Conventions can be taxing on the guests. From panels to photo ops to endless autograph signing and picture taking, pretty much every minute of every day of a convention is booked solid. So what Power Rangers actress Karan Ashley and her friends (including fellow Power Rangers actress Nakia Burrise) decided to do was pretty out there. They decided to organize their own convention from the ground up.
A week an a half ago marked the start of the first annual RangerStop and Pop Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The convention did incredibly well for a first year con and featured guests from Power Rangers, Pokemon, Overwatch, and more as well as a whole host of vendors and artists. For the con, Karan and Nakia ran double duty. They were simultaneously ensuring that the con ran smoothly and attending as guests. One minute they’d be making sure that the DJ knew where to set up for the dance party, and the next they’d be signing a fan’s Power Rangers DVDs, all with genuine smiles on their faces.
We had the chance to talk to Karan Ashley about the con and how she went from actress to convention organizer. We talked about why the chose Atlanta, how the idea came about in the first place, and what plans there are to expand RangerStop and Pop Con in the future. We won’t spoil too much here (the full interview is below), but there are some big plans in the works for the con
As if that weren’t enough, she took every opportunity, from panels to signings to the interview itself to help a member of the convention staff who is in need of a kidney transplant. Other guests even donated items that were auctioned off to help pay to get this staff member on the transplant list. We learned something new that weekend: it takes $13,000 just to get on the transplant list. That’s a pretty daunting number, but that didn’t seem to intimidate Karan.
Check out the full interview below, and if you want to make a donation to help Karan Ashley’s cause, you can donate here.
Nerdy Minds Magazine 
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