Tag: ClexaCon 2018 (page 1 of 2)

ClexaCon London Saturday Adventures

13 February 2019 / Greet / Comments Off

ClexaCon London Saturday Adventures

Last week, I told you about my ClexaCon Friday adventures, where I was trying to find the bus tour and failed miserably. I also tried to pick up my press pass at the I Can’t Think Straight screening and failed miserably. On top of that, I tried to go to the badge pick-up party only for a little while but failed miserably. So, I started ClexaCon London Saturday off in a tired but excited way. Below, I explain what I did! Also, for fun footage, please check out the video below this image.

Starting my ClexaCon London Saturday a little tired

Because I had so much fun at the badge pick-up party, I was a little tired when I woke up. However, at these cons, you basically live off adrenaline, so I knew I would be fine.

I first tried to find the press room because I just wanted to know what kind of atmosphere I would be working in for these two days. Also, I was curious to see what other press members there were and who I knew from previous events and social media.

Well, I can tell you that the press always has a fun time together, being stuck in that room for these high-pressure moments. Well, I still consider them high-pressure moments; I’m sure the press members who have more experience with these cons are more relaxed. I actually got laughed at for being nervous again before the interview Kat Barrell! I can’t help it: it’s still surreal to me that I get to be there and interview these people that I admire! So laugh all you want :p

Exploring the convention

Because vlogging is an exciting part of my trips to these cons, I decided to film everything I came across when I started exploring the convention that morning. The abundance of unicorns made me very happy and there were already autograph queues at 9:30 am! The vendor part was much smaller than the Las Vegas vendor part but the essentials were there: queer books, shirts, magazines, and accessories. I also quickly found the main panel room and the smaller panel rooms.

I immediately noticed it was a very smart location for this pop-up ClexaCon event. They wanted to make it a much smaller and more intimate con than the Vegas one. Working with two floors definitely brought that vibe. The press room was on the lower ground as were the rooms for the Q&As and the photo ops. So, leaving or entering the press room, we occasionally bumped into some long lines but you did not see those on the main floor. That made the main floor a more active area but not with too many people. If you had troubles with large crowds, I think this con was less overwhelming than the Vegas edition.

ClexaCon London Saturday: Interview Kat Barrell

I had to come back from exploring quite quickly because Kat’s interview was scheduled at 10 am. Like I said, I was nervous again. I had two questions that I really wanted to ask her. Plus, I had a bunch of questions from my Instagram followers. With only 15 minutes of time and many other press members present, I could not ask the questions from my Instagram followers, unfortunately. I was really happy I got to ask my two questions though. And, I think she may have recognized me from Love Fan Fest. She really is the sweetest and she takes the time to answer your question to the best of her abilities. I appreciate her dedication!

Sense of community

After the interview, I made sure to take some time to edit the footage and put it online immediately. You can watch it here. I was able to talk to some of the other visitors after that, which is exactly the reason why these cons are so much fun. They really do create a sense of community and talking to everyone else present is just so wonderful. You don’t feel as if you stand out. Nearly everybody is part of the queer community so these are the moments you are the majority.

I have a que(e)ry

After lunch, I went to the I have a que(e)ry panel. It “explored where non-binary and gender non-conforming people fit within gendered, queer spaces.”

There was one issue they talked about that I had never even considered. If you identify as non-binary and you are in a relationship with someone, are you then straight or queer? Are you part of the queer/LGBTQ+ community or not? Whoa!

Kat Barrell’s panel

Then, it was time to visit Kat’s panel. It was her first panel by herself so that was special. I think we learned quite a few things. For instance, I now know she was an Uber driver for quite some time. She described that as being very helpful being an actor studying people. I loved how she talked about the pants she wore in season 1 and how her outfits changed over the season. At times, it was fun and at times, it was heartwarming.

Next week, I’ll talk about the rest of my ClexaCon London Saturday adventures. In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! I upload a new video every Wednesday that discusses LGBT+ events or movies.

