I was one of the first people to accept an invite from United Fan Con up in Springfield, MA, in November…and, as of last night, was the very first one (and, to my knowledge, the only one) to be disinvited. As opposed to Orlando where I was simply summarily dumped from the roster, this time I was contacted by the convention organizer who explained that, well, they only had so much money to go around, and they were so busy paying for the appearance fees and hotel rooms for the–y’know–important guests, and their advance registration or interest in purchasing photo ops or signed pictures in advance had been so far below projection, that they could no longer afford to have me out even though I don’t charge appearance fees. They had to cut the budget somewhere and apparently I’m it. They couldn’t afford hotel stay and travel costs for the guy who signs tons of comic books and such for free because they needed to be able to accommodate all the folks who charge fans $20/$30 a pop for signatures.
I doubt that anyone was coming to United Fan Con just to see me–certainly the convention organizers are banking on that–but if you were, and you were hoping to get free autographs, you’re out of luck.
You know, I just can’t get enough of having regional conventions use my name for initial promotion and then dump me at the last minute. Actually, now that I think about it…I can. I’m going to be thinking long and hard before accepting invites for any smaller conventions; I’m just tired of having my face stepped on.
PAD
• 
The convention is in trouble. It has been losing money for several years and they are doing everything in their power to stay afloat. They also want to produce a quality convention with plenty of activities. Unfortunately they charge for every little extra thing to do that by the time the dust settles, most people are out of money. Rather than gain more fans (something they just can’t do) they are trying to get more money out of the people who are loyal. If anyone refuses to pay for more expensive tickets, they are no longer loyal and are considered the enemy (hence the tight editing over their forum). I have never seen a company or service get so mad and bully their customers like the way UFC does. They are always talking down to them and treat them horribly. Slowly they are losing these loyal people because the organizers are panicking and getting mad at anyone who is not giving them full attention and tons of money. They blame people for not being supportive and they blame everyone for every problem with the convention except their selves.
The organizers are always interested in the minor details, more worried about Mr. David’s expenses than the main problems of why their membership is down. They are always giving excuses for failures with smaller parts of the convention (some that people wouldn’t even know about if they weren’t brought up) and try to give the impression that the organizers are the best.
Last year they ripped into several guest suggestions as they felt those people were from series that were no longer of interest. Of course why Claudia Christian and classic Doctor Who guests were there last year is beyond understanding.
They have burnt so many bridges and this year has probably been the worst so far.
😛
I just looked at the UFC threads to see if they deleted that newer post linking this site. Nope. Unless I’m just missing it, they seem to have deleted the entire thread.
I can’t figure out whether or not that’s sad or funny.
From just checking now it seems as the whole topic on the UFC fan forum has been deleted. Oh Big Brother at its finest. So disappointing.
Lingster: “Maybe you should have done some checking before you committed to be a guest?”
Are you high? Seriously, are you stoned or something?
UFC approached Peter, not the other way around. Besides, what was he supposed to do? Ask to see their budget for the con? Bug their offices to be sure they weren’t just playing “made ya look?”
If they weren’t serious about having him as a guest they shouldn’t have sought him out, and they shouldn’t have used his name in their promotions. If they underestimated their costs this year, or overestimated potential attendance, that’s not Peter’s problem.
A guest should do “some checking” before accepting an unsolicited offer? Good God, I have no idea what the world looks like through your eyes. And I doubt I’d want to.
Yup. They deleted not just the two responses, but the entire thread.
Not exactly “United,” is it.
PAD
Peter.
I was wondering if you considered the idea of taking a credit card number that could be charged if you were cancelled. Sort of like a car rental deal where the money is tagged but not used unless defaulted on. You might even consider asking the Comicbook Legal Defense Fund to take the card number, and if a con defaults, the Defense Fund gets the donation.
Just please tell us that you’ll still be at Heroes next summer in Charlotte…I can’t imagine Sheldon ever doing such a thing…and if he did, we’d find a way to pay your expenses.
Are you planning on going to Philcon next month?
