COMIC-CON

✎ Comic Creator Connection Returns to Comic-Con 2024!

Are you a writer with an amazing comic book idea but can’t draw, or an artist eager to illustrate a great story but need a writer? At Comic-Con 2024’s Comic Creator Connection, you can find your perfect match and potentially jumpstart your career in the comic book industry!

Do you have an amazing idea for a comic book series but lack the drawing skills to bring it to life? Or maybe you’re an artist with a talent for illustration, but you need a compelling story to work on. Perhaps both of you are searching for a collaborator to kickstart your careers in the comic book industry. At Comic-Con 2024’s Comic Creator Connection, you might just find the perfect creative partner!

Comic-Con is excited to once again present the Comic Creator Connection, a dynamic networking event designed to pair writers with artists to foster potential new creative associationss. Here’s how it works: during two 2-hour sessions – on Thursday, July 25, and Friday, July 26, from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM – writers and artists (including colorists, inkers, pencillers, etc.) will meet face-to-face. In quick 5-minute intervals, you’ll have the chance to discuss your ideas and showcase your skills one-on-one. At the end of each session, you’ll switch to the next person. If you’re interested in continuing the conversation, you can exchange contact information.

To participate, you can sign up for the Comic Creator Connection online by emailing ccc@comic-con.org. Please specify whether you’re a writer looking for an artist or an artist seeking a writer, and indicate which day you would like to attend (Thursday or Friday). Artists have the option to sign up for both days, but due to high demand, writers are asked to choose only one day.

On-site registration will also be available, but spaces might be limited based on the number of pre-registered attendees.

(Note: All participants in the Comic Creator Connection must have a valid badge for the day they wish to participate.)

For those planning to join the event, please review the following information.

THE DETAILS

WHERE

Marina Ballroom D at the Marriott Marquis

WHEN

Thursday (July 25) and Friday (July 26)
from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM

WHAT TO BRING

Participants at previous events have benefitted the most from the Comic Creator Connection when they’ve come prepared. Here’s what you should bring:

Writer

20 copies of a 1-page writing sample (see below)
Business cards (if you have them)
A pen or pencil to write with
A 2-minute (rehearsed) version of your pitch
A water bottle (you’ll be doing a lot of talking)

Artist

20 copies of a 1-page art sample (see below)
Your portfolio (you’ll have room on the table to spread out your work)
Business cards (if you have them)
A pen or pencil to write with
A 2-minute (rehearsed) version of your pitch
A water bottle (you’ll be doing a lot of talking)

THE 1-PAGE WRITING/ART SAMPLE

Many participants have expressed difficulty in remembering all the different people they met with during the Comic Creator Connection. The best solution is to give each person you meet something unique to remember you by.

We suggest you bring along a single-page sample of your work, complete with your name, contact information, and anything else you’d like a potential working partner to know about you. Remember, everyone will go home with a bunch of these, so brevity is a plus.

If you’re a writer,

If you’re an artist,

Use this sample to represent your writing style or the specific project on which you would most like to collaborate. Don’t write complete stories; just give them a taste – an elevator pitch. You may want to use the space to tell prospective artists about your creative inspirations, favorite artists, preferred styles, etc.

Use this art sample to give prospective writers a good idea of how you tell stories with pictures. Draw in some panels if you like. Don’t just show your favorite artwork, explain to them how you’d like similar artwork to tell a story. You also might want to tell them about your artistic inspiration, favorite writers, preferred styles, etc.

This is a rare chance for you to meet a lot of people at once – and possibly your next creative partner! So, bring your A-game. Be intentional, open, enthusiastic, and outgoing. Be generous with your own time and learn all you can from every person you meet.

Also, remember that we’ll have writers and artists at all stages of their craft, so please be courteous and professional and help everyone have a great experience.

BE ON TIME

This isn’t an ordinary Comic-Con program. Since creators are registered in advance, they will get priority seating. Any seats that are still open once the event starts will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

FREE PITCH REVIEWS

We’ll once again be offering free pitch reviews to help you get ready for the Comic Creator Connection. A pitch is simply a way to present yourself or your project to others. It is usually a brief speech designed to persuade your listener into supporting what you’re doing or what you’ve made. Most creators have no trouble coming up with great ideas for new comics, but they often struggle to speak clearly and concisely about those ideas to other people. Giving a good pitch is a vital skill in bringing your project to life. Fortunately, it’s also a skill you can learn and improve with practice – and Pitch Review is a great place to do that.

Pitch reviews will be conducted by Douglas Neff, a professional speechwriter, speaker coach, and host of the Comic Creator Connection.

(Note: This is not a panel. Instead, these are 3–5-minute individual coaching sessions for as many people as we can accommodate in the scheduled time. Spaces are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis, and observers are welcome.)