Check Out Gage Gerardi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gage Gerardi.

Hi Gage, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been a cosplayer since 2006. It first started when my friend invited me to a local anime convention, Nan Desu Kan. I didn’t know much about the scene, but I distinctly remember him telling me, “If you don’t wear a costume, you’re going to look really weird.” So I went to Good Will and got together what would become my first official cosplay – Kiba Inuzuka from Naruto. I had such an amazing time at the convention that I decided to span it into somewhat of a career. I had my first guesting opportunity in 2015 at a local library, and since then, I have been working on expanding across the country. Within this past year alone, I have been able to be a Cosplay Guest in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. As a transgender male myself, I have combined my passion for all things costuming with being an LGBTQ+ activist. I will attend these conventions giving educational panels about how the cosplay community can help us discover who we truly are, how to build confidence within ourselves as a community, etc. I didn’t expect it to basically become a part-time second job for me but considering I now travel typically twice a month for this, I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think anything is ever a ‘smooth’ road. In the cosplay community especially, it seems like there are two ways that you get noticed. You either get lucky overnight and blow up and get millions of followers, or you bust your butt and work hard (not that you can’t also be doing both!) During the pandemic, I completely reinvented my label, and so starting fresh has been difficult. Each month, I send about 100 or so emails to different conventions around the country, and the chance of getting a reply back is….typically 1%. It’s definitely frustrating and makes it easy to give up, but I adore doing this so much that the perseverance is worth it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As mentioned, I’m a “full-time” cosplayer! I say that because when I’m not doing my actual full-time job as a mental health therapist, I’m cosplaying to some degree. Even as I’m typing this, I’m about to head into work on a few sessions, then immediately have a Halloween photoshoot after! In my career, I have made over 300 cosplays, varying from all different genres. I definitely would say that I’m known for horror, especially since the rebrand, as I have focused my whole identity on that. I continue to be proud that I use my creative outlet as a form of inspiration. I love to travel the country and give feedback and advice to those that are just new to the community and help them out. I love to help them recognize that it’s okay to be unapologetically themselves. That’s absolutely what this is all about to me.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Don’t care what other people say. Easier said than done, for sure, but it seems that once you become successful? People are threatened by that. People want to try and tear you down so you feel like it’s all for nothing. The amount of hatred I have gotten on my work is absolutely astounding, and it can be difficult to not be like, “Wow, this world is really messed up.” But then I remember why I’m doing it, and the amount of people that have reached out to me and said that I gave them the confidence to do this, that listening to me or meeting me at conventions helped them build themselves up, and I remember why I do it. Haters are always going to be there, but it’s the ones that you positively impact that are absolutely where you should put your energy. They’re worth it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @semetarycosplay
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/semetarycosplay

Image Credits
Chiseled Light Photography, Photography by Natalie Stacker, Sean Corbin Media, Nastasia Zibrat Photography, Nlightened Designs