PS here are my interviews with Natasha, Elise & Annie, Jamie Clayton, the team behind I Can’t Think Straight, Nicole Pacent, Mandahla Rose, the writer and producer of Different for Girls, and the directors of ClexaCon.

Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs visited ClexaCon London

30 January 2019 / Greet / Comments Off

Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs visited ClexaCon London

Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs visited the press room of ClexaCon London to discuss their Carmilla characters, queer representation, and stereotyping, among other things. I have uploaded the video of this interview during the con but I had not had the time yet to write down the interview. So, here it is. One question is mine, the others are from some of the other press members present. We discussed more, which you can find in the video below this image.

Two different characters for Annie Briggs

Annie, how was your role in Carmilla challenging as you had to play both Lola and the dean? Did you prefer one role over the other?

Annie Briggs: “I don’t know if I can answer which one I prefer. Honestly, I think the gift in that was that those two characters, the dean versus Lola, were so drastically different.

The most challenging aspect for me was in the second season when I was playing Perry who was beginning to show signs of possession. There is a sort of grey area. There is a much subtler line between the two.

But between like full-on deanie-dean and Lola, they are so different. It was such as joy to play and it was fun. The writers gave me a great gift by creating very, very different character voices. So, half my work really was done for me.”

Queer representation in media

Me: “What is the number one thing content creators and the entertainment industry should do to improve queer representation in media?”

Elise Bauman: “Listen to the queer community. Hire writers of the queer community. Not that I am saying that straight writers can’t write roles for queer people, I don’t think that’s the case.

But I think if you do that, then you have to confer with people who are from the community. I think that is a really important step. If we are going to tell different stories, then we need a diverse writing room that is going to be able to tell those stories accurately.”

Natasha Negovanlis & Annie Briggs simultaneously: “Absolutely.”

Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs face stereotypes

Do you ever come across stereotypes in your career or personal lives?

Annie Briggs: “When do we not?”

Natasha Negovanlis: “All the time. It’s constant. Even when I started doing more comedy or when I did Clairevoyant, a question we got asked a lot in interviews was ‘was it weird working outside of your comfort zone?’ Annie would just cackle: ‘Do you know Natasha? Have you met her?’ Or ‘was it weird doing comedy?’ I don’t know if it is because I have dark hair or sharp features. People assumed very much I was this Carmilla type, which… There are so many elements in my personality in her, absolutely.

I think we face it all the time. Especially with female characters, whether they are straight or queer, they are often two dimensional. Women are there to support the men. I think we have all been really lucky with Carmilla and to have characters that actually have agency and are doing things.

I think one thing as well is once you start playing queer characters, I find that at least for me personally, I almost never get auditions for straight roles anymore, which is really interesting to me. In my day-to-day life, I have a lot of straight passing privilege.”

Stereotyping

Elise Bauman: “Everything comes down to stereotyping. We do it on a day-to-day basis. Think about Tinder. Literally 0.2-second judgment. […]

Something that I’m playing with right now is that I think it’s perhaps the conflicting nature of something is what makes it interesting. Because I am petite, the fact that I box seems really weird to people. That’s what’s interesting to me. That I look a very specific way but then I have this other energy within me and that’s interesting.

I kept thinking for a long time that I had to be my face. My face is a very specific thing and so I thought I had to act the way that my face looked to people. But maybe it is interesting if I am not what my face looks like.”

Annie Briggs: “Right. Like when people find out that one of my hobbies is knitting. They’re like WTF?

[…] I think the best I can offer is on my side of things as a content creator when I am creating roles, is incorporating layered human lives and making sure that that exists across the board.

Also, on a very simplistic level, breakdowns go out to actors and they are always required to dwindle it down into 3 words of the top that is [covering] this complex human life. And that’s not helpful to us on the receiving end.”

Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs visited ClexaCon London discussed more

As said, Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs talked about a few more things. You can find those in the video. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and share the videos you like with your friends. That helps me more than you can imagine.

