Post-Comic Con Rewind

So, San Diego Comic Con… the stuff of legends (or nightmares, depending on your tolerance level, and how willing you are to give up the personal space bubble you normally maintain, for the duration of the craziness).

First, if you’ve never been, what you’ve heard is ALL TRUE. Sensory overload, in every way imaginable. Mind-blowing amounts of warm (think sweaty, and not always fragrantly-pleasant) bodies, jostling you, running into you, and occasionally poking you with some weird piece of their cosplay getup, from all sides, for hours on end… virtually-impenetrable lines that stretch (if you could straighten them out) further than the eye could see… and a cacophony of noise (people yelling, talking, and laughing; music blaring; video clips on endless repeats; zealots with bullhorns spouting their insanity on the sidewalk out front; cars, buses, trains, and trolleys; emergency vehicles; the thrum of HVAC units working overtime; etc.), assaulting your eardrums until the wee-est hours of the morning–making “peace and quiet” seem but the most distant of memories. (I happen to LOVE the energy… but it’s definitely not for everyone, especially not the faint-of-heart!)

In some ways this year was a very different SDCC experience compared to last year, which was all about the madcap, last-millisecond preparations needed so that we could debut PRELUDE to AXANAR at the nearby theatre we’d rented out for that express purpose. (It turned out to be an AMAZING night, of course — you’ve seen the pictures from last year, right? And you’ve watched PRELUDE a few dozen times, so you already know how fantastic it is — but it was all right down to the wire, and at times, very, very tense.) So, in that sense, there wasn’t quite the same level of excitement for Team Axanar, this year.

In other ways, though, the experiences were similar. Getting the all-important Indiegogo funding campaign up and running was a HUGE amount of work, into the wee hours every single night and starting again each morning, after no more than a couple-few hours of sleep. (It’s impossible to know what all can go wrong, or not be in place, or have somehow slipped through the cracks… until you find yourself desperately needing whatever to work a certain way, or be in a particular location, right NOW.) And the questions, OH, MY… the questions–fulfillment, new campaign, old campaigns, and what seemed like a zillion assorted “HELP!” questions. (I cannot begin to tell you what that’s been like, but if you’re familiar with the concept of the internet “exploding”–when something big happens, and every Tom, Dick, and Harriet has to put his/her two cents’ out there?–that’s what our email inboxes and Facebook were like the entire duration of the con.)

 

In addition, Alec and I had to fit in daily meetings, and a few working parties (and yes, they actually were work — meetings that may have been conducted while holding a glass of wine and eating a miniature crab cake, but during which only business was discussed). Positive things came out of all the meetings, though, so it was time well spent.

So, what was AWESOME about this year’s SDCC? Well, the Indiegogo launch got off to a really good start, and we added a few neat changes (sweet new perks, optional installment payments) into the mix for donors. And speaking of you, our loyal and supportive donors, your responses have been, by and large, FANTASTICALLY positive/happy/excited… which makes US feel that much more thrilled about everything we’re doing!

We were also on a few panels, and you know that every time we get the word about AXANAR out, it’s always a good thing.

Finally, getting to catch up with old friends (including some fans we’ve gotten to know well), and the chance to talk AXANAR with fans we hadn’t met before, is ALWAYS wonderful.

Seriously, guys. You are allowing us to share with you an amazing vision, our dream that is a new iteration of Star Trek… and we are forever grateful that you are allowing us the opportunity to do so.

 

Keep Reaching for the Stars,

~Diana Kingsbury

Director of Fulfillment