Convention Panel in the US
Moderator: Spectrum Strike Force
Dave School has graduates that worked on NCS btw.
So now I looked at the schedule and saw a half hour opening at 7:30 pm, right before the start of a banquet. I took the spot but the group in there before me (New Voyages, which is fan produced Star Trek episodes) ran over without ever stopping (they didn't realize that there was now a panel after them I guess and I wasn't about ready to break in and make everyone in the room (around 25 people) leave.
It all worked out as Dave School could not attend on Sunday and their 2 hour panel that day became a 2 hour NCS panel!! Sunday had a lot less people and the two hour panel was opposite more autographs but I did have people attend!! After fixing a mistake on my homemade posters advertising the panel I set everything up and hoped for the best.
I basically gave an introduction to people and talked about the series and its status in the UK, Japan and US. I ended up showing episodes - Rat Trap, Mercury Falling, Trap for a Rhino and the crowd liked them - on average I had probably 10 people with only 3 -4 really interested and asking for more info.
I had hoped to give them info on a US debut and asked them to spread the word, but there is nothing going on there that I know of.
So, it went over well and I probably converted at least 3 - 4 people
It's so hard to promote something when there is nothing to promote, apart from buying the DVD from UK and watching it on a region free player.
Oh well...
KP
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shadokp
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Wouldn't it be nice to think one of those people that showed an interest was some big shot tv company director, who thinks NCS is so terrific they are prepared to take a gamble and request a third season before the first two are even shown!!
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Chris C
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KP
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shadokp
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I cant believe you done this on your own back! This is something that should be sorted by the distributer really, also cant believe a high profile show such as this hasn't got any backing for your efforts. Im sure those in charge should be more than happy to help you out with a (free) promotion pack, perhaps some press packs, posters and other freeebies. Maybe write to someone to find out if this can be done, if you are going to do this again, Im sure it cant do any harm.
Did you take any video of the day?
Good luck
daveyblue
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Daveyblue
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I had contacted a couple different people at Anderson Entertainment including Mark Sherwood who gave me Gerry's production assistant's e-mail and I never heard a response from her. I was hoping for something. Here on the forum we talked about a free DVD but posters, buttons, flyers, anything would have helped gain interest.
I would think that it would be great publicity for Sony to go to the larger conventions and set up a booth. Since there are so few people in the US that know of the show, connecting with a few thousand at one of the larger conventions would be an excellent start. Once the show finally is picked up over here, you already have a fan base of interest.
This probably should have been done in the UK and not just at Fanderson but at all the memorbilia shows like NEC, etc. This sort of publicity replaces widespread advertising especially for specialty programs. Since NCS was geared toward kids and some older fans, the general publicity should have worked, but since there was little of this, Anderson Entertainment should have gone the route of conventions and specialty outlets. Is it too late to do this in the UK?
My panel turn out was so small compared to the numbers of people watching the new Doctor Who TV series or watching the New Voyages fan produced clips, I still feel very little was accomplished. It is the same feeling we all have when we see the series on ITV or have trouble finding the DVD and so on.
I did enjoy one moment in particular when two people sitting behind me were giggling and talking about something and when the old woman fell from the cliff in Trap for a Rhino, they were shocked and shut up for the rest of the episode. They seemed to get into it. There were a number of groans for the dialog between Destiny and Scarlet at the end of that one.
KP
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shadokp
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I still cant understand this apathy by the owners of this series, I fear its to late for the UK but not the rest of the world, if we do ever get a third series its only going to happen because of the USA and Japan. So do your best shadokp, you know its worth it.
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Daveyblue
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Not to criticize everyone but I am also upset at Fanderson's lack of updates on NCS - the first season had great write ups and photos and beside new merchandise updates, there has been nothing - I wonder if this is lack of communication on Anderson Entertainment's part in not giving this info to Fanderson??
I didn't bother telling anyone at my panel what website to go to for more info because they had not been updated. The best site is, of course, this one!!
KP
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shadokp
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So, if and when NCS arrives this side of the pond I think it will be to an audience that's largely never heard of it and will have very few preconceptions about it. whether this will help it or not I don't know. Gerry's rep isn't likely to give it much of a boost. Could go either way.....
Doc Denim
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Doc Denim
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Doc Denim said:
Not a single one of them had ever heard of the series, and several hadn't even heard of Gerry Anderson either.
So, if and when NCS arrives this side of the pond I think it will be to an audience that's largely never heard of it and will have very few preconceptions about it. whether this will help it or not I don't know. Gerry's rep isn't likely to give it much of a boost. Could go either way.....
The Americans not having heard of Gerry Anderson and his previous work might be to NCS's advantage - especially if all they have heard of is the Thunderbirds Movie...
Maybe to an audience without the background knowledge of 'Supermarionation', it will have a different, more immediate and wider appeal?
In the UK many of the target audience will have seen Thunderbird and CS re-runs on TV before they saw NCS. Whether they'd connect the two is debateable - but my daughter grew up watching original CS and Thunderbirds and she dislikes NCS... probably more than I do, it has to be said.
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Marion
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