Meet Kory Davis | Organizer of Dallas Anime Meetup

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kory Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kory, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We aren’t a business, but Dallas Anime Meetup (DAM) was founded with the intention to create safe and inviting opportunities for anime fans to interact with each other in the DFW area. Our original founder, Dennis Phelan, created this group back in 2017 with that goal in mind and since then DAM’s had 4 organizers, grown to over 4000 members, and hosted over 380 events in DFW.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In recent years, DFW has seen a massive boom in its anime culture scene. There are movie showings, conventions, pop-ups and more that anime fans could be attending weekly. However, I feel like DAM is one of the only groups making a large attempt to both host and aggregate events for our members.

Since it’s very easy to lose track of all the things going on in DFW, we’re making our best effort to see that our members aren’t missing out on fun events, aren’t attending alone, and never have to have a dull moment in their week’s plans. I think the largest blocker in this process is working with other groups. It’s not that other groups want to keep to themselves, it’s mainly that the conversations haven’t taken place to collaborate with one another. This is something we’re striving to fix right now.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Monday – A visit to 9Rabbits cafe/bakery, and most of the day at Round 1 Grapevine

Tuesday – A trip to some of my favorite Korean BBQ spots in Carrolton followed by Kinokuniya books

Wednesday – These are usually days I hit happy hours in Dallas. I would take them out to Spider Murphys for a good HH or Breaking Brew Meadery for trivia

Thursday – A trip to the Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Museum, and maybe swing by one of my favorite asian bakeries, 9 Rabbits

Friday – I would try to look for a concert or show on a Friday. Otherwise, a trip to Cidercade or Freeplay would be my back-up

Saturday – Check out the Dallas Farmer’s Market and bar crawl in Deep Ellum

Sunday – A day at Spa Castle or King Spa to unwind

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m very lucky to have so many positive influences that have led me to this point but I’d like to first thank Andrew Nguyen for braving the storm when no ones else would. He saw DAM through it’s toughest times during and after Covid-19, and I’m not sure if the group would still be standing today without his support and the trail he left for us to follow.

I’d also like to thank the Rutgers University Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. I spent the greater part of college working at the Veteran Affairs office and during this time I had the opportunity to get involved with the student veteran community which without a doubt shaped the trajectory of my life and career. I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to support that community and for the relationships I built there.

Finally, I’d like to thank my brother, Brian, for creating the opportunity for me to leave my home state of Tennessee to pursue higher education. I don’t think I would have ever left my home town if not for his support and encouragement.

Website: https://dallasanimemeetup.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dallasanimemeetup/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dallasanimemeetup

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dallasanimemeetup208

Other: https://www.meetup.com/DallasAnimeMeetup/