NEWS RELEASE
THUNDERCON
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THUNDER BAY -- Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Kayla Charban started her career as Azariah Cosplay in the summer of 2015 after spending almost a whole year hand sewing a set of nightingale armour from Skyrim. Over the years Azariah would learn various techniques such as leather working, sewing, worbla, foam and clay sculpting, pattern making, painting, and much more to create a variety of cosplays and original characters.
“Azariah Cosplay is literally an icon of the Thunder Bay Cosplay scene,” says Media Director Heather Dickson. “Her work in all aspects of costuming is astounding and her love of the craft is absolutely infectious!”
In 2016 Azariah had the opportunity to guest and judge at her first convention and, due to the popularity of her Super Sonico cosplay, she became the first cover model for Curvy Curvy Cosplayers, a body positive cosplay feature page. Azariah continued to travel across North America judging various cosplay contests until the fall of 2018 with the sudden passing of her partner. Then, cosplay became a way for Azariah to express herself as she continued to push forward.
“Given our recent partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, we’re proud to have Azariah as our Cosplay guest this year,” says ThunderCon Chair, Kevin Taylor. “Finding creative ways to express oneself is vital for good mental health, and we look forward to the contributions that Azariah will bring to one of our most popular features, the Cosplay Contest.”
“Honestly, judging cosplay contests are my favourite,” says Azariah’s alter ego, Kayla Charban. “I love seeing everyone's costumes up close and getting to hear about their process. It’s a labour of love and I want to make sure that I get to brag about my city’s talents to others!”
Authorized independent repair provider, Marnics Mobile, is proud to sponsor the Cosplay Contest once again! ThunderCon runs September 17+18, 2022, at the CLE grounds.
For more information, go to www.thundercon.org, or contact chair Kevin Taylor at kevin@thundercon.org
