Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Hall.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
HEROIC was founded about 12 years ago by a group of customers dedicated to creating quality costumes and later became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Our members all have “normal” day jobs or school, but we wanted some way to give back to our community. We are particularly dedicated to helping charities as well as supporting educational events.
Membership in HEROIC requires an annual background check. We work with organizations like Primary Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, schools, libraries, and other organizations that need characters to interact with the public or to visit children or others in need.
Our primary focus is on comic book characters, video game characters, and princesses. We also have characters from certain movies, anime, and general science fiction/fantasy/adventure stories.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a wonderful journey. We currently have about 45 members from the Logan area down to the Provo area. The recent COVID-19 pandemic put many of the events we would have attended on hold, but more and more opportunities to serve the public have been opening up recently.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My name is Eric Allan Hall, and I am the Public Relations officer for HEROIC. Professionally, I am a training specialist and content developer for a large government contractor.
In my spare time, I am a cosplayer. I have about 185 different costumes, including characters from DC, Marvel, Disney, Star Trek, Star Wars, and other forms of media. Many of them, I have put together using found pieces at thrift stores, and others I have commissioned or ordered online.
I was the first inductee into the FanX Cosplay Hall of Fame in 2015, and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has recognized me for my charity work. I have appeared in several documentaries about fandom, including “William Shatner’s Get a Life”, “Trek Nation”, and “The Captains”.
Although the accolades and recognition are appreciated, I am most proud of my association with HEROIC, and the positivity and good we have been able to bring to the community.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I suppose that the greatest risk our members take is going out in public dressed in superheroes and princess garb.
In all other areas, we try to mitigate risk by requiring our members to go through an annual background check since we work so frequently with children; we wear facial masks when requested at hospital or home visits to kids with compromised immune systems, and we comply with hospital or other facility requirements to ensure our costumes have been professionally cleaned.
We also worked with a pro-bono lawyer several years ago to ensure our bylaws and other legal documents were to begin and to continue to maintain our 501(c)3 status.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heroicinc.org
- Instagram: @heroicutah
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heroicutah
Image Credits
Farris Gerard
