Looking At September: Dan Far Talks Comic Con Planning

SLUG: What was the process in choosing the six you have so far and getting them on board.
Dan: We are always listening to fans and attend other events and see how the guests do there and we also maintain great relationships with their agents.

SLUG: The name that got the biggest pop in the room was Bruce Campbell, who has been a requested guest since last year. How is it to finally have him on board to attend?
Dan: It’s awesome. I had the opportunity to spend some time with him at other events and he sat and talked with me for some time about ideas, and he finally had a free schedule to join us in September.

SLUG: The second biggest pop was for John Barrowman, and its been a heavy request in the past to get a Doctor Who panel at the Con. Are there any plans in the works to get that together?
Dan: Whenever we can group celebrities together we do, but it is difficult to get them all together. We have done panels with other Doctor Who stars.

SLUG: You had briefly mentioned that if they get the funding, Kevin Sorbo’s new project may be premiering at the Con. What are your plans to hit up other companies about doing premiers?
Dan: We are always looking for companies that will do premiers. There are few that do and they don’t want to delay premiers, but with our event continuing to grow, we certainly hope that it will be happening more often.

SLUG: Someone asked if you were going to be working with Marvel or DC down the road. What plans do you have in mind to incorporate them if the opportunity arises?
Dan: We absolutely are pursuing them and have had dialogue with both companies and as our reputations continues to build, it will hopefully come about. And they are very particular of what events they go to.

SLUG: Right now, based off attendance records, Comic Con looks on par to becoming the third, if not second biggest Con in the country. How are you preparing for the crowds this next time around?
Dan: We had the capacity to handle double what we had for FanX with the wonderful Salt Palace.

SLUG: Without obviously giving away plans, how will you be announcing the upcoming guests and events over the next five months?
Dan: We always try to come up with new fun ways to keep it interesting. We like to listen to the fans and give hints and clues randomly.