November 06, 2004
Creation-ist values
December 6, 1991
Well, this column is going to shock and appall some people who feel that the little guy is always right and the big guy is always wrong. May even lose me a few fans among those who are not willing or interested in considering all sides of an issue. Gee...maybe I should withhold my name.
I was contacted a couple months back by Adam Malin and Gary Berman of Creation Con. Now I've had a solid working, professional relationship with Gary and Adam for about ten years, dating back to when Creations were primarily comics cons before they metamorphosized into media shows in general and "Star Trek" shows in particular. And for the last five years or so, I've done personal appearances at various Creations, mostly in the New York area. My appearances are generally twenty minutes to half an hour in length, except for the time when Wil Wheaton's plane was late getting into LaGuardia (so what else is new?) and a frantic Adam asked me to get up on stage and keep the packed ballroom entertained for an hour until Wheaton arrived.
But the guys were contacting me now to find out if I'd be willing to take an expanded role in Creations. Frequently they function as MCs during the shows, but they'd long since reached the point where it's no longer possible for them to be everywhere. (Not to mention the fact that sometimes they'd get booed just by stepping out on stage). And they were approaching me to find out whether I would be interested in, in essence, MC-ing shows of theirs. Narrating slide shows, keeping audiences happy and in good humor in between various guest appearances, be my usual charming self...that kind of thing.
The main reason I would have for doing such a thing would be to have more chances to meet and talk with fans. I sure wouldn't be doing it for the money--not to sound snotty or anything, but a weekend's pay for MCing a Creation equals what I make off an hour and a half of scripting "Hulk"...and I don't have to worry about the Hulk booing me or throwing something at me. (That's the editor's job.)
Free trips to other cities? I travelled for five years as Marvel's sales manager, and I can personally assure you that Holiday Inns and Sheratons in Portland, Chicago, and Boston are remarkably similar. No big attraction there. There's rarely time for sightseeing.
But there was one very significant reason that it would be smart of me--even, dare we say it, Politically Correct--not to agree to Adam and Gary's offer.
In recent months, Creation Con has become something of a lightning rod for criticism. At a recent "Trek" con I attended, people were wearing badges that had the word "Creation" with the international prohibit sign (the "Ghostbusters" logo for you non-world travellers) slashing through it. A flier was being handed out that prophesized a future where all conventions would have no panel or discussion groups or video rooms or art shows or filksinging, etc. Where all ticket prices would be outrageously high and sold at two price levels, the air conditioning would be lousy, and stars would be tied up with exclusive appearance contracts. Where fan conventions that were better organized and better run than Creation would be killed off. Fans were urged to write and complain to the various "Star Trek" actors and urge them to boycott Creations, the monolithic organization whose goal is to destroy convention fandom.
(A personal note to whomever wrote the flier--when you're urging a letter-writing campaign, it's always a good idea to give an address as to where people should write. Your flier has none...not even Paramount's street address. Try directing the flow of anger you're endeavoring to generate. Just a thought.)
If I were to take an active role in Creations, then I knew that I was going to have to defend my decision to do so (it's started already when I've told fans at cons that I have no intention of boycotting Creations.) If I distanced myself, however, then I wouldn't have to worry about being tarred with the same brush of bad publicity that is sweeping across Gary and Adam. The latter would be the smart way to go. The safe way to go.
The problem is, I couldn't bring myself to do it. After ten years of decent and friendly treatment by Gary and Adam, I couldn't bring myself to say, "Sorry boys, but there are too many people down on Creation right now. I'm afraid you'll have to count me out." It seemed craven and cheap.
Because the bottom line was, Creation had not done anything illegal. Not even immoral. I mean, if Gary and Adam had gone around saying, "We're not going to invite black actors to appear because we're charter members of the KKK," I doubt you'd be seeing me at any Creation Cons.
But attacking Creation for things they don't have? It's like picketing McDonalds because Big Macs have no flavor. If you don't like it, go to a different restaurant. But don't stand outside the restaurant screaming at patrons, "How can you go in there and support Big Macs because I don't like them?!"
