Meet Jesse and Allison | Multiverse Convention Chairs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse and Allison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse and Allison, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started Multiverse because we saw a need in the geeky fandom community. We wanted to see a fun multi-genre, multi-fandom convention that was truly welcoming to all fans of all kinds, but not huge and overwhelming (and expensive) like a lot of the mega-cons. We wanted to create more than an event; we wanted to build a community of fun, interesting people with shared interests from all backgrounds and walks of life, a place where everyone feels welcomed and respected. All fans deserve a place where they can truly be themselves and not feel excluded, marginalized, tokenized, or unsafe. So that’s what we set out to make with Multiverse, and people have really responded to it. The community continues to grow organically, the annual October convention gets more fun every year, and more and more people are coming to call Multiverse their “home con.”

What should our readers know about your business?
Multiverse is a community of fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror, cosplay, gaming, comics, and basically anything else “geeky.” We put on an annual 3-day convention in Atlanta on the 3rd full weekend of every October. At the convention, fans can meet and mingle, attend panels on a huge range of topics, play games, make cool stuff in crafting workshops, go to parties, shop the dealers’ room, check out amazing art in the art show, eat delicious food in our Con Suite, show off their cosplay, bid on items in the charity auction (all proceeds this year go to benefit the Trevor Project), or chill out in the Sensory Break Room.

What sets us apart from other conventions is a few things: first, we are absolutely determined to make a space where everyone feels truly welcome and safe. This community does a fantastic job of making sure everyone is included, especially people who haven’t historically felt that way in the convention world or even in their own lives. You can feel that in the air when you walk around the convention. Second, we are anti-gatekeeping. In a lot of the fandom world, people try to be the judges of what makes a “true fan,” and we just don’t like that at all. There are no prerequisites, We don’t care if you don’t read science fiction, if you’ve never seen Star Wars or played Dungeons & Dragons, or anything else. All you need in order to show up and be part of Multiverse is any level of interest in what we’re doing, plus the willingness to be kind and respect your fellow humans.

It wasn’t easy getting where we are, and we’re still relatively new at it. The first Multiverse Convention was in 2019 so the 2022 con is only our fourth. We’ve faced tons of challenges as we’ve built this thing from the ground up, but what’s carried us through all of those challenges is the dedication and talent of our team and a belief that what we’re building is a good and necessary thing for the fandom community. As long as we have those, we believe we can handle any challenges that come our way. Even a pandemic, apparently!

What we’d like people to know about Multiverse is this: there is a place where you belong. No matter who you are, you’re valid and deserve respect, and you deserve a place where you can “geek out” and be your true self, and know that people will love you for it. We work really hard to make Multiverse be that place. Come join us and see for yourself!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you love food, Atlanta is a great city to visit for pretty much any cuisine. Personal favorites of ours include Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen, Heirloom Market BBQ, and Mi Barrio. Sadly, Gladys & Ron’s Chicken & Waffles is closed, but that was an institution here for a long time. And if you want a true ATL fast-food experience, you have to stop by The Varsity downtown. To eat late, check out the ubiquitous Waffle Houses, or if you’re Vegan, Slutty Vegan is excellent.

For history buffs, visit the Apex Museum and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. For science geeks (like us), visit the Tellus Museum and the Fernbank Museum. For art, check out the High Museum. For an excellent green space and a great view of the city, visit Piedmont Park. There are ton of places to hike, both urban hikes and more rural if you’re willing to drive a little. Some of our favorites include the Beltline, Sope Creek, and the quirky Doll’s Head Trail.

For nightlife, we love Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping-Pong Emporium, and if you like to combine your drinking with some gaming, check out Joystick Gamebar. The Battery (where the Braves play) has a lot of great restaurants and bars like Punchbowl Social, and the rooftop at Ponce City Market is fun as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh wow, there are SO MANY people we need to shout out! We’d need Robert Jordan’s page count to list them all, but here’s the short version: first of all, our volunteer staff. We could not make Multiverse happen without the folks who give their time and expertise all year to plan and execute a 3-day convention comprising over 170 separate panels and events. They’re an amazing team. Next shout-out to the professional guests who provide tons of fun and fascinating programming, the dealers who sell cool geeky wares all weekend, and the artists who show their awesome work in our art show. Our main sponsor this year, Inkd Publishing, and our perennial Creators Alley sponsor Falstaff Books deserve a shoutout as well. And last but definitely not least, we dedicate this shoutout to the absolutely fantastic group of fans who come from around the country every year to attend Multiverse and keep the community vibrant and growing. We love you all!

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