When Escape Velocity 2019 touches down just outside the Nation’s Capital over Memorial Day Weekend, the three-day event will showcase an impressive lineup of special guests to give fans an exclusive look into their favorite universes.
Set to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 24 through 26 at the Gaylord National Resort in Fort Washington, MD, Escape Velocity will provide an inside look into the state of innovation, STEM education, and science fiction culture today.
The event will feature a diverse team of speakers, panelists and presenters from an array of industries and professions. Featured special guests are renowned for their work on such hit television and movie series as Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Dr. Who, The Expanse and others; while leaders at renowned institutions like NASA, scholars and researchers at esteemed higher education institutions, international entertainers and global entrepreneurs fill out the rest of the lineup. Without question, there will be a unique opportunity for all to learn something new at Escape Velocity 2019.
Notable guests include:
Dominique Tipper — Tipper is a television and movie actor. She currently plays ‘Naomi Nagata’ in the Syfy network’s critically-acclaimed series The Expanse. Since launching her career in 2012, Dominique has appeared in several high-profile productions, including Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), The Girl With All The Gifts (2016), and Vampire Academy (2014). Tipper adopted the role of producer and director with the creation of her first short film, Trying To Find Me (2018), and is now in the beginning stages of developing her first feature-length film.
Gigi Edgley — Edgley is an internationally renowned actress originally from Australia. Edgley has starred in numerous film and television series including FX’s Feud, USA’s The Starter Wife, Enuattii: Face off Designer’s latest feature, Diminuendo, Rescue Special Ops, Tricky Business, Syfy’s Showdown at Area 51, Quantum Apocalypse, Carlotta, Newcastle, Black Jack, Peacekeeper Wars, Stingers, Secret Life Of Us, Beastmaster, Lost World, Water Rats, Day of The Roses, Star Trek Continues, and Nexus. Gigi has helped to crowdfund over $100,000 for The Circuit and over $44,000 on Kickstarter to fund a sci-fi short called Hashtag. Edgley was nominated for best lead actress in the Film Critics Circle awards for her performance in Last Train to Freo, the Syfy Genre Award for Best Supporting actress, and the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a television series.
Anwan Glover — Glover is an American musician, actor, and founding member of the DC-based go-go band Backyard Band. He is best known for his portrayal of “Slim Charles” in the HBO crime-drama television series The Wire. He can be seen in TV shows like Treme, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Scream Queens. In 2018, Glover was cast as Mikken in the science fiction film Prospect.
Dan Curry — Award-winning visual effects supervisor in various capacities for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. Curry’s work has been recognized with seven Emmys (15 nominations) and a VES Award for Best Broadcast Visual Effects. Curry is a past VES Board member and a past Visual Effects Peer Group Governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is also a member of DGA, ASC, and PGA.
Additional guests attending are:
- David Brin, PhD
- Morgan Gendel
- Marc Okrand
- Kellie Gerardi
- Mason Peck, PhD
- Ghostbusters Tri-State Division
- DJ Shaleigh
- C. Alex Young, PhD
- Eric Suggs, Jr.
- Aisha Matthews
- Iron Knight Cosplay
- Jeff Rutenbeck, PhD
- David Grinspoon, PhD
Escape Velocity features a variety of programming throughout the open hours of the show. Friday sessions run from 10:00 a.m. until past Midnight; Saturday show hours start at 9:00 a.m. and conclude with a Midnight film showing of Plan Nine from Outer Space and Sunday runs from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Three-day weekend pass tickets, priced $30 for youths (aged 11-16), $50 for adults and $100 for the full VIP treatment, are available through the Escape Velocity website or onsite at the Gaylord Convention Center. Ten-dollar PAY IT FORWARD tickets allow patrons to donate a single-day admission for an underserved youth in the Washington, DC metro area.
