SyFy will run its own cosplay documentary series "The Heroes of Cosplay" this August!

Cosplay is about to take another step into the mainstream media and this time it will be on the SyFy channel! For those not in the know, cosplay is the art of creating and wearing costumes of your favorite characters from all outlets of entertainment (TV, movies, video games, books, ect.). This August SyFy will be airing a 6 part documentary titled The Heroes of Cosplay! This new documentary will follow a small group of cosplayers and find out not only what cosplay is but why cosplayers love to do it and what drives them to create their costumes.

The group of cosplayers that will star in this documentary will include Yaya Han, Riki LeCotey, Monika Lee, Victoria Schmidt, Chloe Dykstra, Jessica Merizan, Holly Conrad, , Jesse Lagers, and Becky Young. 

"Yaya Han – Yaya is one of the acknowledged legends of cosplay whose entrance at each convention – always in full costume – never fails to create a stir. A source of inspiration and intimidation to the contestants, Atlanta-based Yaya Han is often a judge at contests.

Riki LeCotey – Riki moved from rural Canada to the United States to follow her passion for cosplay. A special effects technician on sci-fi films, she is also the founder of Cosplay for a Cause, which has raised money for victims of the Japanese Tsunami.

Monika Lee – Monika is from Atlanta and a student at the Georgia Institute of technology, where she’s majoring in industrial design. A cosplayer since the age of 13, competed in numerous craftsmanship contests winning several “Best in Shows” and various other awards.

Victoria Schmidt – Victoria is co-founder of the geek fashion and style blog settostunning.com. A passionate fan of cosplay since high school, she’s especially proud of being Princess Leia on LucasFilm’s Star Wars float in the 2007 Rose Parade.

Chloe Dykstra – Chloe was almost fated to be in the cosplay community; her father is an F/X legend, having worked on the original Star Wars and Star Trek films. An actress and model, she hosts the Just Cos show on YouTube’s Nerdist channel.

Jessica Merizan and Holly Conrad – Jessica has performed in regional theater in Southern California since she was five years old. Together, she and fellow cast member Holly Conrad co-founded a costume fabrication shop, cosplay community and new media entertainment company. Holly was mentored by her very qualified grandfather, Dorse Lanpher, an F/X animator for Disney and others. She now works in the special effects business for several major studios, in addition to her business with Jessica.

Becky Young – Becky has created costumes since attending San Diego Comic-Con in 2006. A trained actress, she has voiced Video Game Nussie on Maxim Radio and was a judge on CBS Sports’ Guitar Hero Competiton show. She lives in Burbank.

Jesse Lagers – Jesse lives in Portland, Oregon, where he works as a software systems administrator. He hopes that success in cosplay competitions will lead to his own business creating costumes and props. Jesse is a stickler for realism and authenticity in all of the costumes he creates."

You can take a look at The Heroes of Cosplay Facebook page for more, and up to date, information. I have to admit that as a cosplayer myself I am excited to see how this terms out. However, I am a little confused on why there is only one male cosplayer being featured in this documentary when there are some amazing male cosplayers out there. You would think they would want to show you all aspects of the cosplay community (and who is in it) when making a documentary. All the same, I'll be checking it out when it airs on August 13th. Are you excited to see the world of Cosplay enter mainstream media in its own documentary series?

Source: TheMarySue