This is what they’ve now posted over on the United Fan Con site, after deleted two previous queries:
“Running a convention is a very difficult and complicated job. Often things that are planned are canceled or changed due to work commitments by guests or the lack of support, staffing or funding for that activity. For the last few years we tried to add comic book tracks and guests to our event. Unfortunately, we have not been able to organize a reasonable guest lineup or track for this year’s event. So, it was with great regret that a decision was made to cancel comic book writer Peter David. Mr. David was personally contacted and made aware that, under the current convention plans, budget and staffing, his appearance was not going to generate the interest needed to cover the expense. We are sorry that some of you will be disappointed by the decision, but sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the best interest of the event.”
I see. When all is said and done, I’m “comic book writer Peter David.” And apparently comic book writer Peter David is simply not interesting enough.
This is not to be confused with Star Trek novelist Peter David, or “Space Cases” co-creator (with Bill Mumy, a guest at the convention) or scripter for “Babylon 5” (also featuring Bill Mumy) or writer for “Crusade” (featuring Tracy Scoggins, also attending the convention) or “Battlestar Galactica” novelist. Funny how every year when I perform in their cabaret I’ve performed songs or original poetry or done jokes, none of which had anything to do with comic books.
The bottom line is that their big name draws aren’t pulling in the numbers they were anticipating. So they figured the way to make ends meet was to yank the rug out from under me, and the excuse they’re using is that I’m simply not worth their while. I’m worth having my name to advertise their convention for five months…but nothing beyond that.
Uncool. Extremely uncool.
PAD
Isn’t revisionist history a wonderful thing? behalf. Even taking them at their word that there wasn’t time to develop a comic book track, I would have thought you’d fit into a B5 panel quite neatly,what with having written those episodes and novels and stuff. Or a Star Trek panel. Or a Space Cases panel. There’s really no point in hashing this over now, because it’s all rationalization after the fact, as opposed to, you know, the truth.
It will be interesting to see if, as these things inevitably happen, one of those very expensive guests cancels out at the last minute due to work commitments and the organizers suddenly have a gap in their guest list…
So, the same guy that other larger and better
Sorry. Cat attack.
______________________________
So, the same guy that other larger and better conventions will invite as a guest, promote, appoint as MC or host for large events, schedule for numerous panels that are almost always packed and present awards to is just a writer of comics who doesn’t generate enough interest to bring fans into their convention? Yeah, that’s the line I would have used (not) to try and lure you back next year or the year after that. Yeah, they could have worded that a lot better and given it a lot more thought.
I’m not even in the PR biz and I could have handled this better and earlier then they did and given a far less insulting explanation for the need to deal with the fact that they spent more money then they actually could and needed to backtrack.
I can’t blame you for being ticked off.
So, the same guy that other larger and better conventions will invite as a guest, promote, appoint as MC or host for large events, schedule for numerous panels that are almost always packed and present awards to is just a writer of comics who doesn’t generate enough interest to bring fans into their convention? Yeah, that’s the line I would have used (not) to try and lure you back next year or the year after that. Yeah, they could have worded that a lot better and given it a lot more thought.
I’m not even in the PR biz and I could have handled this better and earlier then they did and given a far less insulting explanation for the need to deal with the fact that they spent more money then they actually could and needed to backtrack.
I can’t blame you for being ticked off.
I like this bit quite a lot…
We are also sorry this message was not posted earlier, however it has been a very busy weekend and Mr. David was just contacted on Friday evening. Posts regarding Mr. David’s appearance were deleted by our forum admin until we could make a formal announcement.
Thank you for your understanding
UFC staff
They took the time to delete posts and a thread rather save time by just saying that a statement on the matter would be released later? Again, I’m not in the biz or a PR wiz, but I would tend to think that kind of thing would create more ill will then good. And if the statement they released was actually one that they spent time thinking about and coming up with… Can you imagine how bad it could have been written?
I love the “Thank you for your understanding” bit. It’s kinda like saying “Well, if you understand, good, story over, if you don’t, well, tough.”
C’mon PAD, don’t bail out on the smaller cons now. The midwest Komic Funny Book Convention And Corn Eatin’ Contest might need an apperance!
Now that I think about it, if anyone does know of a comic book convetion/ corn eating competition, I am totally down with that.
I really don’t understand the convention – how could they uninvite you, after mentioning in the ads that you will be there? (well, obviously, they could).
If you ever decide to come visit Israel, I’m sure that many people would come to a signing and I’m pretty sure that accomidations could be arranged as well (and if not, I have a very nice guest room that could accomidate you and your wife).
