Something most people wouldn’t guess about me is that I absolutely love comic conventions.
Back in college, I spent a week at San Diego Comic-Con conducting a field study on aggressive marketing tactics (yes, really) and even hosted my own panel. Since then, I’ve made the pilgrimage to Dragon*Con in Atlanta more times than I can count, wandered through horror conventions, anime conventions, and just about every flavor of nerd gathering in between.
So when I heard that Hudson—a town of roughly 3,700 people—was hosting its own comic convention, I’ll admit I was skeptical.
Not because I didn’t want it to succeed.
Quite the opposite.
I’ve been to the giant conventions where you can barely move through the crowd. I’ve stood in autograph lines that wrapped around buildings. I’ve spent enough money on convention food to finance a small used car. I’ve also watched plenty of smaller conventions struggle to find their footing in an area that wouldn’t support them.
But then I went to the first Hudson Con.
And it was packed.
Families filled The Hub Station. Kids in costumes darted between vendor booths. Gamers crowded around tables downstairs. Cosplayers posed for photos. Collectors (including my oldest son) hunted for Pokémon cards and comics. The energy felt less like a corporate convention and more like a community event that happened to have superheroes, lightsabers, and anime mixed in.
Naturally, I wanted to know how a first-year convention in Hudson managed to pull it off.
The answer, as it turns out, starts with a nine-year-old boy who wouldn’t stop asking his dad to create a comic convention.
The Nine-Year-Old Behind HudsonCon
If you’re expecting a story about convention industry veterans spending years developing a business plan, you’re going to be disappointed.
Hudson Con exists because Brandon Scott’s son, Easton, wouldn’t let the idea go.
After attending conventions in Hickory and Morganton, Easton came home with a simple question:
“Why doesn’t Caldwell County have one?”
Brandon tried explaining that comic conventions were completely outside his wheelhouse. He and his business partner, Justin, had experience organizing community festivals and events through their company, In The Park Events. Comic conventions were an entirely different world.
Easton wasn’t convinced.
“He just kept on and on with me,” Brandon told me. “He said, ‘We need to do a Comic-Con, Dad.'”
Eventually, persistence won.
The conversation even followed Brandon into meetings with local leaders. When he met with Hudson officials to discuss the possibility of creating a convention, Easton was right there beside him.
According to Brandon, Hudson Town Manager Jonathan jokingly pointed at Easton and said:
“If this doesn’t work, it’s on you. This was your idea.”
Fortunately for everyone involved, Easton turned out to be right.
Sixty Days to Pull Off the Impossible
What makes Hudson Con’s success even more surprising is how quickly it came together.
The first event was planned in roughly sixty days.
Sixty.
Days.
If you’ve ever planned a birthday party, you already know that’s not enough time. Planning a convention with vendors, gaming areas, cosplay contests, food trucks, collectibles, and hundreds of attendees? That’s bordering on insanity.
Neither Brandon nor Justin had ever organized a comic convention before.
In fact, Brandon describes himself as the less glamorous half of the operation. While Justin handles design work — the graphics, advertisements, and visual branding — Brandon manages the logistics, vendor relationships, marketing, sponsorships, bookkeeping, social media, and approximately one million emails.
They both have full-time jobs outside of In The Park Events – which many people never realize.
The festivals they organize aren’t designed to make them rich. Their goal has always been to support local businesses, create family-friendly experiences, and give communities something fun to do close to home.
That philosophy carried over into Hudson Con.
And somehow, despite the tight timeline and complete lack of convention experience, it worked.
Really well.
The Convention That Was Supposed to Fail
Before Hudson Con launched, Brandon heard plenty of doubts.
People questioned whether a Comic-Con could survive in Hudson.
Would anyone come?
Would people actually pay for admission?
Was there enough interest in the area?
Then the doors opened.
The Hub Station filled up.
Parking lots overflowed.
Attendees spilled into hallways.
By the end of the day, organizers had welcomed nearly 1,800 attendees.
Not bad for a first attempt.
Even more importantly, people weren’t just showing up and leaving. Families stayed for hours. Kids participated in activities. Gamers hung around the gaming tables. Cosplayers waited for the costume contest. Vendors reported strong sales.
The community embraced it.
And that community atmosphere is exactly what Brandon wants to protect as Hudson Con grows.
Growing Without Losing the Community Feel
One thing I’ve always noticed about larger conventions is that they can feel impersonal.
Sure, it’s exciting to see celebrities and massive vendor halls.
But sometimes you lose the sense of community.
That’s something Hudson Con seems determined to avoid.
Brandon repeatedly returned to the same theme throughout our conversation: accessibility.
Most of In The Park Events’ festivals are free.
Even though Hudson Con charges admission, the team works hard to keep costs reasonable. Children twelve and under attend free. The cosplay contest remains free to enter. The gaming area remains free. Family-friendly activities continue to be a priority.
