Ted DiBiase is a WWE Hall Of Fame professional wrestler, best known for his role as the villainous “Million Dollar Man” of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE). Having been raised by his wrestler father, “Iron” Mike DiBiase, who he admired greatly, Ted chose to follow in his Dad’s footsteps. After receiving honors in high school football and going to West Texas State college on a football scholarship, Ted became a professional wrestler in the summer of 1975. Ted paid his dues in the early years of his wrestling career, traveling thousands of miles by car, spending many nights in less than luxurious hotels, and making little money. His big break came in the spring of 1987 when he headed for New York and the WWF to become the “Million Dollar Man”. It was from here that his career skyrocketed.

Ted literally traveled the world with the WWF, wrestling in some of the biggest venues in the world. Places like Madison Square Garden, The Superdome, The Skydome, The Tokyo Dome, and Wembley Stadium, all became familiar places to Ted. After six years with the WWF, seeing his likeness made into action figures, characters in video games and his face on everything from T-shirts to pin-ball machines, he ended his active career at the end of 1993 due to a neck injury.

He then went on to be a ringside manager and commentator with the WWF from 1994 to the fall of 1996. During that time he managed such wrestling superstars as “Stone” Cold Steve Austin and Bam Bam Bigelow. Ted finished his career working for Ted Turner owned World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from the Fall of 1996 to the Fall of 1999, spending a total of twenty-five years in the industry. As he was ending his wrestling career, Ted was already turning his talents elsewhere and looking to the future.

Today, after authoring a book about his life entitled Every Man Has His Price, Ted is a full time evangelist and motivational speaker. Officially ordained into the ministry, he is speaking to church congregations, youth groups, men’s meetings, corporate businesses, and in public schools and universities all over the world. In the past six years he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people, young and old alike. In addition, Ted is also a spokesperson for and board member of The Sunshine Foundation. This organization grants wishes to terminally ill and handicapped children.

The character of the Million Dollar Man was fulfilled by wealth and power and controlled by greed. In contrast, the real Ted DiBiase is fulfilled by his relationship with Jesus Christ and his family, and a controlling desire to do Gods will in his life. Ted is married to his lovely wife Melanie of 31 years and they have three sons: Michael, Ted Jr. and Brett.

Follow Ted DiBiase online:
Official Website
Facebook

CHRIS BACHALO is internationally recognized as one of the most popular artists in the comic industry. His body of work covers a wide spectrum of genres ranging from the critically acclaimed Sandman, Shade:The Changing Man, Death:The High Cost of Living and Batman series for DC to Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Uncanny X-Men, The Amazing Spider-man and Generation X– the first title from Marvel that was adapted into a live action film for Fox. The short story “The Wheel” written by Sandman and American Gods writer Neil Gaimen and illustrated by Chris featured the Death character and was inducted into the library of Congress in 2003. It was created as part of a tribute to 911. His cover work for the title Hunter, The Age of Magic for DC was included as part of a New York gallery show for the Society of Illustrators. He also teamed with Stan Lee on DC’s Stan Lee re-imagines the DC Universe featuring Catwoman and illustrated the cover for the Hollywood Reporter celebrating his 75th birthday. He currently has several small projects in development. See twitter feed for updates.

Chris also co-created two creator owned properties. He collaborated with current Executive Vice President of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb, on the Vertigo/DC, titled The Witching Hour and co-created with Ben Ten’s Joe Kelly the retro-futuristic, Sci Fi epic, Steampunk, published by Cliffhanger /DC.

Chris has made guest appearances on televisions Pictionary and the Sci-Fi channel and has made appearances at shows all over world including Australia, England, Italy, France, and numerous cities in the US and Canada.

