Awesome Con Short Film Festival (December 9-13, 2020)

Join us for the "at home" 2020 Awesome Con Short Film Festival! DELETE from director Joe Carabeo will be making the World Premiere and I designed the animated film titles for that film. It will be showing Friday, December 11, 2020 as the 5th film of the evening (the films start at 8PM EST).

DC’s pop culture convention Awesome Con (awesome-con.com) brings its annual Short Film Festival online for the first time beginning tomorrow. Fans from around the world can watch over 10 hours of free screenings spanning science-fiction, action, horror, documentary, comedy, and drama, from both independent filmmakers and Hollywood professionals. The lineup includes works from and featuring Rider Strong and Shiloh Strong, Ted Raimi, Larisa Oleynik, James Van Der Beek, Diablo Cody, Hailee Steinfeld, and J. K. Simmons. 

Awesome Con traditionally welcomes 70,000 fans to Washington, DC each year, but like most events in 2020, its physical edition could not take place because of coronavirus. Instead, the event presented an online edition earlier this year. And now, to wrap up 2020, Awesome Con brings one of its most popular features online for the first time too - the Awesome Con Short Film Festival.

Launched five years ago by Awesome Con in collaboration with Astray Productions, the event sought to shine a spotlight on Mid-Atlantic filmmakers and celebrate them in front of DC’s largest gathering of film and popular culture fans. Quickly growing to welcome filmmakers from around the world, the Awesome Con Short Film Festival blends the high-brow prestige of the film festival world with the excitement of a pop culture convention enjoyed by all ages, and Awesome Con and Astray Productions will present the largest Awesome Con Short Film Festival online from December 9 - 13 this year.

“This year’s Awesome Con Short Film Festival saw over 3,000 submissions from around the world,” said Astray Productions founder and Awesome Con Short Film Festival organizer Joe Carabeo. “It was a tremendously challenging process to draw all our submissions down into a week of events, and I know this year’s fest is our biggest and strongest yet!”

The Awesome Con Short Film Festival schedule, including film synopses and filmmaker biographies can be found at awesome-con.com/acshortfilmfest.

Opening Night - Wednesday, Dec 9 at 8 PM Eastern Hosted by actress Megan Caulfield. Film Festival overview, trailers, and interviews.

Sci-Fi, Action & Horror - Thursday, Dec 10 at 8 PM Eastern Over three hours of short films and filmmaker interviews.

Comedy & Drama - Friday, Dec 11 at 8 PM Eastern Over three hours of short films and filmmaker interviews including the World Premiere of Joe Carabeo’s newest film, DELETE.

Docs & Awesome Films - Saturday, Dec 12 at 8 PM Eastern Over three hours of short films and filmmaker interviews.

Full Festival Marathon - Sunday, Dec 13 at 12 PM Eastern Enjoy all the festival’s films presented in an all-day matinee.

Closing Night - Sunday, Dec 13 at 8 PM Eastern Hosted by actress Megan Caulfield. Award presentations and winner screenings.

Fans can watch all of the Awesome Con Short Film Festival’s films for free at Awesome Con’s Facebook page facebook.com/AwesomeConDC. All of this year’s films will be available to view globally through Sunday, December 20, 2020.

As another first, in addition to juried Best Cinematography and Best in Show awards, the Awesome Con Short Film Festival will present its inaugural Audience Award, with fans encouraged to vote for their favorite of the festival’s entries. All awards will be announced on Sunday, December 13.

Entries will open soon for the 2021 edition of the Awesome Con Short Film Festival, returning to take place in person again in Washington, DC at the next Awesome Con - Friday, August 20 - Sunday, August 22, 2021.

For more information, please visit the Awesome Con Short Film Festival website and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

ABOUT AWESOME CON

Awesome Con is Washington DC’s Comic Con! Awesome Con is a celebration of geek culture, bringing over 70,000 fans together with their favorite stars from across comics, movies, television, toys, games, and more! And just like DC, we’re smart, family-friendly, and inclusive - and we’ll return August 20 - 22, 2021. For more, visit awesome-con.com.