Harry Keusch, Lehavim, Israel
Personally, we had thought (and hoped)that UFC would have folded 5 years ago. This is a convention so desperate for money that everything is a la carte: just to attend the dealer’s room (not the convention) is $15 – and a lousy little room at that, little more than T-shirts and Japanese videos. THere is no one-day admission; you must pay $40 for a weekend pass even if you will only be there 4 hours. To get an autograph, another $20-40. A photo? Cough up more. To see Shatner last year, you had to pay $40 to get INTO the convention, and ANOTHER $125+ (depending on ‘reserved’ seating), just to see Shatner. If you wanted photos, it was more. I hate UFC, but I went for one reason only: I hadn’t seen Shatner in 20 years, and his was the only autograph I didn’t have, and he doesn’t sign often. Yes, I would have done far better buying it from a dealer, but I had this stupid fantasy of at least saying hello to him as he signed my paper. Fat chance. The way the autographs were done (assembly line fashion, behind a barrier, no photos/no contact/don’t speak/keep moving) was degrading not only to the fan who had paid huge amounts of coin to get that far, but degrading to Shatner himself, signing as fast as he could without ever looking up, as if his life depended on it. I felt tremendously sorry for him, being treated that way.
I have been to tiny fan conventions run in High School auditoriums, with not even 3rd-string guests, and still had incredible fun. I’ve been to commercial conventions that squeezed 5,000 people into 3,000 seats with no autographs, and been satisfied. I’ve parked my butt at Shoreleave for more than 20 years, because the worst Shoreleave ever is still a great time. I give the guests huge amounts of credit for putting up with some of the nuttier – and more fragrant – fans without losing their smile or their lunch. Outside of Cauldron Con (which WAS a first-time con, and I give them an A for effort even if they were in way over their heads), UFC remains the most horrendously overpriced, overblown, waste of fan money and time that I have been to.
Is a con hard to put on? Yes. It’s a huge undertaking. I’ve helped on committees for the Platinum Anniversary Con, an outgrowth of the old BASH, and was at the organizing meeting for a Connecticut Mini-con that never got off the ground. But when did we as fans, after all these years, become so desperate that we’ll pay far more than we can afford for the chance to be ripped off by cons like UFC? There are really good conventions out there, of all sizes – ICON, Shoreleave, Farpoint, Balticon, DragonCon, Media West, and many more. Get something for your money. I don’t mind paying a *little* more for big-name guests I’d kill to see, but not more than $10-20 over the last year’s membership, and I want something else for my time and money than just squeezing into an auditorium.
Good Cons are out there. Support them. Stay away from the troubled, and usually exhorbitant, ones. Would YOU treat a guest this way? Why support rudeness in a convention? If they treat the guests this way, how do you really think you the fan will be treated?
Buyer Beware.
UFC sold their souls a long time ago. I swore I’d never go again after last year’s Shatner fiasco.
They claim they are a fan convention, but they haven’t been that for at least 6 or 7 years. They charge outrageous prices, treat us like cattle, and then are surprised when attendance keeps getting worse and worse each year. I lump them in the same boat as Creation conventions, they care about nothing except the bottom line.
So no, I’m not willing to cut UFC some slack, they deserve the bad press! They are NOT a fan con!
I have worked as a booking agent for events, not a sci-fi or comic show, I grant you. Cancellations happen. I have never seen talent complain with as much vitriol as on this site. I have read your works and enjoyed them but quite honestly I am shocked by the unprofessional manner in which you are carrying on. Worse still, you appear to lash out at those few folks who disagree with you. I support your right to freedom of speech but at the same time I am disappointed in you, sir. I’ll no doubt be savaged for my opinion but as a writer I would have thought you would be open to the free exchange of ideas, even those that differ from yours.
Apparently cancellations never happen in the world of shiny boots, tights, and long capes. Too bad.
Sincerely, a disillusioned Peter David reader unaffiliated with United Fan Con
BTW, Peter, just read the excerpt over at startrek.com. Now I have to get that book in my hands posthaste.
*Indecent*? What the hëll are you talking about?
Presumably he/she is referring to the ‘can’t get enough of regional conventions…’ in your original post. Read selectively enough, you seem to be implying they signed you with intent to dump you after trading on your name. (But it’s an unnatural reading.)
