Photo of Bruce Campbell and Fandemic Tour CEO John Macaluso
As a geeky lover of pop culture, what’s more fun than getting to be around and interact with some of your favorite celebrities? Or how about seeing the artists who create your favorite comics? What about experiencing some great panels on pop culture and socially conscious themes? When you can do all of this at an event that’s disability-accessible and inclusive…you have Fandemic Tour!
John Macaluso is Fandemic Tour’s CEO, and a veteran of fan con style events. Here’s what he had to say about this new kind of fan experience:
“Fandemic Tour is something I’ve been thinking about for some time now, and it represents everything I think fans will want from a comic con event. We pledge to present an event that brings the highest tier celebrities, artists, and exhibitors and to create immersive programming that is both fun and educational.”
John shares more of his thoughts in our interview with him:
Your mission is “take care of the fan; take care of the fan; and, to be clear, take care of the fan!” How does this apply to the fan with a disability?
We want everyone to have a great time and become a part of the Fandemic Family. If the fans aren’t happy, I’m not happy. We’ve brought an all-star lineup of A-list quality celebrities, artists, vendors and programming experts for a weekend our fans will never forget.
You call yourself an experiential event and one designed for fan engagement and interactivity. Can you talk about what that means?
We want our fans to engage with one another in addition to providing an opportunity for them to interact with their favorite celebrities and artists. One of the most fun parts of working these shows is seeing not only the fan excitement in the celebrity lines but the admiration for one another – someone’s amazing cosplay that a massive group people want selfies with, or the hot toy that everyone wants from a vendor or a new hot artist’s work. We want our guests to feel like they are a part of this unique shared experience.
What sets your fan con apart from all the others?
Our team members are veterans of this industry. I’ve been at this since 2010 and my team members have helped produce hundreds of shows. We know how to offer a great, fun and memorable experience to our Fandemic Family.
How did you choose your special guests and how do they reflect your mission?
I have worked with many of our guests at shows in my past life and have built friendships with them over the years. They were gracious enough to be here to support me in this new venture and I can’t wait for everyone—the celebrities and fans—to be a part of it. We are lucky enough to have some of the hottest properties represented right now like The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy and This is Us as well as longtime fan favorites like Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Gilmore Girls and more.
Can you share some highlights about your immersive programming?
We cover the spectrum of fandom and pop culture – from our massive cosplay contest on Saturday night where we expect thousands of fans in cosplay – hosted by JDF, Clare Kramer and a surprise celebrity guest. Friday night we host the Drink & Draw where professional artists challenge our guests to a contest of art and creative writing!
We’re really excited about our cause-related programming too. Chunky Girl Comics is doing a panel on body image and acceptance; members of the West Coast Avengers will be talking about “CAUSEplay;” and, of course, your (Geek Club Books) autistic team will be coming to break common myths and stereotypes about autism in your “Mighty League of Acceptance: Using Pop Culture to Engage and Educate about Autism.”
How are you making Fandemic Tour accessible for people with disabilities?
The Sacramento Convention Center is well-designed for ADA needs and we have added a Quiet Area for those who may need to escape the excitement for a bit so they can ground themselves and then re-engage in the fun.
The Sacramento Fandemic Tour is on Friday through Sunday, June 22-24, at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA.
Go to Fandemic Tour website for more details and to find out about the Houston Fandemic Tour in September 2018.
Special 50% discount for friends of Geek Club Books! Use PANEL50 code at checkout.
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Bruce Campbell and John Macaluso photo courtesy of Fandemic Tour
The post What’s So FAN-tastic about Fandemic Tour? appeared first on Geek Club Books.
