Studio Cosplay Inc, a community non-profit promoting the art of Cosplay, is excited to announce they will be partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area to create a unique cosplay mentoring program.  Cosplay is an art form that involves designing, creating and wearing costumes of one’s favorite superhero, TV or literary character, or self-made character.  Cosplay develops such skills as project budgeting, pattern making, sewing, using light power tools, painting, and 3D printing. “Wearing a costume that you made yourself is fun for all ages and is a great way to develop self confidence in one’s appearance and abilities,” says Sabrina Maizland, V.P of Studio Cosplay.

The joint program with Big Brothers Big Sisters National Capital Area will be the first of its kind and allow youths and their Big Brother / Big Sister mentors to create and showcase their own costume in Studio Cosplay’s upcoming Cosmakerspace.  Elizabeth Gmaz, Studio Cosplay’s President stated “We are very excited at the opportunity to team with Big Brothers Big Sisters National Capital Area and hope that we can play a role in providing a program that will enrich lives. The opportunity to share our art form with young people is a great joy to us and part of our organization’s mission.”

Studio Cosplay is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to build the space and pay for equipment. Their Cosmakerspace will be a community workshop in the DC area where people interested in costuming and cosplay can have tools, equipment, education, collaboration, and a safe area to work on their creations. Studio Cosplay supporters have already donated over 36 months of memberships to youth in the DC area who might not otherwise have a chance to experience Cosplay. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area is the perfect partner for identifying youth who would best benefit from this donation. Studio Cosplay is matching these donations to allow Big Brother and Big Sister mentors to accompany youth to the space and is including classes and materials as part of the program.

You can still contribute to this project. Studio Cosplay’s Kickstarter campaign is running through Sunday March 15, 2015 at 3:30PM. They are also accepting donations for materials and tools. Studio Cosplay is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible. Back them through Kickstarter.com or visit their website www.studiocosplay.org to donate through Paypal.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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