Unrelated- I had a conversation last night wherein someone said you favored the spelling ‘Grey Hulk’ over ‘Gray Hulk.’ Usenet searching brought me no joy, you always just used ‘Hulk’ in response to questions (almost as if you find the distinction artificial, heh) but google-in-general gives the British ‘Grey’ about a 30% lead.
Is there a particular spelling you favor for the Hulk? (And if yes, why?)
Ugh. How preposterous! If only there were contracts for convention appearances.
Like many people I’d love to see you at a show around this area (Nashville, in case anyone is wondering).
I sometimes get dissapointed that for the size and population of our area, we don’t attract or have organizers for larger shows. But after seeing what you wrote here. I’d much rather have our smaller more intimate shows with people signing stuff for happy fans for free, than to have to pay just to get something signed.
Please don’t bail on all of the regional cons. We still love you in Philly!
Hugh Casey
Philcon
“Presumably he/she is referring to the ‘can’t get enough of regional conventions…’ in your original post. Read selectively enough, you seem to be implying they signed you with intent to dump you after trading on your name. (But it’s an unnatural reading.)”
Well, let’s face it: This is the second regional convention in a row that had my name in their advertising right up until the final weeks.
And, guys, these are only the examples that you know about. During my career there have been three different occasions where I was an advertised guest by conventions that didn’t have me signed as a guest. The thinking is simple: List me as a guest and then, when I don’t show up, claim that I canceled at the last minute. I have to tell you, I just LOVE getting hate mail from angry fans who tell me that they came to a convention just to see me and I didn’t show up…and I have no idea what convention they’re referring to.
So when I get jacked around by a convention, do I automatically assume malfeasance? No. But I’m not exactly quick to give the benefit of the doubt.
In the case of UFC, I believe they signed me on with the notion that I was disposable–a “safety guest,” as it were. Someone they knew they could have if they couldn’t get more “important” guests. Many of the guests they invited were done so subsequent to me. As a matter of economics–as a matter of professionalism–they should have been keeping a running budget and saying, “This is how much money we’ve committed to having Peter come, so we should keep that in mind for negotiations with future guests.” Except they didn’t. That alone should tell you something. They then were willing to give the “important” guests whatever they asked and then, lo and behold, no longer had money left to cover my basic expenses.
And now, on their website, they don’t want to cop to that, so they come up with the notion that I don’t fit into their narrow-casting of comic book programming.
PAD
“I’ll no doubt be savaged for my opinion but as a writer I would have thought you would be open to the free exchange of ideas, even those that differ from yours.”
I am. The irrefutable proof of this is that I don’t delete postings with differing ideas.
PAD
“I have worked as a booking agent for events, not a sci-fi or comic show, I grant you. Cancellations happen. I have never seen talent complain with as much vitriol as on this site.”
Just out of morbid curiosity, the talent that you book: Do they charge appearance fees? And if they are cancelled, do they receive a kill fee to make up for the cancellation?
PAD
Your behavior gets increasingly disappointing, and it is another example of how many creative people don’t have sound business heads. You are taking something personally that is a business transaction, and then resorting to inane schoolboy shenanigans in a public forum. It’s quite immature.
Thank you for not deleting my earlier post, at least. Maybe this way some more open-minded people can read through the discussion and make up their own minds objectively. From what I see, though, the Cult of Personality is a scary thing, and you have people ready to back you up without question. Good for you, but although I don’t give a dámņ either way about United Fan Con, you have a lost a customer in me, and I certainly wouldn’t book you for a child’s birthday party with your bad attitude.
“Just out of morbid curiosity, the talent that you book: Do they charge appearance fees? And if they are cancelled, do they receive a kill fee to make up for the cancellation?
PAD”
To be frank, that is business best left between the client and the promoter, which is where it should beleft by professionals and gentlemen.
Enjoy your career, sir.
Ajay
“From what I see, though, the Cult of Personality is a scary thing, and you have people ready to back you up without question. Good for you, but although I don’t give a dámņ either way about United Fan Con, you have a lost a customer in me, and I certainly wouldn’t book you for a child’s birthday party with your bad attitude.”
Ah, save us from the self-styled one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind.
