Tag Archives: Elise Bauman

Queer Women Fandom ClexaCon Is Heading To London

ClexaCon, the largest multi-fandom convention for queer women, is heading to London this fall.

ClexaCon, the largest multi-fandom event for LGBTQ women & allies, is going across the pond this Fall for the first time ever kicking off ClexaCon London. 

Building from the massive success of ClexaCon, which has taken place in Las Vegas, NV for the past two years, the European edition will bring together in London the best in queer television, movies, books, blogs and more.

The highly anticipated pop-up event will take place at the Novotel London West (Hammersmith International Ctre,1 Shortlands, Hammersmith, London W6 8DR) November 3-4, 2018.

The London chapter, while a smaller, more intimate version of the main event held annually in Las Vegas that hosts 4,000+ LGBTQ women and allies, represents a key geographical expansion for the iconic Con.  

Focusing on a more curated experience for its European attendees, ClexaCon London is committed to raising awareness about the differences in creative spaces and support for LGBTQ women in the UK in comparison to the US to inspire more LGBTQ women to create more content.

LGBTQ+ representation matters now more than ever. While there seems to be an overwhelming move towards diversity with LGBTQ-centric narratives and characters popping up in movies these past few years, still major studios are remaining behind when it comes to fully embracing a culture of inclusion. 

In fact, GLAADS’s annual Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) recently noted a drop in the representation of LGBTQ people in films in the past year.

By allowing the LGBTQ+ community to tell their stories on the small and big screen, we not only allow viewers to have a more accurate view of society, but as well give LGBTQ+ individuals the chance to see themselves as integrated members of said society and showcase the universality of our lived experiences.

Sure, many Cons claim to be different, innovative and disruptive in some ways, but ClexaCon not only talks the talk but walks the walk, genuinely pushing the envelope forward for female LGBTQ+ representation in front of and behind the camera.

Ashley Arnold, Danielle Jablonski, and Holly Winebarger, the masterminds behind ClexaCon, are actively working to shift conventional thinking by continuing to advance the conversation about female representation in the film & TV world.

The events organisers said in a statement

“We hope attendees leave ClexaCon London feeling empowered. We want them to know this industry, like all industries, is in desperate need of more diverse voices. Their voice matters. Pick up a camera, grab a pen, start writing, start creating because there are other people who care about what you have to say.”

High on the agenda at the UK Con is the urgent need to listen to LGBTQ+ voices to create more diverse content and to put queer female stories front and center.

To that end, ClexaCon London will feature a packed agenda of panels, meet and greets, photographs, and workshops from an elite community of LGBTQ gamechangers, industry tastemakers, media influencers and actors.

Aside from fan panels (including UK Wynonna Earp Fan panel), the event will also offer content creation panels, acting panels as well as academic panels.

Discussing the future of diversity, inclusivity and intersectionality in entertainment the panels will be covering a wide range of timely and trending topics from women’s voices to non-binary & gender conforming people representation, among others.

In addition, the organizers have added a London Tour on Friday, renting a bus and filling it with as many LGBTQ woman as possible.

Much like its US counterpart, ClexaCon London will gather under one roof the stars behind a slew of unique and original queer-centric narratives and LGBTQ-themed programs.

Lesbian Vampires And Tampons: The ‘Carmilla’ Phenomenon

Whether you are a fan or not, by now we have all heard about one of  Youtube’s biggest hit series Carmilla.

This mini web-series follows Laura (Elise Bauman), a curiosity-filled Journalism student at Silas University. As she first arrives at her dorm, Laura meets her new roommate, Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis) who, by the way, is a vampire and they both end up developing a romantic relationship (well, that’s a really summed up version of their whole relationship).

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Silas University is, naturally, invaded with supernatural catastrophes each semester, leaving Laura, Carmilla and the rest of their friend-group to fight Evil each season.

Maybe some fans may not know but the character Carmilla is actually inspired on a1872 book, also entitled Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu!

And of course you can click here to watch season 1, season 2, and the highly awaited season 3.

The question remains, why is Carmilla such a hit-show?

Carmilla is backed by U by Kotex which, ironically enough, is a tampon company! Has that changed in any way how the show is written, produced or directed?

