Meet Our Team

Amanda "Mari" Gregory
Founder and President

Amanda (aka Mari) is our company’s president. She was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and moved to Los Angeles, CA, in 2006. She went to FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in 2006, where she would make cosplays for homework assignments, and earned degrees in fashion design and theatre costume design. Since her first cosplay and anime convention in 2007, she’s been addicted to cosplaying and challenging herself. While helping her friends create their own cosplays, she wanted to find a way to help others as well. After FIDM, she went on to work in the film industry for a few years as a costume designer before she realized that what she actually wanted to do was help other people make cosplays. So she went back to school at ELAC (East Los Angeles College), where she earned a degree in humanities, and then transferred to Chapman University, where she earned a degree in business administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. From there, she started First Stop Cosplay with the hope to help educate, inspire, and empower those who want to create their own cosplays.

Loves: Her husband, music, writing, video games, cosplay, video editing, and sleep
Previous cosplayed as: "Sinon (Caith Sith version)" from Sword Art Online II, "Yang Xiao Long" from RWBY, "Black Rock Shooter", and more
Dream cosplay: "Freya" from FFIX
Pronouns: she/her

Kelly Willey
Marketing Director

Loves: Playing FFXIV, cats, birds, and sleeping
Previously cosplayed as: "Linkle" from Hyrule Warriors, "Furret" from Pokemon, "Yowane Haku" from Vocaloid, "Panty" from Panty and Stocking with Garter Belt, and more
Dream cosplay: "Yamato" from One Piece
Pronouns: she/her

Loves: Animal Crossing: New Horizons and binging history documentaries
Previously cosplayed as: "Rapunzel" from Tangled
Dream cosplay: "Hanji Zoe" from Attack on Titan
Pronouns: she/her

Becky Golon
Sewing Associate

Loves: Kitties, bats, hedgehogs, the beach, tea parties, vinyl collecting, old black & white movies, and sci-fi and time travel
Previously cosplayed as: "Flea" from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Batman", and "Ted Theodore Logan"
Dream cosplay: Anything Doctor WHO or "T.A.R.D.I.S."-inspired
Pronouns: she/her

Meagan Swartwood
Social Media Coordinator

Loves: Paramore, playing Animal Crossing, watching cartoons, going to concerts, reading Snot Girl, illustrating, and making jewelry!
Previously cosplayed as: "Princess Bubblegum", "Shrek", "Flora" from Winx Club, and more!
Dream cosplay to make: Any character from Steven Universe!
Pronouns: she/her