A staple of the convention lifestyle are the after hours parties where con attendees, vendors, and guests can all mingle and blow off some steam from a long day on the con floor. There isn’t a bigger name in after events in Florida than Moshi Productions who produce the official MegaCon after parties, along with multiple events in the Orlando area year round. Moshi’s MegaCon events have become legendary, packed with amazing cosplay, stage shows, festival quality lights and sound, and a whole lot of FUN! We don’t often hear from the people behind the scenes that make these epic events happen, so we took this opportunity to talk to our friend John Moshi about his experiences building the after party scene for over a decade.
What was the first con you attended and when?
Megacon March 2–4, 2001
How did you get into the party circuit, when and how did MOSHI Production become a thing, and when was your first party (and what was it)?
I’ve always done parties in high school and after I graduated I took a trip to New Jersey to visit a friend and had a very famous DJ pick us up to take us to a club called limelight in New York on a Wednesday night. After experiencing that I came back to Miami wanting to do parties in the rave scene. Worked with a large production company doing parties and providing all the fliers for various events in the Miami race scene. Started my own anime clothing line called Moshi Moshi clothing in 1995. After the rave scene taking a hit and clubs closing at 2 AM. I decided to get back into surfing but ended up buying a storm trooper costume off of eBay not knowing how to put it together and Stumbled on a forum called the 501st and they help me put this costume together and they asked me to join them and started going to conventions heavily cosplaying with them. Me realizing that no one was doing anything after the conventions and just going to their hotel rooms I decided to start throwing after parties at least 19 years ago or more. First official geek/cosplay after party under Moshi Moshi Productions LLC was cirque dementia 2009 at Megacon.
Your MegaCon after parties were originally done separately from the show at first and more recently became the official after parties. Tell us about how that happened?
Proving to the show that we could throw a party that the fans wanted and needed at a professional quality and being safe at the same time. We are throwing parties with a theme and story line not your typical ballroom party with some lights and two girls just jumping around on stage. We would have performances, games, great music/djs, contests, celebrities, decorations, and so much more.
What has been your favorite party/theme you’ve produced to date and why?
Arkham nights will always be my favorite. Due to all the performers we had that nailed the Characters, decor around club, the video intro, all the villains getting dropped off by the Arkham asylum van outside, and all the amazing cosplayers That came and participated with The theme of the party.
What events have you done outside of MegaCon?
DragonCon, Walker Stalker Con, Star Wars celebration, Florida Supercon, Collective con, Heroes and villains, Nocking Point, some things in Pensacola. I’ve done several pop-up parties here in Orlando, including theme parties for Halloween, Krampus, Gotham On Ice, Geeky Tiki Luau, and I’m sure I missed a few.
What are some lessons you’ve learned over the years that have helped you do better shows?
Have a great team behind you. It’s all about the team. There is no way I would have gotten this far without them. Always surround yourself with creative and good people just like family. I guess the biggest lesson I learned is have fun while you’re doing it. If you’re not having fun your party is not gonna be a success.
Where is the best place for people to keep up with your events?
Best place would be our Facebook page Moshi Moshi productions or our website Moshimoshiproductions.com and any upcoming events we always post at moshiparties.com