The predictable rant goes as follows: The poster who disapproves or disagrees with me is the only clear-eyed individual. The fact that he disapproves of me provides him that clarity, Q.E.D. Anyone who agrees with me is doing so, not because they have independently arrived at that conclusion, but because they are caught up in a “cult of personality” and presumably cannot think for themselves. Instead they rely on me to do their thinking for them and then parrot my beliefs unquestioningly.
So those who disapprove of me are clear-thinkers, and those who agree with me are muzzy-headed, leaving it impossible for any rational individual to come to his own conclusion that I’ve been ill-used. Thus do you sweepingly insult anyone who agrees with me, insinuating that they’re too stupid to think for themselves.
And you have a problem with *my* attitude? I think you’re the one who needs an attitude check.
PAD
Wow.
Yes, Peter, how dare you take affront at being on the abusive end of an unprofessional business transaction? What nerve you have.
Sheesh.
“To be frank, that is business best left between the client and the promoter, which is where it should beleft by professionals and gentlemen.”
Noooo, no no. You brought it up. You’re the one who cited personal and professional knowledge of such things. And now you’re begging off?
Allow me to answer the question for you, because we both know the truth: When such things are handled through booking agencies, you bet your ášš there’s fees involved. That’s where the agent earns their commission. And if the booker suddenly cancels, then there are still cancellation fees that have to be paid and met.
I don’t charge fees. So the conventions cancel with impunity.
When I attend a convention, I typically bring material to sell. I can make a decent amount of money selling it. Nothing on par with the actors charging $20 a picture, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either. And once I accept a convention, I turn down other gigs that could conflict or are nearby in dates. So when conventions then cancel me at the last minute, that costs me money I could have earned at other conventions.
PAD
“Noooo, no no. You brought it up. You’re the one who cited personal and professional knowledge of such things. And now you’re begging off?”
I’m not begging off at all. Perhaps United Fan Con did crap on you from on high. Perhaps you are justified in feeling used and abused.
But that’s not the point.
The point is: take it up with them! The public shouldn’t hear about it. The court of public opinion is usually biased and unwieldy, which is why there are no more lynchings in the town squares.
Be. A. Professional.
You’re just making yourself look silly.
Ajay, it’s a bit unfair to invoke the term ‘cult of personality’ when you’re actually discussing it on somebody’s own website. Is it safe to assume that some of the folks that might read Peter David’s blog could possibly be fans of his, or at least interested readers?
And just out of curiosity, why is immature for Peter to inform readers of this blog about his dis-invitation to a convention that some of them might be planning to attend because he was a guest? If somebody pre-ordered a ticket several weeks ago thinking they might meet Peter David and maybe get a few of their books signed, is it unreasonable for them to wonder why his name has been removed from the convention’s guest list? I’m sorry, but ‘It’s just business’ isn’t a good enough explanation.
And as Peter has pointed out, this is hardly the first time this sort of situation has happened to him. Is it ‘just business’ when a convention advertises a best-selling SF/television writer thus selling X number of tickets, only to dis-invite him because they’re over-extended their budget on other, more expensive guests? I too have seen this sort of thing happen on a number of occasions, where organizers will book in a couple of ‘safety guests’ just in case a number of their big name actors are unavailable. Quite often, those safety guests prove to be a convention’s salvation when all the big name guests cancel at the 11th hour because they get a job. To suddenly dispense with them is not ‘just business,’ because a successful business can’t afford to engage in those practices without damaging their reputations or losing deposits. The reason that some of these conventions make these decisions is because they’re not run as businesses; that’s why many a fan organizer has had to put a second mortgage on their house when their convention falls apart.
To Joe Nazzaro:
You expressed your opinions intelligently and politely, which is worthy of respect. Thank you. However, as I just wrote to PAD himself, it could very well be that he is justified in feeling mistreated. The bottom line is that it’s none of my business, or yours, or his readership’s. This is only my opinion, but he should be taking it up with them. You’re overlooking the fact that the reason I’m here is because I was an interested reader, too, but there are always two sides to every story, and people appear to be too willing to jump on the bandwagon because they are fans. If this judgment offends you, I’m sorry. What bothers me the most is how this matter is being turned into a pity party in a public forum. That is what I think is the most unprofessional thing of all.
