Sideshow Experience

Recap by David Igo

For those who are unfamiliar with Monsterpalooza, let me introduce one of the greatest niche-focused conventions on all things creature, monster, horror, and science fiction – both classic and new. Appropriately, it kicked off this year on Friday the 13th and ran through the 15th; marking its 4th year in sunny Burbank, California as three days of total monster insanity. Industry legends, who have brought visionary creations to the big screen and our homes through every imaginable medium, set up in booths to showcase some really incredible licensed product and original creations. But for all the cool art and toys you’ll find, I’d say it’s really about the people – artists and fans alike with a huge passion for creature features. Don’t take my word for it though. The Sideshow Multimedia team put together a quick video to share the experience:

This year featured some incredible panels and guests. John Murdy, the Creative Director at Universal Studios played host for a panel discussing the legacy of Jack Pierce, makeup mastermind behind our some of favorite Universal classics. Six of Stan Winston’s original location artists reunited to tell stories about making and shooting Predator in celebration of its 25th anniversary. And Bob and Kathy Burns, known for their amazing collection of original movie props, brought their documentary film, Beast Wishes. And that’s just to name a few!

Many artists from Sideshow got their start in prop making and special effects makeup (plus are HUGE horror and sci-fi fans) and there was a lot of love from us this year as attendees! Of course, I also set up my own booth for an art posse I started called SatelliteSoda. This year I teamed up with friend and Sideshow sculptor, Nathan Mansfield, to create a Cthulhu inspired belt buckle. We also featured some vinyls, art books, and a couple of prints by Fabian Schlaga and David Murdoch, two artists who have worked on fantastic prints for Sideshow. Here are some photos from the booth:

This has only been my second year, but already my favorite part about Monsterpalooza is looking forward to seeing familiar faces, sharing some beers and meeting new people. That’s what it’s about to me, personally – the endless networking pool of creatives. I met so many people last year, many of which I can now call friends, and I’m always looking forward to seeing them all again at future Monsterpaloozas!

Find out more about Monsterpalooza on the official website here. If you’re local to LA and you missed this event, be sure to catch Son of Monsterpalooza, happening at the same location October 26-28th. And be sure to browse through some of Sideshow’s best creature, horror and science fiction collectibles below: