KCON USA

Author: kconusa

Jamie – The Ahjummas [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

Jamie is an admin for The Ahjummas. Despite being ridiculed for liking K-Pop in the early 90’s, Jamie has been an avid fan since the debut of K-Pop icons like g.o.d. and Seotaiji. Having lived the hardships of being a K-fan in the early days, Jamie is now an expert at converting her non hallyu friends into major stans. She is also the founder of Baby Bangtans, a kids K-Pop fan account that makes K-Pop Swag for Kids, K-Pop Slime, and fun K-Pop parodies on Youtube.

Val – The Ahjummas [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

Val is a mom of 3 and a wife who works full time. She helps admin for @the_ahjummas across many platforms and has met many amazing people along the way. She loves the BTS rapline and favors Suga aka Min Yoongi. She’s part of the maknae line for the Ahjummas and has been in the Hallyu world for 2 years. You can find her spending most of her time searching for Yoongi/cat tweets or buying merch from Baby Bangtans or Mao.

Susie Kelly [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

Susan Kelly is a Fine Artist and K-Pop Enthusiast. Susan channels her love for K-Pop idols into creating detailed stained glass portraiture. Her 2017 Master’s Thesis, EXOLANSIS, explored the visual relationship between K-Pop idols and the fans that worship them, using a traditional stained glass technique to create a new wave of modern iconography.

[PANEL #1] Q&A with JRE

TIME: Saturday, August 11th from 2:30 – 3:30 PM LOCATION: Panel #1 [515B] MODERATOR: Mark Lee PANELISTS: JRE DESCRIPTION:You know that rad finger heart cap you’ve seen everyone wear? Come meet the creator of the original finger heart cap (@the8MM) along with one of your favorite Reaction YouTubers, JRE!  

[PANEL #1] Meet & Greet: Gemini

TIME: Friday, August 10th from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM LOCATION: Panel #4 [511BC] Panelists: Gemini, Apollo Moderator: Justin Cho  

Mark Lee [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

Mark Lee is the founder of clothing brand, the 8MM. With his roots in graphic design, Mark had made a small run of hats to support the National South Korean Soccer team during the 2012 World Cup. What began as a small project, has evolved into a lifestyle, being the very first to create the original finger heart cap. Embraced by the Korean culture, his hats and clothes have been worn by artists such as Big Bang’s Seungri, Highlight’s Gikwang, and Min Hyuk from Monsta X. Since then, Mark has also went on to collaborate with the likes of Youtuber JRE, Ben Baller, and Justin Kim from ANTM.

[WORKSHOP #2] Design Your Own Fan

TIME: Sunday, August 12th from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM LOCATION: Workshop #2 [515A] MODERATOR: Susie Kelly DESCRIPTION: Now’s your last chance to make your own K-Pop fan! Show love for your bias at the concert with your personalized fan made from the bottom of your heart.  

JRE [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

JRE from the YouTube Channel JREKML has 1 million subscribers and over 200 million views. JRE reacts, relates, and expresses his feels on today’s KMusic world!

Maia and Alex Shibutani [#KCON18LA Special Guest]

             Alex and Maia Shibutani made Olympic history at the 2018 Winter games, but their story begins long before then. The brother and sister’s (affectionately known as the “ShibSibs”) memories of working as a team date back to their early childhood. While their familial ties and trust form the basis for their teamwork, their relationship as siblings presented unique obstacles in a sport that emphasizes romanticism and tradition. How the two created their own road-map to success that led right to the Olympic podium is an inspirational program about learning to develop and trust one’s own unique process when the outcome is uncertain. Equal parts funny, focused and determined, the Shibutanis take audiences along on their journey, from their upbringing and early successes, to obstacles they encountered and overcame, and into their Olympic experience.