WonderCon Anaheim 2025 Panel: Crafting a Multiverse - Careers in Design

WonderCon 2025 will be held March 28-30 in Anaheim, CA. I am thrilled to moderate an educational panel featuring eclectic artists from the television, film, and gaming worlds.

A huge thank you to Eddie, Tommy, Laura, Adam, Michelle, Amy, and the entire Educational Team at WonderCon! For decades, they have been a force to be reckoned with for their passion for curating beautiful sessions for the WonderCon education program. And always, thank you and much love to Clydene Nee, whom we lost this year; may her memory always be a blessing. She was one of the most extraordinary humans on the planet, and dear friend Edmund Cronin, thank you for bringing me to this great event years ago.

If you are attending WonderCon 2025, please let me know. I’d love to see you there and have you attend our talk.

WonderCon 2025 Panel: Crafting a Multiverse – Careers in Design

Sunday, March 30^th, 3:00-4:00pm Room 213CD

Join a diverse panel of industry professionals as they share their insights and advice on embarking on a career in costume and video game design in "Crafting a Multiverse: Careers in Design." The panel will explore the creative and technical aspects of a career designing for both real and digital worlds, from costuming for film and television to the design work behind video games.

Panelists include Marianne Parker (Costume Designer & Pattern Maker), iAsia Brown (Senior Producer, Xbox - Microsoft), Juda Escalante (Specialty Costume Manufacturer), Barbara Ingleheart (Costume Supervisor), and Erica D. Schwartz (Assistant Designer/Key Costumer).

Whether you're an aspiring designer, an industry professional, or simply a fan of costume and game design, this panel is sure to inspire and inform. The discussion will be moderated by Heather Cook (speaker and community builder, Microsoft), who will guide the conversation on the evolving landscape of design in entertainment.

Meet the Panelists

Marianne Parker

Marianne Parker is an accomplished and globally recognized Los Angeles based costume designer and pattern maker. Her repertoire includes For All Mankind, Ahsoka, Star Trek Picard, The Mandalorian, Shang Chi & The Legend of the 10 Rings, Brave The Dark.  Trained in fashion and costume design in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, Marianne moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a professional costume designer. She has worked in all aspects of costume design for film, television, theatre, dance, music and live events. Creative career highlights include making Luke Skywalker & Boba Fett costumes in season 2 of The Mandalorian, developing the Chinese warrior costumes for Shang Chi & The Legend of the 10 Rings, travelling to the Nobel Prize Awards with Barry Manilow, and designing the costumes for a full-scale operatic production of Alice In Wonderland. Many of her projects are award winning and have been nominated and recognized for outstanding achievements at the Emmys for Costume Design, as well as the Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Connect with Marianne: Marianne Parker, Costume Designer | LinkedIn | Instagram

iAsia Brown 

iAsia Brown, distinguished as "Tech Picasso," seamlessly interweaves the realms of gaming, film, and art, manifesting her visionary storytelling. Her enduring commitment to authenticity and empowerment positions her as a luminary for diverse voices across industries. As she embarks on a scholarly journey as a doctoral student in Organizational Change and Leadership at USC Rossier School of Education, iAsia amplifies her influence. Beyond her art and academia, she ardently serves on the Board of Directors for Woman in Tech Hollywood (WiTH), Creating Coding Careers, and the Black Alumni Association at USC, further epitomizing her dedication to community, education, and advancement.

Connect with iAsia: iasiabrown.com | LinkedIn

Juda Escalante

Juda is an Emmy Award-winning team member specialty costume painter with over 20 years of experience in the costume and prop industries, contributing to some of the most iconic productions in film, television, and live entertainment. From crafting walk-around character costumes for major theme parks to painting intricate props and costumes for shows like Ahsoka and The Mandalorian Season 3, plus Movies such as Wakanda Forever, Thor Love and Thunder and Dune to name a few. His expertise spans a wide range of techniques and materials to be the talented painter he is.

Connect with Juda: IMDb

Barbara Englehart

Barbara Inglehart has been a Costume Designer and Costume Supervisor for over 45 years working in film, television, dance, theatre and as a stylist for David Lee Roth. She has an BFA from the University of Florida and an MFA in Costume Design from Cal Arts and has put her talents to work as a Costume Supervisor on many successful television productions including Ghost Whisperer, Scandal, Animal Kingdom, Little Fires Everywhere to the films such as Fifty Shades of Grey, Baby Geniuses and the Academy Award winning film The Artist. After a long and illustrious career, Barbara retired last year. 