In addition to his work in comics, Chris’ artwork has graced the covers of The Hollywood Reporter and PSM (PlayStation magazine). Other clients have included Activision, Oakley, Taco Bell, Stuff magazine, Mad Magazine, Upper Deck, Disney, Neiman Marcus, EA and Def Jam records. He was also commissioned to do artwork that was transformed into a 50’ X 80’ mural at the Marvel/Universal theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Chris was born in Portage La Prairie, Canada, raised in Fountain Valley, CA and enjoys movies/TV, music, listening to novels, hockey, baseball, football, See’s Dark Chocolate Chip truffles and blended mochas. He, and his son Dylan, recently made the move to Michigan and are enjoying the novelty of snow.

Todd Nauck is a well known artist of the comic book industry and works regularly for Marvel and DC Comics, with over two decades worth of credits including Amazing Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, Deadpool: Too Soon?, Spider- Man/Deadpool, Nightcrawler, Teen Titans Go, the original Young Justice series, Mystery Science 3000, as well as countless other comics and covers.

Todd Nauck is the artist of the best selling comic book of the 2000’s: Amazing Spider-Man #583: the Spider-Man/Barack Obama Team-Up.

Currently, Nauck’s work can be seen on the DC Comics mini-series Stargirl: The Lost Children and the upcoming Marvel mini-series, Magneto.

Follow Todd Nauck on:
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook Fan Page: The Art of Todd Nauck
Twitter

Tim Townsend has been a regular inker at Marvel Comics for the last 28 years. Having worked on most of Marvel’s major titles at one time or another, he’s best known for his work with pencilers such as Joe Madureira (Uncanny X-Men), Adam Kubert (Uncanny X-Men), Frank Quitely (New X-Men), Olivier Coipel (House of M), and, most notedly, Chris Bachalo with whom he has partnered for the last 22 years on most of the X-Men and Spider-Man titles.

Tim has worked for all the major publishers including Marvel, DC, and Image Comics.

Jason Shawn Alexander is an artist/writer, having worked in comics for over twenty years receiving 2 Eisner Award nominations and the Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Along side his comics career, Alexander exhibits his fine art work in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin and has shown in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian. His current project, with co-creator Rodney Barnes, KILLADELPHIA, has been optioned for a new television series. His series, EMPTY ZONE, has garnered much critical acclaim. Among his list of credits is co-writer and artist of SPAWN, as well has having contributed his art to HELLBOY, ABE SAPIEN, BATMAN, SUPERMAN, THE ESCAPISTS, THE SHADOW, THE SECRET, FROSTBITE, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, QUEEN AND COUNTRY, MARVEL ZOMBIES, HELLRAISER, CREEPY, DAMN NATION, DEAD IRONS and others. He’s created art for motions comics for such films as PAN’S LABYRINTH, PREDATORS, and MAD MAX.

Eric Canete is a concept artist, comic book illustrator and storyboard artist currently residing in the Pacific North West.

His works and clients include Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin (Marvel Comics), Run Love Kill (Image Comics), Aeon Flux (MTV) Ben10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network), Justice League Unlimited and Beware the Batman (Warner Bros Animation), Killer Instinct (Microsoft) and League of Legends (Riot Games).

He is renowned for his dynamic storytelling, his signature art style and unique approach to concept designs.

He is currently working on “ARC ATHENA”, his most current creator owned comic book miniseries which is published and sold through Iconic Comics, and he streams his drawing process via YouTube.

He’s an avid fan of LEGO and all forms of pastry.

Visit Eric’s website at ericcanete.com

Cary Nord has been drawing comic books professionally since he was 19 yrs old. He has work with virtually every major publisher, with credits that include runs on Daredevil, Mutant X, XO Manowar, Wonderwoman, and most notably, his 2004 Eisner Award winning work on Conan (Darkhorse).

Cary is currently doing cover work for a variety of companies, as well as work on his creator-owned title, Fol’Klor.

Visit Cary’s website at carynordcomics.com

Dan Fraga is a director and comic book artist whose career as a storyteller started in late 1991 when Cable and Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld hired the 18 year-old to join Extreme Studios and the newly formed Image comics. Over the span of his 25-year career, Dan has worked on a number of the comics industry’s top titles. At Extreme, the titles included Bloodstrike, Youngblood, Supreme, Kid Supreme, and the Berzerkers. At Image, the titles included Witchblade, Darkness, and The Gear Station. For Marvel, Dan worked on Spider–man, Wolverine, What–if?! and Generation X. For DC Comics, Dan worked on Superman and The Power Puff Girls.

