Prepare for trouble, and make it double: Anime 307 makes its way to Cheyenne for two-day convention

CHEYENNE — A new two-day convention coming to the Event Center at Archer is something that the whole family won’t want to miss out on, whether you’re an anime aficionado or pop culture connoisseur. Anime 307 will be the 10th convention put on by Zobie Productions, and the first one in Cheyenne.

Jayare Gallegos is from Houston, Texas, and is one of the co-owners of Zobie Productions. The name “Zobie” is inspired by his daughters Zoey and Colbie, and they’ve been running anime conventions since March 2021. San Antonio, Texas, is where Zobie ran its first convention, Riverwalk Anime. They’ve also hosted a convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are going to host “Spookala” in Tampa, Florida, and Big Texas Comicon later this year.

“We do shows from January to around May, then we have the summer off and we do shows from August to December,” said Gallegos. “My business partners and I are all (family-oriented), and we wanted to create events that were geared toward families that want to take their kids to anime events.”

Zobie is now a team of 16 people that dedicates about eight to 10 months out of the year to preparing conventions, including scouting out areas and demographics, getting vendors and talent on board and handling security.

Not only does Zobie host conventions, but they also specialize in providing authentic memorabilia like autographed photos and signed Funko Pops for fans.

Gallegos told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, “One of my business partners is from Colorado Springs, and he brought up the idea of doing a convention in Wyoming ... there’s not really anything like this in the city.”

Growing up, Gallegos was a classic ‘90s kid, always turning on the television right after school, and that’s where this whole thing started.

“During COVID, (my daughters) were stuck at home a lot, so we started watching anime together. I was already familiar with it because I’m a nerd at heart, and we just got so into it. During COVID, I went to one of my business partners and said, ‘We need to start running anime conventions, because (cartoons and anime) is going to be the future.’”

They wanted to make these conventions for the future generations, and they wanted to keep the ticket prices low while still offering an experience for other families that he was able to give his kids.

“I just want parents to come to the event and see how their kids react to being around other kids who (feel like they can be themselves around). ... Growing up, it wasn’t hip or cool to be a nerd, and nowadays it’s super encouraged, and that’s so important in this day and age ... that’s my passion,” said Gallegos.

“Kids are the future leaders, and this is what they’re into (now). My daughters go to every event and help at the front, and (the team’s) families are involved and help out in the vendor hall.”

The event will be hosting 16 of the most iconic voices in anime, including Christopher Sabat (“Dragon Ball Z,” “One Piece” and “My Hero Academia”), Sean Schemmel (“Pokémon,” “Monkie Kid” and Goku from “Dragon Ball Z”), and Sonny Strait (“My Hero Academia,” “Black Clover” and “Assassination Classroom”), just to name a few.

Attendees will have a chance to do meet-and-greets with the voice actors, do signings and attend question-and-answer panels.

According to Gallegos, most of the voice actors at Anime 307 have come to past Zobie conventions and are a tight-knit group.

“It’s like one giant family ... like a traveling circus in a way,” said Gallegos. “We’ve built these relationships already with the talent coming, and everybody who responded really wants to come to Wyoming and check out the city.”

Being an anime convention, there, of course, will be a vendor hall. Gallegos said this year there are going to be about 70 vendors selling Funko Pops, merchandise, original art and more. The event will also have cosplay contests.

Gallegos gave some insight into past events they’ve put on, saying, “Some of the really cool moments we’ve had are when we see kids that may not be in the best health, but they’re still so energetic and amped up to be there. We’ll see them dress in their favorite costume and ask questions to actors on panels and in line for autographs, and we know that the family is just so excited to see their kids happy.”

The hope for Gallegos and the future of Anime 307 is that they can come back and hopefully make it an indoor/outdoor event. At their other conventions, they’ve been able to have laser tag and game rooms, and if the event turnout is big enough, who knows what the future holds for Wyoming’s capital city?