Dorkly.com and ReedPOP to Debut The First-Ever Dorkly Fan Art Expo at C2E2 in Chicago April 25-27

NEW YORK, March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dorkly.com, the fastest growing media brand devoted to celebrating fandom culture, has partnered with ReedPOP, the leading producer of pop culture events, to debut The Dorkly Fan Art Expo at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) in Chicago. Fan art is a massive online movement, and now Dorkly writers and illustrators will bring fan art to life throughout this multimedia experience, which will include a curated exhibition and celebration of the best fan art along with live illustration demonstrations, interviews and other activities focused around the fan art community. The event will take place in the C2E2 Fan Village from April 25 through April 27.

The Dorkly Fan Art Expo will feature fan art created by some of the most passionate fans and talented emerging artists. Submissions are open now through April 4 at www.fanartexpo.com, inviting artists to submit their own original works of fan art for consideration. From those submissions, Dorkly editors and ReedPOP representatives will curate a collection of up to 50 pieces that will be printed by California-based Printful.com for display at C2E2, and featured on Dorkly.com.

To add some stakes and bragging rights for participating artists, Dorkly has assembled an expert panel of judges who will select the best fan art pieces in categories including "Best Fan Art Mash-Up," "Best Video Game Fan Art," and more, as well as a "Best in Show." Confirmed judges include: Michel Balasis (artist; owner, Pop Chicago Gallery), Andrew Bridgman (Editor-in-Chief, Dorkly), Cliff Chiang (artist & comic book illustrator), Mike Drucker (writer, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; comedian), Heidi MacDonald (Editor-In-Chief, The Beat), Ozge Samanci (graphic novelist; Assistant Professor at Radio TV Film Department, Northwestern University, focusing on interactive art and comics), Sam Spratt (illustrator & painter), David Steinberger (Founder & CEO, comiXology), Noelle Stevenson (comic artist & illustrator; creator & author, NIMONA), and Caldwell Tanner (Head Illustrator, CollegeHumor).

Located in the C2E2 Fan Village, The Dorkly Fan Art Expo will also feature several daily live illustration sessions—"Morning Drawfee Live" and "Afternoon Drawfee Break Live"—from Dorkly artists, an interactive Fan Art Trivia Challenge for C2E2 attendees, a panel conversation on the evolution and impact of fan art, and a screening of curated fan films, including the premiere of a new Dorkly Original video. Throughout the weekend, Dorkly editors will create C2E2 photo galleries and original editorial content including video interviews with fans, artists, celebrities and more. Leading up to the main event, Dorkly.com will also host "C2E2 Weekends," featuring polls, trivia, and C2E2 pass giveaways.

Dorkly's presence at C2E2 signifies the brand's reach beyond the Dorkly.com site, which has grown impressively since the site launched in 2010. Maintaining an extremely loyal fanbase with its inclusive and genuine tone, Dorkly has been perfectly poised to become a category leader as fandom culture continues to become more mainstream than ever before. So far in 2014, Dorkly—which draws more than 15 million monthly visits and generates more than 40 million pageviews each month—is tracking to be up more than 160% in monthly unique visitors over last year.   

"Our fans are some of the most dedicated on the web, and we're excited to build upon this relationship with them by bringing the brand to life at The Dorkly Fan Art Expo," says Andrew Bridgman, Editor-in-Chief of Dorkly.com. "It's a natural extension of the online conversation we have with fans everyday, plus as some of the biggest and best comic artists of today began their careers creating fan art, we're thrilled to be working with ReedPOP as we leverage Dorkly's fun take on fandom to showcase the upcoming generation of artistic talent at C2E2 next month."

"ReedPOP was created to celebrate and cater to fan culture. Our simple mission is to build and curate the best fan experiences on the planet and The Dorkly Fan Art Expo sits squarely in this space," said Lance Fensterman, ReedPOP Global Senior Vice President.  

Submissions to The Dorkly Fan Art Expo are open to the public through Friday, April 4. For more information and to submit a piece for consideration, visit www.fanartexpo.com.

For more information on Dorkly, visit www.dorkly.com, and for more information on ReedPOP and C2E2, visit www.c2e2.com.

About Dorkly
Founded in 2010, Dorkly.com—an Electus Digital property—is the fastest-growing website dedicated to fandom culture. Generating more than 40 million views each month, the site offers daily original content covering all things geek in comics, movies, television, boardgames, videogames, and more, for the fanboy or fangirl in everyone. www.dorkly.com

About ReedPop
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime, East and Australia, Star Wars Celebration, Special Edition: NYC, Oz Comic-Con and the UFC Fan Expo. In 2013 ReedPOP (has) added Star Wars Celebration Europe and PAX Australia to its rapidly expanding portfolio of international events. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific (including Australia). www.reedpop.com

SOURCE IAC/Electus