PS here are my interviews with Kat Barrell, Jamie Clayton, the team behind I Can’t Think Straight, Nicole Pacent, Mandahla Rose, the writer and producer of Different for Girls, and the directors of ClexaCon.

Nicole Pacent Visited the ClexaCon London Press Room

12 December 2018 / Greet / Comments Off

Nicole Pacent Visited the ClexaCon London Press Room

On the final day of ClexaCon London, Nicole Pacent and Mandahla Rose visited the press room together. They are in Passage together, which will come out in 2019. They talked about other projects they have been working on, about queer and non-queer actors playing queer characters, and about mental health. Because the interview was so long, I have divided into two parts. Below, you will find Nicole’s part and here, you will find Mandahla’s part.

You can also find a video of the full interview here.

Are movies and TV trying to do multiple birds with one stone as in “we now have a queer character who is black and in a wheelchair.” How do we counter this attempt to stack multiple forms of diversity within a single character?

Nicole Pacent: That is a great question. I would say that detokenizing all of it is the only way to do that. To say ‘We don’t want the token person of color. We don’t want the token queer person. And we don’t want an X amount of women.’ And I am talking about in front of the camera and behind the camera, right.

I think that is the only way to do it. To start looking at people as people versus what they can bring in terms of their “diversity card.” So, that we are not thinking about it in terms like ‘Ok, have we filled all of our boxes and how can we do this with fewer people?’

I think the root of the issue is the fact that people are tokenized so unless we are talking about it those terms regularly and calling that out, then it is not going to change.

On your panels, you two did not get the chance to talk much about your upcoming projects. What would you like to say about them now?

[Mandahla Rose first talked about their shared project Passage. Then, Nicole Pacent discussed her own projects.]

Nicole Pacent: I have been doing a lot over the past couple of months. So, I have on the podcasting front my Coming-Out Pod with Lauren and Nicole, which comes out weekly on Wednesdays. We interview queer people from all walks of life and tell the tales of how they came out to friends and family and the world at large. See how that rolls off the tongue? I have said it many times. It is the opening of our show. No, it is really wonderful. We have interview Stephanie Beatriz and a bunch of other pretty amazing people. That is on all podcast platforms.

Podcast

I am also on another podcast that is 180 degrees opposite. It is a narrative podcast that just came out from the tech giant SAP. It is Sci-Fi, fantasy, Renaissance nerdy kind of podcast called Searching for Salaì. The podcast is about if Leonardo da Vinci’s assistant Salaì traveled through time and met this one woman. It is about their relationship and trying to debunk his story. There is a whole bunch of nerdy Renaissance and nerdy tech and science stuff in it. And it is just like this beautifully written story and I get to act in it. So, I narrate the entire thing and I am also in all the scenes. That is on the total opposite of the podcasting spectrum but also on all streaming platforms.

Two short films

I shot two short films recently that are both about to do festival runs. One of them is called Other Loving. I play the central character who is a bisexual poly character and who is dealing with a break-up with a boyfriend and having to come home to her wife and talk about that. So, it is stuff people are not seeing, haven’t seen, and are going to feel all different kinds of ways about it, I am sure. It was a really emotional and beautiful project and it has some good people behind it.

I also just shot a short film with Melissa Ponzio. She plays my wife in it and that was also a really wonderful and emotional experience. I do not have dates for the release of either of these movies because again it is going to depend on festivals.

I just wrapped a musical presentation of a musical called Lesbian Love Octagon, which Mandahla saw.

Mandahla Rose: It was pretty fun.

Nicole Pacent: It was f*cking great. We may or may not be doing a full run of that in Los Angeles and/or touring it. If we do, I will let everybody know about that.

Nicole Pacent, you have said on a panel that you have feelings about how important it is for openly queer actors to be playing queer characters. Would you mind going into that a little bit more?