Attacking them because they're allegedly out to squish fan-run conventions into oblivion? I'm sorry, I don't buy it. You see, I was in a similar situation back in my days as Marvel's direct sales manager, at a time when Marvel decided to release tons of specially-packaged reprint material into the market. (Steranko's "SHIELD" work, that kinda stuff). Independent comic publishers screamed that Marvel's sole purpose in doing so was to drive them out of business. I'm sorry, but I was at the meetings where discussions about reprint packages were first held. Marvel's sole purpose was to make money. Period. How such an outpouring of material might affect the Indys was never a factor. There was no grand scheme to destroy other publishers. No conspiracy. Sorry. Just a drive to make bucks. Certainly not one of mankind's nobler motives, and not particularly considerate of the financial needs of others. But it's not malicious.
And as of this point, I have no concrete basis to assume that Creation's activities now are motivated for any reason other than what motivated Marvel back then (and DC, and General Motors and Time-Warner, and any other corporation that wants to survive and grow.) I don't think they want to obliterate smaller cons. I think they want to make money. Period.
What's beautiful is the way fan-run conventions work the reasoning both ways. In cities where Creation has scheduled conventions near or around other conventions, it's claimed by the fans that it's being done to disenfranchise the smaller cons. But in cities where Creation has never scheduled shows that could potentially conflict with fan-run cons, the fans have thumped their chests and proudly declared, "Creation's afraid of us and hasn't dared to try and take us on."
Attacking them because of attempts to sign stars to exclusive contracts, restricting their appearances? Attacking them because fan-run conventions are better organized and better run?
First off, hot news flash--Marvel and DC sign creators to exclusive contracts all the time. Anyone planning on boycotting Marvel or DC anytime soon?
Secondly, I know of only a couple of instances where Creation endeavored to sign someone and limit their appearances. To the best of my knowledge, one "Trek" star has signed such a contract--and no one put a gun to the star's head to do so. And when the practice was widely decried, Creation (admittedly, only to the best of my knowledge) ceased their endeavors. But they're still under fire for it.
What amuses me is the belief that Fan = Good and Creation = Bad. I can tell you from personal experience that the most poorly run conventions I've ever attended were run by fans. I've been to fan cons where I had to help set up the dealer's room because the dealers were in confusion and the organizers were nowhere to be found. Cons where promised rides to and from the airport never materialized because the organizers forgot when I was coming. Cons where I got stuck with hotel bills because the con ran out of money. Cons where there was no one to run the programming or introduce panels...speakers just kind of wandered on and off in confusion. Cons where the attendees numbered precisely five. Cons where schedules ran an hour or more behind. Where projectors and video machines broke down.
I've been advertised as appearing at fan conventions where the first time I heard about them was when I saw my name listed in ads.
I was even asked to sign an exclusive contract forbidding my appearance at other cons. Problem is, the request wasn't from Creation. That came from a fan-run convention.
None of the foregoing is to say that I will stop attending fan-run cons. Far from it. In fact, I'm already scheduled for five next year. What I am pointing out is that it's just as easy to dump on fan cons as it is on Creation.
Attacking them because of overcrowding? Apparently the biggest problem occurred at LA's Shrine Auditorium, a situation not helped by high security due to death threats. Still, I have trouble believing the Shrine problems can compare to the New York "Trek" con in the mid-70s (immortalized in a fan publication by Phil Foglio) that oversold attendance by the thousands and was shut down by the fire marshall. Guess what, kids. It wasn't a Creation Con.
Attacking them for crackdowns on non-licensed merchandise? That directive is coming from Paramount, not Creation. I mean, hell, Paramount is cracking down on licensed merchandise, much less non-licensed. Now I don't know every single dealing that Creation has with their dealers, but all I know is that the dealer's rooms look pretty crowded, and don't tell me that Creation owns all the merchandise at all the tables because I seriously doubt it.
Attacking them for different price levels for ticket? I've been to plenty of functions, from Broadway shows to sporting events, where there is a range of ticket prices from $250 to $20. Variant prices are not unusual.
Attacking them because of high ticket prices? Okay. Feel like doing something constructive? How about a letter writing campaign asking media stars to lower their appearance fees, or fly coach instead of first class. Or asking hotels to drop the prices they charge for their facilities. That'll bring down at the-door admissions a helluva lot faster than griping at, or boycotting, Creation.
Part of the problem is that what's considered exorbitant is extremely relative. Admission for the World Con is, I believe, around $85. Creation has upcoming cons with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy with ticket prices of $15-$19. Both admission fees seem reasonable to me. Yet I once went to a convention in a smaller city where attendees griped to me about the "outrageous" ticket prices they had paid. The price? Six bucks. When I asked what would have been considered reasonable, I was told "Two bucks. Or just let us in free."
