We sit down with the mythical Marissa Moon, to talk about her cosplay career, being multi-talented on numerous platforms, and how she became so confident. Read on for more!
Saturday AM: Hello! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Could you please do us the honor of introducing yourself to our readers?
Hello! My name is Marissa Moon and I am a midwest cosplayer that grew up in a small town located in northwest Indiana called Hammond, Indiana near Gary & Chicago. I have 5 other siblings and they are nerds just like me! I love to have fun, goof around, and help others the best I can go through my craft and every person I encounter. I go by the name Manny Moon and I have been always in love with anime, video games, comics, and art since I was little kid and knew it would carry on me with forever! I am expected to graduate in 2023 with my bachelors degree in Media of College Arts & Sciences, concentrating on Cinema Production. Aside from being a full time student, I am a small business owner in the making, as well as a streamer, cosplayer, and artist that loves to express herself and influence others to along the way to create a safe place for everyone to explore their own creativity while having fun!
Saturday AM: When was the exact moment you were..
I cosplayed as Sasha Braus from Attack on Titan at my first convention in 2015 and knew this was my place to stay! I met so many cool cosplayers of every color that day that inspired me to push forward and had such an amazing time. I knew I wanted to incorporate my art in this hobby and started to take my hobby more seriously after 2019 in every aspect.
Saturday AM: Any advice in how to get started as a twitch streamer and how to build an audience?
My advice to new streamers is to just have fun, be prepared, and be committed! Twitch is a learning experience into a new community that I’m still getting use to, including new software, controls, customizations, and etc to better my stream and interact with my audience. Post your content, support other streamers, and connect with your viewers! During a process of learning something totally new, it’s easy to get discouraged, confused, or just frustrated but, taking things one day at time and doing your best is all that matters! Be a kind human being and connect all you can! I started out with just a computer, PS4 console, a ps4 camera, and did my best with it! Sometimes you don’t need fantasy equipment to start, but having some sort of basic knowledge on controls and being interactive with your stream is a great start on the right path toward your goals! I always try to be patient and consistent even when I encounter days when I’m not having a lot of engagement and views.. in the end gaming makes me happy and it takes love and time to build a strong community of your own.
Saturday AM: Is there a story behind your username? Its very interesting.
My real name is Marissa Moon and in high school, I believe my classmates would describe me as a cool, humble, yet creative, quirky, girl with a tomboy taste of style and personality that got along with mostly everyone, that explains where the name Manny came into play. It was known that I played video games and Moonkiller17 became my gamer tag that I had for while, on xbox 360 and kept it when I transferred to a ps4! “Moon” my last name, and Killer since I was really into shooter games like Halo & Call of Duty at the time.
You can read the rest of this interview in Saturday AM’s latest issue here: https://www.saturday-am.com/blog/saturday-am-146/
