TALKING NY COMIC CON '08 with LANCE FENSTERMAN

[MichaelDoran]

In case you didn’t notice (and if you’re a reader of this site, that probably isn’t possible), the third annual New York Comic Con begins tomorrow (or Friday, April 18th, depending on when you’re reading this). This year’s show is projected to continue a strong three-year growth trend by its organizers Reed Exhibition and perhaps solidify itself already as the nation’s second largest comic book convention of the season.

Recently Newsarama managed to find tiny hole in the schedule of NYCC’s very-busy new show director Lance Fensterman for a brief talk about all things Comic Con, including the size and scope of this year’s show, and its developing place on the comic book industry’s (and others’) calendar.

Newsarama: Lance, first of all, in the past when Newsarama has talked to Reed Exhibitions about New York Comic Con, we've talked to your predecessor Greg Topalian. So really quickly before we get started in earnest, why don't you tell folks who you are and your role with the convention?

Lance Fensterman: Comedic relief … No, no, that’s just a bonus. Greg got a promotion to the corner office and I got a promotion to New York Comic Con!

I’m a former independent bookseller and for the past two years I’ve been running a huge trade book event, BookExpo America and I got the opportunity to also run New York Comic Con and jumped at it. I have the coolest job in this building. I’m a nerd in every sense of the word so books, comics, graphic novels, games, movies, authors, artists. This is my bag; I’ve been living in this world for quite some time before I ever knew what Reed was. So at the end of the day, I run all of the book, pop culture and publishing shows for Reed – NYCC, BookExpo, and the NY Anime Fest.

NRAMA: In past conversations with Greg, both public and private, he's indicated that the first New York Comic Con was very much an experiment in the eyes of the massive company that is Reed Exhibitions. What can you tell us about the profile of the show with the Reed powers-that-be today?

LS: Oh NYCC has definitely raised its profile within Reed. It’s funny, for a big company we really run our shows like independent small business – which I like, so it’s easy to forget that Reed is a massive organization. But when you get the corporate newsletter in your in box and see a headline that says “NYCC organizer creates ‘blog”” (sic) you know you’re a part of an international company.

Really, the company views the show as the funny cousin that makes everybody laugh at dinner, but they are not quite sure what to do with it. That’s ok by me! I’ve played that role most of my life in some form or another!

NRAMA: Okay, nuts and bolts time, let's talk about this year's show. How about we start with some raw info. Can you tell us about the growth from this year (Year 3) as compared to last, in terms of exhibitors, floor space, number of programs, etc.?

LS: The show size I terms of exhibitors, artist alley, all that good stuff is 60% bigger than last year and last year was 100% bigger than year one – wow, that sounds like a word problem from math class.

Bottom line, it’s getting to be huge, nearly triple the size from the first year. For panels we have 250 panels and screenings compared to 130 last year. It’s a monster.

NRAMA: Well then it seems logical that you’re also expecting more attendees... Do you have an expectation in terms of number of visitors this year, and as compared to previous years?

LS: As for attendees, well that’s anyone’s guess, I know I’m going, and I have a few friends from Brooklyn coming in, so that’s like seven that we can count on! Last year we had about 49,000 plus people and so far we are about 50% ahead of last years pace, if you can believe that! The good news is that more space means we shouldn’t sell out.

NRAMA: On that note, what the NY Comic Con became infamous for in its first year - the crowds unable to get into the show - was pretty much a non-issue in year two in 2007. Are there any new wrinkles this year to assure attendees of a pleasant experience actually getting onto the floor and into the programs?

LS: Yes, I will be personally escorting each and every fan into the show and assuring they are happy and content. But also, we have three entrances to the con this year, one for fans and the others for exhibitors, professionals, creators, and VIP ticket holders. But even beyond that, we have a giant hall right next to us that is empty. So we will line fans up in the hall after checking badges and stamping hands for reentry. This means no waiting outside and a super fast entrance into the con. Nice! I really expect the lines to move much, much faster this year.

