Events

A Pleasant Interlude With Happy Tree Friends

With Ken Pontac

Remember the first time you saw Happy Tree Friends, before you knew what the joke was? You kind of wondered what your friend who said, “Dude! You have to check this out!” was so excited about. It was just a bunch of cute little animals doing stupid things until, suddenly…something happened and you got the joke. The sick crew who work on Happy Tree Friends LOVE to see people get the joke for the first time, so bring a friend who’s never seen the show, and blow their minds a little.

All About Cristina Vee

With Cristina Vee

Cristina's been busy! Come and discover the latest series she's been working on!

AOD Celebrity Jeopardy!

This is AOD Celebrity Jeopardy! Our Guests of Honor are testing their knowledge skills to win money for their favorite charities.

We'll have questions on Sports Teams and Historical Events and Video Games. But how will they handle categories like "Words that Sound Dirty, but Aren't"? Can they answer on "Things You Shouldn't Put In Your Mouth"? Will they know anything at all about "Games That End With 'eet Fighter'"? Come down and find out!

All of our guests will take home something, but the better they do, the more money they'll win! The winning Guest of Honor will take home $500 for their favorite charity, as well as the accolades of an entire audience. Be sure to root your favorite Guest for the $500 top prize!

Bump in the Night

With Ken Pontac

Way back in the last century, before there was Facebook and iPhones and WMDs there was a stop-motion TV series called Bump in the Night. Created by Ken Pontac and David Ichioka (nee Bleiman), the series ran for two seasons and a Christmas special before it was axed during the bloody acquisition of ABC by Disney. A subversively smart show, BITN was probably more suited to today’s audiences than those of 1994. Well, today’s audiences are in luck, as the series has recently been collected by Shout! Factory. Various gems, unseen for over a decade, will be shown at this panel, along with commentary by the creators, artwork and puppets from the show, and perhaps a surprise or two.

Charity Auction

AOD is proud to help raise funds for community causes. Our friends, our staff, and our guests all donate to the Charity Auction. Items up for sale include the unique, the out-of-print, the bizarre, the awesome, the hilarious, and the jaw-droppingly surprising. Posters, DVDs, artwork, video games, voice work, consoles, collectables, and even intangible things, it's all here. And sometimes, guests autograph auction their favorite items, transforming them into truly one-of-a-kind collectables. Place your bids at the Charity Auction and support a good cause! Read more!

Cristina Vee's Voice Actor Auditions!

With Cristina Vee

Cristina Vee got her big break when she was discovered at a convention. Will it be yours? Come and find out how it happens!

Focus On Stephanie Sheh

With Stephanie Sheh

Stephanie is updating her fans on all the newest projects on which she’s been working!

From Starcraft to Star Wars

With Neil Kaplan

Neil Kaplan has worked in a variety of Video Game and Cartoon roles, including Tychus Findlay in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, and Skadge in Star Wars: The Old Republic. He's got many stories to share from his years in the industry.

Guest Autographs

Want your favorite guest to sign your favorite toy? Well, we got that covered. Stop by the Autographs Booth in the Dealers Hall when your guest is scheduled to make their appearance, and they'll be happy to talk with you one-on-one and sign your stuff!

Check the schedule here!

How Ponies Are Made: My Little Pony Discussion

With Jayson Thiessen

Jayson Thiessen, Supervising Director of the hit animated series and internet sensation My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, will discuss the production process of the series and show just how your favorite ponies go from the drawing board to the screen!

Ken Pontac & Neil Kaplan Talk Dirty or Something (18+ only)

With Ken Pontac & Neil Kaplan

Neil and Ken have been talking about doing a panel together for AOD at Nite, but the details are hazy. We're sure it would be amusing and epic, though. And there WILL be American Karaoke.

Please note: this has moved to Live Events 1.

MadWorld (18+ only)

With Ken Pontac & Warren Graff

If you played a drinking game where you took a shot every time an F-bomb was dropped in Sega’s Madworld, you’d be f-ing dead in the first f-ing five minutes, f-er. Happy Tree Friends writers Ken Pontac and Warren Graff were tagged to write the dialog between the game’s fictional announcers, played by Greg Proops (Whose Line Is It, Anyway?) and John DiMaggio (best known as Bender from Futurama). Pontac and Graff will answer deeply personal and embarrassing questions, tell the toe-curling stories behind their favorite quips, and describe just what “going over the line” is when their director tells them that it’s “impossible to go over the line” (it’s possible, and Pontac and Graff found and crossed it).
Note: This panel will feature explicit language and mature, possibly adult themes. Not for the kiddies!

Meet the Guests Reception

With All the Guests

This is your chance to meet one-on-one with AOD's Guests of Honor! The Meet the Guest Reception is at the SUPER FROG Gallery on the third floor of the NEW PEOPLE Center. Light refreshments are available. To prevent overcrowding our guests, we reserve the right to limit room capacity to 50 people at a time.

NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post Street, which is across the street and about half a block down as you exit the main entrance of the hotel.

My Little Pony Creative Panel

With Jayson Thiessen

Jayson Thiessen, Supervising Director of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,talks about the creative aspects of the series.

Opening Ceremonies

Meet all the Guests of Honor at this year's AOD, and come see what we're all about! This event is open to the public- no badge is required.

Spiral Knights

With Ian McConville

Featuring Spiral Knights art lead Ian McConville

Three Panel Soul

With Ian McConville & Matt Boyd

Three Panel Soul creators Ian McConville and Matt Boyd update the latest on the series, answer questions, and wax poetically on the meaning of life.

We Heart Japan

With Stephanie Sheh

Stephanie is sharing all the latest news about the Charity Group she helped found!

Writing For Animation

With Ken Pontac & Tommy Yune

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler

The infinite void of the empty page, the crushing deadlines, the ridiculous demands of the network executives… does this sound like the life for you? Decide for yourself when cartoon veterans Ken Pontac and Tommy Yune overcome their Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to relate their anus-clenching adventures in the bloody trenches of television and feature animation.

Just joking, kids, writing for animation is FUN!

You Are A Pirate – Discussion & Karaoke

With Ken Pontac

In July of 2004 Ken Pontac traveled to the exotic (and bankrupt) island of Iceland to work on the surrealistic children’s’ show LazyTown. One of the episodes he wrote featured a song called “You Are A Pirate,” a salty sea chantey describing the pleasures inherent in the buccaneer’s life. The song has gone on to become a certified Internet meme, with over ten million hits on YouTube (and that’s not counting the innumerable mash-ups and drunken karaoke versions). Pontac will describe the process of writing the song, and then will sit with a panel of pirates to judge your karaoke version. Dress as a pirate and add an immediate point to your score. The winners will get cool LazyTown prizes: signed scripts, behind the scenes photos, and maybe even a lock of hair from the amazing Stefan Karl!