ABOUT JOE CARABEO

Joe Carabeo is an award-winning cross platform artist based out of Northern Virginia. Armed with a Photography and Film undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Joe created Astray Productions (a metaphor for Fearless Creative Direction) as an creation umbrella where he can produce his own films, photography, music, comics, and commercial work, some which have been seen around the world in film festivals, conventions, magazines, and even charting more than 1 millions views online. Also, Joe might have been one of the first podcasters ever in the DC area as the co-host for the 450+ weekly episodes of the Carolyn and Joe Show. Besides his own productions, Joe has also had the opportunity to use his Directing and Camera talent to work with amazing national entities, such as The Beach Boys, NBC, ABC, FOX, Showtime , Epix, TLC, Bravo, Awesome Con, Intel, The National Guard, DC Lottery, Papa Johns, NASA, Under Armour, Red Cross, and more. For more, visit joecarabeo.com and astrayproductions.com.

Recap: Awesome Con 2018

Curls Studio celebrated our sixth appearance at Awesome Con this past weekend. For me the show was very enjoyable and it brought back feelings of the first Awesome Con. That was special because the show has grown so much and this one felt comfortable and less overwhelming than other years. I had fun seeing the guests, participating in a panel, and having more time at our table this year.

For those of you who don't know about Awesome Con, it's a three day extravaganza of all things awesome: fandom, sci-fi, comics, movies, cosplay, celebrities, voice actors... they have it all!

On Friday I was on the "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" panel with Thom Zahler and Chrissie Zullo. We gave great advice about the transformation of attending the show as a spectator and transforming into an exhibitor. Audio of the event will soon be up on the Carolyn and Joe Show podcast.

Great, filled to capacity, crowd during day 2 of The Awesome Con Short Film Festival: Comedy and Drama today. Here's the view during @atothedoublej short film "Lines" #awesomeconshortfilmfestival #awesomecon18 #ac18 #lines #amyjojohnson #shortfilm #awesomecon

A post shared by JOE (@astrayj) on Mar 31, 2018 at 8:01pm PDT

Joe continued to produce the "Awesome Con Short Film Fest" to a standing room only crowd on both Friday (Horror, Action, Sci-Fi) and Saturday (Comedy, Drama) afternoons.

On Friday I had the opportunity to meet WWE wrestlers The New Day and get their autographs. I was wearing their t-shirt, so it was exciting to represent the power of positivity!

I was hyped that the guys from the TV show Boy Meets World (Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Will Friedle) were going to be at Awesome Con the moment the show made the announcement! Boy Meets World and Freaks and Geeks are hands down my favorite TV shows of all-time. Apparently this was Ben Savage's first convention. It started with Will Friedle as a guest at last year's Awesome Con (I got the opportunity to moderate his panel with Grey DeLisle Griffin -- you can listen to the audio here). Will has done several conventions and then he started to get Rider interested in attending them as well. Now they brought in Ben!

A great day at Awesome Con meeting @dbmcn! You know him as Harley from Boy Meets World, my all-time favorite television show (along with Freaks and Geeks). It was wonderful that he was at the show and took time for a photo. Thank you, Danny for everything you give back to the fans. #AwesomeCon @awesomecons #awesomepanels18 #awesomecon2018 #ac2018 #BoyMeetsWorld #BMW #GirlMeetsWorld #TGIF #whenitsboymeetsworlditsboymeetsworld

A post shared by Carolyn Belefski (@carolynbelefski) on Mar 31, 2018 at 6:43pm PDT

Saturday was the Boy Meets World panel and I was lucky to have a moment to step away from the table and attend the panel -- to my surprise actor Danny McNulty who plays the bully Harley Keiner was in the audience! That was so cool that he came to the show. I got to tell him how much I love BMW and how he is a legendary like "A Christmas Story" bullies. After the show, I found him on social media and he is doing a lot of good working on anti-bulling efforts. Yet another message BMW continues to share years after and with the Girl Meets World series.

