The Crew
We have a dedicated Austin crew commmitted to making this event as bitchin' as possible:
Beth Nelson – Organizer
My
name is Beth and I have been a Whedonite from before I knew he existed.
Some of my favorite episodes of the TV show, "Roseanne," were written
by Joss. I was completely converted in 1997 when the show "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" hit the airwaves. While I wasn't an "Angel" fan, my
love of Joss' work grew immensely when I first saw "Firefly". It was
like a brand new love affair.
Fast forward to 2008, and I am the Chairman of the Austin Browncoats, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation located in Austin, TX.
The Austin Browncoats work to end violence and discrimination in all sectors of society. We place special focus on working alongside young women and children because, given the opportunity and proper education, young women and children can help create a better world for all beings. Much like our passion for the amazing works of Joss Whedon, such as "Firefly", we are passionate about our causes and raising funds for our charities, including Equality Now, SafePlace, Heart House and Emancipet.
I look forward to meeting all of you at our 2008 Screening! It is going to be a lot of fun! If you can’t make it to our Austin event, please go to www.cantstoptheserenity.com and look for an event near you!
Jennifer Henderson – Assistant Organizer
My
first Browncoat public experience came from the 2006 CSTS screening in
Austin. Some friends of mine suggested I first watch the Firefly
series, then see the film - and so I did.
I was hooked. It was great fun and we got to help out a wonderful charitable organization in the process. The next year (2007) was even better. Raffle tickets, costume contests, and sing-a-longs oh my. Every year brings something new and exciting, I just had to be involved. I hope you all will enjoy what we have planned for this year. See you all at the screening!
Ryan Campbell – Merchandising Officer
Ryan
hates writing about himself, so he opted to use a much better bio to
explain why he is the best Merchandising Officer ever.
(Note to Readers: Replace Chuck Norris with Ryan Campbell)
Chuck Norris's fight career lasted from 1964-1974. Norris started off by losing his first three tournaments but, by 1966, he was almost unbeatable. Among the numerous titles he won were The National Karate Championships (1966), All-Star Championships (1966), World Middleweight Karate Championship (1967), All-American Karate Championship (1967), Internationals (1968), World Professional Middleweight Karate Championship (defeating Louis Delgado on 24 November 1968), All-American Championship (1968), National Tournament of Champions (1968), American Tang Soo Championship, and the North American Karate Championship. Norris compiled a fight record of 65-5 with wins over champions Joe Lewis, Skipper Mullins, Arnold Urquidez, Ronald L. Marchini, Victor Moore, Louis Delgado, and Steve Sanders. Of the five men to beat Norris, three were Allen Steen, Joe Lewis, and Norris's last career defeat to Louis Delgado in 1968. Norris retired as undefeated Professional Full-Contact Middleweight Champion in 1974.
But seriously, he is the Merchandising Officer for Austin’s Can’t Stop the Serenity.
Sam Bird – Webmaster
Wow!
I can't believe I conned these guys into letting me be the webmaster!
Well, before these fine folks come to their senses, I figured I'd tell
you a bit about myself:
I'm your classic sci-fi geek. I love Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Star [insert some random noun]. So while I never had the privilege of seeing Firefly when it originally aired, I rented it as soon as I could through Netflix. I soon found myself waiting by the mailbox every weekend for the next DVD! Obviously, joining the Austin Browncoats was the next step.
Since joining, I've had a ball with this club. They are always having shindigs, and it is always something cool & fun. In the short time I've been in the club, I've seen them do everything from a group field trip to Texas Renaissance Festival, to Blazer Tag, to Karaoke (and surprisingly they didn't throw me out after hearing me sing). Profits they make go to charity, so how can you lose with such a group?
Becky Zmarzly – PR Officer and Assistant Webmaster
I’m
not sure how I got the illustrious titles of PR Officer and Assistant
Webmaster, unless it was my zOMG wrighting skillz and my tinkering
around with freeware HTML editors. Seriously, though, I’m sure my five
years working as a project manager in the tech industry and my degrees
in French and Tudor history probably help out somewhat.
I have been involved in the Jossverse since the final season of Buffy aired in 2002. Even though “Beading with Becky and Buffy” on Tuesday nights is no more, my love of Joss lives on. In fact, my oldest daughter's middle name is Inara and my coming-soon younger daughter's name will be Jocey. What better way to express my feelings about all things Whedon than by permanently branding them on my children?
I have been an off-and-on active member of the Austin Browncoats since the Yahoo! Group email address canvass at the first Austin pre-screening of Serenity. I’m thrilled to be part of a group that continues to make a difference on a local, national, and global level, while still maintaining a high level of the sci-fi geekdom that I love.
Claudia Drinovsky – Local Donations Officer
Hi,
I am Claudia, I am a long time Firefly and Serenity Fan. I am also an
active member of the Austin Browncoats. I am married with two kids,
well sometimes 3 it seems. But since my daughter is going to school and
they do tons of fundraising, I had some ideas and that is how I ended
up helping with CSTS.
I am really looking forward to this event and hope to make it the best ever.
Kayley Viteo – Local Donations Officer
Joss
Whedon was my first love.
Well, actually, he was second-best to David Boreanaz at the time, but give me a break … I was 10 when Buffy premiered. I didn't quite know how to worship pure genius properly. Nonetheless, I've been involved in the Whedonverse since a very young age. I can remember posting on the Bronze forum – ah, the good ole days – and the not one, but TWO posting board parties I attended at the awkward age of 13 and 14 (my mother and my best friend's mother even chaperoned our descent into fandom). I remember meeting cast and crew, meeting Joss himself, and feeling very much like I was part of something special. That feeling has never waned, especially now that I'm able to focus that energy into the Austin Browncoats and an event very dear to my heart, Can't Stop the Serenity.
Will Stovall – Graphics
Well,
it all started in the winter of 1981. She was
home, he was bored.
Skip forward a couple of years to 2001 - I was given my first job as a graphic designer for a large church in Austin, Tx. Since then I have been actively creating awesome art for small companies. Some people call themselves "artists" and some "designers", but me? I am an artist that can design! Yes, there is a difference: one has rules.
About two years ago I was introduced to a nifty series call "Firefly", some of you may know it. Well, I was hooked! A few weeks back this totally shibby person posted up something about needing some art for an event,"Can't Stop The Serenity". The whole event needed its own level of shiny, and I wanted to be in on making it that way! Click, click, boom...that art came alive! Thanks again for letting me be "the art guy"!
~Will
Josh Perlman – Webmaster Emeritus
I've
been designing web pages off and on since 1995,
when I dragged my International Relations department kicking and
screaming into the shiny new Internet age. I've worked in the tech
sector ever since I retired from the field of political theory at the
ripe old age of 23.
I caught the Joss fever at the tail end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and while it took me a while to get into Angel, I was very excited for Firefly's combo of Whedon's writing and sci-fi with a twist. That glee was renewed in the build-up to Serenity. As someone who is politically motivated and a self-described geek and sci-fi fan, I feel honored to be able to help out with this event.
