Gary Berman was only a teenager in NY when he and his friend Adam Malin, both sci-fi fans, decided to do fan conventions.
While in Vancouver, Gary Berman took time from his busy weekend to sit down and chat with me about Creation's Twilight Conventions.
Although there are a lot of fan conventions world-wide for a number of genres, Creation is celebrating it's 40th year of fan conventions.
What makes Creation Conventions stand out amongst the rest?
From my personal experience in attending two conventions so far with a third in June, it is quality, attention to detail and putting fans first. I asked Gary about conventions and why Creation's are so successful. He told me it's a tough job that requires a lot of planning and work, but also financial backing, "You can't rely on just ticket sales to make it work" which unfortunately many company's have tried to do leading to fan disappointment if the convention can't deliver what is promises. That is never a problem with Creation's conventions.
Creation started doing Twilight Convention's after years of experience in other franchises such as Star Trek, Stargate and Supernatural. Recently, Creation partnered up with Summit to become the "Official Twilight Convention."
Creation approached Summit about a partnership because they knew how fan friendly the Production Company was and hoped they could work together. Summit agreed making Creation Entertainment the designated partner for Twilight conventions, allowing them to stand out amongst others not only for quality events but official support.
Creation's Conventions allow fans to interact with celebrity talent from their favourite franchises. For Twilight fans, this means getting up close and personal with vampires and wolves asking questions, getting autographs and posing for photos. Each convention features multiple cast members from the Twilight Saga.
And how do they handle talent who are unable to attend last minute? (which was the case in Vancouver)
He says occasionally actors have scheduling conflicts but Creation Entertainment always tries to find a replacement and "do better" to keep the fans happy. He realizes everyone has a favourite cast they want to see so, if someone is unable to make it for whatever reason, they will try to bring in another big name or even 2 guests to replace who ever is unable to attend. "It's about keeping the fans happy" he says, and it shows in way the event is run.
Berman loves Vancouver and says he has had great convention experiences in our city.
For Stargate, the production team has given set visits where the actors greet fans in full costume to do photos.
Vancouver Supernatural conventions [The next one is August 27-29]always bring in more actors because it is filmed locally.
He says Vancouver is such a beautiful city it brings tourists from all over willing to come to a variety of conventions and to enjoy the city as well.
"Twilight Fans," Berman says, "are generous everywhere, here in Vancouver and all over."
I asked about how Twilight Fans compare to other sci-fi fans he has encountered through Creation's Star Trek, Supernatural and other conventions.
He says the enthusiasm is higher, it's often a younger crowd and it's exciting and interactive because often the cast is a similar age to the fans.
What he likes best about Twilight Conventions is that it is "new". After years of working with Star Trek and other franchises, Twilight is something fresh with new fans and new opportunities. Often there are mothers and daughters coming together and they bring a new excitement to the conventions.
After 40 years, it is clear that Creation Entertainment has mastered the art of fan conventions. For Twilight Fans, or fans of any other franchise they work with, a convention through Creation is sure to impress.
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Vancouver's Twilight Convention was a huge hit. You can read all about it here.
If you are planning to attend a Creation Twilight Convention read my "Convention Basic's" Post here.
Hope to see you at the Los Angeles Twilight Convention June 11-13, 2010.
For a complete list of upcoming Creation Conventions in all genres Check Here.
Next for Vancouver is the Star Trek Convention June 25-27, 2010.
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