The panel was amazing -- all the guys are so charismatic and charming and funny. So many great BMW lessons and behind-the-scenes memories were shared during the audience Q&A. I loved being there with a huge audience full of BMW fans. Discussing topics that are still relevant today like Shawn and Angela's relationship, #MeToo movement, and more. The day was also actor William Daniels's 91st birthday and they talked about their respect for Mr. Feeny.

Sunday was Easter, so I went to mass in the morning while Joe covered the table responsibilities. We had a blast hanging out behind the table with our neighbor Jessica Howard, the creator of "Love Metal."

I asked him how the marmalade business was doing and he gave me a thumbs up! #paddingtonbear #trouble #AwesomeCon #awesomepanels18 #ac2018 @awesomecons #awesomecon2018 #insidertrading #paddington #marmalade #bear

A post shared by Carolyn Belefski (@carolynbelefski) on Apr 1, 2018 at 6:50pm PDT

I met Paddington Bear! Also Phil LaMarr came to our table to chat and I told him all about the 100 Sad Fish I recently drew. So. Much. Awesome.

Mega thanks to the Awesome Con staff, volunteers, fellow exhibitors, guests, and attendees for an AWESOME event. I can't wait until next year and hope to be back -- mark your calendars for April 26-28, 2019.

As of right now, the next comic show will be a new one -- Fairfax Comic Con -- on August 25-26, 2018. There might be smaller appearances that could pop up, but I don't envision doing a big show before that. This will give us time to produce a new book. One of the benefits of going to shows is meeting people in-person. I value the interactions of chatting with people in real life, but it does take time to make comics and many creators struggle with the tour schedule and finding time to make new books. Not to mention sometimes the touring is our actual "vacation" time!

You can also catch me this Friday -- I'll be a guest at DC Web Fest. I won't have any comic displays, but I will hanging out if you want to say hi!

Recap: Awesome Con 2017

Curls Studio celebrated our fifth non-stop appearance at Awesome Con on June 16-18, 2017. The show has massively grown from a small section of the DC Convention Center to nearly the full building over the course of five years! It is clear that Awesome Con is a force of pop culture that the Washington, DC area has been craving. Science, cosplay, comics, crafts, geek culture, film, celebrities, and more were represented.

On Friday evening Joe navigated the "Awesome Con Short Film Fest" to a standing room only crowd. As a follow-up on Saturday evening the same filmmakers represented in-person for the "Awesome Filmmakers: Making It Happen" panel. We will be releasing the audio from the filmmakers panel this Tuesday on the Carolyn and Joe Show.

I took part on the "Kickstarter: Dos and Don'ts" panel and "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" on Saturday. This was a day of professional development panels for me. I enjoy giving advice to upcoming creative producers. It did seem like some people in the audience are not creators and they came to the panels to discover what our lives are like as artists and writers.

A fan came to my table to have me sign an Adventure Time comic cover I illustrated. She told me she got Ryan North (creator of Dinosaur Comics) to sign it (he was on The Other Side of the Table panel and the writer of the Adventure Time comic). The next day I was able to bring my personal copies of the comic and have Ryan sign our previously unknown collaboration for me.

On Sunday morning Joe and I recorded a live podcast for the "Carolyn and Joe Show" with special guest, Karen Hallion. Karen is a phenomenal artist who has worked with Disney, DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, Her Universe, and many other top brands. We discussed her art career, how she met Gina Torres, and her upcoming project. We also celebrated our landmark 400 episode of the podcast and audio is now available for listening online here.

Later on Sunday I lead the Awesome Con Jr. event sponsored by Nickelodeon with my "Design Your Own Superhero Logo" seminar for kids. Children created a hero symbol for themselves. Some of the logos we created were for "Pizza Man" and "Sloth Man."

Awesome Con provided us with a great feeling to know we had a fun time with fans, friends, and other exhibitors. I was very exhausted after this show, but it was worth it. I am thankful we got to see a little bit of the show by going thru the "Stan Lee Museum" section and seeing many cool comic art pages, film props, and nostalgic items.

