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Industry | Fan Conventions & Events |
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Founded | August 13, 2001 |
Founder | Tom Croom |
Headquarters | Florida |
Parent | Green Mustard Entertainment, Inc. |
Website | GreenMustard.com |
Wasabi Anime, also known as Green Mustard Entertainment, is a company specializing in the production of events and programming for anime conventions and other fan conventions in North America, as well as hosting their own standalone conventions. The company's journey began in 2001 with the registration of the WasabiAnime.com website. It started as an anime club, later evolving into a limited liability company (LLC) in 2007, and ultimately becoming a corporation in 2010. As of July 2012, Wasabi Anime had organized events in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Las Vegas.
Wasabi Anime was founded by Tom Croom and a group of passionate anime enthusiasts shortly after the successful completion of Anime Festival Orlando II in Kissimmee, Florida. Recognizing the need to support a broader spectrum of fandoms, Wasabi Anime (initially known as "Wasabi Anime of Florida") established a network of anime clubs, providing assistance to existing clubs while nurturing the growth of new ones. Members of the Wasabi Anime clubs were issued photo ID cards that granted discounts at local anime and comic stores in Florida.
Some of the clubs included in the Wasabi Anime network were:
Periodically, the core team at Wasabi Anime hosted standalone events aimed at bringing these clubs together. Notable among these were the Wasabi Anime Halloween Cosplay Parties in 2001 and 2003.
Around 2004, Wasabi Anime shifted its focus from networking clubs to designing and organizing events for anime and fan conventions. These events encompassed themed panels, game shows, dances, and stage performances, including the well-known "Wasabi Animusical."
Wasabi Anime has designed entertainment and programming for several anime and fan conventions since starting in 2001.
California
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Nevada
In 2007, Wasabi Anime began producing its fan conventions. Since some of these productions were not anime-centric, they often operated under corporate names (either Green Mustard, LLC or Green Mustard Entertainment, Inc.)
Convention Name | Theme | Dates | Location | Attendance | Guests |
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ASSIMILATION (as Green Mustard, LLC) | Science Fiction | September 29–30, 2007 | Radisson Worldgate Resort Orlando Kissimmee, FL | 160 attendees (85 unique) | Ethan Phillips, Glenda Finkelstein, Michael A. Stackpole, Richard Horvitz, Rooster Teeth Productions, & Tracy Scoggins |
MuggleCon (as Green Mustard, LLC) | Harry Potter | November 21–22, 2008 | Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort & Convention Center Kissimmee, FL | TBD | The House of Black & Witherwings |
InvaderCON | Invader ZIM | March 26–27, 2011 [1] | Marriott Century Center Atlanta, GA | TBD | Andy Berman, Eric Trueheart, Melissa Fahn, Richard Horvitz, & Rikki Simons |
Florida Anime Experience 2011 | Anime | May 27–29, 2011 [2] | Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort Kissimmee, FL | 1931 attendees (925 unique) | Anime World Order, Brett Weaver, Brittney Karbowski, Daric "Jingoro" Jackson, & Steve Blum |
Florida Anime Experience 2012 | Anime | May 25–27, 2012 [3] | International Palms Resort & Convention Center Orlando, FL | 2167 attendees (1027 unique) | Anime Addict Anonymous, Dan Woren, Darrel Guilbeau, Daric "Jingoro" Jackson, & Terri Hawkes |
Project Anime 2012 (with Anime Expo) | Anime Conventions | June 27–28, 2012 | Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles, CA | 33 unique | N/A (conference; no guests) |
InvaderCON II: DOOMCON | Invader ZIM | July 28–29, 2012 [4] | Torrance Marriott South Bay Torrance, CA | TBD | Aaron Alexovich, Eric Trueheart, Jason Stiff, Jhonen Vasquez, Melissa Fahn, Richard Horvitz, Rikki Simons, Rodger Bumpass, & Wally Wingert |
PinUpalooza | Pin-Up, Burlesque, & Rockabilly | October 6, 2012 | International Palms Resort & Convention Center Orlando, FL | TBD | TBD |
WasabiCon | Geek Culture | October 27–28, 2012 | Jacksonville Marriott Jacksonville, FL | TBD | TBD |
Florida Anime Experience 2013 | Anime | May 24–26, 2013 | International Palms Resort & Convention Center Orlando, FL | TBD | TBD |
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