Hello,
You don’t know me, I was referred here by a friend. I hope that you, instead of tagging all small conventions with the same brush, start to learn about how to pick a good convention.
I suggest that you a) ask for previous year programme books; b)look through the guest lists and contact some of the guests to ask them about how they were treated; c) ask them about their budgets -do they actually have the money; d) ask them about specifics about how and when they will fix your travel, room costs or whatever else you might be offered. From these and other similar questions you can get a sense of the con and the volunteers.
I was part of a small con and although we couldn’t generally promise anything (not even room nights for everyone who was not a guest of honour) we were up front about that. When we could we did pay for more – sometimes it was only gas money, sometimes it ended up being room nights and travel. We did offer a great green room with lots of real food and special needs met. We were a general science fiction convention and we had a no honorarium rule. It didn’t seem right to pay for guests when we couldn’t afford room nights for everyone. I think we did well by our guests – they kept being willing to come back, which should mean something (and is another easy check on a convention).
I’m sorry about your bad experience there, but honestly, small conventions when they are well run, are my favourites. I hope you find one that will become one of yours. Conventions are nothing without their guests.
PS And before someone complains, yes, they are also nothing without their attendees, either.
Adrienne, you might want to read through the whole thread. PAD has already stated that he’s attended this con several times in the past. A lack of information about the con wasn’t the problem.
He’s also fully aware that a well run con can be fun. It’s not like he’s never been to small conventions before.
This is like the government logic that says we’re broke, so let’s cut the library budget — which is less than 10% of the overall budget, and meanwhile the really expensive stuff doesn’t get any kind of cut at all.
Several people have asked me why I haven’t gone to UFC. Well, first off, they haven’t invited me. Now, if they do, I’ll be declining, and pointing to this shabby treatment of my friend and colleague.
Fûçkņûŧš.
Ajay: “The point is: take it up with them! The public shouldn’t hear about it. The court of public opinion is usually biased and unwieldy, which is why there are no more lynchings in the town squares.”
The problem with your line of reasoning is that Peter didn’t make this issue public. UFC did when they promoted Peter as one of their guests.
Furthermore, UFC is a business, not the CIA. Bad business practices result in bad publicity. Anyone who cannot cope with that reality shouldn’t be in business.
If UFC wants to refute the idea that they have acted unprofessionally, they can do so by posting right here.
And Peter’s logic regarding his time and money is indisputable. He commits to a convention, turns down other commitments that would conflict, and then gets the rug pulled from underneath him with too little time left to book anything else. It costs him money.
Ajay: “Be. A. Professional.”
Peter has done nothing unprofessional. You can declare otherwise, just as you can declare that a circle is a square. But the circle will remain a circle no matter how much hot gas you expel about it.
To Bill Myers:
All Peter needed to say is that his appearance was cancelled. I have worked in the industry of booking talent before, as I said, not for scifi conventions, but I have never seen someone go to his blog and whine about a cancellation like this.
A circle is a circle. A square is the square. Going onto a blog and detailing all of your pain and heartache over the cancellation is childish and unprofessional. If the promoters did him wrong, they will suffer in their own way due to poor business practices. That’s how I feel. You won’t change my mind and I won’t change yours.
But it had to be said.
Ajay: Thank you for not deleting my earlier post, at least. Maybe this way some more open-minded people can read through the discussion and make up their own minds objectively. From what I see, though, the Cult of Personality is a scary thing, and you have people ready to back you up without question.
Luigi Novi: Since it’s obvious from these comments that you’re new here, you should be advised that Peter never deletes posts from people who disagree with him. (Perhaps you’re confusing this blog with John Byrne’s forum.) He instead responds to them to explain his position, or, when the dissenter in question makes it clear that they’re not capable of constructive discussion, he ceases responding to them altogether. The only instances in which Peter deletes posts are those in which the poster posts spam or attacks upon his family.
I myself have disagreed with Peter on numerous occasions on many issues, as have many of the regulars here. Peter is assertive in explaining why he will not accept another’s position, but your accusation that there is a Cult of Personality here is unfounded, and inexcusable. If anyone here is exhibiting behavior that is unprofessional and childish, it is you, sir. At the very least, you could have looked around to see if there truly was such a cult-like system here before assuming it a priori and making that false accusation. There is nothing “intelligent” or “polite” about your decision to make that accusation without any foundation to it.