In 2003 Dan’s story telling career changed gears as he transitioned from comics to Television and Film, working as a storyboard artist, art director, and 2nd unit director for both live action and animated content. In 2010 Dan made his directorial debut on the HBO series The Ricky Gervais show, directing the 2nd and 3rd seasons of the animated series.

Since 2013 Dan has worked for Mattel as Supervising Director for the animated content for Monster High, Everafter High, Enchantimals, Hot Wheels and Max Steel. Dan’s personal work can be found on Instagram and YouTube under the name Couchdoodles where his goal is to illuminate and empower creativity in others through example. Dan lives with his wife and 3 kids in Georgia.

“I love chess, the Rubik’s cube, and freestyle rap. To some, these interests may sound like cliché nerd stuff, but I see them as exercises for pre visualization. With pre-visualization, you can theoretically time travel and create what you want for the future of your idea. With proper execution, the thing you pre-visualized will become a reality. These sorts of things thrill me.”

TIM KITZROW is the iconic voice of your favorite sports franchises — NBA Jam, which celebrates its 30th anniversary, NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz MLB Slugfest, Mutant Football League and over 15 classic pinball games including The Twilight Zone and Elvira’s SCARED STIFF and HOUSE OF HORRORS. With NBA JAM, which grossed over $2 BILLION to date, Kitzrow introduced BOOMSHAKALAKA to the NBA lexicon and earned pop culture immortality.

Check out Tim’s official website to learn more TimKitzrow.com.

Master Pesina has been studying martial arts continuously since 1970, when he was introduced to Judo by his two older brothers.

He has trained under many masters including Guo Jian Hua (In door student of Wen Jingming and Lui Yuhua), Zhu Baozhen (Luo Chengli, He Zhong Xiang, He Zhong Qi), Hu Jianqiang (Shaolin Temple movie fame), Wai Lun Choi (Lui He Ba Fa grandmaster), and Lin Jian Hua (head judge for international Wushu federation), to name a few.

Master Pesina is perhaps most famous for his work as Johnny Cage and the ninjas in the first two Mortal Kombat games. He has also worked on films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, Book of Swords, Press Start, and Mortal Kombat Fates Beginning, winner of the 2015 Urban Action Showcase Best MK Film award.

In addition to continuing his personal practice, he teaches weekly classes in Chicago, IL and travels throughout North and South America to teach seminars on martial arts and choreography.

Check out Daniel’s official website to learn more masterpesina.com.

Carlos Pesina joined Midway in the early 1990’s as a motion capture artist and animator using his martial arts skills to help develop the Mortal Kombat franchise. Carlos stepped in front of the camera to play the thunder god, Raiden, in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II.

Carlos’ older brother, Daniel, was also on the original MK1 and MK2 cast, but wasn’t in games after MK2. Carlos remained at Midway, and continued to work on the Mortal Kombat franchise. His martial arts style is used in the creation of the more style-oriented fighting of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Armageddon.

The character Mokap, which debuted in Deadly Alliance, is a tribute to Carlos’ work. Mokap’s bio describes him as a martial arts specialist from the north side of Chicago.

With the closure of Midway in 2009, Carlos joined the core Mortal Kombat team in forming NetherRealm Studios and continues to work on the franchise for WB Games.

My Life in Gaming was started by Coury Carlson and Marc “Try4ce” Duddleson in 2013 as an outlet for taking their professional experience in video production and creating projects that they could get excited about. After starting with the “How to Beat” VHS-style series, My Life in Gaming has gone on to showcase unique retro games, interview industry figures, and more. My Life in Gaming’s most popular series is the “RGB Master Class,” which breaks down the complex topic of getting the best picture out of retro consoles into easy-to-understand episodes.

Check out My Life in Gaming on YouTube.