NRAMA: Well, we’re going to hold you to that. Bear in mind Lance, while Newsarama is media partners with the NY Comic Con this year, that doesn't mean you'll get a free pass in this area. The only difference is if you have long lines of fans this year Newsarama will have video of it ... [laughs]

LS: Actually, we’re pretty excited this year to be working with Newsarama on the NYCC news studio that you guys will be creating at the show. However I think it’s shrouded in secrecy, I’ve heard talk of big guests, awesome interviews, on the spot updates, but whenever I ask for my interview time in the ultra exclusive studio, I get no response. Are my emails getting caught in your spam filters? It’s certainly not because you don’t think I’m less exciting than Grant Morrison or Stan Lee, right? Hello?

NRAMA: What’s the Hollywood casting director’s dismissal of choice? “We have your number Lance, we’ll be in touch. Thanks!”…

Seriously circling back to attendees, how much demographic info have you compiled on them? Are they generally from the greater tri-state area? Do you have a significant base traveling from other states and countries?

LS: It’s funny you ask that, I was just looking at it today! For 2007 it’s about half and half, meaning about 40% came from 50 miles or less while 55% came from greater than 50 miles. The other 5% said they teleported.

NRAMA: Let’s just hope no flies got into the teleportation booth…

Has the move from February to April impacted what sort of fans you are drawing this year?

LS: It’s really kind of hard to say, I like the April dates a lot, but to determine if we are drawing a different fan base is difficult to quantify. The show is so much bigger and growing so fast that I don’t think I can separate out how much of that has to do with the dates

NRAMA: Staying with attendees for another moment, can you give fans last minute instructions as their chance of attending this year's show. Meaning if you don't have a ticket yet, should you even try showing up any of the three show days? Oh wait, you already said the show wasn’t sold our, right?

LS: Come one, come all! At this point we have plenty of space for everyone. I really recommend buying your ticket online at our site or by going to a comic retailer in the NY region to get your ticket as it will save you time at the con, but at this point, we are planning on selling tickets during the con for all three days and weekend passes. Keep an eye on my blog (www.mediumatlarge.net) or the NYCC web site for updates on ticket sales.

NRAMA: We'll talk about specific programs and guests for this weekend in a moment, let's take a step back and look at the broad view of the show. Is it still too early, or are you getting a sense of what sort of show NY Comic Con is turning out to be?

LS: Wow, it’s really hard to say until you get there and see the show come to life. We plot all year to create a killer event, but you never know the personality of the show until it happens.

Now, having said all that, the vision for the con is to grow around comics into all realms of pop culture and I think this year you’ll really see that balance more than ever. Comics will always be the central “core” that the show is built around, but we want to see the show expand into gaming, TV, movies, toys, licensing, even music. This year more than ever I think you’ll start to see that breadth and diversification on display.

NRAMA: While always have a strong presence in terms of Hollywood, gaming companies, etc., Comic-Con International, or the San Diego Comic-Con as it’s commonly referred to over the last has really grown into a pop culture/genre show, really the industry event of the year in that regard.

Where do you see NYCC heading this year and in coming years? Will it be equal parts comics-pop culture-genre, or do you foresee any one of those becoming more prominent in the future.

LS: It really is sensitive issue for us, as you can tell my previous answer. We don’t want to become too much of one thing. We don’t want to be a “Hollywood show” or a gaming show. We want to grow around the core of comics into all facets of pop culture in a relatively balanced way, while never leaving behind our strong trade component – we think being a professional show is incredibly important as loads of business is being done at NYCC. We really do want to build a con for everyone that offers something for everyone’s tastes and interests. Easily done, right? Ha!

NRAMA: Okay, we're going to stop the Comic-Con International comparisons soon enough, but one last co wonk question … Like the Wizard shows, Reed shows are for profit, whereas CCI is non-profit. Does this have any impact on the show, from the perspective of how you go about booking guests, exhibitors, and schedule programs?

LS: It has an impact on how we price things, but no so much on guests. Like, when we throw events, like a huge J Pop concert for example, we have to find a way to pay for that and we cannot lose money. I also have to strike the balance of doing what is best for the business and what is best for the fans and customers. But really any good business has to do that – even not for profits. But it really has little bearing on the guests, panels, programming, scheduling. It’s about creating a great event that people will want to come to, if you do

NRAMA: Before moving on, given the crowded playing field of comic book conventions (Newsarama has covered three this year already), what do you see as NYCC's place in the big picture? Would you consider it a regional show?

LS: I think at the moment it’s a regional show, but the Eastern Seaboard is a pretty big region.

