LightBox Expo
LightBox Expo is an annual three-day convention for entertainment industry artists, founded in 2019 by Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos, held at the Pasadena Convention Center. It serves animation, VFX, games, and illustration professionals with hundreds of programs, Artist Alley, and the year-round LBX Artist Database.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersPasadena, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What LightBox Expo does
LightBox Expo (LBX) is an annual three-day convention for entertainment industry artists, founded in 2019 by Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos. The event is held at the Pasadena Convention Center and in 2026 is in its 8th year. It serves professional and aspiring artists working in animation, visual effects, games, illustration, and adjacent entertainment sectors, providing a venue for networking, education, and commerce. The in-person convention features hundreds of programs, an Artist Alley with 300+ exhibiting artists, and an exhibition floor with over 100 exhibitors.
The company's core products are the annual in-person convention, the LBX mobile app supporting the event, and the LBX Artist Database — an online platform connecting artists with studios and recruiters. The Artist Alley functions as a curated marketplace where individual artists sell prints, originals, and commissions, while the exhibition floor hosts major animation studios and tool vendors. The mobile app and Artist Database extend the event's value beyond the three-day window and provide year-round engagement potential.
LightBox Expo operates a diversified revenue model with four primary streams: ticket sales to attendees, exhibitor booth fees, merchandise, and tiered sponsorships from major animation studios and tool vendors. Named sponsors and exhibitors include Disney, Pixar, Netflix, DreamWorks, Sony, Wacom, and Procreate, with Procreate serving as Principal Sponsor for the 2026 event. The pricing model is event-cycle dependent, with most revenue concentrated around the annual show, supplemented by year-round database and content monetization.
LightBox Expo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LightBox Expo
- Legal name
- LIGHTBOX EXPO LLC
- Website
- https://lightboxexpo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- LightBox Expo is an annual three-day convention for entertainment industry artists, founded in 2019 by Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos, held at the Pasadena Convention Center. It serves animation, VFX, games, and illustration professionals with hundreds of programs, Artist Alley, and the year-round LBX Artist Database.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LightBox Expo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entertainment Industry Convention
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Beauty, Fashion & Pop-Culture Conventions (MPAGAFAG)
Keywords
Where LightBox Expo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pasadena
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
LightBox Expo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: LightBox Expo generates revenue primarily through attendee ticket sales. Tickets are sold through Leap Events platform. Press badges provide complimentary access to all three days of the event.
- Exhibitor/Artist Alley Booth Fees: Artists and companies pay for booth/table space at the event. Exhibitor applications were open in March 2026 with over 300 exhibitor booths available on the show floor.
- Official Merchandise Sales: The event operates an official merch booth selling LightBox Expo branded merchandise.
- Sponsorship Revenue: The event generates significant revenue through tiered sponsorship packages including Principal, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Contributing sponsors. Major entertainment studios and art industry companies sponsor the event.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
LightBox Expo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LightBox Expo is an annual three-day entertainment industry art convention held at the Pasadena Convention Center, offering attendees access to hundreds of educational programs, panels, hands-on demos, and an Artist Alley of 300+ exhibiting artists. The event also operates an online Artist Database accessible to ticket holders for portfolio sharing with studios, an accompanying mobile app for event navigation, and hosts the annual Concept Art Awards ceremony at the Civic Auditorium. Supporting revenue is generated through exhibitor booth fees, tiered sponsorships, and on-site merchandise sales.
Product overview
LightBox Expo (LBX) is an annual Annie Award-winning entertainment industry convention held at the Pasadena Convention Center. The core offering is the three-day expo featuring hundreds of educational programs, hands-on experiences, and demos. The product portfolio includes the main event, the LBX Artist Database (a talent discovery platform accessible to ticket holders), the LBX Mobile App for event navigation, and The Lumins mascot characters. The annual Concept Art Awards ceremony takes place during the event at the Civic Auditorium. LightBox Expo also offers free portfolio review events via lottery system and coordinates hotel partnerships for attendee accommodations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Lumins: The official mascots of LightBox Expo, consisting of three characters: Arra (agile and spontaneous), Bebe (wise and prudent), and Gigi (loving and warm).
- The Luminas
Products and services
- LightBox Expo Annual Convention Annual three-day convention for entertainment industry artists held at the Pasadena Convention Center, featuring hundreds of programs, panels, presentations, demos, portfolio reviews, the Artist Alley with 300+ exhibiting artists, and the Concept Art Awards ceremony at the Civic Auditorium. Tickets sold to individual attendees.
- LBX Artist Database
Companies that use LightBox Expo
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
LightBox Expo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
LightBox Expo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered principal, platinum, gold, silver, bronze, contributing, core and minor.
- ProcreateprincipalPrincipal Sponsor for LightBox Expo 2026. Procreate is a digital illustration app developer that supports the artist community through event sponsorship.
- SchoolismplatinumPlatinum Sponsor providing online art education courses. Supports the educational mission of LightBox Expo.
- Make OriginalsplatinumPlatinum Sponsor supporting LightBox Expo 2026.
- Sony Pictures AnimationgoldGold Sponsor representing major animation studio presence at the event for talent recruitment and brand visibility.
- WacomgoldGold Sponsor - leading digital drawing tablet manufacturer with strong alignment to the artist community.
- The Walt Disney Company (multiple divisions)silverMultiple Silver-level sponsors including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering, Pixar, Lucasfilm Animation, Disney Television Animation, and The Walt Disney Company corporate.
- Netflix Animation StudiossilverSilver Sponsor representing streaming giant's animation production division.