Brent Griffith and Whitney Roberts are co-hosts of the Brokentoken Classic Gaming Podcast. Brent and Whitney also do a fantastic job of moderating many of the panels at Music City Multi Con.

The Brokentoken Classic Gaming Podcast covers everything from the golden age of arcade gaming to the newest pinball titles currently hitting the streets and everything in between. Add in technical talk segments, collecting and restoration stories, interviews and sit-in guests as well as game room updates, forum news, listener mail and twitter questions (with the occasional live streams) and you’ve got a couple hours of your life you’ll never get back!

Steve is a Cathode Ray Tube Specialist set on saving CRTs for future generations to enjoy. His company, Retro Tech is dedicated to Preserving CRT Monitors, Televisions and other Vintage Technologies through the art of restoration on YouTube. For more information on repairs and to learn more about CRTs, check out Retro Tech on YouTube.
Follow on twitter: @usa_retro.

Married couple Mark and Jamie, from Death Do Us Part Podcast, discuss the ins and outs of creating and making a true crime podcast. Mark is a retired homicide detective and Jamie is a paramedic.

Listen to Death Do Us Part Podcast at: Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast platform.

Sam Payne is a pinup artist that draws inspiration from geek culture related themes such as comics and animation. His weapons of choice are Adobe Illustrator and Vectornator Pro with an occasional tweak in Photoshop.

His art can be found on variant covers for Archie Comics and promotional posters for various conventions in Nashville and neighboring areas.

Follow @paynless2011 on Instagram for regular updates and images of current projects.

Prints or comics can be purchased at sampayneart.com.

Billy Martinez began his career in the early 90’s as a freelance artist debuting his original comic series Wildflower in 1993 for Sirius Entertainment. Soon after he would write and illustrate books and stories for companies Peregrine Entertainment, Top Cow, Image Comics and Heavy Metal Magazine. In addition to his work in comics, he supplied artwork for Family Guy and Hellboy through Inkworks trading card company. In 1999 Billy formed Neko Press Comics and Publishing. The company went on to kickstart the careers of many up and coming artist and was a platform for Billy to continue to self publish his flagship titles Wildflower, Kickass Girl and graphic novels The Deepest Dark and his how to draw companion books In your Face and Body Movin’.

During this time Billy became interested in painting live at various clubs downtown in San Diego. There he would create 3 to 4 images simultaneously with bands and DJ’s such as Z Trip and Red Sonya on stage. He would sell his finished pieces right on the spot. It was a new and fresh avenue to get more individuals aware of the art scene in the San Diego and Los Angeles area. Through the years his art has been featured for Starbucks Coffee Company and in various galleries throughout the United States. He currently instructs and teaches art classes that range from sequential art to fine art painting and continues to create murals and performs live art shows throughout the country. He currently resides in Nashville Tennessee where he performs live art in Nashville’s historic Printers Alley and many venues throughout Music City.

Ginger Oh Snap has been cosplaying most her life, thanks to a background in theatre, dance, and renaissance faires, She is a self taught maker and entrepreneur. Ginger dedicates her days to creating costumes, performing, promoting geek culture, and pushing for a more inclusive and welcoming cosplay community. When not traveling around the world to conventions and events as a guest, she is live streaming on Twitch. Ginger loves sharing her passions and knowledge with the community. Ginger is also a burlesque performer, sharing her special brand of shapeshifting nerdlesque at theatres, conventions, and festivals across the U.S. She is best known for her cosplays as the Nuka Cola Girl from Fallout, Sarah from Labyrinth, and as Mary Jane Watson (riding alongside Stan Lee himself), in the 2017 DragonCon parade.

MutantGlue has been cosplaying since 2017. She is sponsored by a comic book company named SoveReignComics and has her own brand as well. Her cosplays range from Marvel to Anime with gaming and Disney sprinkled in between. “Reliving your childhood movies, cartoons, and games is so refreshing. It gives you a break reality and such a sense of nostalgia that it just fills your soul with joy.”