For those curious, "Guy Newman" is a play on Neil Gaiman. This is NOT in any way a dig on Mr. Gaiman, but he is one of the only people I could imagine attending a convention just to see.
I follow a few convention subreddits, and the topic of paying to meet celebrities comes up a lot. In particular, I remember posts where someone asks if it's worth spending hundreds to travel to a convention just to meet a celebrity; I've also seen posts where people debate whether or not they should go to a convention after a celebrity has canceled their appearance.
I get a lot of aspects of convention life, but this one baffles me. Going to a con solely to meet a celebrity feels like going to a movie theater for the popcorn. Yeah, the popcorn tastes great, but I'd never go to a theater JUST to eat it. There is so much fun and interesting stuff happening at cons, and I'd rather spend the cost of a VIP pass on Artist Alley merch than on the privilege to wait in line to have a 60-second interaction with someone I've seen in a movie.
To be clear, I am NOT trying to denigrate anyone for whom celebrity signings are important. If it brings you joy, then by all means, go for it. I'm also not against celebrities that do the con circuit, as it's an important source of income for many of them. Once you're done with the line, however, make sure you find other ways to have fun at the con, as there is an entire world of opportunities to explore.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
I follow a few convention subreddits, and the topic of paying to meet celebrities comes up a lot. In particular, I remember posts where someone asks if it's worth spending hundreds to travel to a convention just to meet a celebrity; I've also seen posts where people debate whether or not they should go to a convention after a celebrity has canceled their appearance.
I get a lot of aspects of convention life, but this one baffles me. Going to a con solely to meet a celebrity feels like going to a movie theater for the popcorn. Yeah, the popcorn tastes great, but I'd never go to a theater JUST to eat it. There is so much fun and interesting stuff happening at cons, and I'd rather spend the cost of a VIP pass on Artist Alley merch than on the privilege to wait in line to have a 60-second interaction with someone I've seen in a movie.
To be clear, I am NOT trying to denigrate anyone for whom celebrity signings are important. If it brings you joy, then by all means, go for it. I'm also not against celebrities that do the con circuit, as it's an important source of income for many of them. Once you're done with the line, however, make sure you find other ways to have fun at the con, as there is an entire world of opportunities to explore.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
