Pop Culture Expo

The Pop Culture Expos are a series of triannual fan conventions in Massachusetts, United States. They were founded in 2014 by Gary Sohmers as an event for giving the next generation a chance to discover creative arts careers.[1] Creative arts professionals who regularly attend the events include comic book artists/writers, puppeteers, mask makers, actors, voice actors and cartoonists.[2]

Pop Culture Expo
StatusActive
GenreFan convention Comic book convention
VenueAleppo Shriners Auditorium Wilmington, Massachusetts(2014–2016)
Hanover Mall Hanover, Massachusetts (2017)
Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center Boxborough, Massachusetts (2018-)
Location(s)Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2014
Organized byGary Sohmers/MOPCEC LLC
Websitehttp://www.necomiccons.com

History

The first Pop Culture Expo made its debut at the Aleppo Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts on May 24–25, 2014.[3] Prior to the second event, the name changed to Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza,[4] but continued to be held at the Aleppo Shriners Auditorium until its relocation to Hanover, Massachusetts in March 2017.

Celebrity guests at the 2014 conventions included Pete Best, Billy West, Mark Goddard, Ernie Hudson, Marky Ramone, Nicholas Brendon, Butch Patrick, Bill Diamond, and Naomi Grossman.[5][6][7] The guest of honor at the spring 2015 show was Adam West.[8] A Christmas Story cast reunion featuring child actors Zack Ward, Scott Schwartz, Ian Petrella, and Yano Anaya were featured at the winter 2015 show, along with special musical guest Andrew W.K..[9] James Tolkan, Micky Dolenz, Barry Bostwick, Dean Cain, and Sean Gunn were featured guests at the 2016 shows.[10]

In March 2017, the show moved into a defunct J. C. Penney store in the Hanover Mall in Hanover, Massachusetts which had been empty for two years before being turned into the Hanover Mall Event Center,[11][12] and was renamed Boston SouthCoast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza. Adam West and Burt Ward from the 1960s Batman (TV series) were guests of honor at the March 2017 show, which turned out to be West’s last public appearance before he died in June 2017.[13][14][15] An estimated 10,000 people attended the show.[10] In July 2017, the show featured a cast reunion for Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete & Pete with actors Mike Maronna and Danny Tamberelli.[16] The December 2017 event attracted controversy online after Sohmers made the decision to retain the services of a photographer who was discovered to be a registered sex offender. Sohmers eventually relented and fired the photographer.[17] A "Boston AnimeFest" event, also started by Sohmers that ran concurrent to the December 2017 show led to a trademark infringement case in federal court. The New England Anime Society, parent org of Anime Boston, accused Sohmers of using a similar name to associate his smaller event with NEAS' larger one. [18][19][20][21][22][23]. On December 7th, 2017, United States District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in favor of NEAS and ordered Sohmers and his convention to drop the AnimeFest name from the event.[24]

In 2018, the show moved from Hanover to Boxborough, Massachusetts, where it currently resides under the previous name of Northeast Comic Con. Featured guests throughout the 2018-2019 shows have included, Gilbert Gottfried, Ann Robinson, and Gigi Edgley.[25]

Event dates and locations
  • May 24–25, 2014: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • December 6–7, 2014: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • June 20–21, 2015: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • December 5–6, 2015: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • June 18–19, 2016: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • December 3–4, 2016: Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
  • March 4–5, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • July 22–23, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • December 9–10, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • March 4-5, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • July 22-23, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • December 9-10, 2017: Hanover Mall
  • March 3-4, 2018: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • July 6-8, 2018: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • November 23-25, 2018: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • March 15-17, 2019: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • July 5-7, 2019: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • November 29–December 1, 2019: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
  • March 13-15, 2020: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
    • Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic
  • July 3-5, 2020: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
    • Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic
  • November 27-29, 2020: Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center
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References
  1. "CAREERS IN THE CREATIVE ARTS BSCCC FOCUS". Northeast Comic Con. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. "Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza Coming To Town Next Month". Wilmington Apple. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  3. "May 24–25: The Pop Culture Expo in Boston". Scoop. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  4. "The North East Comic Con: THIS SAT @ SUN @ The Shriners Auditorium". WEMF Radio. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. "Celebrities come to Wilmington". Wilmington Town Crier. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  6. "Pop Culture Expo in Wilmington at Shriners Auditorium May 24th and 25th". Home News Here. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  7. "Geeks, freaks& pop culture fans unite: It's Northeast Comic Con". Lowell Sun. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  8. "Adam West: still Batman after all these years". Boston Globe. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  9. "Hudson man brings the Northeast Comic Con to Wilmington". Telegram. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  10. "Hanover Mall's small businesses staying afloat before construction begins". Your Tewksbury Today. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  11. "A (super) heroes' welcome at Hanover Mall Comic Con". Wicked Local Scituate. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  12. "Comic Con NE: The League Of Ordinary Gentlemen". 107.3 WAAF. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  13. "Comic Con organizer is glad he brought TV's Adam West to Hanover". Enterprise News. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  14. "Comic Con draws thousands of fans to Hanover Mall". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  15. "Southcoast Comic Con returns to Hanover Mall". Wicked Local Hanover. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  16. "TV Guidance Counselor Episode 252: Danny & Mike (Pete & Pete) and Billy West". TV Guidance Counselor. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  17. https://www.nerdcaliber.com/controversy-grows-as-bsccc-refuses-to-drop-sex-offender-from-photo-ops/
  18. https://www.patriotledger.com/news/20171130/hanover-comic-expo-organizers-sued-for-trademark-infringement
  19. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/11/30/with-lawsuit-somerville-anime-group-duels-with-2.html
  20. https://www.nerdcaliber.com/anime-boston-parent-sues-boston-anime-fest-parent-over-trademark/
  21. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/anime-boston-suing-boston-anime-fest/
  22. https://www.thedailybeast.com/rival-anime-conventions-take-feud-to-court
  23. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-12-01/anime-boston-organizers-sue-boston-animefest-for-similar-name/.124754
  24. https://animeboston.com/news/article/661
  25. Semon, Craig. "Gilbert Gottfried, Chris Rankin at Northeast Comic Con March 15-17". The Metrowest Daily News. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
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