Nicole Pacent: Yes. It is funny; I have not come down on either side of the debate of whether people who are not representative of a certain faction should be playing those characters. We have had that conversation about ethnicity too and it makes a lot of sense that if you are not at least a part of the ethnicity you are playing, that seems wrong to me. I have come down pretty firmly on that side of that debate. I do not think it is that much of a debate anymore.

In terms of LGBTQ characters, it is hard. I have two minds about this. As a queer person, I love being able to play queer characters and I love seeing people who are actually queer portraying that experience. Because there is nothing like somebody who knows to be able to do that. And I love the fans’ reaction that I see to queer people playing queer characters. It is really exciting and fulfilling. I think that there is a real power in that that there is not necessarily when heterosexual people play queer characters. So, from an impact standpoint, I think more queer actors playing more queer characters is the way to go.

Artistic standpoint

From a purely artistic standpoint, I do like to believe that as actors, our job is to be able to transform and to be able to embody different people and different experiences and that is part of how we gain empathy ourselves and how we also loop maybe those who are more close-minded into things.

So, artistically speaking, I am much more open about it but for me, from a business impact standpoint, I do not know. So, those are my two feelings about it.

Me: I was at the table reading of Passage. To me, the question is: does the Sci-Fi aspect of it bring more difficulties to shooting it?

Nicole Pacent: Well, we are not on the production side of it. It did not make it more difficult for us as actors.

Mandahla Rose: No, I got a plasma gun and I was really happy with that.

Nicole Pacent: Is it going to take more effects and camera tricks for them? Yes. We definitely were party to that. We could see that happening but luckily, I got to get home and be like “Bye!”

Make sure you follow Nicole and Mandahla on social media! Their handles are @NicolePacent and @TwiistedRose on Twitter and Instagram.

PS here are my interviews with Kat Barell, Natasha, Elise & Annie, Jamie Clayton, the team behind I Can’t Think Straight, the writer and producer of Different for Girls, and the directors of ClexaCon.

I Can’t Think Straight Visits ClexaCon London

28 November 2018 / Greet / Comments Off

I Can’t Think Straight Visits ClexaCon London

In November, Sheetal Sheth (actor), Shamim Sarif (director), and Hanan Kattan (producer) visited ClexaCon London to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their movie I Can’t Think Straight. Fortunately, they also came to the press room. We were able to ask them some questions about their movies I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen, about queer roles, and about future projects. Not the entire fifteen-minute interview is written down below. So, if you want to know more, please watch the video below this image.

If you had unlimited time and budget, what would you change about I Can’t Think Straight if anything?

Shamim: The changes would be subtle: the shot making, the editing, some of the direction. I think that is just part of evolving as an artist. I think you would feel that for a song you have written ten years ago or a novel. So, what I tried to do at the end of that screening [ClexaCon held an anniversary screening of the movie on Friday] was think: “Wow, look at the impact it is having. People get the core of it.” So, I should not be pernickety whether a steady cam would have been nice here or there. But I think it is just having more tools […], that would be fun to experiment with.

Hanan: And very expensive [laughs].

Shamim: And very expensive. And often I think time is a pressure for movies. With a bit more time, actors would be able to explore their characters more, there would be more ideas, and we would have been able to shoot scenes that were supposed to be in the film but never made it. That would be great. I think it is time that would be more of a luxury.

More time and money

Sheetal: I think it is the same. For more time, you need more money, so that is usually why you do not have a lot of time. For an actor, it is really about having the space to do your work and generally, in smaller movies, you do not have that much, you know. You have to deliver the moment you get there because of time. I am very proud of the film but of course, if we had more time, we could have maybe expounded something else or explored something else or maybe done a cool shot from a different angle. You know, you can spend a day on a scene, which a lot of movies are afforded to do and you can really find so much in that.

On the other hand, there is also something really organic and spontaneous that happens in an environment of small films. I have done so many independent films. If you have the right people involved and the right kind of hearts involved, and everybody knows what to expect when they go there and do not get caught up on the fact that you do not have that stuff, you can really create in a different space, which is also very exciting.

