dates of availability at the Javits Center. But fans feel a bit starved. They’ve gone to the major anime events over the summer. We had a volunteer meeting recently, and they say a lot of anime releases come out in January and February, and they can preview them in December. Also, it’s the holiday season, so why not celebrate anime?
PWCW : So far, what’s the probability of NYAF succeeding and becoming a regular event in New York?
JM : It’s extremely probable. The feedback so far is great, and we have every intention of having the event next year. We have dates secured. As long as we have a show with content that the fans want, we’ll keep producing it.
