Month: February 2020

Coronavirus Be Damned! Star Trek: Picard Needs To Be At WonderCon 2020

For convention-going nerds, the Anaheim Convention Center has most notably been recognized as the home of WonderCon. But thanks to the new CBS All Access series, Star Trek: Picard, MANY MORE nerds, now recognize the convention center as Starfleet Headquarters!

In episode two of Star Trek: Picard, when the unmistakable Anaheim Convention Center is prominently displayed during the title character’s visit to Starfleet Headquarters, its enough to cause seasoned WonderCon attendees’ heads to explode, as their fictional and real worlds collided!

Now that the Anaheim Convention Center has entered the collective consciousness as Starfleet Headquarters, Star Trek and WonderCon are forever linked! And as long as the coronavirus doesn’t continue to wreck havoc on pop-culture conventions, the series and the Comic Con organization (which owns WonderCon) are perfectly positioned to promote Star Trek: Picard with a uniquely WonderCon fan experience!

Last year, to promote Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access held a panel, and set-up a booth & pop-up shop at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). They had props and costumes on display… They had an autograph session with Sir Patrick Stewart… They sold exclusive merchandise… And they gave SWAG, including replicas of the “Visitor Badge” Picard wears during his onscreen visit to WonderCon… “*ahem…” I mean, “Starfleet Headquarters”.

Additionally, on January 23, CBS All Access and the Comic-Con organization hosted a Star Trek: Picard premiere episode viewing at the future site of the Comic-Con Museum, in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Along with the episode, the streaming service, again brought props and costumes. And similar to the SDCC events, the museum presentation was a SWAG-filled event- with attendees walking away with posters and subscription gift cards!

CBS All Access SWAG from the Star Trek Picard premier at the Comic-Con Museum

These recent events demonstrate an established relationship between CBS All Access and the Comic-Con Organization. Given this relationship, and the recent Anaheim Convention Center connection… a Star Trek: Picard presence at WonderCon is one of life’s EASY, “no-brainers”.

WonderCon takes place April 10-12.
At that time, the last episode of Star Trek: Picard, season one, will have recently been released- making it an ideal time for promoting the show’s binge-worthiness.

Promoting the series, and emphasizing its Anaheim Convention Center connection during WonderCon would definitely be a crowd-pleaser…

  • Imagine actors in Starfleet uniforms greeting WonderCon attendees, in-character, at the convention entrance, or welcoming visitors to admire props and costumes set-up for display on the exhibit floor…
  • Imagine SWAG such as an exclusive Fansets pins of the convention center, adorned with the Starfleet Delta…
  • Imagine a panel featuring casts and other creatives…
Replica of badge worn during Picard’s visit to Starfleet Headquarters (Anaheim Convention Center) given as SWAG at SDCC. This type of immersive SWAG is perfect for WonderCon!

It’d be a travesty if CBS All Access didn’t take advantage of this fortuitous marketing opportunity, and it’s stating the obvious to say…

STAR TREK: PICARD NEEDS TO BE AT WONDERCON!!!

Hopefully, the CBS All Access marketing team recognizes this perfect pairing, and will seize the opportunity to… “Make it so!”

Amazon Debuts Hunters- with Killer LA Afterparty!

“A Nazi revenge series staring Al Pacino”…

That definition alone is enough to pique many people’s curiosity.
And when the new Amazon Prime Video series, Hunters, dropped, February 21, most viewers dove into the series with only the preview teaser as an idea of what to expect… However, those fortunate to attend the amazing immersive experience, “Hunters– With Killer Afterparty”, held at the Los Angeles Highland Theaters and Park Bowl, Feb. 20-23 got SOOOO much more!

Considering the show’s subject matter, the lightheartedness of the immersive experience could have seemed inappropriate. But Hunters isn’t a somber drama… It’s an action-revenge flick in 10 episodes!

In-character actors interacting with attendees made for a fun, immersive experience!

This was made obvious from the in-character actors dressed in period costumes, creating a “fun” ‘70s vibe at the experience. Also, the posters and props scattered inside and outside the theater & bowling alley added to the lighthearted atmosphere.
…And if there was still any questions about the mood of the show, those questions surely disappeared after viewing the first episode.

The premiere viewing, combined with the immersive event made it perfectly clear that viewers are expected to experience as much joy and satisfaction from the Hunters’ revenge, as the hunters themselves!
As a result, attendees of the immersive experience were treated to enough food, entertainment, and SWAG to keep anyone in good spirits!

Hunters- Killer Afterparty SWAG was an embarrassment of riches!!!

The tote bags, t-shirts, and socks… comic books, posters, stickers, and flyers… pizza, cocktails, popcorn, soda, and candy… all enhanced the episode viewing, and immersive experience. But of all the SWAG provided, the six-page, Hunters comic books and balloon stickers were arguably the best of the bunch.

With a story that fleshes-out a seemingly throwaway line mentioned in the first episode, the comic book (digital copy available free on Comixology) is a wink-and-nod bonus for those paying attention. And while all the other SWAG items are “branded” with the Hunters logo, the balloon sticker forgoes branding, and instead feels TRULY immersive, as a recreation of an item that lead character, Jonah, finds among his grandmother’s secret artifacts in the first episode.

Hunters comic SWAG adds to the backstory, while the balloon sticker makes the SWAG recipient feel like part of the Hunters Universe….

It’s SWAG like these two items that creates super-fans who feel “invested”, and keep coming back for more!

…and after experiencing this fun immersive event, and its engaging first episode, it’s highly likely that most -if not all- attendees of “Hunters– With Killer Afterparty” have every intention of heading to Amazon Prime Video to complete their immersion into the Hunters world!

Hunters. An Amazon Original

Hunters is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Comic-Con Museum Hosts WonderCon Exhibition, Opening Night Gala w Jen Bartel

WonderCon 2020 Program Cover Image by Jen Bartel

Last March, the images that graced the walls of the Comic-Con Museum “Cover Story: The Art of Comic-Con 50” exhibition perfectly illustrated San Diego Comic-Con’s (SDCC) finger on the pulse of pop-culture, throughout the years. And the museum’s new exhibition, “Sense of Wonder: The Art of WonderCon Anaheim”, does the same for SDCC’s sister convention in Anaheim, CA, April 10-12.

Similar to “Cover Story’s” focus on SDCC program cover illustrations, “Sense of Wonder” (running select days from Wednesday, Feb. 19 through Sunday, May 31) exhibits the commissioned, WonderCon program cover illustrations in various stages of the creation process.

The Walls outside the exhibition display a mural of WonderCon Covers, while inside is a gallery of drafts, thumbnails, and original pieces!

Unlike last year’s event, that focused only on past SDCC program covers, the “Sense of Wonder,” opening night event on Wednesday, February 19, took the opportunity to also DEBUT the 2020 WonderCon program cover!
And to the delight of all attendees, the Comic-Con Museum invited cover artist Jen Bartel along to help debut the cover and participate in a panel Q&A!

Museum Curatorial Director Gary Sassaman and Artist Jen Bartel debut the WonderCon Program Cover to resounding applause!

From cover debut… to past covers exhibits… to an entertaining and informative panel/Q&A… Comic-Con Museum charter members and guests were treated to a nice night celebrating WonderCon and this year’s talented cover artist.

Flyer, bookmark, and signed (In the rocks!) WonderCon program cover poster!

AND BEST OF ALL… Attendees walked away with glorious SWAG, in the form of a BEAUTIFUL poster showcasing the WonderCon 2020 cover illustration, SIGNED by Bartel!