Denver Comic-Con 2013 was held May 31-June 2. What a weekend. Leading up to the Convention, POI was granted Press/Media Passes and would be featured on the DCC website. We were ready to cover the Con and to help get the word out about Comicbook Classroom, DCC and all things that make up the Con. We formed a plan, and waited for the epic weekend to arrive.
Friday morning i got a message with an attached file. The message informed me to flip to the Podcast Peak section. Opening the digital copy of the DCC2013 Program, i get to the Podcast Peak page and to my surprise, PointsOfInterestPodcast.com was right there in PRINT! What an unexpected surprise, and a complete honor to be featured among the other Podcasts featured. Soon after i was on the Light Rail heading downtown. I overheard some guys talking about the Con, so i sat with them, just talking about all they were excited to see and who they wanted to meet. Once i arrived at the Convention Center, i saw the immense crowd. The line was quite long, and all i thought of was, Wow the marketing this year was epic. I got there right about 12. The security guard that i approached started to wave me to the line, I mentioned that i was here as Press – He walked over to the door, opened it and said ‘The way, Sir’. I’ve never experienced this in my young career as Press. I got to the Press Registration table and got nervous. See the night prior, their was a Media Mixer that was to be held at a bar. Long story short, it was cancelled, but i never got the email, and mentioned to my Friend that night that i was worried about our Press Passes. My fears were correct. For whatever the reason, POI was NOT on the list for a Press/Media Pass. After showing the email that said we were approved, and showing the Program’s Podcast Peak page (good thing i knew we were in there! – Thanks John) and that we were also featured on the website, i was given our passes and our info packet.
I made my way into the Exhibit Hall and was totally taken aback. The hall was so much larger than last year. The layout was perfect. Being in the Hall before the actual opening of the Con was cool to see. Banners were still being strung, tables were still being setup. I made my way to the Press Booth, that had been renamed The Daily Planet – In honor of Superman’s 75th anniversary. It was awesome. There were laptops donated by Microsoft, free snacks and sodas. A couch and backdrop for interviews, and a really friendly staff. I wandered around to familiarize myself with the layout and where some of the people i wanted to meet or get art by. I ran into our Friends from the GirlsOfGeek crew. Its always great to run into them as they really help get me started in this road of Press. I waited for the door to open to get some shots of the crowd madness. It was great to see so many rushing to get their autographs, art, pictures and meet their friends.
Saturday Morning i met with our Friends from OpenYourToys.com, who i met last year at DCC2012. Slick McFavorite and i decided to tackle the Con together. He and i went to the Phil LaMarr Show. When we got to the line, the Volunteer that was in charge of the line started to direct us to the line that had formed for the panel, when she noticed our badges and had us moved over to the VIP line. This was something that was a trend for the weekend. Doors opened, early into panels it was another unexpected surprise. The panel was one of my favorites Ive been to at any Con. He’s quite entertaining and knows how to work a crowd. I got to ask a question, that from the sounds of his answer, was one that he hadn’t been asked too often. After the panel, i walked to the table and asked if there was any he could do a bumper for the podcast. He said maybe, and ‘Are you any good?’ I let him know that i though i was fairly good and was here on a Media pass. He took down my info and told me to meet up with him on Sunday. We made our way to the Twin Galaxies panel, as I’m a fan of The King of Kong documentary, and had been aware of the website in years past. We were treated to trailers for the new doc, The King of Arcades, highlighting the fall of an arcade giant. I spent a lot of time roaming the Merch booths and Art tables. I made my way to Robin Dempsy’s table. She writes the LeylinesComic.com and is a Friend of POI. Its great to see how busy her table was all weekend.
Sunday i recruited a Friend to be POI’s official Photographer. Thanks to Katie Bryan, not only do we have amazing pictures of the epic weekend, but she will be in tow from here on out! This was her first taste of a Pop Culture Convention and she went in head first. We set up in The Daily Planet and made sure we had all we needed for the day. We made our way to Phil LaMarr’s table, while waiting our turn, i got my microphone and recording device ready. It was our turn, and to my surprise, Mr. LaMarr remembered me! I thought i was going to have to re-explain who i was. He explained to me that he was hesitant to agree to it, as normally at Con’s he voice is destroyed. Such a professional, i had to say the line twice to him, and he nailed it on the first shot. It’s such an Honor and total Geek moment to now have his voice saying the name of this little project we started a year ago. After verifying that i had good audio, and geeking out a bit, Katie and i started our picture taking adventures. With her being an artist, it made me really slow down at some of the tables we were at, and take a closer at some of what everyone had to offer. We walked into the the Comic Corral and check out what all the kids throughout the weekend had created. We spoke to one of the show runners and i expressed how jealous i was of these kids, and i wished i had an organization like CBC around. I would have got into Comics well before my 35th birthday to jump in.
Denver Comic Con had gone leaps and bounds over last year. 15,000 people attended last years first event. This years final number was over 61,000. That’s 3 times over last years numbers. Despite Stan Lee having to cancel, and all the words that were said on social networks, the Con was busy all weekend. Each day as the show came to an end, i didn’t want to leave. Everyday i saw something new, something that i had overlooked the day prior. It was awesome to see that there were more Podcasts that had tables this year. POI was offered a table, as honored as We were, we respectfully declined, due to not having, what We would consider a ‘good’ table to come and visit. Plus we felt we wouldn’t be able to cover the Con. Maybe next year we can set something up. I know for next year, i want to be on a panel. Speaking of which, i LOVE that DCC brought in Voice Artists again this year. I hope this is a tradition that continues in the following years. I suggest this short list. James Arnold Taylor, Stephen Stanton and Rob Paulson.
As Denver Comic Con continues to grow, its only gong to get better. Its in 2nd year, its already become the largest Con in Denver. Next years dates have been set, June 13-15 2014 – Save the date, get your tickets early and don’t miss out! I know POI will be there, and we hope to have an even bigger presence. It was a total joy and honor to go as Press. Having done DCC2013, i have now done Press for every major Pop Culture Convention in the Denver area. An accomplishment that was never set to accomplish. I love doing Press, and im really happy that Conventions like DCC give ‘the little guy’ a chance to shine and further better what we do.
Until next year DCC2014, we have our memories and pictures. Be sure to check out the StayingOffTopic recap Podcast with Guest Slick McFavorite and myself as we break down the Con and talk about everything we liked.
Josh
