Katie Adkins the Tiger Wizard interview
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Katie Adkins, and I’m an actor as well as a Twitch streamer
How did you come up with your cosplay name The Tiger Wizard?
Someone bought me a spray painted shirt in high school that had a unicorn on it that said “Tiger Wizard” and said it reminded her of me. I’ve been using it as my gamer tag ever since.
What was yout first cosplay?
Kitty Pryde from X-Men!
How did you get into cosplay, and how long have you been doing it?
I got into cosplay back in 2010, my boyfriend at the time invited me to DragonCon and told me that people who don’t dress up are lame and I had to have a costume. I’ve always been a huge fan of Halloween so I was excited to have another opportunity to be creative and dress up!
Favourite cosplay you’ve done so far?
Yennefer’s Alternate outfit from The Witcher 3
Any advice for beginner cosplayers, or people wanting to get into cosplaying?
DO NOT RUSH. If you don’t finish your cosplay in time it’s okay, you will always have opportunity to finish it and wear it later. Don’t let it ruin your con experience. Also when you rush things tend to get expensive since you’re running around buying last minute items.
How do you go about choosing which cosplays to make and wear?
It depends on whether or not I love the game or show. And usually I’ll fall in love with the character as I play or watch, and by the end of it I have a whole plan in my head for how to go about making the cosplay.
You have an extensive backcatalog of cosplays that you’ve done on Instagram and Facebook. Have there been any particularly memorable reactions to any of your cosplays?
Lara Croft, from 2013, was probably my first cosplay that people online noticed and liked. I’ll still sometimes meet people who know me for that cosplay and it blows my mind that it made that much of an impression on those who saw it.
If someone wanted to do a cosplay collaboration with you, what would be the best way for them to reach out?
Honestly? Probably hit me up on Facebook or Instagram.
Any group cosplays you’d want to do (eg Mystery Inc, Sailor Scouts, Avengers, X-Men, etc)?
Super Smash Bros!! I think it would be so fun to have a bunch of friends cosplay as various smash characters and create the items in the game as props and run around fighting each other
During the Bowsette/Supercrown meme-thing that swept the community several months ago, you ended up making Waluigette. What drew you to doing that twist on X-ette?
Well people were upset around that time that Waluigi wasn’t going to be in smash and there were a ton of memes about it. As a fan of Waluigi myself, I thought it would be fun to do him with the super crown. I actually still have a couple other super crown cosplay ideas I haven’t seen anyone do yet.
Will you show off that cosplay again in the future.
OH FOR SURE. And I’m going to add his ears, a mustache, and tennis racket. And hopefully have a friend who will do Wario with me!
You’ve also been an actress for a number of years. How did you get into that?
It’s been my dream since childhood. I’ve been acting professionally since high school. That’s when I signed with my first agent.
Back in 2014 you were in the viral hit Too Many Cooks. Do you still get recognised for being in it?
Yes, but thank god it died down. It was super out of hand when it was big and I constantly was just answering the same questions repeatedly. Occasionally I’ll get someone who recognizes me from it now.
Are there any upcoming shows you’re in we should be aware of?
I will be in an episode of Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell on Adult Swim in their 4th season when it airs. I’ve mostly been doing commercial work lately. This year [[Fiction note: 2018]] I worked with Little Debbie, Verizon, and Lenovo. Also I’m doing a Dungeons and Dragons stream every Sunday starting Jan 7! Thats going to be super fun because we’ve teamed up with Wizards of the Coast and D&D Beyond. You can catch it on twitch.tv/rockpunchatl
Going off your IMDB page, you’ve done some behind the camera work, mainly on a show called Dorms. What was your experience like doing that?
Oh my gosh, Dorms was a student project I created in college. It was something another student and I wrote, directed, and produced. And let’s just say herding students for a free project is harder than herding cosplayers.
Have you considered doing more work behind the camera?
Yes! Filmmaking is always something I’ve loved as a creative outlet but I have never been a fan of the business side of it. I would much prefer to work professionally in front of the camera. But I do like to make goofy videos for myself and friends every so often.
You also stream on Twitch both playing games and doing cosplay crafting. How has that been going for you?
I love streaming on Twitch! It’s so much fun. Whenever I play games or work on cosplay I occasionally get lonely and want company, Twitch gives me the solution to that!
Are there any notable streams or clips that are particularly memorable for you?
Oh gosh, all of the horror ones. I scare very easily and scream a lot so there’s lots of clips with jump scares.
Are there any people in your fields that you’d love to work with?
I think it would be amazing to work with Joss Whedon! Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show and it’s what inspired me to get into the film industry.
Are there any projects you’re working on that you want to share with us?
Oh oops! I already answered this in a previous question haha – mainly working on new cosplay, streams, and my upcoming dnd stream!
Are there any cosplayers, actors/actresses and/or streamers you think deserve more attention/coverage?
YES ABSOLUTELY. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sarah Shortcake Cosplay and she’s insanely talented. I’m also a big fan of Storyteller Cosplay and Embertay. On Twitch I’m not as familiar with streamers that aren’t already famous or related to cosplay, but Saaarrj and WonkyWheel come to mind!
Where can we find you online (social media etc
Insta: @thetigerwizard
Twitter: @thetigerwizardd
Facebook: The Tiger Wizard
Twitch: twitch.tv/TheTigerWizard