Pre-sale distribution

Hanan: For me, besides the money factor and time, is to have some pre-sale distribution in place, because it guarantees a wider release. For that to happen, people need to know they can invest the money and know that there is a bigger release. But if you are a first-time or second-time movie, that is not that easy.

As queer women, what are your feelings on the importance of having queer actors portraying queer characters?

Shamim: It is actually something that has come up more recently for me as we cast our next film Polarized. It gives queer women more opportunity. I think there are two things. Here has been such a taboo in Hollywood for women to come out because it feels it is killing their career as a heterosexual portrayal. So, I think it is nice to share the other side of that. That you can have queer women play queer characters.

At the same time, I do not think it should be a limitation. In the same way that I do not think queer women should not play heterosexual characters. On a practical level, sales and distribution, sometimes people want a name. If the only name you can think of is Kristen Stewart and she is busy that moment, there are probably not enough queer actors with enough profile to pre-finance a movie. That is another consideration that people do not want to talk about but it is a reality of making film.

Hanan: Whoever suits the role the most. I think it is limiting. It is really the person, do they fit, the chemistry there, can they do it and do it with justice? For me, it is irrelevant as long as they portray the character well.

Tricky

Sheetal [not queer]: I think it is a very tricky thing. First of all, I think the labeling of an actress in any way is the problem. You are not a queer actress: you are an actress who in your personal life is gay. To me, your sexuality should be irrelevant in the sense that you are in your workspace.

But I totally understand the idea that if that somehow has become something you are labeled with, and you are not able to get jobs as a heterosexual person in a movie… This whole conversation is like… But this is the world we live in, right? If it is a problem, then, of course, you should be able to have the roles that are written for someone who is gay.

But to me, as an actress, I am not interested in playing myself. It is about stretching. There is no point in being an actress if you are only going to do the same thing over and over again. But I do think, as a producer and a content creator, you should just be open to hiring people of all backgrounds, making sure there is a seat at the table for everybody, whatever that may mean. But I do not think that can be the only factor; I think it is a more holistic way of making movies.

What does it mean to you personally and to your career to be at an event like ClexaCon London?

Sheetal: It is so exciting. I still cannot believe I Can’t Think Straight has been ten years. Obviously, The World Unseen as well. I could never have imagined the impact that these movies have had on so many. You hope for that. You know, you hope that when you make art, that impacts somebody at some point other than yourself. I think to be invited and welcomed in this way is really sweet and lovely.

The things that I am hearing from meeting everybody and also being able to meet fans that have been messaging and tweeting me and then finally being able to put a face to a name has been really exciting. And then also hearing what it is. What is the story? Hearing in person what the story is and what it has done and why.

Happy ending I Can’t Think Straight

Sheetal: What I keep hearing about I Can’t Think Straight is the happy ending, which I did not realize, is so rare in stories having to do with two women. I am like: “Is that true?” And they are like: “Yeah, actually, either someone dies or there are drugs or there is something.” How is that supposed to give anybody hope? I just do not even understand. Honestly, it blew my mind when I kept hearing over and over ‘thank you for this.’ I did not even write the movie. I learn. I am learning a ton. The fact that that seems to be the reality for this type of content is troubling. It is shocking.

She asks Shamim if she knew this. Shamim: I did not actually, but I am terrible…

After I Can’t Think Straight

Hanan: No, it is after I Can’t Think Straight. It is based on us really [points to Shamim, her wife], some fiction. So, it is amazing how it has affected women. Many women have come out as a result of this film in particular.

Sheetal: The coming-out scene. Word for word, people will quote me. They say: “This is what I said too.” I am like: “Oh my Gosh, you did?”

Hanan: Yes. A lot of women have felt more comfortable in their skin. Maybe some have not come out still but they feel better about themselves. That it is okay to have such feelings or to go through this and to come out. So, coming to events like this is very important to continue with spreading the message and reaching more people.

