Francesca Garrett Talks Heroes And Villains Fan Fest In New Jersey, Today

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The Heroes & Villains Fan Fest came to London earlier in the twelvemonth, strangely planned for the same day as MCM London Expo, albeit on the other side of the city. It was the equivalent of Wizard running Wizard World San Diego Uptown on the weekend of San Diego Comic-Con. And yes, it bombed. But a more established version of the show is happening today in New Jersey. Bleeding Cool'south Jason Borelli spoke to the organiser, Francesca Garret. Borelli writes,

New York Comic Con approaches in two weeks, fans in the New York/New Jersey surface area volition be getting a warmup, as Heroes & Villains Fan Fest takes identify at the Meadowlands Exposition Centre in Secaucus, NJ, this weekend. The prove originates from FanFest.com, which is set to host sixteen shows in 2018, according to Vice President of Marketing Francesca Garrett.Francesca Garrett Talks Heroes And Villains Fan Fest In New Jersey, Today

"Our conventions actually grew out of a podcast," she says. "Our founder, James Frazier, has a 'Walker Stalkers' podcast that he created with one of his dearest friends and next door neighbor, Eric [Nordhoff]. Together, the 2 of them had taken a road trip to Savannah, GA, where The Walking Expressionless filmed. This was pretty early, earlier the fans had realized where the actors were, before security [was] as tight as it is at present, and they were able to fit in a java shop and chat with Melissa McBride, Norman [Reedus], and several of the other actors that we [saw] on the screen, and just have an incredible fan feel."

From there, Frazier and Nordhoff organized the first Walker Stalker convention in Atlanta, which was meant to exist a one-fourth dimension upshot, starting a Kickstarter campaign for information technology. The show drew 10 thousand fans, and information technology became a fixture on the convention excursion in many cities. Frazier would exist contacted by a television hero: Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen on Arrow.

"Later three years," Ms. Garrett continues, "Stephen Amell, who had actually attended the first-ever Chicago effect, reached out and said, 'Listen, I like the style you put on a show. I like the the mode y'all treat the attendees and the guests. I call back we can practice something fun together.' He and James brainstormed, and that's how Heroes & Villains Fan Fest was built-in. That is a show that's based on the comic book heroes that nosotros love from more contempo history. We really focus on the cinematic side from the final ten years or so."

The show volition mark the third time that it has descended upon Secaucus. The offset edition was held in January 2016, when a massive snowstorm hitting the Northeast. To accommodate fans left out in the cold, a second evidence was held in July.

"It was the weekend a state of emergency was chosen in New Jersey," recalls Ms. Garrett. "We had a hotel full of attendees and a hotel full of actors, and we decided to see what we could to put on the all-time fourth dimension we could given the circumstances. The actors went to hang out with the attendees in the restaurant areas nearby, and we were able to open our doors on Sun morning, and merely put on the convention despite the snow."

Heroes & Villains Fan Fest New York is slated to feature stars from comics-friendly shows such as Arrow, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham, and Supergirl. Guests recently announced in the past few weeks include Rick Gonzalez (Arrow), Sean Pertwee (Gotham) and Rose McIver (iZombie). The show also marks the debut of actors from Agents of Due south.H.I.E.L.D., as Brett Dalton will be appearing, as well every bit Ming-Na Wen, if only for Saturday.

"We have a couple of my favorite actors there," Ms. Garrett notes. "I love watching Brandon Routh, who played Superman in Superman Returns, conversation with any of the attendees, especially kids. There'south something pretty cool watching a five-twelvemonth-old actually meeting Superman. That's also a highlight for me."

"If you talk to our attendees, most of them will tell you that they're really there for the community. They're there to see upwardly with folks who they've met online and who they share a passion with, and mayhap this is the only time they become to see this individual this year, only they grade these friendships. [Also, y'all] go to a place where your interest is shared by tens of thousands of people. Aybe nobody in your family unit or role watches The Walking Dead or Arrow, simply you lot tin can have those conversations with other superfans of these shows."

For more details on Heroes & Villains Fan Fest, visit their website or Facebook page.

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Well-nigh Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the globe, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Upwardly, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.