I’ve been going to MTAC [Middle Tennessee Anime Convention] for several years now, and I wanted to know how it all goes down. What better way to get to know an event than by asking some very probing questions. MTAC’s progeny is Lucas Leverett, and he was able to spare some time from his busy schedule to answer some of those for us!
MTAC? Sounds like something you’d sit on! What is it, exactly?
MTAC stands for the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention. It is a convention for fans of Japanese Animation and Manga (comics) and related popular media – which can include video games, American movies and series, Japanese cultural subjects and a variety of music.
And what’s the deal with all these people dressing up?
Think of a convention of this sort as almost a geek mardi gras. People dress as characters they are interested in and mingle about for photos, or they compete with the costumes in the cosplay contest. It’s a great escape into a character for many people, and a great way to show off some amazing costuming skills in many cases.
So I take it you really like anime?
Most people are shocked that I am not a huge anime fan, in general. I am a fan of many geeky things, and anime is one of them. I have latched onto the occasional series, but the story is usually not my thing. Being a designer by profession, I am attracted to the visuals. And anime is probably the most visually amazing medium in entertainment.
Why Nashville?
Nashville was sortof the default for us when we tried this out the first time. It is our home. It’s where I am from. I love my city and I love doing something culturally diverse in my city. However, Music City has a lot of very marketable traits, and we have made the best of all that, too.
Let’s say I didn’t know about anime, would I still have fun at your convention?
You don’t have to be into Anime to have a blast at MTAC. Sometimes we have people who just come to see a certain band or DJ. Many people like video games, and we have a huge game room, round the clock. We also have a lot of events and activities designed to introduce the genre to people who are new. It’s pretty all-inclusive. You don’t even need to be a geek, really. The spectacle of people in costume or some of the wackier events might just be fun to see.
You’ve been doing this for a while now, right? What has changed over the years?
Over time, you learn a lot. The number of people attending MTAC has changed drastically… ten fold. We started out in the 400′s and now we’re looking toward 4000. With that increase comes a ton of unforeseen bumps in the road, and new things to consider.
What does it take to put all this together? Sounds like a huge undertaking.
Producing MTAC takes a lot of cash, for one thing. We put every dollar spent by our attendees into the convention, since our staff is all volunteer… even me. But there is a ton of planning, contract-signing, equipment renting, staffing, and media creating that makes up the show. We have 7 people whose “other job” is sitting on the MTAC Board of Directors and another 30 or so who are year-round staff. We then team with a large number of event volunteers to get the people-power we need.
Where do you see MTAC heading in the next ten years?
Over the next decade, MTAC will no-doubt remain, as many cons have. Will anime always be this hot? I don’t know. But we’ve diversified the convention enough to adapt more toward all that “related popular media” I mentioned before. We’ve even got something special to announce at this year’s con that will figure into the next ten years, but it’s a big secret right now so I can’t tell you!
Will I always be at the top of MTAC? I don’t know. But I’ve managed to craft something that will live on it’s own with good people in charge who know what’s up. So between the evolution of the industry, the popularity of “geek media” and the leadership we rely on, we’re set to hang onto this roller-coaster for a while.
If there’s one thing you’d change about MTAC, what would it be?
Sometimes I wonder if I should have held MTAC back in it’s numbers to keep it a small con, but I don’t think I would. I think one of the noble things we do is give “geek kids” a great event to get together, and we expose an art-form that’s very unique to the general public. Doing that on the largest scale possible seems all-too-logical. To that end, if I could change anything, it might be to wish a larger hotel that we can afford into existence faster.
I’ve been to MTAC quite a few times, and I have plenty of fun. You run the thing; do you ever get to sit back and just enjoy the convention?
When I first started doing MTAC, I was not in charge. I was working in promoting it. I did get more sleep and have more fun just hanging out back then. Once I took over in 2003, the sleep was very scarce and the constant work was pretty solid. I have gradually gained more and more excellent people who do their own work, and I have more time to drift about the con. I can’t say I get to go to a lot of thing, but I get a lot of reward from seeing other people enjoy their time. I will say, though, that bring in charge has a lot of benefits and does it’s own good for the ego in many ways, so it’s a different thing than just going to the show. It’s really a combo for me between seeing people have fun and having fun myself by feeding off that crowd. I suppose if I was more built I’d be a pro wrestler… I think those guys are just nutty enough in a similar way.
Where is it? When is it? How much will it cost me to get in? Where can I buy my tickets? I want to go really bad!
To go to MTAC, and to be sure you get in, you probably want to pre-register this week (since we will cut that off at the end of this month). You can pick how many days to attend, but all three is running $35. At the door, it will be $45. The event is April 3-5, and runs all night those days. We hold it at the Sheraton Music City, and I think those rooms are all sold out. But just a block down the street are some great other hotels. It’s a lot of fun, and we can’t wait to see everyone.
All MTAC photos by raywen.org