Sheetal: And giving it the space and the pedigree that it deserves. You do not want to be in the corner. You absolutely have… Everybody has the right to have their own voice and space heard. And so, for ClexaCon to do that, that is really great for them.

More I Can’t Think Straight

As mentioned, this is not the full interview. You can hear more in my video. Do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and share my videos. That really helps with future trips to LGBT+ cons. This matters because I aim to bring the cons home to people who cannot go to them themselves. It only takes a few seconds to help our beautiful community!

Have not watched I Can’t Think Straight yet? You can find the movie on Amazon or in iTunes.

PS here are my interviews with Kat Barrell, Natasha, Elise & Annie, Jamie Clayton, Nicole Pacent, Mandahla Rose, the writer and producer of Different for Girls, and the directors of ClexaCon.

Different for Girls: UK Lesbian Web Series

30 October 2018 / Greet / Comments Off

Different for Girls: UK Lesbian Web Series

This weekend, the creators of Different for Girls will visit ClexaCon London. It was quite weird to me that I had never heard of this UK lesbian web series before, especially since Rachel Shelley is in it, who is my favorite The L Word actor. They were kind enough to send me a screener of the show so that I could properly prepare for ClexaCon London. I liked it so much that I thought I would share it here with you. I cannot be the only one who missed this show, can I?

Different for Girls started with a book

Different for Girls first was a book written by Jacquie Lawrence. You can find it on Amazon. It is funny; if you read the reviews, the reviewers often say that they want to see the book adapted to the screen or turned into a web series. Well, Jacquie Lawrence did just that.

According to Lesbian Box Office, which is a channel dedicated to programming lesbian and bisexual women’s content set up by Jacquie and Fizz Milton, Jacquie realized that there had not been a lesbian-specific drama on British television since 2010 (Lip Service). Jacquie and Fizz understood that the only way to watch a drama with lesbian content was to make it themselves. And so, the 2015 book turned into this three-part web series in 2017.

Much information to process

If you search for Different for Girls online, you will find articles describing the show as ‘your new favorite lesbian soap opera,’ ‘the antidote to TV’s treatment of LGBT characters,’ and ‘addictive & mesmerizing.’ Now that makes me feel even more stupid for not knowing about Different for Girls, but let us not dwell on that.

The show starts in an incredibly confusing way. In the first fifteen minutes, you will see some fight, love, drug use, and vomiting scenes rapidly succeeding each other. In these scenes, you will meet every character on the show. To be clear, there are quite a few characters on the show. The Amazon reviewers are right when they said they needed some time to figure out who was who and who was dating whom.

Still, you immediately know that this something you want to get into. You want to know the answers to who is who and what is happening. There is much information to process but the rest of the show will slowly make it clear to you. Also, rewatching the first fifteen minutes after watching the entire series is helpful.

An underrepresented age category

I am so very, very happy that this show revolves around women my age. If you want to know, I am in my thirties. I usually have to watch teens or people in their twenties when I want to watch a lesbian-themed show. That is fun but at the same time, it seems like the moment I got married and had a kid, I gave up on an exciting life. Apparently, content creators do not think we can handle adventures after we had our thirtieth birthday or wedding day.

Different for Girls shows women who are about to get married or have kids or who have young kids already. This web series aims to “represent lesbians who live in the suburbs, who are more likely to meet their future partners at the school gates than at a club in Soho,” as Jacquie said. That does not mean you will not see any drinks, drugs or sex…

Adventures

That being said, I do feel sad that when you finally see two married women, the story centers around cheating and being cheated on. Where are our adventures? Still, I understand that the other storylines revolve mostly around relationships too, so it is not like they saved that for the married women.

Also, I sometimes felt moments of the storylines were a little far-fetched. I now understand why some would call Different for Girls a soap opera. So much is happening in such a short amount of time. I noticed that I did feel inclined to ask myself the questions of would I or would I not? How would I respond in these situations? That means I was still emotionally involved, so that proves the quality of this web series and the incredibly talented actors.

