Our Event Experience Runs
Pretty Deep

Jim Demonakos is an award-winning director, writer and event producer, and has been active in the comic book and pop culture event industry for over two decades. He is one of the founders of Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con which he spent 15 years developing into the premier independent event of the comic convention season. He is also the founder of LightBox Expo, debuting in 2019, it has already become a must-attend event among animation, illustration and concept art creators and fans. Most recently, he directed (alongside Kevin Konrad Hanna) Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, an award-winning feature length documentary about Mike Mignola and the creation of his comic book universe centered around Hellboy.

George Demonakos is an events and operations specialist with over 20 years' experience. He is one of the founders of The Comic Stop, a retail comic book store that ultimately became the largest comic book chain in the Pacific Northwest. He also helped found Emerald City Comic Con, beginning as a one-day show with 2,500 attendees. It rapidly flourished, welcoming over 85,000 attendees over four days to the Washington State Convention Center. After selling ECCC to Reed Exhibitions, he teamed up with long-time business associates Kandrix Foong, and Brand LeClerq to expand Epic Photo Ops’ presence from North America to encompass the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

is an entrepreneur, programmer, and business developer. He is one of the founders of Epic Photo Ops, a tech development and photography provider for high volume celebrity events. Epic Photo Ops single-handedly changed the face of the convention industry, providing services for conventions and events around the world. Epic was sold to Leap Event Technology in 2023. His programming skills have proved as valuable as they are versatile, developing technology vital for guest management, autograph sales, admissions, and more.

Kandrix Foong is an entrepreneur and events director with a career spanning over 20 years. He is the founder of the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, Western Canada’s largest comic con with a peak attendance of more than 100,000 attendees. In the midst the Calgary Expo’s unequivocal success, Kandrix expanded into Edmonton and Saskatoon, bringing his brand of events to new markets and new fans. He co-founded Epic Photo Ops in 2011, a development company providing tech solutions for high-volume celebrity events around the world. During the pandemic, he also co-founded Virtual Event Logistics, providing 3D environments for special events with clients such as eBay, Maxis Studios, and the U.S. Open.

Lindsay Thomas is an event specialist, writer, and mental health advocate with nearly 15 years of experience in the events industry. Her relentless drive for knowledge has earned her degrees in theatre, psychology, and journalism, all of which bring a unique perspective to the events industry. She spent nearly a decade working at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, overseeing their celebrity guest bookings, content scheduling, communications, social media, and PR. She also joined Epic Photo Ops, managing the photo op schedules for dozens of conventions around the world. She continues to consult on special events and is currently earning her Master of Fine Arts.

Ron Brister co-founded Portland, Oregon's premiere pop-culture event, Rose City Comic Con alongside his wife, Paula. The event was sold in 2017 to Leftfield Media (LFM) where Ron served as the Vice President of Events, overseeing numerous events nation-wide level. Events included PlayFair (Awesome Con Jr, & Rose City Comic Con Jr,) in Partnership with the Toy Association, Awesome Con, Big Easy Con, and Anime NYC. During his time with LFM, Ron established partnerships with National Brands including Disney, Lucasfilm, Ninkasi, DC/Warner Bros, Dark Horse Comics, Oni Press, Monster Energy, NASA, Netflix, Dreamworks Animation, Sony, Hasbro, and Playmates to name a few.

Paula Brister co-founded Portland, Oregon's premiere pop-culture event, Rose City Comic Con alongside her husband, Ron. The event was sold in 2017 to Leftfield Media (LFM) where Paula served as the sales leader for curated spaces, exhibitor sales, and onsite vendor operations for events that included PlayFair (Awesome Con Jr, & Rose City Comic Con Jr,) in Partnership with the Toy Association, Awesome Con, Big Easy Con and Anime NYC.