Attacking them because of hotel air conditioning being lousy?! Aw, come on.
The thing that cannot be denied, however-- the thing that cannot be ignored-- is that people are upset. For all the things that I feel that Creation is not doing wrong, there has clearly got to be something they're not doing right.
What might that be? That's easy.
There's no personal touch.
That's what it all boils down to. People feel as if they're being treated like cattle, and to a degree, they're right. In order to streamline the business as much as possible, Creation has knocked away all but the essentials. Again, it's like a fast-food franchise. You know precisely what you'll be getting: No more, no less. No surprises.
It's that lack of surprise that has leeched much of the charm out of what Creation puts on, to the degree where they themselves tend to refer to them as "Shows" rather than "Conventions." A convention is a two-way social event with room parties and filk singing and a feeling of society. A show, you simply sit there and watch.
Fan-run conventions are put on for the fans to talk to the stars. Creation shows are put on for the stars to talk to the fans. It's a subtle but important difference. And the bottom line is that it's the lack of personal flourishes and touches that people really complain about.
The sad thing is, it's so unnecessary. Would it really be that tremendous an expense to purchase a gross of "Hello My Name Is..." badges for people to wear? You can still put inky shmutz on people's hands to verify they paid. At the very least, Creation employees should wear name badges so fans know who they're talking to.
Would it be that difficult to create a standardized program to hand out to people when they walk in (like "Playbill"), with bio pages to be inserted at the appropriate cons for the appropriate guests? Have goodie bags to give out when the folks get there? Make them feel, in short, like you're damned glad to see them, and not just because they're paying to get in.
Institute door prizes or bring back formal trivia contests, like when I first started going to cons.
Yes, all of this will cost money. But if it buys good will and less tsuris, that seems a worthwhile investment to me.
Peter David, writer of stuff, just saw the wonderful substitute column that Don & Maggie put together with the help of Richard Howell, with Ariel & Co. vamping for time. That was really great, guys. Thanks.
Posted by Glenn Hauman at November 6, 2004 12:00 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingSome BID reposts stand alone - others call for an update. This seems to be one of the latter; so, wha' happened?
Speaking as a fan-run convention organizer (who's still sorry he couldn't get you D-backs tickets), the biggest problem I have with Creation is that they've created expectations in the actor community that simply don't mesh with what we can offer. When we bring a guest in, we pay their airfare, their hotel room, we give them a per diem so they can feed themselves, and we try to accommodate any sightseeing requests they might have. In return, they are there for most or all of the convention, take part in a reasonable number of panels, and when they're not on panels, are often available for other convention members to interact directly with. I've only been involved in fandom for a decade, but I'm told that, way back in the day, it was possible to get actors to come out to fan-run conventions on terms not too far different from those. Then, Creation happened. It's been a few years, but the last time I checked, a Creation guest does a single hour-long panel with a Q&A, signs autographs for a few hours (often for an extra charge), is insulated from the fans except during these events, and is paid anywhere from $5000 (minor recurring character) to $10,000 (front-line non-star) or even more (Shatner, Stewart). You see the difficulties.
Mind you, we've tried it...several years back, the local Star Trek fan club raised enough money to bring out a first-line DS9 actor (though only because, for reasons I'm not sure I can go into, he was willing to come out for vastly less than his usual fee). We plugged the hell out of this; we handed out hundreds of flyers at the Creation con a few months previous, we ran TV ads on the local cable company's feed of the Sci-Fi channel...and our attendance was essentially flat. If we'd been paying for him ourselves, we'd have lost money. If we'd been paying full price for him, we would have had to dissolve the organization.
Media is where the action is, and the fans want actors. Some will show up for creative folks, but actors are where the heat is. Unfortunately, we can't afford to bet the organization on whether a particular actor is going to give us the 40% attendance bump we need to pay for him or her.
Do I blame Creation for doing what they do? No, they found a niche and they exploited it.
Do I curse Creation for making it that much harder to do what I do? Not so much curse...but they're not my favorite people.
YMMV,
Dav2.718
Say what you want about Creation Cons, They are the only game in town for small areas like Hawaii. I realize it's generally not worth it to run a con here, but at least they tried.
Travel out of state, is hideously expensive here, so basically residents of HI are SOL when it comes to SF Cons.
