Interview with Call to Cosplay Show-Runners

Q&A with George Chung.

How did the show Call to Cosplay come together?

I have a long relationship with the Myx TV General Manager, Miguel Santos. We were of one mind about an out of the box TV show that celebrates a very unique community of costume makers. We wanted to create a show that would celebrate individuals’ unique talents in a showcase that would give international exposure. There are so many talented cosplayers but most get little attention in media except for social media postings. This was a way to give the community a central place to play together. 

 

What inspired you to create this show?

I am a big fan of cooking shows like Chopped and Iron Chef. With my background as an International TV distributor specializing in Asian content I was inspired by the great cosplay community that supports many Asian films and anime series. One day I literally had an “ah-ha” moment and thought about combining Iron Chef with Project Runway. Then they had a child, in a Tokyo subway! The result is Call to Cosplay.  

 

Did you ever fear the show would not be received?

Of course there is always a concern that the community “would shun the product. There had been a lot of complaints from social media on Heroes of Cosplay because many felt that the show really made fun of geek culture. Our show was very different as we are not creating reality show drama, rather putting two talented costume makers against each other and the true enemy being time. We had mixed reviews because some of the cosplay community did not like the idea of competition What we did learn however was that there was crossover of cast members not only with the Con crowd, but also renaissance fairs, Halloween party costumers and actors who make their own costumes and just people who sew. Once we widened the search for cast members, we found a huge positive reaction as we created a platform to show case talent.

 

For those not  familiar with the show, please describe the format.

Simple…4 hours, two costume makers,1 theme and a mystery material. The goal is to create a costume in  4 hours with the given theme using the mystery material. Winning is based on 4 categories: Creativity, craftsmanship, photo shoot and runway live performance. 25 points in each category – highest score wins

 

What is your history with the cosplay community?

I do not have a cosplay background but I do have a long history in performance Martial Arts, incorporating costume, music and martial arts into what is now one of the most exciting sports in the world. In a sense Kata is a physical extension of cosplay, as many cosplayers incorporate martial arts moves to make their characters come to life.

For 3 years I was the Chief Content officer of Crunchyroll, the world’s most popular anime site. I learned a lot while at Crunchyroll especially about how passionate the cosplay community is. I wanted to create a show that would be respectful to the community and the best way to do that is to keep the show pure by making it about the costume.

 

How is the second season different from the first?

Bigger budgets, we have our own Call to Cosplay Arena and wider variety of costumes.

 

 

What are some of the highlights on displaying contestants’ cosplays?

We have some very talented cast members, from live metal workers where you see sparks fly, to one person painting 1/2 of his body to create his own version of Storm from X-Men. The most exciting episode is our Monster Hunter episode where our cast members go head to head in what could be described as battle!

 

 

What do you think is unique for cosplayers as fans?

Competition and time is real life. Every cosplayer has told me that they have stayed up late before a Con, sewing into the wee hours of the morning. This is real life made into a competition and shown on television.

 

What would you cosplay as?

Easy….Ryu from Street Fighter. I can pull off every move for real!

 

Who is your favorite ‘celebrity’ cosplayer?

Johnny Junkers is the man!