“We understand things are tough,” Brandon said. “We want to keep everything as affordable and as free as possible.”
The goal isn’t just to create a successful event.
It’s to create something local families can enjoy without driving to Charlotte, Raleigh, or Atlanta.
Then Disney Called
The funny thing about Hudson Con is that nobody involved started out with grand ambitions.
But somewhere between planning year one and preparing for year two, things escalated.
Quickly.
It started when Brandon came across voice actor Scott Innes in a Facebook group.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Innes has voiced an impressive list of beloved characters, including Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Scrappy-Doo, Popeye, Yogi Bear, Papa Smurf, and more.
Brandon reached out.
To his surprise, Scott responded.
Then came phone calls.
Then Zoom meetings.
Then an agreement.
And then something even stranger happened.
Disney called.
Not somebody pretending to be Disney.
Actual Disney.
Brandon admits his first thought was that it had to be a scam.
A woman with a British accent contacted him regarding another guest opportunity.
“I said there’s no way Disney is calling me,” he laughed.
After some research and more than a little disbelief, he realized it was legitimate.
The result is one of HudsonCon’s biggest additions for 2026: Kat Cressida.
Disney fans know her as the voice of Constance Hatchaway – the infamous Bride from the Haunted Mansion attraction. She’s also known for work connected to Toy Story, Star Wars, Dexter’s Laboratory, and numerous Disney projects.
Not bad for a small town convention.
More Than Meet-and-Greets
The celebrity guests are exciting, but they’re only part of what Hudson Con has planned.
Scott Innes isn’t just appearing for autographs and photos.
He’s also performing live.
One thing Brandon discovered while researching Scott was that the voice actor is also a songwriter and musician.
“We looked him up and realized some of the songs we hear on the radio are songs he wrote,” Brandon said.
The performance is expected to be one of several surprises throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Kat Cressida will host a special Haunted Mansion presentation after Hudson Con concludes. The event will dive into the history, secrets, and stories behind Disney’s iconic attraction.
Disney is even sending a film crew to document portions of the experience.
If footage is used, Hudson Con, The Hub Station, and Hudson could potentially be featured in future Haunted Mansion-related content.
For a small-town convention entering its second year, that’s a pretty remarkable opportunity.
Scooby-Doo Vans, Ghostbusters Cars, and Reptiles
As if celebrity guests weren’t enough, Hudson Con is also bringing in some crowd favorites.
The Mystery Machine is scheduled to appear.
So is Ecto-1.
And because apparently someone looked at this event and decided it needed even more chaos, there will also be reptiles.
Lots of reptiles.
Attendees will have opportunities to see—and in some cases hold—snakes, lizards, geckos, and other creatures.
Brandon, however, has no plans to participate.
He informed me multiple times that if one gets loose, he will be the first person running out of the building.
I believe him.
Food Trucks, Coffee, and Convention Survival
Let’s be honest.
No convention experience is complete without food.
Returning favorites include the Japanese food truck that attendees specifically requested after last year’s event, Kona Ice for the kids, and a Chick-fil-A trailer from Lenoir.
And then there’s LC’s Coffee.
If you know, you know.
Apparently attendees have become so attached to the coffee vendor that Brandon once received complaints after an event where they couldn’t attend.
According to him, people informed him it simply wasn’t the same event without them.
And it’s true.
Learning From Success
Despite the strong turnout last year, organizers aren’t pretending everything was perfect.
One of the biggest challenges was visibility.
Many attendees never realized there were vendors downstairs despite signs and announcements.
Another challenge was traffic flow and ticket lines.
The team has spent months brainstorming improvements, from better signage to expanded marketing and streamlined entry procedures.
And speaking of marketing, they’re going all in.
Last year Hudson Con had sixty days to advertise.
This year they’ve had months.
Billboards are going up. There are radio spots. Vendor partnerships. Flyers. Social media campaigns. I’m exhausted just thinking about it all.
Brandon told me he mailed nearly a thousand promotional flyers in a single day.
The goal is simple:
Reach more people without losing what made Hudson Con special in the first place.
What You’ll Find at Hudson Con 2026
Hudson Con returns to The Hub Station on Saturday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Attendees can expect:
- Celebrity meet-and-greets with Scott Innes and Kat Cressida
- Scott Innes live musical performance
- Cosplay contest
- Gaming activities
- Comic book and collectible vendors
- Artists and creators
- The Mystery Machine
- Ecto-1
- Reptile encounters
- Food trucks
- Family-friendly activities
- Photo opportunities throughout the venue
General admission is $10 for ages 13 and older, while children 12 and under are admitted free. VIP tickets are also available for preorder, until they sell out.
But if you ask me, the most interesting thing about Hudson Con isn’t the celebrity guests, the movie cars, or even the possibility of Disney filming in Hudson.
It’s the fact that one kid looked at his dad and said, “We should do a Comic-Con.”
And somehow, everybody listened.