ConCom/Staff

Karen Franks is a multi-level geeky nerd. Her interests include neuromusicology (ask her what that means and you’ll be treated to a long discussion on the benefits of music education on brain structure and function), science fiction and science fact, learning the culture and history of her Native people, and tabletop games. During the day she exercises her superpower of teaching music to students of all ages. She is raising a husband, a teenager, and a dog, having completed the raising portion of the lives of 5 other humans – of whom she is indescribably proud.

Lee is a self-proclaimed media generalist with a focus on podcasting and voice-over. He lives his life through a wide array of interests anywhere from pirates to Mandalorians, anime to superheroes, and plenty in-between. A tinker at heart, Lee also enjoys any opportunity to assemble (or disassemble) things in the name of exploration and education.

Jessica Reid has been library professional for over 18 years and a geek her entire life. She enjoys random conversations with strangers book recommendations, how Squirrel Girl is the best superhero, interesting true crime stories, local ghost stories, hockey (go Checkers!) and so much more. An avid crafter, she is also aware that she has no real crafting skills except for her love of glitter.

Stephanie Creed became ConCarolina’s Marketing Director in 2021, but has been involved in all things geek and marketing/advertising for most of her adult life. She’s passionate about introducing people to geek life and the best things about her hobbies such as LARP (live action role playing games), cosplay, & tabletop gaming, and has played an active role in bringing these to the masses via her years of experience in working with the public and knowing how to get people involved and excited about events and experiences. She has been a professional graphic designer in the signage industry for over 11 years and has many good contacts and has built up a good network of many individuals and companies that may prove to be of great benefit in helping ConCarolinas reach its goals of becoming one of the greatest Cons in the region. She’s been heavily involved in the Con scene by becoming a vendor with her LARP supply company, selling realistic foam weapons & medieval costuming & accessories at many conventions as well as numerous themed festivals and LARP events in North Carolina, South Carolina, & even Virginia. Some of her favorite activities include but are not limited to, dressing up as an elf and running around in the woods playing pretend, supporting the local Charlotte music scene by attending and befriending local metal bands in the Charlotte and Triad areas, & hosting gatherings at her medieval tavern themed, remodeled basement.

Heidi Patterson has been attending Con since 2009, when she first attended with SG-12. When they decided to stop attending, she kept going because of all the awesome people and authors. She was tagged as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator in 2022 and hasn’t looked back. She grew up on a steady diet of Star Trek, discovering a love of science. As an adult she has discovered many more avenues of the world of geekdom. She is a Ravenclaw who is big into painting the miniatures for her husband’s games, intent on making them as accurate as possible.

Ray is the husband of the Con Chair, Karen Franks, and has dipped his toes into most aspects of convention organizing over the last couple of decades. Ray will be Dealer Room Director and the Content & Creation Track Director for 2025. He also assists with gaming, web design, guest relations, and serves as a convention advisor. Ray is the owner of Comic Monstore (www.comicmonstore.com) in Salisbury, NC. The business has been a hot spot for those interested in comic books, games, and toys for over 20 years. He enjoys being the singer/guitarist/songwriter for the rock band Graveyard Boulevard and he has also designed and published his own horror-themed tabletop game, Hunt Master.

John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies’ virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love. He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles, the Bubba the Monster Hunter comedic horror series, the Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter dark fantasy series, and many other projects. He is also a cast member of the role-playing podcast Authors & Dragons, where a group of comedy, fantasy, and horror writers play Dungeons & Dragons. Very poorly.

In 2016, John teamed up with several other publishing industry professionals to create Falstaff Books, a small press dedicated to publishing the best of genre fiction’s “misfit toys.” Falstaff Books has since published over 150 titles with authors ranging from first-timers to NY Times bestsellers, with no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Alex Matsuo is a paranormal researcher, investigator, and author. They are the founder of the Association of Paranormal Study and runs the blog, The Spooky Stuff, which features various paranormal topics and historical places with reports of ghosts. Some of their other books include, Women of the Paranormal Volume I: A Brief History, The Hamptonville Hauntings: Ghosts of the Trivette Clinic, and One Bed Over: A Hospital Haunting. Alex was recently featured in the CTV Sci-Fi Channel show, “Paranormal Revenge” as well as the Tubi documentaries, “Scariest Places in the World” and “Scariest Monsters in the World.” They were also part of the third season of Haunted Hospitals in Episode 12 titled, “It Followed Me Home” as well as Travel Channel’s “Most Terrifying Places in America.” 

Described by both press and colleagues as an “independent renaissance man” and “voice of the underground,” among other things, Dave Harlequin is a professional screenwriter, journalist, author, and independent filmmaker from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the Creative Director of the indie film studio and production group A Stranger Concept Films, as well as the Festival Director of the annual Stranger Days Independent Film Festival. 

First breaking into the world of filmmaking in 2013, Harlequin has written, directed, and/or worked on over three dozen films, many of which winning numerous awards throughout the film festival and convention circuits, and has been featured on various TV and streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Shorts TV, and AMC Networks.

Ben Mirabelli was born and raised in Trenton, NJ. He moved to North Carolina and attended University at UNCC, where he got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. Since then he has been published by Empire Games, Art of War Games, Scaldcrow Game Studios, and White-wolf games. He currently teaches high school art in Cabarrus County and works on his art career in his off time.

Darryl is often referred to as “Wolf”, if he is running around with his tail on, and has been a geek for many years. He enjoys playing and dungeon mastering D&D, Other role-playing games he enjoys include Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Vampire: The Masquerade. He serves as a Commanding Officer of the HMS TESTUDO in David Weber’s Royale Manticoran Navy, as well as a member of the Stormbreakers mercenary company in Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey’s 4 Horseman Universe.