I really don’t think that’s true. Actors can’t promote current work, but I think they can discuss past work. Which is why old Trek actors are still attending cons, but stars of new shows aren’t attending.
This is the first SDCC Im not attending in over a decade. Much easier when it was a few hour drive/train ride and I had a panel to be on or something to promote, but after moving to the PNW its more of a thing–I flew down last year and it was nice to be back in California but this year I’m am an invited guest at a con in Omaha so I with that instead. I never got the “Oh I want to see _____ famous person.” I hope attendees spend their cash in Artist Alley or small press.
“I did not know that” was one of the catchphrases from Dana Carvey’s Johnny Carson impersonation skits on SNL. I don’t know if Ed actually said it on the real show, but I think everybody who still says it today (like when you’re making a point to say it like TreacherousCretin did) is probably referencing Carvey’s Johnny.
Maybe it’s because I live waaaay off the convention beaten path, but my local SF/fantasy/comics/etc. con, the biggest in my country, hardly ever gets anyone famous - the biggest celeb we’ve ever had, by far, was Neil Gaiman 18 years ago. And yet a wonderful time is had by all. After all, isn’t the whole point of conventions for geeks to hang out with other geeks?
Is your con a fan-operated not for profit con operated mostly by volunteers, where the cost of the ticket is usually all you need to pay to see artists and writers (and an occasional b-list celeb), or is it a for profit run by business wonks looking to maximize profits by giving volunteers a free tee shirt for about 20 to 30 hours of work, where the vastly over priced ticket just gets you in the door?
The comic cons are always big on what we old-schoolers call media guests. It must work because the largest con, WorldCon, typically tops out at about 8,000 while even a middlin’ comic con like Phoenix Fan Fusion* is many, many times that while San Diego ComicCon dwarfs it even further.
*It used to be Phoenix ComiCon until the San Diego folks got huffy.
Yeah! I think I actually was wrong—or they clarified later that it covered everything and not just in production stuff.
I got my initial info from an acquaintance who is in SAG and that’s how he interpreted it. But oddly just today I saw that cosplayers are ‘officially’ being asked to NOT dress for any movie/tv properties as it would be seen as “crossing the picket line” in a way–as it would be promotion. Game, comics, books, etc still fair game.
My friend from college who lives in San Diego, is a well known collector and attendee for decades said that “big Hollywood” won’t be on the panels but would have a huge presence of the floor. Independent actors, directors and filmmakers will have panels still.
My wife used to write a fairly successful recap blog about a TV show (enough so that it got picked up by a newspaper in the show’s setting country) but ultimately a mixture of burnout and priorities made her end it. She recently started writing a little again before the strike and saw information basically saying “Writing about shows is essentially crossing the picket line and you won’t do it if you ever want to work with the unions in any of their functions/capacities (talking to show people, etc) ever again”
I thought that felt a bit rich given that she’s neither a member of the unions, works in the positions they cover, nor have they ever done anything for her (I don’t count “she wouldn’t have a show to write about if…” as that wasn’t their intent in making the show) but it was enough for her to close the book on the blog yet again.
Sure, go against your fans, the people who pay your salaries, the people who identify with you so much they want to dress up like you. See how that works out.
I support the unions here wholeheartedly, but come on.
