The Organisers

Meet the EPC team!

The Pack Leader: Dani(elle) Maas

I am Dani(elle), 50 years old from The Netherlands. Together with my husband for more then 33 years (married for 24 of those). I have a beautiful daughter, Amber, who just turned 21 in September.

I am the owner of Love Bytes (Reviews) for more then 10 years now. When Marc approached me with the idea for EuroPrideCon I thought “let’s do it!” and we have been doing it together ever since. We can bicker and fight like cats and dogs but surprisingly it works out well 🙂 With the addition of Tanja, Tim, and Jay our team is at full strength.

Why Pack Leader? 

Well, someone has to keep the whole bunch together, right? 😀 I think it speaks for itself some people call me the face of the con during EPC and that is I think where my strength lies; the contact, the keeping things rolling, the schedule etc. With making sure that things get done before the con itself. Together with Marc we talk about everything and anything
that is happening around EPC in trying to make it the best possible event. At EPC 2024, in my home country, I will also be the hotel contact person and I hope to see you all there 🙂 You can always find me around on fb, Dani Elle Maas

The Chaos Wizard: Marc Schneider

Hi everyone, I’m Marc. I am in my early 30s and I work as 24-hour care assistant. I am the creator and one of the owners of the LGBTQIA+ Fiction Review Blog ‘Rainbow Gold Reviews’, which has now been around for more than 9 years.

In 2014, the year when I created my blog, I also attended my very first convention; the UK Meet. I loved it and was sad that we didn’t have anything like it in continental Europe. So I realized that if I wanted something like that to exist here, I needed to create it.

I knew I couldn’t do it on my own, though, so I asked my friend Dani, if she could imagine doing something like that with me – and the rest, as they say is history. We both jumped into the cold water with both feet and with the help of a great team and amazing attendees pulled off 5 wonderful EPC conventions; the first one in 2015, and we can’t wait for June 2024, when our 6th EPC will take place.

You may still know me as Marc Fleischhauer. Don’t be confused by the new last name – it’s still me.

On February 22, 2023, I married the love of my life and since April 17th, 2023, I have taken my husband’s name. We have been together for more than 12 years.

Why Chaos Wizard?

Well, I thrive in chaos. I get inspired by it and love channeling all that energy into concrete ideas.

I usually have a lot of tabs open – on my computer and in my ADD fueled mind.

I love to chat with interested people and attendees to answer any questions they may have about EPC or to discuss their ideas about potential panels or about how to make our event even better, safe and more inclusive.

Then I organize them and our own ideas into spreadsheets and once the team has selected the best panels and ideas for our event, I come up with descriptions and announcement texts, so all attendees know what they can expect.

Growing up with ADD and organizing EPC and my own blog, I have learned the creative value of unfiltered thoughts and ideas. I have also learned that at some point, there needs to be an order to the chaos of creativity to allow the ideas to grow into their full potential.

Most of my work happens before the event, when we plan and organize everything. Even though I don’t really feel comfortable as speaker or moderator in front of a big crowd, I love getting to talk to EPC attendees one-on-one or in small groups at the event. Those are the moments that mean most to me.

Feel free to PM me on Facebook or talk to me any time at the event, no matter if you have a question, just want to chat, or if there is anything I can do to help you. It is very important to me that everyone feels as safe and comfortable as possible.
I can’t wait to see you all in 2024.

The Sponsor Whisperer: Tanja Rac

I am Tanja, 37 years old, live in Austria and I have a beautiful dog who controls my life ;)…nah she is just a little devil and the perfect counterpart to my calm, shy personality. I was asked by Marc if I wanted to be on the organisation team for the EPC because of my organisational skills and structured approach of things. While Marc thrives in chaos it drives me crazy…but that´s just life, we can´t be all the same. 😀

Why Sponsor Whisperer?

Because I love doing things behind the scenes, where I can use my skills. I thrive on doing lists, update them, ticking off the things I already did as well as interact with other people but just not at the amount Dani, Marc and Tim are doing during the con. I’m responsible for the sponsors, the sponsor part on the website as well as the Newsletter. Putting information together is also something I really like. To summarize the whole information this team has and want to share with you….and sometimes it’s huge…is just my thing. At the con I’m the “invisible” one with the white lanyard ;).

Master of Speeches: Tim O’Rahilly/ T.J. Masters

I am Tim, otherwise known as author T.J. Masters. I am a 67yr old retired school teacher living with my husband of 40 years just to the north of London, England. The EPC has come such a long way since that first gathering in Munich and it was a great honour when Dani and Marc asked me to join the organisers group.
 

Why Master of Speeches?

 
Well, my role is to corral the panellists and then at the con itself I deliver hugs and smiles, spread calm and positivity as well as moderating panels to keep them on point and occasionally on time.
 
I hope that apart from my teacher voice I also bring other skills to the table. I am British, of Irish descent, an author, an avid reader of all kinds of books, I am a gay man with a long, happy history in my community and so now I like to give back a little. I am Vice chair of a health, equality rights organisation supporting people from the whole
LGBTQ+ spectrum and I am also Chairperson of a not for profit BDSM support/education group in London. I am an occasional blogger, a social media addict, gardener and cook, passionate about equality and also a practising BDSM/bondage Master.
 
Hopefully I can also dispense some of the apparent wisdom that comes with increasing old age!

Agent of Organized Pandemonium: Jay V

I’m Jay, the American from the New York City area. I’m in my 50’s, work in marketing, but am also a classical musician on the side playing cello and piano (I’ve played some well-known concert halls around the world).  I’m an avid reader & contributor to Love Bytes Reviews and have been involved in the MM Romance culture for the last several years. I’ve maintained the LB site since 2018 and am now also stepping in to manage the EPC site plus I’ll be providing general help before/during the conference.

Why Agent of Organized Pandemonium?

I’ve got to wrangle everyone, keep the site in decent shape, and make sure things are headed in the right direction.

Kind of like herding cats, which I have to do sometimes with my own kitties.