Posted by With Los Angeles Comic Con around the corner, we spoke with Chris DeMoulin, the CEO of LACC. The whole LACC team is passionate about giving the best fan experience possible.
Back in 2011, many people couldn’t get tickets to San Diego Comic Con for the second year in a row. Frustrated with their inability to celebrate their nerdiness, a group of nerds decided to host their own event. After securing some guests and financing, they headed to the basement of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The incredible Stan Lee came as a guest and loved it so much he wanted to be involved. His company, POW, partnered with the group at the time, calling the event Comikaze. Stan Lee would contribute ideas for guests as well as returning as a guest himself.
We will soon mark what would have been Stan Lee’s 100th birthday, and as such, POW and his estate will have some sentinel announcements at LACC.
Planning LACC
We asked Chris what goes into planning and putting on an event like LACC. And the answer is that it is full time job; one that’s ongoing and year-round. He said:
“We start planning about a year in advance. We already have some talent in place for next year. We also have over 800 artists and exhibitors this year, so that’s an ongoing process. About 4 months out, we put out a call for panels, but really the big one is getting guests. You always want to be open to getting guests and talent that people are going to love. We want people to come for things that they already love and then turn a corner and find something new that they’ve never seen before. That sense of wonder and excitement is very important.”
Question: Chris surely you have to cap yourself out at some point. You can’t possibly still be adding guests the week of the event?
Answer: “We keep it a very organic process. If something opens up, that’s fantastic, we try to accommodate it. Guests like the cast of The Boys and Lord of the Rings were done early, but Sandlot was done just two weeks ago.”
When you have an event like LACC, one that speaks to so many fandoms, it can be hard to decide who you want to feature. We asked how those decisions were made and how one decides who they want for guests. Chris explained that they make a conscious effort to make sure that every major fandom is represented, and that he strives for a balance between the new and popular and the nostalgic. That is ever present in this year’s line up, featuring the cast of Jimmy Neutron and the Sandlot, and also having cast members from The Boys and The Mandalorian. Chris added that it’s nice to have guests like, Tom Kenny, who is in a band called the HiSeas, and Amy Jo Johnson who is also in a band called the Action Figures. Having guests that are multi-talented offers up opportunities like the afterparty. This way, there are even more events for the guests and fans to enjoy.
Being huge comic fans ourselves, we had to ask about Stan Lee’s involvement. Chris answered:
“As someone who was a Marvel collector when I was 12, it was really awesome for me in my 50’s to work with Stan. His company POW partnered with us and we had a business agreement. He would come as a guest and he was also involved in ideas for guests.”
By Fans For Fans
Stan Lee’s stamp of approval is on this fan event. As conventions go, this is a very by fans, for fans kind of event. Chris shared with us the biggest parts of nerd culture with which he is involved:
“Marvel and Star Wars, I rode my bike through the rain to go see Star Wars on its opening weekend. As a father, the whole Nickelodeon block of shows we used to watch with my kids.”
As a fan, it’s nice to know that this event is overseen by someone with just as much passion and love for the media. LACC isn’t a business event; it’s a fan event. They work very hard to make sure it’s affordable and that as many fans as possible can participate. We asked how they accomplished that:
“We look at the pricing from the different cons and we like to think that we’re offering the best experience possible at the most median price. We want what we do to be very LA centric. It’s a mashup of every entertainment facet in the world. We want it to be a very family friendly experience. So we added some more VIP experiences, but we wanted to keep things affordable if you just wanted to spend the day with us with your kids. With all of our exhibitors it’s also a great place to do your Christmas shopping. We try very hard to be a fan event.”
There are many things to be excited about for this year’s LACC, but Chris shared with us his most anticipated experiences:
“I think a lot of the new stuff we’re doing this year is super exciting. So the whole video game area, having a tournament and test play games. We’re also trying to integrate technology in a much greater way. So we’re streaming everything that we’re doing on the main stage, the cosplay stage, and the gaming stage. Those will all be streaming online for free.”
It’s still not too late to get your tickets! With all of the exciting things that are happening, LACC is an event nerds shouldn’t miss.
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