Thanks so much to Sean Causley for watching the table while we were gone at panels and thanks to the Awesome Con staff and Brute Squad for organizing a prime event in DC. In addition, thanks to everyone we talked to at the Curls Studio table -- even if you didn't buy anything and only took a promo postcard -- thank you for stopping by. We hope to see you at our next shows this fall -- Small Press Expo, Baltimore Comic-Con, and potentially more to be announced.

Awesome Con is June 16-18, 2017

We hope you can join us this weekend for the fifth edition of Awesome Con DC on June 16-18, 2017 at the DC Convention Center. Curls Studio will be located at table N5. Check out the awesome map above where the yellow pulse signal circles are so you'll know where to find us.

New this year at Awesome Con is Awesome Con Jr., a first-ever family-focused pavilion within Awesome Con, providing hours of fun with entertaining and educational programs just for kids including interactive opportunities with characters from Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series PAW Patrol and Shimmer and Shine. Join us on Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 2PM for "Create Your Own Superhero Symbol with Carolyn Belefski." 

In addition to the workshop, we have several panels we'll be taking part in -- there is something for everyone:

Awesome Con Short Film Fest
6/16/2017 / 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM / 144 A
Finish your day of insanity at Awesome Con by grabbing some popcorn, all your friends, and a seat, as Joe Carabeo (Director, Astray Productions, Project Resolution) and Otessa Marie Ghadar (Director, 2020 Production, DC Web Fest Founder) bring to Awesome Con for the first time, an Awesome Con Short Film Festival! Check out on the fringe films that have been making waves by Otessa Marie Ghadar, Rick Spears, Matthew Lucas, Michele Lombardi, Danny Caporaletti, and Joe Carabeo. Grab your seat fast for this exclusive, first time, Awesome Con mini film festival.
Panelists: Joe Carabeo, Otessa Marie Ghadar, Danny Caporaletti, Rick Spears, Matthew Lucas, Michele Lombardi
Rated PG

Kickstarter: Dos and Don’ts 
6/17/2017 / 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM / 149 
Kickstarter has been proven to be a wonderful platform in helping creators get their projects off the ground. Join our panelists who have each launched successful Kickstarter campaigns as they talk about their first-hand experiences. 
Panelists: Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Jason Rodriguez (The Little Particle That Could)
Rated G

The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators
6/17/2017 / 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM / 149
Are you a creator considering exhibiting at Artist Alley or Small Press comic conventions? This panel will give you tips and suggestions on how to create your professional appearances from the POV of being behind the table. We will discuss the metamorphosis from attendee to exhibitor, effective table display design, how to talk and interact with people at your table, and how to generate sales with your table pitch. We will highlight the process of starting a comic book tour on a low budget and methods of attracting potential readers by promoting your appearances and will take questions and comments, as this will be a conversation on multiple subjects regarding how to build rewarding convention appearances from the ground up.
Panelists: Ryan North, Carolyn Belefski, Dawn Griffin
Moderator: Joe Carabeo
Rated G

Dark Matter Q&A
6/17/2017 / 5:30 PM - 6:15 PM / 150
Melissa O'Neil and Zoe Palmer will discuss their exciting careers and answer audience questions.
Moderator: Joe Carabeo
Rated PG

Awesome Filmmakers: Making it Happen
6/17/2017 / 8:30 PM - 9:15 PM / 150
The legendary Awesome Con filmmakers panel that had everyone talking has returned! Join filmmaker panelists Otessa Marie Ghadar (DC Webfest, Orange Juice in Bishops Garden), Rick Spears and Michele Lombardi (Black Eyes), Matthew Lucas(Moonshot) and Danny Caporaletti (Making Movies is Easy) and moderated by Director Joe Carabeo (Astray Productions, The Magic Trick), as they break the 4th the wall and reveal the realities of being a filmmaker and making it happen in today’s media consuming society. You might even see an exclusive trailer or two or three. A must see for all filmmakers and film lovers at Awesome Con.
Panelists: Otessa Marie Ghadar, Rick Spears, Michele Lombardi, Matthew Lucas, Danny Caporaletti 
Moderator: Joe Carabeo
Rated PG

