"You can’t ask for a better media partner than Parks and Cons.  Shawn and Carmelle are two of the nicest and hardest working influencers in the business and the quality and quantity of their coverage always exceeds expectations."
---Jason Soyster, Director of Marketing and Sales, California's Great America
"When I need to know what's happening on the ground at conventions, I know the best place to turn to is Parks and Cons for complete and enthusiastic coverage."
--- Amy Ratcliffe, Managing Editor, Nerdist
"Parks and Cons is the place get the scoop on everything cool happening in the Southwest.  [They] are top notch journalists who provide honest and valuable information about everything pop culture event related."
​--- Mike Scigliano, Partner & Co-Founder, Atomic Crush Events

Celebrating 10 YEARS of covering the best in conventions,
themed entertainment,
and other fun experiences,
in California and beyond!

  • We provide a unique cross-section of coverage for our readers, followers, viewers, listeners, etc.  As there has been a substantial increase in the overlap between the subject matter of comic book/pop-culture conventions and themed entertainment, we provide a bridge for participants of differing fandoms to more easily expand their exposure to different types of experiences.
  • Our goal is to cover theme parks and conventions as completely as possible, from a fan's perspective.  We seek to share the best, of each event, with our followers, so that they may vicariously experience the best offerings of each event, through various medium.  ​We utilize ParksAndCons.com as a hub for our podcast, videos, and other work.
  • Very often, we hear from people, who found us through our convention coverage, that they have visited various theme parks as a result of our exposing them to theme park offerings and we have heard from numerous theme park attendees that they have attended various conventions when their interests were piqued by our convention experiences.​
  • ​In 2023, we produced a monthly average of 7.3 podcasts and 101.5K YouTube views, covered 49 conventions (ranging from on-site visual guides to real-time posts) and over 130 “haunted” attractions, and spent over 100 days in theme parks (coverage ranging from daily park updates to media events at parks like Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and more).

Contact Us

We may be reached at comments@parksandcons.com, via social media, or 
“Parks & Cons is one of my favorite media outlets to work with. I have worked with hundreds of different outlets over the years and they stand out as one of the few that consistently produces high-quality short-form and in-depth content. From how-to guides and behind-the-scenes commentary to live streams and event recaps, they always produce unique content when covering our events. Most importantly, they have an active audience who deeply engages with them and the events they cover. As a bonus, they are nice people and true fans."
​--- Brad Jashinsky, Manager, Digital Marketing, Knott's Berry Farm
"Parks and Cons is absolutely one of the premier online resources for themed entertainment, seasonal events and conventions. The passion they have for these attractions and special events shine in their in-depth coverage while presented in formats great for fans and professionals alike."
​--- Ted Dougherty, Author; Themed Entertainment Producer/Director
"Parks and Cons is the go-to source for all things in the worlds of both theme parks and conventions. They offer up-to-the-minute updates, insightful tips, and cover all the news on the convention show floor and in the parks as it happens. Their site and social media is always my first stop when I want to know what's going on at an event."
--- Kerry Dixon, Editor in Chief, SDCC Unofficial Blog

Social Media

We pride ourselves on providing the most immersive experiences possible, via social media; with the goal of more real-time updates than anyone, anywhere. Whether it is covering large theme park media events or small, one-room conventions, we approach each event with the goal of sharing as much of each experience as possible.
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110K Followers
31K Followers​
27.3K Followers
7.5K Followers

YouTube

Prior to the surge of live video broadcasting, we utilized YouTube as a means to share events as quickly as the videos could upload; which meant a prevalence of both long and very short-form videos.  Since the ability to live broadcast has become readily available, we primarily use YouTube for longer-form videos, including visual guides, overview videos, etc.
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22.7K Subscribers
​20.4M Views

Podcast

The Parks and Cons Podcast serves as a companion to the ParksAndCons.com website and YouTube Channel, where we discuss conventions, theme parks, collecting, haunted attractions, and other fun experiences.  The podcast is usually recorded on-site of the events, as we seek to share experiences, as they are happening.

Since July 2014, we have released over 800 podcasts, averaging 7.3 podcasts per month.  The podcast may, currently, be found at, http://parksandcons.libsyn.com/, and various platforms.

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Contributions to Other Outlets

The Best Fall Fun And Halloween Haunts In Southern California
AirTalk with Larry Mantle
October 18, 2023
Theme Park Costs Are Rising. How Will That Impact Annual Pass Holders And Attendance?
AirTalk with Larry Mantle
August 18, 2022
Pandemic Halloween 2021: We Talk The Best Halloween Attractions SoCal Has To Offer
AirTalk with Larry Mantle
October 25, 2021
AirTalk Listeners Share SoCal Spookiest Halloween Haunts, Houses And Hayrides
AIRTALK® FOR OCTOBER 31, 2019
Phoenix Comicon: Watch two Stormtroopers get engaged
By Louie Villalobos, The Republic | azcentral.com
Published 9:40 a.m. MT May 28, 2017 | Updated 11:51 a.m. MT May 28, 2017
‘Star Wars’ fans raise their lightsabers in tribute to Carrie Fisher
By Michelle Jaworski, The Daily Dot
Dec 29, 2016 at 5:07AM | Last updated Feb 24, 2017 at 3:33AM
Comic-Con 2016: What's filling the gap as movie studios turn away
By Mike Roe, Southern California Public Radio
July 22, 2016
Baby Dinosaur Display Hatched at LA Zoo
By Melissa Wen, NBC Los Angeles
​Published at 8:57 PM PDT on Jul 8, 2016
Mousetalgia Episode 389: Silicon Valley Comic Con
By Mousetalgia 
3 April 2016
Disney's D23 Expo's new dates put it back-to-back with Comic-Con
By Mike Roe, Southern California Public Radio
March 29, 2016
D23 Expo: Star Wars Land To 'Captain America: Civil War' — 9 Things Disney Wants You Hyped About
By Mike Roe, KPCC.org
August 17, 2015
FULLY OPERATIONAL FANDOM: THE STAR WARS ​COLLECTOR WITHIN US ALL
​BY AMY RATCLIFFE, StarWars.com
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014​
Shawn Marshall shares favorite Comic-Con moments
By Lynn Lieu, The Desert Sun
Published 11:24 p.m. PT July 18, 2014 | Updated 9:55 p.m. PT July 23, 2014