Jay Bennet, the show’s executive producer thinks it was a natural fit, adding

I think if you look at the type of marketing campaigns that U by Kotex was doing at the time, they were not pouring blue dye on to pads, they were having women throw underwear from the balconies of apartment buildings. I think the content naturally fit in with their brand attributes, their sense of humor — a bit more irreverent, a bit more edgy.”

But if U by Kotex is such a big part of Carmilla, how come we never see an ad or a not so cheeky occasional product placement?

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Bennet explained,

One rule we don’t see others following is we do not put the brand anywhere near the scripted content. We’re dealing with female millennials, the most sophisticated consumer group of all time, and they know it’s an ad two seconds in and will move away, so we work very hard to protect the scripted content as the core driver. Once someone has fallen in love with the show and its characters, we then take them outside of the scripted series and create additional content that features the brand more clearly.”

How is U by Kotex making a difference?

In no way make the mistake to think U by Kotex isn’t leaving its mark on the tampon business, even releasing special edition tampons featuring unique Carmilla packaging!

I am not even lying, I really, really, really want vampire tampons! And they are not making a change purely on a product level!

As Natasha Negovanlis puts it, the shows portrayal of non-traditional gender roles is immensely important to its viewers:

There was a 15-year-old transgender boy who came to an autograph signing [of the Carmilla tampon box], and his parents looked me in the face and thanked for what we’re doing, and it was just a really touching emotional moment. It is such a blessing to be creating content that means something to this community and to be a voice for young people who often feel left out, misunderstood and like they don’t have a voice.”

By supporting a queer positive/female-centred show, U by Kotex has managed to earn more than just views, but rather new fans and buyers.

Well, although most Carmilla news are good news, I bring you the best news any fan would want to hear:

THEY ARE GETTING A MOVIE!!!!!

The news was just recently released so we should expect more details and dates. In the meantime, here is the trailer (Ow Lord, she brought her creampuffs). Are you a fan of Carmilla?

Let us know in the comments youropinions on the show and on the movie news!

‘Carmilla’ Season 3 Trailer Is Worth The Watch

Carmilla – the wildly popular Canadian vampire web series – is kind of like a queer-er Buffy, blended with Scooby-Doo, and little bit Veronica Mars style action.

It has attracted millions of fans around the world, and not just because of strong story, but it has a whole lot of queerness too.

And now it’s back for its third and final season this September 15th.

Carmilla (inspired by the infamous novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu) is all about a girl called Laura (Elise Bauman), who has left her home town for the first time to attend Silas University, which boasts its own Gnostic Mathematics department, many clubs for the students to enjoy like the Alchemy Club, and an extensive library where the books will search for you.

But then things get weird when Laura’s roommate disappears without a trace one night, which no-one seems to notice or care about.

Laura decides to investigate herself, and with help from her dorm managers Perry and LaFontaine, and Danny the friendly TA, uncovers a similar string of disappearances and a seedy underbelly of danger lurking underneath Silas.Meanwhile, her new roommate Carmilla keeps stealing her chocolate! Oh, and she might be a vampire targeting Laura as her next victim.

‘Almost Adults’ Drops First Trailer With ‘Carmilla’ Duo Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis

So by now we have to assume you’ve heard of the hit web series Carmilla. (If not head to KitschMix.TV to binge watch it ASAP.)

However, what you may not know is the two actresses who star in the vampire series are bringing their chemistry to a feature film.

Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis are at the forefront of Almost Adults, an upcoming queer film produced by the Gay Women Channel.

In Almost Adults, Negovanlis and Bauman play two best friends in their final year of college – transitioning into adulthood.

One is embracing her sexuality and trying to catch up on everything she has missed during her teenage years, the other is ending a long term relationship with her boyfriend and discovers her life isn’t going as planned.

Now, if you’ve been around the queer media block a few times then you’ll be very familiar with the ‘gay girl falls in love with her best straight friend’ trope.

Thankfully this is not that type of film. The stars of The Gay Women Channel – YouTubers, Sarah Rotella and Adrianna DiLonardo – are using their years of experience to put together this movie. So instead, the conflict between the two main characters is due because the two are headed in different directions in their lives.

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The film was initially funded by a  Kickstarter campaign, and production began in May.

At the recent Buffer Festival in Toronto, a trailer arrived. The trailer has been a hit, gathering more than 250,000 views in its first day online.

The popularity of Carmilla is no doubt raising the hype level for Almost Adults. Carmilla has gathered a devoted following and earned a second season.