Then again, I did find the two that came here somewhat lame, really. I'd go again if I still lived on the only island they'd be held on.
Dave:
Just out of curiosity, was that Philcon 02 you referenced (cause that is exactly what happened to us)
The biggest problem I had with Creation Cons in Manhattan (And the reason I stopped attending them) was when they suddenly switched to "Preferred Seating" for the media guests years back. A few of us had shown up to see Patrick Stewart and we decided to get to the auditorium early, and we easily found seats. We were suffering through a fan-made music-video/worship piece centered around someone's favorite Trek star when a couple came over to us and informed us that we were sitting in their seats. Bewildered, we looked around and asked them exactly WHAT the hell they were talking about, as there was nothing "marking" that seat as theirs. (Every Creation Con I had been to up until that year had open seating)
When they called over one of the seating nazis to clear up the matter, instead of explaining this new development to us nicely, the con worker began indignantly telling us that we couldn't sit there because it was "Preferred Seating" which you had to pay extra for. We tried quite reasonably to point out to him that we had never seen that before at a Creation Con, and besides, exactly HOW were we supposed to know the seating was reserved when nobody told us at the box office, nor were there signs posted anywhere? Con goon then angrily pointed to the masking tape numbers on the carpet denoting each row and said we should have been able to tell from THAT. I finally lost my temper and said "Oh, well THAT explains everything! By Jove, Watson... How did I miss THAT obvious clue? Masking tape numbers clearly means I have to pay more for seating!" Of course, my civility had been eroded by then, especially when we found absolutely NO rows that were unmarked in this way. If you wanted to see Patrick Stewart that year, you either had to pay for a folding chair or stand somewhere near the back for free. And even though he wasn't on yet, we simply couldn't move to another seat in the still half-empty auditorium, even to watch the filler programs because those seats "Belonged to someone else, even if they weren't using them at the time." Any attempt at sitting in an unused seat resulted in attempts to oust us from the auditorium entirely.
I attended one more Creation event after that, to see if things improved... and again I was chased out of the "Preferred Seating" area by an absurdly angry Con Cog for daring to sit there to watch a slide show in another half-empty auditorium. Didn't matter that nobody was claiming the seat at the time.
Needless to say, I have not been back since and stick purely with I-Con and Chiller Theatre.
>What's beautiful is the way fan-run conventions work the reasoning both ways. In cities where Creation has scheduled conventions near or around other conventions, it's claimed by the fans that it's being done to disenfranchise the smaller cons.
When a certain convention group attempts to hire *the exact same actor* for a convention *1 week prior* in a city *an hour and a half away* from a *first time convention*, it's rather hard to swallow that this would be "coincidence" -
Especially when the actor calls up our concom just a few weeks out, announcing that he'd just gotten this brand-new invitation to appear at this other group's event, when his FTC appearance has been advertised for well over 6 months.
And they would have said they weren't attempting to draw the audience away from the First Time convention, by holding the event almost in the next town over, the week prior?
I realize this column is nearly 13 years old - but I didn't buy coincidence then, and I still wouldn't buy it today.
(and yes, I did attend my share of Creation Conventions - I'm just sorry that the Dreamwerks convention group folded up shop.)
Jeff:
Nope, it was in Phoenix back in the mid-90's.
Dav2.718
One of the best convention experiences I've ever had came about because of my hearing impairments. I was about sixteen at the time. I showed the convention orgainzer my hearing aid. My mother and I both got preferential seating passes for the cost of basic entry, plus I was able to get into a special autograph line set up for the handicapped. As close as I was to the front, I had no trouble getting the media people to talk to me. Nana Visitor was incredibly nice. She even took time out of her monologue (in a room where you literally had people leaning against the walls) to say "Oh... I hear there is a hearing impaired person who doesn't sign here. Let me just lower my microphone so they can read my lips better." I said "Thank you." Then she said "No problem." Then I got to be one of the first people during the question and answer session. It was cool.
Having attended my first con 20 years ago at the age of 15 (Yikes, that long ago?!) I've certainly watched smaller city gatherings like that first one in Scranton, PA (w/ Jimmy Doohan!) change a lot. I think that they've become more business like partly through necessity, but I'm not surprised that, as when this was first published as it is now, that some people feel that organizers have lost a bit of that "personal touch".
