POPPED! A Pop Culture Expo Kicks Off Atlantic City’s Strategic New Era of Entertainment

Atlantic City, NJ, October 24, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– The era of Atlantic City relying solely on summer crowds and gaming is over. POPPED! The Pop Culture Expo is the official kick-off event for a strategic mission led by Black Ink Events and the Invest Atlantic City coalition. Their goal is ambitious: to create new opportunities in Technology, Entertainment & Tourism, and Business & Workforce Development by bringing regular, smaller, yet powerful events to the city during the off-season. This initiative is designed to be highly accessible and affordable, directly supporting local jobs, boosting tourism, and fueling economic growth year-round.

The debut of POPPED! on The Boardwalk is more than a convention—it’s a declaration that Atlantic City is embracing a dynamic, cultural future. The event is already strengthened by key local partners, small business owners and like minded mission organizations within Atlantic City.

Legendary Star Power Converges on the Shore
This is not a traditional comic-con; it’s a high-energy, meticulously curated, intimate gathering of the stars and creators who defined our favorite genres, celebrating over 50 years of cultural influence.

The celebrity line-up is a powerful trip down memory lane, featuring icons of film, horror, and wrestling for autographs, photos, and panels:

James Saito, The Original Shredder: Famed actor and the original Shredder from the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Who’s joined by legendary FX artist Jeff Goodwin (who did the creature effects on the film)

Steve Barton, Horror Power Broker: Producer of the global phenomenon Terrifier 2, offering an exclusive inside look at breaking into the film industry.

Indie and Cult Legends: Including famed “Scream Queen” Tina Krause, actor Santiago Cirilo, legendary film and TV actress Tara Buckman, and the iconic ECW “Quintessential Stud Muffin” Joel Gertner.

Crossover Titans: The event demonstrates its broad cultural appeal by featuring paranormal and cryptozoology experts John Zaffis (Godfather of the Paranormal) and Ronny Le Blanc (Expedition Bigfoot).

Local Legends: Father Evil, The Ironman Tony Cairo (ECW), & The Pitbill Gary Wolf (ECW) who have influenced local pop culture and Americana for more than 30 years.

Unforgettable: Premiere VIP Experiences to Drive Excitement
To build momentum for this mission, Black Ink is offering limited Premiere VIP Experiences designed to create truly meaningful, exclusive moments that will generate major fan buzz. These experiences will sell out immediately and include:

Private VIP Lunches with legends like James Saito and John Zaffis, limited to just 10 spots each.

An Exclusive Film Experience with Steve Barton, featuring a private screening and an intimate Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) session on the horror industry.

VIP Cocktails with “Scream Queen” Tina Krause at the 3BR Cocktail Experience.

VIP Promo Video Shoots with wrestling icons Joel Gertner, The Ironman, and The Pitbill, giving fans a chance to live out their pop culture wrestling fantasies.

Deep Dives, Discussions, and The Kung Fu Theater
The day is packed with interactive experiences, including panels, workshops, and the thrilling Kung Fu Theater, where attendees can enjoy back-to-back screenings of classic Kung Fu cinema like Enter The Dragon and The Five Deadly Venoms. Furthermore, the event will feature The Scott Spillman Gallery, offering a stunning visual retrospective of pop culture history. This commitment to diverse, high-quality programming supports the mission to create a sustainable, year-round tourism product.

The Curated Exhibition Floor: A Marketplace of Local Support
The show floor is a vibrant testament to local business support, featuring an exciting array of goods from dedicated small businesses and independent creators specializing in nostalgia, art, and memorabilia. Black Ink Events has meticulously curated the vendor experience to ensure a low-competition environment where every appropriately themed business can thrive, giving attendees an unmissable and unique variety of art, apparel, books, toys, and collectibles they won’t find anywhere else. This focus on small business is central to the overall goal of developing a strong local business and workforce ecosystem.

“The experiences are everything, the memories are a lifetime and the goal is for people to remember their experience happened right there at the Crown Jewel of the Jersey Shore, Atlantic City.” – Eric Vincent, Founder/Ceo, Black Ink

POPPED! The Pop Culture Expo takes place on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at ACX1 Studios on The Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ. Tickets, including details on the limited Premiere VIP experiences and the full panel schedule, are available now at the Black Ink Events website.

Media Contact: E.Vincent@Blackink.events 609-808-2673

As the official launch event for the Invest Atlantic City mission, the success of POPPED! is crucial to establishing Atlantic City as a leading destination for accessible, year-round specialized entertainment, cultural, and niche tourism.