S2 E15 The Cosplay Crunch W/ Panterona Cosplay
Presenting the Cosplay Goddess of the Caribbean Islands! In this episode of Cosplay Crunch, we welcome Panterona Cosplay all the way from Trinidad and Tobago! We get her unfiltered journey into the world of cosplay, starting from a place of pettiness to becoming a prominent figure in the Trinidadian cosplay community. We discuss the evolution of cosplay in Trinidad and Tobago, the cultural context surrounding race and representation, and the accessibility of resources for cosplayers in the Caribbean. Panterona also highlights the impact of Carnival in Trinidad on cosplay materials, and her experience of merging cosplay with Carnival, leading to the creation of Trinidad's first cosplay carnival band. Of course we talk about Alias Entertainment Expo, the complexities of organizing conventions in Trinidad, and the Caribbean Cosplay Championship. Make sure to listen all the way through to get the truth about her collaboration with Riot Games and the phenomenal Netflix series Arcane! You SERIOUSLY are not going to want to miss this episode. Trust!
Panterona is an award-winning cosplayer, fashion/costume designer, artist, educator and convention organiser from the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. She has been actively cosplaying for 20 years, has won a number of international costume competitions, and has travelled to and judged cosplay competitions around the world! She has also been the resident Head Judge for the Caribbean Cosplay Championships from its inception for the past seven years. Panterona has collaborated and worked for brands such as Digicel, Caribbean Cinemas, Funimation, E3, Intel, Riot Games and Arcane. She was also featured on the “Intel Creator Challenge Season 3” and “Faces of E3 2021”. Panterona created and pioneered the ‘carnival style’ of cosplay, and these talents were showcased as the Head of the first ever Cosplay Carnival band in the Caribbean in 2018. Panterona is also the Executive Director of the largest English-speaking pop culture convention in the region, “ALIAS Entertainment Expo”, and has also produced and co-directed a television program called “Project ALIAS”, which followed cosplayers as they created their competition pieces and was broadcast for two seasons. Panterona sees cosplay and design as perfect avenues for creative self-expression and continues to use her platform to showcase her culture, talent and artistry whilst inspiring others to explore and ignite their own creative paths.
“We are all artists, don’t let others paint the story of your life”
- Panterona
Find Panterona at https://panterona.com/ and on Instagram @panteronacosplay
