Robert’s Experience as a Correspondent in Super Megafest Comic-con

First of all, we’d like to introduce Ariba Adnan, as a contributor to ShaLaLaLa Productions. She will now be writing/editing on the blogs on the website giving Robert the much-needed support and also a diverse set of content for our readers. We wish her all the best.

Comic-cons are fun and I have attended a few as a fan but this one was special… wondering why? It’s because this time I attended as a correspondent to cover this comic-con! I can tell you, it was very exciting!

I was an East Coast correspondent for Everybody’s Hometown Geek, covering the Super MegaFest Comic-con at Marlborough, MA. The event is held for celebrating Comics, TV, Movie, Sci-Fi, Wrestling and Rock & Roll! A perfect place to be for all geeks and TV lovers out there.

An event of this nature benefits from someone with professional skills and one who is personally interested and knowledgeable in such gatherings. To readily offer these skills in covering the event was exciting and an awesome opportunity.

It was a wonderful experience to work behind the scenes and to interview many celebrities, artists, cos-players and writers who attended the event. Another fun experience was to witness attendees having fun on the convention floor, filming a magic act, a costume contest, or when actor Paul Michael Glaser reprised his role of David Starsky, driving the famous Gran Torino (aka striped tomato).

Capturing each of these videos gave me a chance to meet new people and enhance my video production skills. The other challenge was to keep up with the free word of mouth marketing for Everybody’s Hometown Geek as well.

Most of the celebrities who attended the event have a large fan base. The real challenge with interviewing these celebrities was coming up with fun meaningful conversations, so yes, it was definitely testing my ability to think on my feet.

Here are some of the celebrities that I got a chance to interview. We noted the shows they’re most associated with, in case you may not know

1. Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver, Battlestar Galactica)

2. Corbin Bernsen  (LA Law, Major League)

3. Amanda Pays (Max Headroom, The Flash)

4. Mark Goddard ( Lost in Space)

5. Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch)

6. Nicki Clyne  (Battlestar Galactica )

7) Kevin Eastman (Co-creator of Teenage Ninja Turtles)

8. JG Hertzler  (Star Trek, voice artist for Injustice game)

9. Gary Sohmers,  Vendor & appraiser for PBS’s Antiques Roadshow”

There were many Cos-players: Jennifer Ross dressed as cat-woman when I spoke with her, Chelsea Von Chasity as female Negan from Walking dead, Menacing cradling Lucile (a bat covered with barbed wire in her hands) and there were authors like Christopher Paniccia, Stephen Lomer and Ben Goldstein who we were fascinated hearing their writing thought process.

And we can’t forget the artists who generously spoke with us. Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, comic book artist Mark McKenna (who shared a great anecdote about Kevin), comic book artist Bill Anderson, artist Eric Boireau.

Amongst the many personalities, one booth that caught my attention was a non-profit organization called “Autism Speaks”. It’s uncommon to see anyone that promotes education in a comic memorabilia, so I thought it should definitely be a part of the video shoot.
Chris Norris, the gentleman whom I spoke to was running the booth. His son was diagnosed with Autism. So, to thank this great organization for providing support to his family, he has managed to gather a generous amount of donations through such fairs and events, which is amazing!

Some of the cos-players also played their part in supporting “Autism Speaks” by putting up fundraising activities. I was really impressed that organizers of this Comic-con encouraged them to participate so they can raise money for this good cause.Overall it was an extremely rewarding experience. I gained new insights and knowledge on how to prep up for interviews. I also reached out to the vendors/celebrities to set up the interviews myself. It was a good exercise, coming out of my comfort zone and attempting new things that helped me grow personally and professionally.

When you are wearing a lot of hats, such as a director/ producer/ talent scout/ coordinator, marketer and a recruiter, the trick is to know how to multitask. Though managing and prioritizing all these tasks can be mentally draining, luckily I had help! I was able to assemble a different team for each day and leverage their unique talents and experience. It wouldn’t have been possible without them.

The one thing that I learned by being in front (and not behind) the camera is that there are lots of challenges that you have to overcome when you are working on-screen. There’s only so much you can anticipate in preparing for the interview, in the end, you have to think on your feet. You are not bound to ask all your listed questions but the art lies in going with the flow of the conversation. The ability to “go with the flow” will keep the discussion lively and spontaneous to make your video coverage a hit.

Thank you for reading about my experience.. hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I liked writing about it. Have you ever been to a Comic-con event yourself? How was your experience? Was it as a fan or a correspondent.