Featured Speakers
Rantz Hoseley
Comic Book Artist, Writer, Editor/Director
Saturday, April 6 — Borah Theater
Rantz Hoseley began his career in the 1980s as a storyboard artist on rock videos for bands like Aerosmith and the Scorpions.
While attending Washington State University during the height of the grunge explosion, he served as the art director and entertainment editor for the Daily Evergreen, interviewing a number of seminal bands as they emerged to impact music on a global level.
Working professionally in comics as an artist, writer and editor since 1987, He’s adapted Robert Kiyosaki’s bestseller "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", into a graphic novel for Little Brown/Hachette, and won the Eisner and Harvey award in 2009 for "Comic Book Tattoo", his anthology based on 51 songs by Tori Amos. In 2018, while serving as the Managing Editor for Heavy Metal magazine, he adapted Nikki’s Sixx’s memoir "The Heroin Diaries", into a graphic novel.
He currently serves as the Editor in Chief for Z2 Comics, where he oversees books based on musical artists from the Iron Maiden to Blondie, earning the company six Eisner Award nominations in 2023.
His recent work in film includes directing the music videos for Sixx:A.M.’s new version of their hit “Life Is Beautiful” and Mötley Crüe’s “Ride With The Devil”, and the short film "Die", which was shot in Moscow and Lewiston, Idaho.
Bret Cocking
Senior Game Designer, World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment
Saturday, April 6 — Borah Theater
Bret grew up on the Palouse in nearby Colfax, Washington, to a farming family. With an interest in computers and film, he attended University of Idaho where he earned degrees in visual communications (taking many of the virtual technology design courses) and History, with a minor in film. Following a trip to Blizzcon with friends in 2007, he got a contact in Blizzard Entertainment’s Quality Assurance department which led to a job there a couple of months later. He worked in QA for a few years before becoming a designer on the World of Warcraft team, focusing on reward design for seven years. During the last year and a bit, he has worked on the Live Game Team, concentrating on outdoor events such as the Secrets of Azeroth.
David Korus
Lead Software Development Engineer, Magic the Gathering: Arena, Wizards of the Coast
Saturday, April 6 — Borah Theater
David is a 25+ year veteran of the game industry as a reviewer, programmer and lead engineer. He has worked with game developers including Moscow/Troy-based Blevins Enterprises, Zipper Interactive, Sony of America and Hidden Path Entertainment.
David's credited titles include "Mechwarrior3", "SOCOM: US Navy Seals", and "Counterstrike Global Offensive". He currently works with Wizards of the Coast on "Magic: The Gathering Arena".
When not hard at work, David can be found hiking the Cascades with his dog Paladin or out in the garden with his partner Angela.
Lena Alison Knight
Science Fiction Author, “The Gift of the Stars” series
Saturday, April 6 — Borah Theater
Lena Alison Knight grew up reading space opera and high fantasy and started writing her own as soon as she could hold a crayon steady. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area, and when not writing she can be found taking brisk walks, haunting local coffee shops, or sprawled on the couch playing video games. Lena is the author of the "Gift of the Stars" space opera trilogy, and her short fiction has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Martian Magazine and others.