One thing I've noticed at cons over the years, is the practice of Media Guests charging for autographs. In such cases, are the still commanding the same level of appearance fee AND getting all the autograph cash or are they not taking a flat appearance fee and just working for the signing money? If the latter, does the con still pick up their transportation and hotel costs, etc.?
I can remember when Creation was the big comic book store here in Williston Park, NY. The owner got out of it to go to business school, and the company shifted into conventions instead of stores. Go figure.
I remember when this came BID first came out, about six months after a fan-run con I was a volunteer for had occurred. Needless to say, many of PADs' negative points of a fan run convention held true. I had and still believe that this article, and an old "nightmare" con acticle from Starlog, are must-reads for any fan who dares to dream of holding a convention.
I don't bother with cons in my area anymore. The magic faded away many moons ago.
I stopped going to Creation cons about 1989. I'd found that the dealer's room no longer had anything that interested me; that no matter what seat I chose, I always seemed to have the misfortune of sitting too close to a couple who appeared to be unfamiliar with soap; and that whomever they had as MC of the auctions (and sometimes slideshow presentations regarding upcoming Trek related events) had a very condescending attitude towards the audience. Those factors, among others, led me to give up on Creation cons.
But at one time they were very enjoyable. My first convention (of any kind) was a Creation con in March, 1984. Walter Koenig was the guest, and happened to be chatting with some people in the dealer's room. Having no clue what happened at conventions, I asked him how these things worked, and he took a few moments to explain about the panels and the like. It was a kindness I've always remembered.
In June of that year, there was another Creation convention with Mark Lenard, which I attended along with my grandmother. She enjoyed herself a great deal. She doesn't know that much about Star Trek or science fiction, so had no clue who Mark Lenard or the other guests were, but she found it a pleasant experience.
So, my early experiences with Creation cons were pleasant, but sometime between 1984 and 1989, they changed, becoming less enjoyable.
Now, the only comics and science fiction-related con I go to is Motor City, though not as much as I used to, since I'd have to take time off work, and there seem to be fewer panels about comics than in years past. I have been to the Chicago comic con once, and liked it, but financial realities have kept it from being a regular experience. Maybe one day I'll go to San Diego or the Mid-Ohio-Con. Trouble with the latter is that it's always held Thanksgiving weekend.
Rick
I've been to one - and only one - convention in my life, mainly because there seemed to be no one in charge. No program, no signs, no idea what was on the agenda or whom would be there as guest. I found the movie room entirely by accident, and no one seemd to be know even where the rest room was.
The kicker was when I wandered over toward a corner of the room - mainly because I didn't know what else to do - and had a brief, but pleasant, conversation with a gentleman sitting on a chair. With no signs or displays, I had no idea to whom I was speaking - I learned later it was Bernie Wrightson. I've often wondered whether he was there as a guest. If so, I think it's unforgiveable that there wasn't even a table for him.
Still, with the con memories I've read posted here and elsewhere, I do admit that I wish I had given con-going another chance.
Dave:
Heh, cause you HONESTLY described something we did at Philcon 2002 to a T ;)
Dave,
Tell me this (if you can). Why has Creation abandoned the New England area? They have not been in Boston in at least 7 or 8 years. Was the fandom too down on them here?
-hey
I have a theory about that.
It's possibly easier to book guest on the West Coast on the East Coast. Even if they're working on a film or TV show, they're still alloted some time off. However, jet lag could literally interfere with their job performance, so rather than deal with that, they'd prefer to appear at a con that's "close to home."
I live in Central New Jersey, which is an hour-to-two-hour-long commute to Philadelphia and New York, and I've only been to one recent Creation con in the past ten years and that took place in Marlton, NJ! While I wouldn't participate in a boycott of Creation cons (that's why they call it a FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM, folks!), I tend to frequent Chiller cons at least once a year. They're better organized and more reasonably priced IMHO.
In case some people were wondering, yes, I meant to say,"It's possibly easier to book guest on the West Coast [than it is to make arrangements for them to appear] on the East Coast."
I would also add that most guests who have made East Coast appearances at conventions tended to be either "between acting gigs" or at best they've been "demoted" to "Special Guest Star" status, leaving their calendars free to scrape a few bucks selling autographed photos and schmoozing with fans. Not that I'm complaining. I've heard better stories from the semi-active crowd than from the working stars who have to watch what they say for fear of gossip migrating westward.