Ajay: To be frank, that is business best left between the client and the promoter, which is where it should beleft by professionals and gentlemen… The point is: take it up with them! The public shouldn’t hear about it. The court of public opinion is usually biased and unwieldy, which is why there are no more lynchings in the town squares.
Luigi Novi: As Peter made clear, the reason that making this point public becomes necessary is because fans sometimes complain to him that he “cancelled at the last minute”, even at conventions where he didn’t know he was being advertised as an attendee in the first place. So at the very least, this requires him to clear the air with fans who need to be informed that he did not do this. It also serves to explain for future reference why he may not attend a particular convention.
Ajay: The bottom line is that it’s none of my business, or yours, or his readership’s.
Luigi Novi: That’s not your call to make. It’s Peter’s. If he has been treated in such a way that leaves a false impression in fans who think he cancelled an appearance at the last minute, then it is perfectly reasonable for him to clarify that that is not the case.
Ajay: …people appear to be too willing to jump on the bandwagon because they are fans. If this judgment offends you, I’m sorry.
Luigi Novi: If that judgment were illustrated with evidence that excluded other, more reasonable scenarios, and was not a mere ad hominem argument made toward anyone merely because they happened to agree with Peter in this instance, then it would certainly be more valid. But you did not do this. You simply assume that anyone who agrees with Peter is guilty of demagoguery, without really knowing if that’s the case.
You can confine your posts to discussing the convention matter, or you can go beyond that and cast aspersions on the possible motives that others might have for not agreeing with you. If you do the former, you’ll at least be given more credence than if you engage in the latter.
“Going onto a blog and detailing all of your pain and heartache over the cancellation is childish and unprofessional.”
Detailing pain and heartache? Were you reading the same blog? PAD’s post wasn’t nearly as melodramatic or “whiny” as you’re making it seem. Just his usual snark. You’re the one making this more dramatic than it needs to be. UFC effed up and they’re getting called out on it. End of story.
Ajay–you must be new here.
This is Peter David’s blog. This is where Peter talks about what he’s up to, and rants and raves about what bugs him. He’s currently being bugged by his ill-treatment by United Fan Con, and is completely within his rights to vent. I think he trusts his readers to be aware enough to understand that these are his opinions, and take them accordingly.
I see this blog as more of a “social” space than necessarily a “work” space. Sure, he talks about his work, because, well, it takes up quite a bit of his time, but he also talks about current politics and television shows that he’s only involved in as a viewer. So I don’t see him under any obligation to be “professional” here. He’s got an office to be “professional” in, where he does his actual work.
I would hate to think that once you reach a certain level of success, every opinion you express on the Internet has to be vetted for “professionalism.” This rather puts me off the notion of becoming a full-time writer.
Well, Laura, I just reread not only the post but his comments throughout the thread. Sorry, but it’s very whiny and melodramatic.
Anyway, I am out of here. I’m sure you won’t miss me. I didn’t do this just to flame or anything like that, I genuinely like Peter David’s writing and am interested in the entire entertainment industry from a promoter/client perspective, but am disappointed with his behavior and will not be buying any of his product in the future.
Ajay-
No it didn’t “have to be said”. You chose to say and and everything else you have posted here.
I notice you were very careful to post in your first post that you are NOT affiliated with UFC which I will take you at your word for since I tend to do that with people on the Internet (which we all know might not be a smart move).
Now we get to have our say too.
Peter posted this here to head off the questions he was going to get in November when he was not at the convention. He does not “air” all the things he is told by fans or conventions or other professionals in the industry.
I was looking forward to going to the convention as were the girls. We had a lot of fun as a family the past two years we had gone to UFC and had recommended the convention as one that we though was a good one and we enjoyed going to.
Don’t believe me? Check web log entries from both Peter and me for the past two years about the convention and our participation at the convention.
Kath
Ajay-
No it didn’t “have to be said”. You chose to say and and everything else you have posted here.
I notice you were very careful to post in your first post that you are NOT affiliated with UFC which I will take you at your word for since I tend to do that with people on the Internet (which we all know might not be a smart move).
Now we get to have our say too.