LIVE Carolyn and Joe Show Podcast "400th Episode” with Karen Hallion
6/18/2017 / 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM / 154
The Carolyn and Joe Show podcast celebrate their 400th episode! Every year one of the best times at Awesome Con is the live recording of The Carolyn and Joe Show podcast in front of a LIVE Awesome Con audience. They've had special guests from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pulp Fiction, Renowned Animation voices and Walking Dead Actors. This is a panel/recording/live show like no other and it's the 400th episode. What in the world could possibly happen this year? This year artist Karen Hallion will be the special guest! Karen has done licensed work for Marvel, Lucas, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks Studios, Cryptozoic, TOPPS, Her Universe, and Disney. 
Panelists: Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo, Karen Hallion
Rated PG

Create Your Own Superhero Symbol with Carolyn Belefski
6/18/2017 / 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM / Awesome Con Jr.
Every hero needs a logo! Many superheroes have personal branding on their outfits and My Little Pony characters even have cutie marks! Join artist and designer Carolyn Belefski and learn how to incorporate graphic design elements to create an icon and establish your own powerful visual identity.

Let Us Seek Wonders profiles Cartoonists Draw Blood

Cartoonist Joe Sutliff, who has been an artist at the Cartoonists Draw Blood event since it's inception has a relatively new comic called Let Us Seek Wonders. This week he focused on the origin story of Cartoonists Draw Blood and how the concept came to National Cartoonists Society's Washington, DC chapter and how we began working with American Red Cross.

Read the full comic here: http://letusseekwonders.blogspot.com/2016/10/drawing-blooooooood.html

You'll be able to meet Joe at this year's event on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Seekers Church in Washington, DC (across from Takoma Metro). If you show up, let him know and he might interview you for next week's page -- then you will be immortal cartoon royality!

Here is a direct link to schedule your appointment for Cartoonists Draw Blood 2016. Walk-ins are also welcome from 10AM to 3:30PM. Hope you can join us!

Listen to Joe on the last Carolyn and Joe Show podcast (episode #388): https://carolynandjoeshow.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/joe-sutliff

Cartoonists Draw Blood is next Saturday, October 29, 2016

The Washington, DC chapter of the National Cartoonists Society is organizing the 4th annual blood drive in Washington, DC featuring several local cartoonists drawing for American Red Cross blood donors -- "Cartoonists Draw Blood" will be celebrated on Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 10AM to 3:30PM at Seekers Church (across the street from Takoma Metro) at 276 Carroll Street, NW.

Blood donors are encouraged sign up for appointments scheduled in 15-minute intervals between 10AM to 3:30PM and walk-ins are also welcome. To make an appointment, email CartoonistsDrawBlood@gmail.com. You may also register yourself online using this link.

On the day of donation, donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids, include iron-rich foods in their diet, and bring a list of medications they are taking and a photo ID. All donors will be able to meet the cartoonists and receive a complimentary cartoon sketch.

It is a great opportunity for cartoonists to perform community service, showcase our talents, and save lives. We've done three previous blood drives, which have already saved the lives of over 200 people. 

This year event will feature cartoonists Steve Artley, Carolyn Belefski, Bill Brown, Eric Gordon, Art Hondros, Kerry G. Johnson, Mal Jones, Liz Reed, Joe Sutliff, Kyra Taub, and Art Hondros.
  In past years, the cartoonists have drawn original spooky illustrations, family pets, caricatures, and more. Since this year's blood drive is near Halloween, we encourage attendees to come in costume, however it's not required to give blood. Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up above the elbow.

Free parking is available all weekend in the Takoma Metro parking lot across the street.

Let your friends know about this event by sharing the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/491187757755990

American Red Cross Press Release: http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/local/washington-dc/Cartoonists-Draw-Blood-event

Recent podcast interview with participating cartoonist Joe Sutliff on the Carolyn and Joe Show: carolynandjoeshow.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/joe-sutliff

Organizers: Carolyn Belefski, Troy-Jeffrey Allen

Recap: Awesome Con 2016

This past weekend was the fourth Awesome Con on June 3-5, 2016. It's hard to believe Awesome Con has only been around for four years. Early on Sunday I was able to walk around at several segments of the DC Convention Center. The second year's main floor event location (with the small balcony section) is now used as a holding room for crowds. The registration area was the place where the first Awesome Con was held. The show has grown leaps and bounds and I don't see it stopping anytime soon.

