ConnectiCast 2014 - Behind the Scenes

The recording of ConnectiCast 2014 began while walking the streets of Hartford as we tried to find our way from the bar back to the convention center. If you listened to the actual show, you know by now that while we were walking, we found what came to be known as "Jenn's steakhouse" (no we didn't eat there). Jenn, quite possibly, had far too much fun getting a picture taken in front of said steakhouse. Jenn also got  a piggy back ride from Phytt, and was rather surprised he didn't drop her. Unfortunately we didn't manage to get a picture of the guy playing the clarinet, although he did a fantastic job and created absolutely beautiful music.



Once we got back to the convention center, we set up outside the main ballroom where the Masquerade was currently taking place. This gave us the opportunity to round up a number of guests, some in costume, others not. We talked to several very interesting people, while all of us sat crowded together around one table and one mic. It might be important to note that "us" consisted of Jenn, Remghar, Huellhowser, Phytt, Starscreem, Rougeyo, and Chris O'C, in addition to our guests.

Our first guest was cosplaying as a Freddy Kreuger Teemo. He was wearing a striped sweater and a Teemo hat. He also had this awesome Freddy Kreuger glove that Jenn got to try on, and attack Remghar with. He estimated Huell's age as 33 years old.

Our second guest was a lovely young lady named Jessica who was cosplaying ass Death from Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Jenn unfortunately didn't get a picture of her. Jessica guessed Huell's age as 35.


Our next guest was a gentleman named Brent who was dressed as Zed the Master of Shadows from League of Legends. It has been decided that over 70% of LoL players are assholes, but you would be happy to know that Brent is not one of them. He estimated Huell's age to be 32.

After speaking with Brent, we were joined by a young man named Alex who was dressed as a male version of Nitaly, who is also a character from League of Legends. He took place in the League of Legends tournament held during Connecticon, and it was decided that he is not a dick, so he is not part of the 70% of asshole players. He guessed Huell's age as mid-30s.

Our fifth guest is the very well known Gnoodles who was dressed as Raiden from Mortal Kombat. It is officially known, as of this point in time, that this man's name truly is Tom Sawyer. When he gets made fun of for it, you'll know because there are fatalities all over the place. He thought Huell was 36.

After speaking with Gnoodles, we spoke with a gentleman named Logan, who got into comics because he shares his unique name with Wolverine. Logan also happens to be the founder of DrawnCon, which is "the premier convention for western animation". This November will be their second year of hosting the convention. For more information, you can visit www.drawncon.com, or @drawncon on twitter. He guessed Huell's age at 30.

Our seventh and eighth guests were two individuals dressed as Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Minnie Mouse. Rem and Minnie had a discussion about Minnie Mouse's Bowtique, and our guests tried very hard to pretend they cared. We then discussed Bill Nye's competition in the death match. The audience chose Bill Nye to win over 32 individuals, including the PowerPuff Girls, four links, Jorgen Von Strangle, Batman, Cobra Commander, and Jessica Rabbit. Unfortunately, all he had to take home with him was the pride of winning, and the glory of victory.  The beginning of his death match was a dance number, which he demonstrated for us during the show.

Our next guest was a gentleman named Russell Hannula who was cosplaying as himself with a steampunk Tom Sirvo that he made entirely on his own out of primarily recycled part, some of which were painted by the light of a lantern during a thunder storm. He has a YouTube channel called Cinematic For The People (cftp.us) where they make fun of full length films. He can also be found on Google+ and Facebook under Cinematic For The People. During this interview, Huell got sick of having his age guessed, and had Russell guess my age, which was guessed at 24.

Next up, we were joined by three people who had come from the Masquerade and they put on a sword show during the event. Mike (dad) was dressed as Uncle Iro, Connor was dressed as Zuko, and the youngest son was dressed as Aang, all from Avatar. The two brothers fought during the Masquerade, and the dad then came in and helped everything end in peace with a sign that said "make tea not war".


Next we were joined by Barry, Preston, Joe and Dylan who were a bunch of nerds carrying around a "Free Shrugs" sign. The guy on the front right of the picture is the one who gave the greatest shrugs we have ever seen.

Our 17th and 18th guests were Aliya (dressed as female Captain America) and Cody. The most awesome part about this pair was they basically finished each others sentences and spoke in sync. They guessed Huell's age to be 38 (Cody) and 35 (Aliya).

Our next guests were two young women named Jezelle and Naria. In this interview, Rem asked a lot of questions, some of which were not of the most appropriate nature, but the girls handled their discomfort quite well. They guessed Huell's age at late 20s to early 30s and 38.

Our next guest was a guy named Nando who seemed to really enjoy hanging out and talking with us. He had a very special ConnectiCon dance that he did for us (pictured to the left). He was able to bond with Huell because they both have a bit of Mexican in them. Unfortunately, Nando doesn't remember exactly how old he is. He did manage to make Phytt yell at him though, by saying Phytt's favorite word on the show.

Our 22nd guest, Geoffrey, was dressed as a Steampunk Queen's agent. His job is essentially to do any queen's dirty work. While we were talking, Geoffrey shot Huell with the rifle that he hand crafted from things like bed posts and floor lamps. He is also a vendor at other conventions where he and his crew repair any props that need some TLC. The repairs done are often done by women who have some sort of trade skill. Geoffrey can be contacted about his works on Facebook: Thee-Gartisan Works, Etsy: TheeGartisanWorks and Flickr: thee-gartisonworks.

Our final guest was a woman named Colleen dressed as Tyrion Lannister, who was exhausted after a day of people requesting to take pictures with her. Unfortunately we were unable to get a picture of Tyrion. She also does another Tyrion cosplay, as well as a Bilbo Baggins cosplay. She guessed Huell's age to be mid 30s. She has a cosplay page on Facebook: Mini Mal, where all of her various cosplays can be found!

Nando made an encore appearance at the end of the show and guessed Rem's age to be 29, Jenn's age to be 30, Huell's age to be 27, and Starscreem's age to be prepubescent.


It was basically agreed upon by everyone that the best part of ConnectiCon is the people we encounter. A building full of nerds and a weekend hanging out together is always a great time!

We would like to thank the staff at ConnectiCon for being wonderful this year as always, and our press liaison, Leo for being amazing and keeping us informed with everything that went on. We would like to thank the Convention Center for being so accommodating to all of our needs and having awesome dudes who polished the stainless steel while riding up the escalator.

We had a great time at ConnectiCon 2014, and if you ever get the change to attend a convention, check it out and give it a chance because conventions are awesome. It's just a whole bunch of nerds getting together and celebrating the stuff they love.