In this interview, Pikachan tells me what it’s like to be cosplayer in Egypt; it’s completely different compared to how it is here in North America. Some of these issues include most people in her country don’t know what cosplay still is (she’s been called a devil worshiper for cosplaying), watching what she has to dress like for her safety, and getting all the attention at a convention for cosplaying a very popular female character (she’s got people following her). 

At the same time, the cosplay community in Egypt is very tight-knit and looks out for each other, which is another reason why she loves the community and the hobby in general.

Here’s where to find her on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pikachancosplayeg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pikachan_cosplay/

Full transcript of interview: https://rogersenpai.com/senpai-spotlight-pikachan/

Originally from Taiwan, she is an experienced cosplayer (and model) who has been in the community for several years. Today, Rae Cosplay is here to share her wisdom with me.

In this interview, I ask her of what it’s like to be a cosplayer in North America as well as Asia, how modeling and cosplaying go hand in hand for awesome photoshoots, what it’s like to watch Anime in Taiwan and how she won a Masquerade using her runway skills!

Here’s where to find her on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luiraecosplay/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luirae/

Full transcript: https://rogersenpai.com/senpai-spotlight-rae/

The next Senpai Spotlight Interview is with Shaded Lenz, an experienced Macro Photographer/Media Documenter in the Toronto area. Throughout this interview, I learned so much about cosplay photography that I have shared in some of my articles. One of them includes how to start into cosplay photography, even if you’re a beginner and only have a smartphone in your hands (if you’re interested in learning, click here to read the guide). 

And I’m sure by you listening or reading this interview, you’ll learn a lot from Shaded Lenz and his perspective on cosplay photography. Unlike a lot of cosplay photographers, Shaded Lenz’s journey into photography was different. He came into the hobby with a different approach, which I found very intriguing. 

In this interview I conducted with Shaded Lenz, you’ll get to hear some interesting things, including:

• Using photography to find clarity in his life
• How he became a staff photographer for various conventions in the Toronto area
• Why he doesn’t charge any money for his cosplay photography services

It was in 2008 when it was her first time attending Anime North. Like many people who attend AN for the first time, she was amazed by all the people cosplaying and the energy they brought. She found her calling.

She found her calling because after the convention was over, she made a big decision. She decided to quit her full-time corporate job to start a cosplay business.

Her name is Sunny and she is the founder of Cosplay Station. And more than 14 years later from attending that first Anime convention in 2008, her cosplay store is still going strong!

Read and listen below to hear about Sunny's experiences running Cosplay Station, including:

• How her store is about high-quality cosplays and expecting her suppliers to live up to that standard
• Getting good at wig styling and choosing the "hard way" to get better at it
• Her advice on anyone wanting to start their own cosplay commission business

 You can find Cosplay Station by clicking here.

Full transcript: https://rogersenpai.com/cosplay-station/

For those who don’t know, Coscove is the place to find used cosplays to buy at great prices or if you want to sell your own. But unlike the hassles of buying or selling your cosplays on Facebook, Coscove does all the heavy lifting for you!

In this Senpai Spotlight cosplay interview, Mengshu tells me how Coscove got started, her interesting experiences running Coscove so far (both offline and online), and how Coscove has been making life easier for cosplayers!

Click here for the transcribed version of this interview.