Just Compounding the Issue

[puppetmaker]

United Fan Con has decided that Peter is not a worthy guest for their convention so he was dropped after they advertised his appearance for almost six months. This is the second time that has happened this year. I think that their explanation is what sticks in my craw more than anything else.

From the United Fan Con Website (which I am not going to link to)

Running a convention is a very difficult and complicated job. Often things that are planned are canceled or changed due to work commitments by guests or the lack of support, staffing or funding for that activity. For the last few years we tried to add comic book tracks and guests to our event. Unfortunately, we have not been able to organize a reasonable guest lineup or track for this year’s event. So, it was with great regret that a decision was made to cancel comic book writer Peter David. Mr. David was personally contacted and made aware that, under the current convention plans, budget and staffing, his appearance was not going to generate the interest needed to cover the expense. We are sorry that some of you will be disappointed by the decision, but sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the best interest of the event.

Comic Book writer Peter David who also wrote for Babylon 5 and Crusades? Who has a number of movies under his belt? Who created a series with another one of your guests, Bill Mumy, for Nickelodeon called "Space Cases"? New York Times best-selling author? The guy who has gotten you in touch with some of the guests you have brought to your convention because you asked him for some help? That Peter David? Won't generate the interest? You mean won't charge for his autograph which you get a cut of don't you?

My bet is that you have a couple of guests on your roster that aren't going to generate the interest which will allow you to recover your expense but you have signed contracts with their agents so cutting them would cost you money since there is a kill fee. Peter took a handshake agreement with you since we had done the convention for the past two years which just goes to raise the veil upon the character of the people running the convention which right now is not too high in my book.

I am grateful that we were able to cancel our car reservation for that weekend without incurring an expence.

Comments

[jenny_evergreen]

Oh, NOT cool.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Yep. It really isn't. Peter talked about it on his blog and the noise that is generating caused them to post that paragraph.

[jenny_evergreen]

That makes it even worse, that they didn't even say anything till after the noise started. Blech.

[amarafox.livejournal.com]

And that paragraph is so freaking snarky!

My god.

:(

[dancingwriter.livejournal.com]

That's just rotten.

I hadn't realized, though, that he'd written for Babylon5--cool!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Two of them for Babylon 5
Soul-Mates (about Londo and his three wives)
There in the Honor lies (best known for the spacing of the Teddy Bear)

And for Crusades
Ruling From the Tomb

[wolfsavard.livejournal.com]

I would give up Tracey Scoggins in a heartbeat for Peter. *sigh* I'm so disappointed! It was going to be amazing to have him and Bill in the same place!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

The two of them do feed off of each other's energy. It is fun to watch.

Fandom is not known for social grace, but...

[theresamather.livejournal.com]

Wow......just....wow.

Tacky tacky tacky of them to do that.

Re: Fandom is not known for social grace, but...

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I agree. And the reasons posted are not going to win them any friends either.

[vysion-of-books.livejournal.com]

Those creeps.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Creeps, now there is good word for them I can say in front of Caroline *grin*

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

That blows and when you need that many words to say it, you know it's B.S.

Geez.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Think they protest too much? *grin*

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

They used him.

Plain and simple.

That blows.

[cielamara.livejournal.com]

How stupid is that? I'm never been to a con like that, but I know Peter gets some major badass points on multiple levels and is not deserving of that kind of BS treatment.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I really think it was partially because this was done as a handshake agreement rather than a formal contract so there were no obligations on their part that they could see. Peter is going to lose money that he would have earned at the convention and any other conventions he passed on because he was going to this one.

[cielamara.livejournal.com]

That's so dumb. Those people suck. Is there another con going on that he can still go to, or is he just going to have to make up for it later?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

... the HELL?

Oh, that's going to come back and bite their ass!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I can only hope but not holding my breath on it. I'm just hoping that they have a slight level of discomfort the entire weekend because of it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

This is the sort of thing that has few short-term repercussions... but can have serious long-term ones. For instance, is Peter ever going to work with or help them again? Ever?

