Right after the 2003 E3, I was
fortunate to have Lisa Gleave allow me to do an interview with
her. This Australian born super girl has been taking
home the Best of Show Award every year she's attended E3, (yes
that means that Lisa won Best Booth Girl for 2003). Lisa
can also be seen on Late 2002 and early 2003 episodes of the
Price is Right as a Showcase Showgirl, as well as featured on
the cover of the June issue of IronMan Magazine. This
year Lisa once again reprises her role as Tina for Tecmo fan
favorite, Dead or Alive. It was indeed a great honor for
me to interview both Lisa and Candace and a special thanks
must go out to Candace Kita, (pictured below center) from CandaceKita.com for making all the
arrangements.
Lisa
Gleave
Candace
Kita
Aimee Bothwell
Q. This must be 3 years in a row
you've worked for Tecmo as a model sponsoring Dead or Alive.
Were you a model for E3 prior to working for Tecmo?
A. Yes that is
correct.... I feel like I'm part of the Tecmo family
now! I think I'll be a part of their team for as long as
they want me, Tecmo has been an awesome company to work
for. No I wasn't a model for E3 prior to working
for Tecmo. I have only been in the states long enough to have
been lucky to work the last 3 years for E3, I moved to the
states in 2000 from Oz, & like any other event I'm
involved in I had to do the gruelling audition process. My
agent 'Patrick talent Agency' sent me in & I remember when I went in for
my audition the guy at the reception of Tecmo said I kinda
looked like "Tina" (one of the characters from the DOA game
they were casting for) ~ Wolla ~ I got booked. Thanks
Patrick Talent!! Thanks Tecmo!!
Q. Last year I heard you and the
other models from Tecmo did several tours to promote the game.
Where did you all go and what do you think was the best part
of the tours?
A.
Well Tecmo has a handful of beautiful models that
portray different characters from the DOA game & I was
portraying "Tina". Some of us did solo tours & then
some together. I was lucky enough to travel to New York
for a microsoft event for the launch of the x-box & for
the opening of the huge toy store in Times Square ~ & yes,
I got to meet 'the man' Bill Gates & yes, I was in my
"Tina" costume!! It was quite funny actually, it was
kind of chilly & there I was walking around in cowgirl
boots, hotpants & a bustier!! It was great though,
it was my first time to the big apple so I was like a little
kid in a candy store with all the sights. I also did a
tour with Camille Anderson (portraying Helena from DOA) at
Universal City & also a tour in sunny San Diego with
Candace Kita & Amy Bothwell. The tour in San Diego
was for a group of microsoft buyers from different regions of
retail & was literally a day of fun in the sun, we played
beach volleyball with the buyers all day. I must say,
not all my modeling days are as easy as that!!
Q. Do you have any great memorable
experiences from doing E3?
A.
Each year for me at E3 has been memorable as each year
Tecmo has offered different & exciting levels of
entertainment. This year we blew the fans away with an
exciting DOA fashion show, & to the best of my knowledge,
the convention management cut off the audio system....on the
last day with our last show ~ so needless to say we went out
with a bang!! Apparently our booth was too
loud.....really we were just too popular!!
Q. I hate to bring this up, but
I
noticed this year at Tecmo the girls had a lot of problems
with people trying to take inappropriate pictures or trying to
grab you. Have you ever had a problem with fans at the
convention?
A.
Their fans what can I say!! Each year the fan
response has been wild, if it weren't for them it wouldn't be
as much fun. It never ceases to amaze me at how many
people just kept lining up at our booth, & I have to admit
the fans sometimes get a little crazy, but they wait all year
to attend the E3 event & I hear tickets aren't
cheap!! So I'm thankful we do get a great amount of
support, Tecmo also provide great security for us girls for
those crazy fans who do love to let the hands wander a little
while they have their pictures taken with us. I have had
guys who have tried to grab my butt, it's funny though,
they'll either do it in such a crued way or they'll be
discreet about it & slowly slide their hand onto my
behind. I grab their hand tightly, move it, smile at
them & say 'do that again & I'll have to do some Tina
kicks on you'. Most of them are so shy & nervous,
their very apologetic though. Some fans also are so lost
for words they can't stop shaking. It's ok guys we don't
bite!!
Q. I know all the E3 fans are
dying to know if you have actually played any of the games
you've promoted. As well as if you have a favorite game
of all time?
A. Well, for
all those die hard E3 fans, yes I have. My favorite of
course is DOA, I love that game! I got to play it quite
alot during my tours for Tecmo/Microsoft. I challenged
some of the fans in New York & also at Universal
City. Of course I sucked at first, but after plenty of
practice I was eventually kicking some serious butt!
It was funny though, I never really knew what buttons to press
for each action, so I was kind of pushing them all at once
& all over the place....it worked!
Q. Once you walk into the
convention with everything blaring & everyone moving, do
you ever catch yourself absorbing some of the
excitement? I mean a big convention surrounded by a
thousand viewers sure is different than a photo shoot.
A.
My first year of E3 (2001) I was working with
Candice Kita who was portraying the character of Lei Fang
(DOA) we were having pictures taken with the fans, &
Candice & I were both overwhelmed with the non-stop lines
that were literally out the doors of the convention centre.
That year for me was probably the most exhilarating of the 3
years of being with Tecmo, my head was spinning sooooo much
with all the energy of the show & fans. In some ways
working a convention is similar to a photo shoot, believe it
or not! Whether I'm in a room with 5 or so people or as
apposed to a thousand viewers, I'm still working &
have to make sure I'm always switched on. My energy
levels are needed for both jobs & always give 110%, no
matter how big the crowd.
Besides doing the Dead or Alive Fashion Show
this year, Lisa also played as a pixie promoting Tecmo's
Monster Rancher 4 for the Playstation 2
Who's that Cowgirl? This makes Lisa's 3rd
year playing Tina from Tecmo's Dead or Alive
series. In the fashion show, Lisa has a total of 3
costumes, including the cowgirl suit you see
here.
The girls at Tecmo were so hot that overwhelming
crowds of fans made the convention management cut the
music and try to shut the booth down the last day of
E3. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this
doesn't mean the girls can't come back next
year.
This Interview
continues on the next page. [1] [2] [3] <Next Page>
Web Design and Interview conducted by Mike
Hash. Published with permission by Lisa Gleave. Anyone using
this interview or any part of this interview on their site or magazine
must have permission by Lisa Gleave, e3girls.com and it's author.
Design and Interview by Mike Hash, Of course a special thanks
to Lisa and Candace for their assistance.
