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John W. Stout aka Kettlebriar’s Workshop is a multiple Grand Prize Award-winning cosplayer and prop designer from North Louisiana. He also builds other creations such as pop culture themed tables out of his workshop. After visiting cons for a couple of dozen years, in 2018 John decided to start building large cosplay creations out of EVA Foam and won his first contest he ever entered. Since then, he’s gone on to win many more and is now enjoying guesting and hosting at conventions where he has picked up the affectionate moniker of “Con Dad” from his fellow cosplayers for taking care of the cosplay community. When he wins a cash prize at a Cosplay Contest he donates most it of back into the cosplay community by sponsoring the prize money at other cosplay contests around the state as well as buying drinks and snacks to take care of the other cosplayers at all the conventions he guests/hosts at. He even hosts a Cosplay Prom for the community with music, dancing, a cosplay contest, and free door prizes. Most of the rest of the money is used to purchase paperback books. religious materials, and reading glasses as donations for the incarcerated inmate offenders housed at the three prison facilities in his parish. He is mostly recognized for his award winning huge Mayor of Halloweentown cosplay as well as his original Nukatron cosplay from the FALLOUT video game series (featured on PC Gamer), for which he was also awarded Grand Prize from the company that made the game. Last year he brought home the trophy for BEST IN SHOW at Louisiana Comic Con 2024 for his Green Lantern Battle Armor. This year he has already won Best Craftsman in Masters Division at Galaxy Con New Orleans 2025 and Weebcon Texas 2025. He is also the Cosplay Director and Cosplay Hosts for multiple conventions and events throughout the state of Louisiana.
He is also the owner of Kettlebriar's COSPLAY PROMS and Con Dad Events.

If you ever have questions about cosplay, whether how-to questions regarding building techniques, or where to even start, please feel free to reach out to us and just ask! I am here to help: [email protected]