Famous Monsters comes to A-Kon

January 10th, 2013 by Mike

While FAMOUS MONSTERS is most widely associated with its coverage of Universal Horror, the magazine was also the first place that many Monster Kids in the 60s and 70s got their first taste of Godzilla and his ilk. FM played a vital role in creating the groundswell that ultimately saw Japanese monsters begin to be exported, en masse, stateside. With FM’s relaunch in 2010, the company has looked to keep that tradition alive, not only dedicating one full issue each year to Japanese monsters and robots, but even teaming with underground magazine sensation, MONSTER ATTACK TEAM, to produce one of the finest Japanese Monster Culture magazines designed for a Western audience. The panel explores the roots of FM’s Kaiju coverage and continues all the way through the present day to its current projects that highlight Japanese monsters, anime, video games, films, and more.

For more information about the world’s first monster fan magazine check out the Famous Monsters website: http://famousmonsters.com/

Ed Blair Executive Editor

E Blair Lebowitz Photo

Shortly after being brought into this world in the marshy swamps of South Carolina (in a hospital shaped like an anchor, no less), Ed and his family moved to the military village of Iwakuni, Japan. Spending his formative years in the East had its advantages. Continuous exposure to GODZILLA, ULTRAMAN, and KAMEN RIDER made the language barrier easier to deal with since the visual nature of the shows allowed for easy understanding. But it had its drawbacks as well. Upon moving back to the US it became difficult to enjoy the likes of TOM & JERRY after having watched SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO destroy legions of enemies with its Wave Motion Gun. Settling in a small suburb of Chicago, Ed was able to find an Asian market that sold VHS copies of Japanese monster films and TV shows, anime, and wrestling.

After attending film school at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, trained as a director and camera operator, Ed and his business partner started their own small production company in order to help hone their craft. Initially, the first work available was independent (translation: free, with no budget and no food) music videos. The company quickly transitioned into corporate work, providing market research videos for advertising giant J. Walter Thompson. Branching out to more creative work, the company ultimately ended up producing shows and content for J Records, Fox Sports, Sony Records, MTV, the CW, and WGN. It was after producing and directing an award-winning documentary series featuring Morgan Freeman and a host of Delta Blues and Rock legends, that Ed decided it was time to head West.

Following his first few months in LA during 2009, having directed and operated Steadicam on independent projects (one featuring Kato Kaelin and Ron Jeremy. . . don’t ask), Ed teamed up with FAMOUS MONSTERS to help provide video content for their website. The reborn FM was in its very initial stages and wasn’t even sure if it would produce a magazine. He remained in his video production post until Spring of 2011, when after voicing some strong opinions about the direction of the fledgling periodical, he was (quite surprisingly) tapped to helm the world’s oldest entertainment magazine, the magazine that influenced Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Stephen King, and so many more of entertainment’s greatest imaginations.

Knowing that the magazine needed a quick and powerful shot in the backside to keep it from sliding into the dustbin of obscurity, Ed reached out to friend and Kaiju expert August Ragone to put together a dream: A full issue dedicated to Japanese monster culture. All the monster films and TV shows Ed had grown up loving in Japan were now going to run wild in the pages of FM. The issue was a massive success, selling out before it had even arrived in the warehouses. Since that time, Ed and the FM team have worked tirelessly to bring back the sense of fun and wonder that the magazine was founded on.

Dominie Lee

Dominie Lee’s professional pursuits began on a film set, having worked on short films and features such as the adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Radio Free Albemuth and as a producer on the post-apocalyptic thriller Downstream. Shortly thereafter, Dominie joined the relaunch of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. As the magazine’s Associate Publisher and Art Director, not only is Dominie responsible for the feel and look of every issue that reaches the readers, she also leads the FM Team in deciding which artists’ work will feature on the covers and in the pages of FM.

Dominie was brought on to the team for her unique artistic qualifications. She excelled in formal fine arts training under renowned artist Shan Fu Zhao, which nurtured her life long love affair with creating art. She enjoys painting with oils and building and painting models—particularly the Gundam models, which lead to her love of Japanese anime.

Today, Dominie is fortunate to be able to apply her artistic training and design aesthetics in the continued success of building Famous Monsters of Filmland.