TigerCon 2025: A Celebration of Creativity, Community, and Career Insights
Apr 25, 2025

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€™s annual comic and animation convention, TigerCon 2025, was
once again a tremendous success. Since its launch in Spring 2022, TigerCon has grown
through a collaborative effort between ASÄ¢¹½´«Ã½, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Department of Art & Art History
(Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Animation), Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Applied Digital Media, and the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Library. This year’s event
expanded even further, thanks to the additional support of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½D Distance Education,
the Black Student Success Initiative, and MakerSpace.

Held on Thursday, April 24, at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Digital Library, TigerCon 2025 kicked off with
an exhibition floor filled with the creativity, talent, and energy of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students
showcasing and selling their work.
From 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the event featured a series of inspiring guest artist panels.
First, Marcos Elizalde, an Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Art Department alumnus and current designer in the
animation industry (including work with Netflix Animation and DreamWorks), shared
his academic and artistic journey—offering students an especially relatable and motivating
story of success that began at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
Next, Daron Nefcy, Emmy Award-winning artist and creator of Disney’s Star vs. The
Forces of Evil, spoke about her creative process, behind-the-scenes insights, and
advice for students aspiring to join the animation industry.
The panel series concluded with John Jennings, a renowned Marvel comic artist and
UCR professor, who led a discussion titled "Black Comic Artists in Indie-Comics" alongside
acclaimed artists Sebastian Jones and Kevin Grevioux. Their conversation offered valuable
perspectives and advice, and many students commented afterward on how meaningful it
was to see the importance of Black artist representation emphasized throughout the
discussion.
Following the panels, students enjoyed free snacks and giveaways provided by ASÄ¢¹½´«Ã½
and MakerSpace before participating in the Cosplay Competition and the Whiteboard
Doodle Competition, judged by Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Art faculty, guest panelists, and alumni.
TigerCon 2025 was a vibrant celebration of our students' talents and achievements,
providing them not only a platform to share their work but also direct access to inspiring
industry insights and professional connections.