Ultimately we see this show as being global show. International publishers want to do business in New York and they want to be working in the U.S. we have the experience and the track record to help them do that.

Part of what I bring to NYCC is knowledge of the global publishing community from my experience on BookExpo. China, Europe, Southeast Asia, these are all regions I have worked in a fair amount and have built relationships within the publishing community. For the first time we’ll be employing agents in at least four countries/regions around the world that will be working on spreading NYCC.

Now, having said all of that, NYCC is and will always be about New York City, the city is the most important character in attendance at the show, it’s our identity.

NRAMA: Okay, transition time ... speaking of programs, how about spending a minute and tell us what you think are some of your highlights this year, in terms of both guests and programs?

LS: Wow, it’s hard to pick just a few highlights out of 245 programs and nearly 300 guests! The big names are represented, (Stan Lee, Neil Gaiman, Mike Mignola, Orson Scott Card, Grant Morrison, Bryan Hitch, Marc Guggenheim, Gail Simone, et al) but I really want to mention the Living Legends that we’ll have at the show this year. We have several octogenarians and even a couple nonagenarians coming to the event this year. In addition to Stan the Man, we’re pleased to feature Joe Simon, Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, Ramon Fradon, Jerry Robinson, Nick Cardy, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers and several more legends who are the ones responsible for creating many of the characters and books the fans still read today!

In addition to these guests, we have the most talented array of both up-and-coming and fan-favorite artists ever featured in the Artist Alley. We’ve tripled the size of the area and moved it to the show floor to give everyone more access!

As for the programming, over three days, we have the entire comic book, anime, manga, movie, TV and pop culture spectrum covered. All of the major publishers will be featuring an inside look at their newest, coolest projects, from DC’s Final Crisis to Marvel’s Secret Invasion. We have spotlight panels for all our guests of honor, and even tribute panels to Will Eisner and Jack Kirby. You don’t want to miss those, all the stars are coming!

We have some great anniversaries to celebrate, including the 50th of Legion of Superheroes and the 85th of Weird Tales. Some very special guests will be stopping by, including the infamous Ralph Bakshi, creator of Fritz the Cat, Jim Butcher, creator of The Dresden Files, and, on Sunday, as part of our Kids Day programming, Mo Willems, the celebrated children’s author will be speaking.

Finally, I can’t forget to talk about the TV and film stuff! We have inside looks at shows from SCI FI, ABC and CBS, plus and amazing array of summer blockbuster surprises awaiting everyone who dares to enter the IGN.Com Theater. This will be the coolest room at the show, so line up early to get your seats!

NRAMA: Another change from last year this year Sunday has its own "theme", as you just briefly mentioned. Tell folks more about that? What it is, how it came about, and the thinking behind it.

LS: As I said, we want to build a con for everyone, and that includes kids. We saw a lot of parents who were fans bring their kids along for the last two years and we thought it would be pretty cool to create a specific day for that to happen. I don’t want to sound high-minded here, but we also feel that we have a commitment to the business to help introduce new fans to the wonderful world of comics and all that it offers. Helping to grow new readers, new fans, new artists is an important thing we can do for our industry. Not to mention there are a ton of great creators and artists out here doing some awesome work specifically for kids.

NRAMA: Speaking of special themes, again, to dip into conversations Newsarama and Reed has had in the past, we know one of the intentions of Comic Con is to expand beyond the annual three-day event, and cultivate a more year-long presence.

Can you talk about this in any detail? Are there any details to talk about?

LS: We’ve got lots of ideas of cool things to do from mini events around NYC to cool online social networking and podcasting stuff, but for now, all I can think about is the con! Really, I feel exhausted even attempting to wrap my head around anything but the con! Also, remember the New York Anime Fest really is a spin off of NYCC and we are doing that September 24-26 this year.

NRAMA: Okay Lance, we're grilled you enough, we all need to return to our respective corners and continue prepping for the show. Any parting thoughts as we go to our separate corners and respectively keep preparing for this year's show?

LS: Thanks for sparing me the hot light in this interrogation we’ll see you at the con!!!!

Return to the New York Comic Con 2008 mini-site...

[Carter101]

Wow i am so jealous I'm not there! For all you guys and gals that do, have the time of your lives! (P.S. You can pick me up something too )