Feature Friday: Agent Simmons
One thing that I really want to focus on for Feature Friday is to get not only a wide variety of cosplayers, but I really want to try my hardest to do equal amounts of sharing guys as I do girls. Without seeing statistics it seems that the cosplay world is flooded with women. That is definitely not a bad thing, but there are equally talented men out there I feel don’t get the same attention as females.
Today, I am featuring my first male cosplayer for Feature Friday, and he is a really good friend of mine. I owe him a lot of thanks because he is the reason I have been able to join the SC Upstate Heroes, and recently, my convention buddy at local conventions. Keep reading for my feature on Agent Simmons.
What is your cosplay name? Agent Simmons
How did you come about your cosplay name? Agent Simmons is one of my favorite characters in the Transformers movies. (My last name is Simmons, so it works out really well)
What is your real world name? Shawn Simmons
What do you do when you aren’t cosplaying? Freelance actor/Trader Joe’s crew
How old are you? 25
How long have you been cosplaying? I’m in my second year
What made you want to start cosplaying? I’ve been acting for a few years, so cosplaying was another outlet to continue my career.
Why do you cosplay? I like being able to bring characters to life. To make people happy makes me happy.
What is your dream cosplay? I’d love to be a Power Ranger someday
How do you choose who you will cosplay? I choose a character that means a lot to me. I try to pick someone that I know a great deal about, so that I can fully immerse myself in the lore.
What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? Captain Frozone. It’s the first character that I’ve come up with and actually got to build.
What is your least favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? I don’t think I’ll ever have one. There’s always work to be done and improvements to be made. I feel like I will always be developing and evolving the characters that I’ve chosen to make them even better.
Who is your favorite cosplayer? Anyone who does well to represent the character they’re portraying. Anyone can buy a costume. True passion is bringing that character to life. I respect anyone that can do that.
What’s the hardest thing about cosplay for you? Turning dreams into reality. I have so many plans, and to get them to come to fruition will take a ton of work, time, and a dash of money. But patience is the key that opens the door to success!
What is the best advice you have for other cosplayers? Patience. Never let a costume or a commenter get the best of you. Do your best, work with what you have. You’ve done your job when YOU feel good in your costume. You’ll always see imperfections, but that only means you get to work to make it better.
Top 5 resources/tutorials you have found for cosplay help? Books. They’re your best friend. You can never read too much about what you’re doing. Plus, cosplayers and prop builders are writing them now, so you can learn anything you want to know by just picking up a paperback! The Internet is also friendly. There are resources aplenty. Tons of charts, applications, and tools to get the job done. Other people! You’d be surprised at what your friends know. About anything. Say you’re building a gun. Chances are, you know someone that knows gun anatomy (that might not even be a cosplayer!). Your friends are a fabulous resource. Three words: Replica. Prop. Forum. You wanna know it, they can answer it. The last resource may sound silly, but it’s the most important. Yourself. You’re going to be your biggest critic. In fact, you may be your harshest. But it’s that drive that should keep you wanting to get better and push further. We’re all in this together and the community that we, as cosplayers, have built is extremely helpful and willing.
Make sure to check out all of Shawn’s social media information at the bottom of this post! Also, make sure to check out his great photographers as well! You also may remember that Spider-Man Superior film I was Black Cat for? I linked it at the bottom of this post because that was my Spidey!
Did you like this post? How can we do better? Do you have suggestions for cosplayers that may be interested in being featured? Leave a comment below! I love feedback, and don’t forget to subscribe via email to never miss a post!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gvillespidey
Instagram:@A_gent_simmons
Photography Credit:
Spider-Man photo credits to Brooklyn Ash Photography
Frozone photo credits to Broken Cog Studios LLC