- DreamWorks AnimationsilverSilver Sponsor from major animation studio.
- Warner Bros Animation and Warner Bros. Pictures AnimationsilverSilver-level sponsors representing Warner Bros. animation divisions.
- ILM (Industrial Light & Magic)silverSilver Sponsor - Disney's visual effects company with strong ties to entertainment industry art.
- Cartoon Network StudiossilverSilver Sponsor representing Warner Bros. Discovery's animation studio.
- 20th Television AnimationsilverSilver Sponsor - Disney's television animation division.
- Pentel ArtssilverSilver Sponsor - art supply manufacturer supporting the artist community.
- SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design)bronzeBronze Sponsor - prominent art and design college recruiting students at the event.
- ArtCenter College of DesignbronzeBronze Sponsor - prestigious art college with strong industry connections.
- Otis College of Art and DesignbronzeBronze Sponsor - Los Angeles area art college.
- College for Creative StudiesbronzeBronze Sponsor - Detroit-based art college.
- Gnomon School of Visual EffectscontributingContributing Sponsor - Hollywood-based digital art school.
- The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839contributingContributing Sponsor - major animation industry union.
- ASIFA-HollywoodbronzeBronze Sponsor - international animation association that presents the Annie Awards. Awarded LightBox Expo the Special Achievement Award in 2026.
- The Hollywood ReportercoreOfficial Media Partner providing press coverage and editorial content for LightBox Expo 2026.
- GTA MeetingscoreHotel booking partner providing exclusive attendee discounts at partnered Pasadena hotels including Pasadena Hotel and Pool, AC Hotel Pasadena, Courtyard Pasadena Old Town, Westin Pasadena, Residence Inn Pasadena Old Town, Hilton Pasadena, Hotel Dena, and Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia.
- Visit Pasadena / BandwangominorShow Your Badge program providing discounts at local Pasadena restaurants and businesses for LightBox Expo badge holders.
- Leap EventscoreOfficial ticketing platform for LightBox Expo. Handles all ticket sales, Will Call pickup coordination, and customer support for ticket issues.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
LightBox Expo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SIGGRAPH: SIGGRAPH is the leading computer graphics and interactive techniques conference, sharing an audience of technical and creative entertainment artists with LBX though framed around research and production rather than art commerce.
- Awesome Con: Awesome Con is a major pop-culture convention in Washington DC with artist alley and studio presence, broadly comparable as a fan-and-artist gathering targeting the entertainment industry.
- WonderCon: WonderCon is a Comic-Con International-run convention serving comics, animation, and entertainment art fans with overlapping studio recruitment activity.
- D23 Expo: D23 is the official Disney fan convention featuring animation talent and studio programming, overlapping with LBX's major-studio sponsor base and concept art audience.
- San Diego Comic-Con (Comic-Con International): SDCC is the largest pop-culture convention in the US, sharing LightBox Expo's entertainment-industry sponsorship model and studio recruitment angle, but operating at much broader scope.
- ReedPop (NYCC, MCM Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con): ReedPop operates a portfolio of large pop-culture conventions and competes with LBX for entertainment-industry sponsorship dollars and artist alley participation.
Direct peers
- Anime Expo: Anime Expo is a large annual convention centered on anime, animation, and pop-culture art with a strong artist alley and industry presence, overlapping LBX's animation and concept art audience.
- Creative Talent Network (CTNx): CTNx is an annual animation and concept art expo with a very similar artist-, recruiter-, and studio-driven format, making it the closest direct competitor to LightBox Expo's entertainment-art focus.
- Spectrum Fantastic Art: Spectrum Fantastic Art Live is a juried art convention focused on professional illustrators and concept artists, closely mirroring LBX's curated, artist-first approach to serving the entertainment illustration community.
Emerging players
- Game Developers Conference (GDC): GDC is the premier game industry conference with overlapping artist, studio, and sponsor ecosystems relevant to the concept art and game-art segments LBX serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LightBox Expo social profiles
Digital presenceLightBox Expo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
LightBox Expo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LightBox Expo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
LightBox Expo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LightBox Expo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LightBox Expo
What does LightBox Expo do?
LightBox Expo is an annual three-day entertainment industry art convention held at the Pasadena Convention Center, offering attendees access to hundreds of educational programs, panels, hands-on demos, and an Artist Alley of 300+ exhibiting artists. The event also operates an online Artist Database accessible to ticket holders for portfolio sharing with studios, an accompanying mobile app for event navigation, and hosts the annual Concept Art Awards ceremony at the Civic Auditorium. Supporting revenue is generated through exhibitor booth fees, tiered sponsorships, and on-site merchandise sales.
Is LightBox Expo a public or private company?
LightBox Expo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was LightBox Expo founded?
LightBox Expo was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LightBox Expo based?
LightBox Expo is headquartered in Pasadena, United States, in the North America region.
How does LightBox Expo make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are exhibitor/Artist Alley Booth Fees, official Merchandise Sales and sponsorship Revenue.
Who are LightBox Expo's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SIGGRAPH, Awesome Con, WonderCon, D23 Expo, San Diego Comic-Con (Comic-Con International) and ReedPop (NYCC, MCM Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con). Direct peers are Anime Expo, Creative Talent Network (CTNx) and Spectrum Fantastic Art. Game Developers Conference (GDC) is listed as an emerging player.
Does LightBox Expo have an API?
No public API is recorded for LightBox Expo.
What industry is LightBox Expo in?
LightBox Expo's product category is Entertainment Industry Convention. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAFAJ, Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs, with a secondary code of MPAGAFAG, Beauty, Fashion & Pop-Culture Conventions. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 7990.