Guess who’s back?!

After a much needed hiatus to birth my child and recover, I’m back. Somewhat sleep deprived, I’m ready to get back to the nostalgic posts. Let’s get to it!

“Timing is everything” is not only one of my favorite lyrics but is also one of my favorite statements. So many circumstances have to come together to make Con magic possible. I’d found a way to prioritize my interests and relied on my keen eye to determine the proper place and time to experience magic. So much thought went into my experiences, however, it didn’t always yield results. There were many wins in 2012 but there were some major misses too.

I wanted so badly to have great experiences and to exercise my random skills to actually meet celebrities. Watching them zoom by on their way to an autograph had lost its appeal… kinda. I wanted to be in the action too. There were a few events I didn’t want to miss.

The first, was seeing my favorite: the cast of Community. The talk at the time was uncertain. People were unsure the show would continue because Dan Harmon was fired just before SDCC. With certain doom looming over the sitcom, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see the cast. I was almost certain there would be an autograph signing and that would be the best place to meet the cast.

Complications

Although in past Con’s there were many opportunities to see the cast, time had not served in our favor. By this point the show gained so much popularity that it was impossible to see them at a panel anymore. We had to try though. Initial observations were: if we make it to the panel, we wouldn’t have time to make it to the signing. If we go to the signing then we would definitely have to miss the panel. Decisions, decisions.

It’s panel time! I think…

Unfortunately, we’ve reached a story I do not remember. I remember the ending, but I have no idea what happened in between. I can share videos, suspicions and eyewitness accounts, but things are still unclear.

I have a feeling we missed the panel. I remember the Community following got too big at that point especially after the Dan Harmon debacle. I remember getting into the line for the indigo ballroom, but I’m not sure it was for this panel. I know we definitely saw the cast because Joel McHale recognized us. Check it out in the video below.

This is the only evidence I have that we saw them… somewhere. I don’t have any panel pictures or even pictures of the eyewitness account. Which brings me to what happened, allegedly.

The alleged account

According to my cousin, we saw them on the show floor. Then, Joel McHale hugged me and I squealed. That is the story of why he remembered us. Unfortunately, I can’t verify it at all. I have a few, but very practical reasons for why I’m unsure this happened.

For one, I’m not sure the guards that escort celebrities would have let me get close enough to hug him. Also, celebs move fast across the floor and notoriously don’t stop for interactions. It is, however, very plausible though that I squealed after he hugged me because I would. Unfortunately, I have no evidence. C’est la vie. Thankfully, what I did capture, you can see below.

✨Magic Time✨

What I do remember, is we made it to the Sony booth early enough to beat the crowd. We circled the area to be sure we could get a spot, but the lines started becoming a problem. Hovering was no longer an option. The guards made it very clear that no line would be honored unless they started it. As luck would have it, we found ourselves at the right place, at the right time. We got in line and the guards in red said, “If you’re on this side of my arm scoot against the wall. You’re in line. If not, keep walking.” Our entire party made it into the Community signing. It was a SDCC miracle. Our last chance to see the cast and we made it! Check out the pictures below.

If you already thought the cast was great, they were also super kind and funny in person. I’ve never been able to get posed pictures of any celebrities, so as a photographer/videographer, this was the epitome of phot ops. One reason my cousin’s story is believable is my interaction with Joel McHale at the Sony booth.

So, I was super star struck to meet Joel Mchale. He reached out to grab my hand as a kind gesture and I nearly died. I’m not sure I’ve ever blushed more in my life than in that moment. Suffice to say, I probably would have squealed. Either way it was the best and I finally met (nearly) the entire cast.

Although meeting the cast of Community was the highlight, there were other awesome moments that didn’t require so much planning. Sometimes fortune falls on you and you make the most of it.

I tried my luck at the autograph booth. The odds were in my favor a few times. I got the autographs of the cast of Workaholics and a few blurry pics. Although the line moved fast, it was great meeting the cast of one of the wildest shows of the early 2010’s.

The Con is the only place where worlds collide and create the wildest, most unexpected moments. Like getting attending a signing of the RZA and Bautista for The Man with the Iron Fists. A bonus, very Con moment is what the guy starts chanting in the crowd. Classic.

Some unexpected walk by’s include Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren. Below that you’ll find the cast of Glee. Gotta be honest, I have never watched a single episode of Glee save for the watch party on The Office. Coincidentally this clip is the way I found out the obnoxious pizza guy was in the cast of Glee. It is so rare to see casts of these big shows and movies. I considered myself lucky.

Another random collection of stars. Most notably, David Hasslehoff there for Hot Wheels. Heartthrob of the early aughts Jesse Bradford (Bring It On) worked his way through the crowd. A personal fave, Lizzy Caplan who played Janice Ian in Mean Girls also in attendance. My former teenage self felt seen.

Well now that we’ve had the good news, it seems my luck ran out at this Con. As meticulous as I was at prioritizing events, I could not help but have major misses. For one, I completely missed the Regular Show signing, but as a consolation prize I got some pretty good pics. RIP to an iconic network.

Now, I present you, a series I like to call “the very blurry collection.” Featured in this gallery are blurry George RR Martin, astigmatism Guillermo Del Toro, and nearsighted Norman Reedus. Not my finest work.

Timing truly is everything. As thoroughly as I planned and made my way to the right places, timing was not in my favor. Fortunately for me, the following year was an entirely different story. Join me as I bid farewell to my early years at the Con series in the next article. It is my crowning jewel of convention experiences.