Peter posted this here to head off the questions he was going to get in November when he was not at the convention. He does not “air” all the things he is told by fans or conventions or other professionals in the industry.
I was looking forward to going to the convention as were the girls. We had a lot of fun as a family the past two years we had gone to UFC and had recommended the convention as one that we though was a good one and we enjoyed going to.
Don’t believe me? Check web log entries from both Peter and me for the past two years about the convention and our participation at the convention.
Kath
Ajay-
No it didn’t “have to be said”. You chose to say and and everything else you have posted here.
I notice you were very careful to post in your first post that you are NOT affiliated with UFC which I will take you at your word for since I tend to do that with people on the Internet (which we all know might not be a smart move).
Now we get to have our say too.
Peter posted this here to head off the questions he was going to get in November when he was not at the convention. He does not “air” all the things he is told by fans or conventions or other professionals in the industry.
I was looking forward to going to the convention as were the girls. We had a lot of fun as a family the past two years we had gone to UFC and had recommended the convention as one that we though was a good one and we enjoyed going to.
Don’t believe me? Check web log entries from both Peter and me for the past two years about the convention and our participation at the convention.
Kath
Ajay-
No it didn’t “have to be said”. You chose to say and and everything else you have posted here.
I notice you were very careful to post in your first post that you are NOT affiliated with UFC which I will take you at your word for since I tend to do that with people on the Internet (which we all know might not be a smart move).
Now we get to have our say too.
Peter posted this here to head off the questions he was going to get in November when he was not at the convention. He does not “air” all the things he is told by fans or conventions or other professionals in the industry.
I was looking forward to going to the convention as were the girls. We had a lot of fun as a family the past two years we had gone to UFC and had recommended the convention as one that we though was a good one and we enjoyed going to.
Don’t believe me? Check web log entries from both Peter and me for the past two years about the convention and our participation at the convention.
Kath
I’m still trying to figure out how this has managed to becomne a discussion.
PAD was booked to appear at a convention. (When I first read the post I thought you had accepted a year ago, but I think that’s a misread. In any case I would assume you had several months notice.)
The convention changed it’s mind and asked Peter not to come. Costing him money, and also affecting his reputation. (I would have to say 99.9 percent of any disappointed fans would blame PAD for not showing up)
PAD has decided on his personal site to let people know why he isn’t going. And given this is the second convention in recent memory that has used his name for promotional purposes and failed to come through on their side of the bargain, PAD is getting a little annoyed at how he’s being cheated.
Ajay as near as I can tell your complaint is that the public is too biased to hear PAD’s account, and therefore should be told nothing as to why he wasn’t attending.
[i]The point is: take it up with them! The public shouldn’t hear about it. The court of public opinion is usually biased and unwieldy, which is why there are no more lynchings in the town squares.[/i]
Am I correct in saying that?
If I am then what you are essentially saying is we’re too dumb and/or ignorant to be able to handle information of this nature. You do realise that’s incredibly condescending don’t you?
Is it my business to know if a convention is treating the talent badly? Sure it is. Same is it’s my business to know if Walmart is hiring illegal immigrants and locking them in the store overnight.
If I am going to be spending money at an event, I think I have a right to know that that the event planners are people who i want to give money to.
I don’t want to book off my weekend and budget my money on an event that I feel disrespects the talent. But then I ask my local comic store guy how the convention goes and if he feels it was worth attending.
Do I assume that PAD is generally being honest about his experience? Yes. Is that unfair? i certainly hope not.
Here’s my interpretation of what happened. UFC had an opportunity to get someone or someones who they felt would be a big draw for their convention. The added revenue would not only cover any gap in their budget, but help them out financially for the next con. Unfortunately for whatever reason the interest wasn’t as high as the convention hoped. With the projections of revenue down they had to cut the budget from somewhere, and PAD was the cheapest option they had.
Did they cancel him because they don’t like him? No, and PAD never said they did.
Did PAD imply that the convention thought he was less important then the other guests who charge money for the autographs.
Yes, and in terms of the bottom line, the convention probably does see him as less important, because he’s not the Hollywood guy.
PAD’s position is conventions having been using his name for promotional business to help stir interest from comic buying public, then cancelling him, leaving him to deal with irate fans and loss of income, and he’s not going to stay silent anymore, when that silence only makes it worse for him.