This show is the most fun I've had in a few years and has rejuvenated my excitement for conventions. Awesome Con had everything: inventive cosplay, guests, comics, video games, merchandise, etc.,  but the most important element of the convention is consistent energy. Every second of the show was pumping, down to the last minute.

On Friday, Joe moderated the Jeremy London Q&A, then later in the evening Joe and I were lucky enough to be able to record a live podcast for the Carolyn and Joe Show with special guest Phil LaMarr! You might know him from Pulp Fiction, Mad TV, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Pee-wee Herman Show, and many more. I can't wait for you to listen to the show. It will soon be available -- along with all our panels -- at www.carolynandjoeshow.com.

On Saturday, we had many more panels! I moderated the Will Friedle & Grey DeLisle Q&A and it was so fun! I was most nervous about this one, because I had talked to Phil LaMarr before and could jive with him, but I had never met Will or Grey before in-person. I had been asking Ben from Awesome Con to bring in Will Friedle as a guest for the past two years and this year the stars aligned to make it happen! I've always been a fan of Boy Meets World, Batman Beyond, Kim Possible, and more recently Girl Meets World. I already knew Will was awesome, but was not as familiar with Grey, in fact I'd never heard of her until her being asked to moderate the panel (crazy, right?). I'm so impressed with her and completely educated with her talents now. I've been questioning myself why I didn't know her name because I've heard her as Frankie in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and as Black Canary in Batman: the Brave and the Bold (check out the song "If Only" in Mayhem of the Music Meister). Big thanks to Will and Grey for such a fun time onstage -- I attempted to start a hashtag #WillGreyQA with audience members so look that up on Twitter, Instagram, etc. for more photos and excellent quotes.

Directly after #WillGreyQA, I walked across the hall to a panel I was asked by Heidi MacDonald to be a panelist on called "How To Break Into Comics (and Survive)" with Bryan Tillman, Amy Reeder, Justin Jordan, and Shawn Martinbrough. We discussed our successes and methods that work for us -- it was amazing that everyone had a different style, path, and approach to our careers.

Meanwhile, Joe was moderating the Summer Glau Q&A. I'm sure we will be able to hear his take on meeting her on the podcast soon.

On Saturday afternoon, I lead an art seminar in the Kids Zone called "Create Your Own Superhero Symbol." This is always fun for children and their parents -- even some adults without children joined in. I had collected Peanuts, Iron Man, and Captain America posters from random places in the past (last year's NCS convention and the friendly neighborhood movie theater) and gave them away to all people who completed their own personalized superhero logo.

Later at night, Joe lead the "Awesome Filmmakers: Making It Happen" panel. As with all the speaker panels, we have audio we will be releasing week-to-week on the podcast.

On Sunday, we only had one panel and were able to enjoy the show at the table most of the day! "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" is a panel we had hosted at New York Comic Con for a few years and are glad to bring it to Awesome Con for a second time. We had some new panelists because we like to mix it up and learn from several exhibitors each time we host this panel. This year Bryan Turner and Chris Flick joined Joe Carabeo and I! Chris Flick filled in for Dawn Griffin because she had a knee injury and unfortunately could not make it for this year's Awesome Con. Bryan and Chris brought a great dynamic to the panel and I loved the discussion!

Now that the show is over, I'm still riding off the high it has created in my mind. I know eventually it might wear off, but what a great feeling to know we had a fun time with fans, friends, and other exhibitors. Thanks so much to Teresa Roberts Logan for watching the table while we were gone at panels and thanks to the Awesome Con staff and Brute Squad for organizing a prime event in DC. In addition, thanks to everyone we talked to at the Curls Studio table -- even if you didn't buy anything and only took a promo postcard -- thank you for stopping by. We hope to see you at our next shows this fall -- Baltimore Comic-Con, Small Press Expo, and New York Comic Con.