Heading for "A Whole New World" at the D23 Expo & Summer of Heroes...

Sunday, July 09 2017 13:34

Heading for "A Whole New World" at the D23 Expo & Summer of Heroes...

Written by James Zahn

#D23Expo This special feature is brought to you in collaboration between The Rock Father™ and The Walt Disney Company

This week is a unique one in that I'm gearing up for a full seven days of travel - the longest stretch that I've ever been away from home since becoming "The Rock Father." That means it's the longest I've been away from my wife and our girls, but it will be worth it since what I'm doing is part of the greater good - a mix of work and play that directly relates to having fun as a family, and spreading that goodness throughout the virtual pages of The Rock Father™ Magazine. While the entire week will be massive, the end will be epic as I wrap one gig in New York City, then head straight to Los Angeles to meet up with the Disney crew for the D23 Expo and Disneyland Summer of Heroes. One big focus for me will be the launch of Disney XD's DuckTales, but my group will also be taking part in activities and events from Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC Network and more, and I'll be bringing you the latest news and features direct from the show floor of "The Ultimate Disney Fan Event" - July 13-16, 2017!

Follow the adventure on social networks using #D23Expo to see what's happening - including updates from the 25 members of our crew!

And, in the tradition of "dressing up" for the event, we've each chosen a character as part of #D23OrBust. While I'm not skilled in the art of cosplay, I did take a stab at one... a character I admire: Mr. Tony Stark aka IRON MAN! I may not be in as great a shape as Robert Downey Jr. (I'm working on it), so I did think it was pretty funny when a friend of mine said that I "look like Happy (Jon Favreau) dressed as Tony Stark..."

The Rock Father as Tony Stark

I've never been to the D23 Expo, so I'm pretty excited to be taking part in such an immersive Disney experience. And, since I've only previously visited Disneyland for about five hours during the press event for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I'm looking forward to some additional time in "The Happiest Place on Earth." Stay tuned!

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James Zahn

James Zahn is best-known as The Rock Father™, a media personality, commentator, adventurer and raconteur. In January, 2019, after nearly a decade as Publisher of The Rock Father Magazine, he joined Adventure Publishing Group as Senior Editor of The Toy Book—the leading trade publication for the toy industry since 1984, as well as The Pop Insider—a destination for all things pop culture. He is also editor of The Toy Report, a weekly newsletter published by The Toy Book each Thursday. Zahn has over 25 years of experience in the entertainment, retail and publishing industries.

He regularly serves as a Brand Ambassador and spokesperson for several Globally-recognized pop culture and lifestyle brands in addition to consulting for a number of toy manufacturers.

Creatively, James has directed/edited music videos, lyric videos, and album trailers for bands such as FEAR FACTORY, has appeared as an actor in feature films and commercials, written comic books, and performed in bands. He currently serves as an artist manager and video director for PRODUCT OF HATE, whose debut album was released by Napalm Records in 2016, distributed by ADA/Warner Music in the U.S. with Universal Music handling global. A new album has been completed and is set for release this year.

James and/or his work have been featured in/on CNN, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, WGN, G4, The Chicago Tribune, BusinessWire, Babble, Fangoria, Starlog and more. He's appeared as a music expert on CNN's AC360 alongside Anderson Cooper, and has been interviewed by Larry King. In the past he served as a writer for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family and PBS KIDS, penned articles for Sprout and PopSugar, and was a contributor to Chicago Parent.

Learn more here.

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