Holly Conrad

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Mentored by her grandfather, Dorse Lanpher, a visual effects animation artist with Disney and Don Bluth Productions, Holly grew up in Redlands, CA with an early passion for costumes. She cites that her first experience with cosplay occurred at the age of four, when she strapped a pillow to her back and called herself a Koopa (from the Mario Bros. game series).

After graduating with a degree in Medieval History from University of California, Santa Barbara, Holly switched career paths and began working in special effects shops for clients like Disney, Universal, Machinima, Warner Brothers and productions like Robot Chicken and Titan Maximum, the latter of which won an Emmy for costume design. In 2010, she co-founded a company with friend and fellow Heroes of Cosplay cast member Jessica Merizan called Crabcat Industries, a costume fabrication shop, cosplay community and new media entertainment company.

She resides LA with her husband Ross, an animator, and two cats. She works as a Community Manager for Maker Studios/The Game Station