Holly Conrad Information

Cosplayer
Los Angeles, CA

Biography:
Born from a family of artists and out-of-the-box thinkers, Holly Conrad cites her first cosplay experience at the age of four when she strapped a pillow to her back and called herself a koopa. Mentored by her grandfather, Dorse Lanpher, a pioneer in visual effects animation with Disney and Don Bluth Productions, Holly grew up in Redlands, CA as a gifted illustrator, artist, and self-taught costume designer.

After graduating with a degree in Medieval History (and Sorcery) from University of California, Santa Barbara, Holly switched career paths and began working in special effects shops for clients like Disney, Universal, Machinima, Warner Brothers and productions like Robot Chicken and Titan Maximum, the latter of which won an Emmy for costume design. In 2010, she co-founded a company with her best friend Jessica Merizan called Crabcat Industries. Crabcat focuses on promoting an inclusive teaching community to build costumes, props, and practical special effects as well as new-media entertainment with the brands "Try This At Home", "Commander Holly", and "Jessica Marzipan".

Holly is stationed in Los Angeles where she works as a Community Manager for Maker Studios/Polaris to share her love for video games and pop culture with other like-minded internet denizens. She lives with her husband Ross, an animator, and her precocious cats Doctor Orpheus and Mojo with a view of the city that's only partially blocked by a pesky tree she has "ominous plans" for.