Erica D. Schwartz

Erica D. Schwartz is a community-oriented, Jewish-American woman with over a decade of experience as a costume designer. Growing up in Los Angeles, Erica has been surrounded by the fantastic world of film and theater and has always imagined playing a role in this industry. She first became enamored with costuming and the stories it could tell through attending community theater shows and participating in ballroom and Latin dance performances. This led her to become actively involved in her community, designing costumes for all-ages community theater performances and designing for a wide variety of dance companies. However, Erica truly found her passion for costume design when she stepped into the world of film and television- she found that working in this medium enabled artistic collaboration with others, allowing for a larger canvas to tell the stories of character development with greater depth. 

Erica has worked as a costume designer on dozens of feature films and television shows, including those starring Snoop Dogg, Stephen Baldwin, Rob Schneider, Ed Asner, Jamie Lynn Sigler, and Dolph Lundgren, among others. Erica designed the television series “Golden Revenge,” which premiered at the Cannes Television Festival in France. The series featured many custom-made outfits designed for various cats, dogs, and chimpanzees. It was one of Erica’s favorite projects to design due to all the stunts, comedy, and consulting with animal safety advisors on how the garments should be made. Erica has always enjoyed having her creativity pushed in fresh and challenging ways and this provided a wonderful opportunity to consider new ways in which clothing contributes to story-telling. 

Erica’s sense of design incorporates a mix of colors and patterns to express the inner psychology of her characters. Her love of history and passion for detailed research gives her designs unrivaled profundity and richness. Erica’s background in dance gives her unique perspective to understand the integral role of movement and flow. Her interest in psychology helps her paint a deeper understanding of her characters and their motivations for moving through the world as they do. 

Erica is a member of the Costume Designers Guild, Television Academy, and Motion Picture Costumers. Her membership in these organizations has enabled greater connectivity within the Los Angeles film industry and beyond. In 2021, Erica won an Emmy Award® as Assistant Costume Designer on Sherman's Showcase Black History Month Spectacular. This achievement is just the beginning of what she will continue to demonstrate with her work. 

Connect with Erica: IMDb

Moderator - Heather Cook

Heather Cook currently serves as Principal PM Manager and Lead for Microsoft 365 Customer Advocacy Group at Microsoft. She works on a team of community program managers whose charter is engagement, evangelism, and growth by building strategy, programs, and connections for our community members with Microsoft. Heather is a former Microsoft MVP for Microsoft 365 Apps and Services. Over the past twenty years, Heather has led marketing for Global Cloud Providers and run a software business. She owns a marketing/brand/wellness consultancy, Creative Maven, where she has produced thousands of events, campaigns, and experiences in the high-tech and entertainment industries. Heather is also the host of the Mavens Do It Better Podcast, which features interviews with extraordinary everyday experts who light a spark in our world. She lives in Marina del Rey, California. She has traveled the world extensively for pleasure and by speaking about Power Platform, Office 365, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Workplace Culture, Community and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Heather is a published playwright and graduate of the University of Washington School of Drama, Seattle, WA.

Connect with Heather: LinkedIn | Instagram | BlueSky

With Gratitude, Rest in Flight, Clydene Nee

Thank you to Clydene for inviting me to moderate panels on Edmund Cronin's recommendation. Our conversations about friendship, politics, and UFOs over the years were joyous, thought-provoking, and fun.

 

She was a true champion of artists in every form, and her impact on the community will not be forgotten. Clydene passed in November 2024, leaving a legacy of passion and advocacy for artists everywhere.

There will be a celebration of life for Clydene during WonderCon on Friday, March 28, from 9-10 pm at the Hilton California Ballroom B – Ten Forward

This article from BleedingCool has an excellent write up on Clydene’s exceptional contributions to this world - Clydene Nee, San Diego Comic-Con Artists Alley Co-Ordinator Dies At 66

What is WonderCon?

WonderCon is an annual pop culture convention organized by the same team behind San Diego Comic-Con. Held in Anaheim, California, the event celebrates comics, movies, TV shows, animation, gaming, and cosplay. It features a packed schedule of panel discussions, exclusive previews, celebrity appearances, and an extensive exhibit hall filled with artists, publishers, and collectibles. WonderCon provides a vibrant space for fans and industry professionals to connect over their shared love of storytelling and creativity.

Attendees can explore Artist Alley, participate in cosplay contests, and discover upcoming projects from major entertainment companies. Whether you're a dedicated comic book enthusiast or a casual pop culture fan, WonderCon is an immersive experience that celebrates the ever-evolving world of fandom culture.

You can follow WonderCon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondercon/ and Linktree.

Hope you can attend our panel!! Cheers