Ichibancon

Brittany Lauda is a voice actor & ADR director best known for playing Chiori in Genshin Impact, F.F./Foo Fighters in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Tsuna in the Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Discotek Release, Yuzuriha in Dr. Stone, Riko in Made in Abyss, Kid Chi-Chi in Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, Satoko in Higurashi GOU/SOTSU, Saki in Girlfriend Girlfriend, Osakabehime and Liz in Fate/Grand Order, Ichigo in DARLING in the FRANXX, Mai in Nichijou, Cow Girl in Goblin Slayer, Lessar in A Certain Magical Index, Kenya in That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Doctor in Akudama Drive and Young Law in One Piece (to name a few out of hundreds!). You can also catch their voice in Pokémon XY & Evolutions, Rainbow High, Pinkfong, My Hero Academia, Nikke, LiveALive, Gal Guardians, Genshin Impact, Disgaea 6 & 7, Huniepop, Oshi no Ko, SpyxFamily, Smite, and more.

As an ADR Director, some of their favorites include: Katekyo Hitman REBORN!, Akudama Drive, Kemono Jihen, The Flying Phantom Ship, Hensuki, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. They have also been working as a producer/CD at Okratron5000 on the Ultraman and Dragon Ball franchises. Brittany also co-owns a studio, Kocha Sound, with their husband Matt Shipman. Outside of work, Brittany enjoys playing with her Shiba Inu named Raven, video games, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and big Kirby plushies. Follow their twitter (@BrittanyLaudaVO) for shenanigans, or visit their website (https://brittanylauda.com/) to check out their demos.

Over the years of pouring himself into his work and creating exciting, diverse content for his fans, Caleb has amassed a close-knit fanbase consisting of 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and over 800k monthly Spotify listeners.

Fans eagerly seek out Caleb’s larger-than-life voice, taking on their favorite songs and breathing new life into them. Caleb has continued to grow his career in various opportunities, including performing in anime series such as メイドインアビス (Made In Abyss), 怪獣8号 (Kaiju No. 8), and RWBY (Rooster Teeth). He was also the tenor vocalist for the first North American tour of “Naruto: The Symphonic Experience” (VIZ Media), and has been featured in video game soundtracks such as The Pathless (Giant Squid), This is the President (THQ Nordic), and Cookie Run: Braverse (Devsisters).

He has also facilitated several charity projects helmed by colleague Mason Liberman, which included songs featuring the English and Japanese cast of 僕のヒーローアカデミア (My Hero Academia) and work with the Japan-based non-profit, Anime Supporters, on an original animation to promote fair and living wages for local, Japanese animators. With momentum at an all-time high, Caleb is looking to embark on the next step of his journey. His sophomore LP, “The Darkness Before the Dawn”, featuring Thousand Foot Krutch and Ashes Remain, was released earlier in 2025 to critical acclaim and massive fan response.

Matt Shipman is a Voice Actor, ADR Writer, ADR Engineer, and all-around nerd-guy. He is best known for voicing Reki Kyan in SK8 The Infinity, Chrome in Dr. Stone, Rin Itoshi in Blue Lock, Floch in Attack on Titan, Inasa Yoarashi/Sen Kaibara in My Hero Academia, Hajime in Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Gokudera in the Katekyo Hitman REBORN! Discotek Release, and Toma in Hell’s Paradise.

Additionally, he can be heard in DARLING in the FRANXX as Hiro, Ultraman Z as Ultraman Z, Yu-Gi Oh! ARC-V as Shay, One Piece as Cavendish, Akudama Drive as Cutthroat, GOSICK as Kazuya Kujo, A Certain Scientific Railgun T as Gunha, Black Clover as Alecdora, and many other anime. Matt writes scripts for English dubs (Dr. Stone, Spy x Family, New Game!!, Ultraman Z), and occasionally assistant directs (Akudama Drive, Kemono Jihen, How Heavy are the Dumbells you Lift?). He co-owns Kocha Sound alongside Brittany Lauda. Matt plays Street Fighter, loves tokusatsu, watches seasonal anime, plays card games, and loves to talk about all things nerdy.

Ben Balmaceda is a Chilean voice actor currently based in LA. He primarily works in anime dubbing, with some notable roles being Andy from Undead Unluck, Travis from Unicorn Overlord, Neku Sakuraba in The World Ends With You: The Animation, Raido in Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Jiro Yakuin in More Than A Married Couple But Not Lovers, Pedro in One Piece, Rikiel in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Tenza in Hell’s Paradise and Saber in the upcoming dub of Fate/Strange fake.

He’s also appeared in numerous video games including Genshin Impact as Kaveh, LIVE A LIVE, Pokemon Masters EX, Eternal Return, Path of the Midnight Sun and Project Wingman. Finally, he assisted in production work on several anime dubs including Kemono Jihen, A Place Further Than The Universe and Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting.

The Ichibancon Grand Prix is a public Itasha Car Meetup at Hickory Motor Speedway, on Saturday, September 20th from 5pm-8pm, featuring a preselected showcase of wrapped cars and cosplayers. This event brings together enthusiasts for photoshoots, networking, and an opportunity for anyone interested to connect, ask questions, and learn more about the Itasha community. 

Some additional cars will be accepted to be in the showcase and join the parade laps on site, but is not guaranteed.

The Grand Prix will also feature a handful of parade laps around Hickory Motor Speedway at 35 miles per hour.

     

This year at Ichibancon, the Craft Fair will be held on Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Since we’re only running for three days this year, be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss it!

You can find all the rules and guidelines for the Craft Fair at the link below:

     

The photoshoot submission form is now open for Ichibancon 2026! Follow the link below to submit your photoshoot for your favorite fandom(s) by February 8th, 2026. Don’t miss the chance to gather with fellow fans and showcase your cosplay. We can’t wait to see the amazing photoshoots you’ll create!

     

Panel submissions for Ichibancon 2026 are now open! The panel submission for will Close December 12th, 2025 at 11:55 pm. Panel acceptances and waitlist notifications will be sent out early December.

Artist Alley Applications for Ichibancon 2026 are now open. Submissions close October 10th, 2025. Acceptance and waitlist notifications will begin late October. Follow the link below to apply now!

The Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center in Concord will be undergoing renovations beginning in October 2025. The convention center portion of the renovation will not be finished until January 2026. Because of this, the following changes will affect Ichibancon 2026: Our 2026 dates will be February 13-15th. Part of the hotel will also be under renovation, resulting in fewer hotel rooms available for booking. If you wish to stay at the Embassy Suites, we encourage you to book early!