[kradical.livejournal.com]

This is like the government logic that says we're broke, so let's cut the library budget -- which is less than 10% of the overall budget, and meanwhile the really expensive stuff doesn't get any kind of cut at all.

Several people have asked me why I haven't gone to UFC. Well, first off, they haven't invited me. Now, if they do, I'll be declining, and pointing to this shabby treatment of my friend and colleague.

Fucknuts.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Yep. I swear that this is one of those conventions that invites guests that the con committee want to spend the weekend with.

[photognome.livejournal.com]

Complete and total horseshit. :-(

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I agree. And they are just piling it on high and deep.

Oh love the Icon by the by. It made me smile.

Ptui.

[lyonessnyc.livejournal.com]

What a load of horse hockey. :-P

[snerk] Maybe Bill can drop a comment at the concom about their poor treatment of his friend. He knows, right? Every time I've met Bill, he strikes me as the type who wouldn't like this at all. I've always been really impressed by him.

Sympathies to Peter. That just sucks. :-P I had never even heard of this con before, but I'll make special sure I won't go. Maybe I'll even go to their website and tell them "Well, I would have considered it, but now you've cut one of my favorite guests. Your loss." [wicked grin]

Re: Ptui.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Love the Icon.

Bill knows all about it. He's not going to be there very long anyway. Comes in really late Friday and leaves early Saturday. What sucks was that he was bringing his lovely wife Eileen with him and I was looking forward to seeing her.

[wonderbink.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read about that in Peter's blog. Sheesh.

Though judging from the comments (and the site itself) the thing seems to be on the verge of a meltdown anyway. Though I wonder if they're going to blame Peter for a "smear campaign" when the thing comes crashing down under its own weight.

They seem to operating under the utterly false impression that people go to conventions for The Big Big Stars. How utterly wrongheaded. People go to conventions, year after year, to hang out with their like kind and celebrate their various fandoms. DragonCon has probably managed to get as massive as it has precisely because it gets that, and has Medium Stars and Smaller Stars along with the Big Big Stars, and has tracks of programming for fans to just go crazy with.

Conventions aren't about just Meet The Famous Peoples, and the fact that they assumed Peter was disposable shows that these people have no clue how to run a convention. I give them two more years, tops, if they don't come to their senses and realize this.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Well this one is saying that it is an autograph convention not a science fiction convention so that is why they did this.

This show has almost died more than once and managed to resurrect itself usually with a slightly different name.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

Very, very unprofessional on their part, and unprofessionally handled as well. If they had kept the commitment to him THIS year and then not invited him back NEXT year, that would be different.

I am not impressed.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

You are right. If they had met their (rather minimal) obligations this year and then said well nice knowing you, I think I would be fine with it. But to advertise with his name and picture until three weeks out is tacky.

[e-cunningham.livejournal.com]

Yikes. That "explanation" was . . . . Hmm. The mind boggles; words fail.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with this con.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

It can be hard as you know to pull yourself out of the label that people have put on you and your work. But as writers I think we need to keep ourselves fresh by challenging ourselves to try new things in writing.

[vampry.livejournal.com]

I read about this in Peter's blog and thing this is inexcusable. First of all, I don't think anyone should cancel a guest of a convention as long as that convention is still taking place.

And, as you say, Peter is a draw on more than one front: comics, tv, books, movies.....

*shaking head*

I wasn't planning on attending that convention due to finances but I suspect I will not be planning on attending that convention ever.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I find it frustrating when someone or a convention pigeon-holes Peter since he has managed to make a career out of a lot of things related to writing. He is a vast fount of knowledge about all kinds of subjects.

[geekgrl64.livejournal.com]

That is absolutely gross. As Vampry said, I wasn't planning on attending, but now will be sure to never attend. There will be numerous fans who will hate not getting to meet Peter. To bad UFC doesn't realize what they have done...

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I think they have an idea because I know they are lurking around Peter's board.

I'm just sort of sick of the whole thing.