Fan Xpo hoping to attract herds of nerds

Pop culture, in all its kaleidoscopic and cartoony glory, will be showcased in the fourth annual Kelowna Fan Xpo.

Movie and TV stars, voice actors, graphic novelists, cosplay performers and filmmakers are scheduled to appear at this year’s Fan Xpo.

“This is an international quality, pop culture festival,” producer Joseph Otoo said Friday. It’s also, he added with a laugh, a chance for nerds to party with other nerds.

About 2,000 people paid to attend the show in 2016, and hopes for an attendance of close to 3,000 this year.

“We’re taking everything we had last year and making it even better this year,” said Bonnie Gratz of New Vintage Theatre, a non-profit society that helps put on Fan Xpo.

A highlight, Gratz said, will be the premiere of The Recall, a sci-fi film shot in the North Okanagan last year starring Wesley Snipes. There’s a chance Snipes will be at Fan Xpo, Gratz said.

Another big draw is expected to be the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, performed by Victoria native Charles Ross. He has presented the 75-minute show, based on all three original Star Wars movies, for audiences around the world.

Other actors scheduled to appear at Kelowna Fan Xpo include Aleks Paunovic, from the TV shows Van Helsing and Supernatural, and Katie Stuart from The 100 and X-Men2.

While some Fan Xpo performers may not be household names, those attending are likely to recognize their distinctive voices.

Veteran voice actors Kirby Morrow, Brian Drummond, and Lee Tockar have had parts in productions such as Transformers, the League of Super Evil, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Unlike similar shows, the Kelowna FanXpo is still smallscale enough to allow fans to mingle with the performers and ask questions about their start in show business, and receive tips on how to break into it themselves, Otoo said.

“Who knows, you might have a question that could, in the next 10 years, make you the next Comic-Con superstar,” Otoo said.

Tickets are $75 for a VIP pass, $25 for adults, $10 for kids four to 10. See selectyourtickets.com.

This is an international quality, pop culture festival. Producer Joseph Otoo

RON SEYMOUR/The Okanagan Saturday About 3,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Kelowna FanXpo on March 24 and 25. Shown here are Nicole Mauro, left (dressed as Cosplay character Evie Frye), Bonnie Gratz of New Vintage Theatre and Brock Gratz as the KFX robot.