Right now now it doesn't sound so strange since there are crowfunding sites that we cosplayers use to get funding, but I was also hired by companies to promote their products, give speeches, be present at their events and currently I'm starting to work more and more as an influencer.
Before making cosplays I was an IT Specialist and an FX artist. I worked for several years on IT Business in big companies but my artistic side took over at last. I am also an actress, model and singer. And again, cosplay was my glass pane for developing my artistic career. But it was very difficult and still is! I can tell you about it. I've never worked so hard in my life like now... but I am so happy that I don't care.
That's me with C-Pher, a well known cosplayer from Chile at an event in Temuco in 2015
WorldCosplay identified 5 major challenges for the cosplay community that are delaying it's commercial growth, and proposed 5 solutions. Let me tell you about those challenges from my own personal experience as a professional cosplayer.
1 - Copyright & revenue
sharing issues
- With Cure, all records are stored on blockchain
This will help keep track of our work and achievments in a very fair way. I am not a specialist in Blockchain, but smart contracts and records of everything you do will help you with mantaining ownership of your creations. Every month I see online pages using my images without my permission to sell products... and me not getting anything from that. I wonder if this will help with that problem!
2 - Trust and harassment in the cosplay industry
- All Cure users are identifiable and held accountable
I think every cosplayer (mostly girls) must have at least one bad experience with a photographer... and I bet many photographers have had problems with several cosplayers... If we can have a reputation (of course, keeping the ratings public, to avoid an even worse harassment) we can decide more easily with who we want to work.
3 - Not everyone has access to settlement accounts
- COT is accessible by all
Not all the cosplayers have a credit card, many are just finishing school... and even if they are adults, many live in countries where not everyone can have access to banking or cards, and the fees of services like payoneer, paypal or patreon are simply high. Cryptocurrency will allow us not only to receive micro donations, but also receive 100% of our money!
4 - There is little to no value recognition
- Cure WorldCosplay increases exposure and connections
It will feel great to have all of our costumes taken in count by the community. When we upload pictures to facebook or other social media, those pictures get lost in the sea of the social network, never to be seen again! And how many times a cosplayer has made an awesome costume that could potentially produce some earnings (at least to buy more materials to make another one) but ended up in nothing?
5 - Cosplay content is not globalised
- All information on Cure WorldCosplay is translated and globally accessible
Overall if you don't speak English that is a problem! Worldcosplay has so many languages available that makes it easier to cosplayers all over the world to participate.
Maybe the most difficult part of becoming a professional cosplayer was the negative of my colleagues. Yes, other cosplayers complaining about me making money of my hobby. But I only needed to follow my passion, and time proved me right! And most of people sees this only as a natural outcome, because cosplayers are simply AWESOME! And now with Cure's initiative I will be surrounded with people who loves cosplay as much as I do and they are ready to become pro in their passion.
Inspired on these 5 challenges and their solutions, I've imagined a marketing campaign that I will be using to promote #CosplayToken using all my skills and love for cosplay. Stay tunned for news!
Follow the progress here but enter this event to receive notifications! https://www.facebook.com/events/310945612991831/