More to come?

The story leaves a few openings for another season of Different for Girls. I honestly would like to see the second season of this web series. Who knows, I might be able to find out more at ClexaCon London. You can watch Different for Girls on Lesbian Box Office, where you can rent or buy it. I hope can show you some ClexaCon Different for Girls footage on my YouTube channel in a few weeks, so make sure to subscribe!

Update February 19, 2019: Here, you can read my interview with the writer and producer of Different for Girls.

I Had My Mind Blown at ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 – Part 6

16 May 2018 / Greet / Comments Off

I Had My Mind Blown at ClexaCon 2018 – Part 6 (ClexaCon 2018 Day 3)

This is part six of my ClexaCon 2018 adventure. April 4-10, I went on a trip to Las Vegas for ClexaCon, all the way from The Netherlands. Let me tell you, it was so worth the jetlag! You can find part one, part two, part three, part four and part five here. In this blog, I will tell you all about ClexaCon 2018 Day 3. This Sunday, I visited three panels: YouTube 2.0, Doccubus and Valkubus, and Shethority. And now I know that something called post-con blues exists. The horror!

If you need more info about what ClexaCon is, you should first read my blog post ClexaCon 2018 in Las Vegas: The Media and Entertainment Convention for LGBTQ Women and Allies.

‘I Had My Mind Blown at ClexaCon 2018 – Part 6 (ClexaCon 2018 Day 3)’ This is part six of my ClexaCon 2018 adventure. April 4-10, I went on a trip to Las Vegas for ClexaCon, all the way from The Netherlands. In this blog, I will tell you all about ClexaCon 2018 Day 3. This Sunday, I visited three panels: YouTube 2.0, Doccubus and Valkubus, and Shethority. And now I know that something called post-con blues exists. The horror! http://bit.ly/ClexaCon20186

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3: breakfast

I missed the first panel today. Yup, that was a direct result of the Ascension Party. My body and head just worked at a slower pace this morning. So, I decided to go for an extensive breakfast. Given the time, one might as well call it brunch 😉 After that, I was ready for the final ClexaCon day!

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 – first panel: How to Use YouTube as a Platform 2.0

You know, I have never watched reaction videos. It just did not occur to me to watch other people watch my favorite shows. I would much rather spend that time watching the shows myself. When I saw this panel mentioned on the website prior to my visit, I was intrigued. I guess I never knew it was such a big thing.

It helped that I saw a Dutch name in the list of panelists. Elke van der Iest was going to be present. My Dutch pride took over: if ClexaCon has a panelist all the way from the Netherlands, I should be there to watch it, right?

The popularity of reaction videos does make sense to me now. Yes, you watch other people watching your favorite show while you could be watching the show yourself (or do you watch simultaneously?). Still, these YouTubers comment. In addition, people in YouTube’s comment section comment. And that is where this whole discussion about current LGBTQ issues takes place.

How interesting is that? If you are looking for like-minded people, these YouTube channels and their subscribers are a great hub. This realization might sound very idiotic to some of you but hey, I seriously had no idea!

Elke van der Iest

After the panel, I wanted to ask Elke if she had a moment to talk to me. Therefore, I walked up to her and asked her this in Dutch. Woopsy, I scared her because she was only expecting English. Sorry about that, Elke! Luckily, she agreed to talk to me for a bit.

During the panel, I learned that she was a film student. How cool is it to have a substantial YouTube channel (over 20,000 subscribers) about films and TV shows while majoring in film? I asked her how she ended up at ClexaCon and what she thought of the event. You can find it in the vlog!

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 – second panel: Happy Wife, Happy Life

As you can read in my previous blog, I promised the Tello team of Happy Wife, Happy Life on the red carpet to come watch the taping of their show on Sunday. It was the same time as the Doccubus and Valkubus panel, so I had to make it a short visit. It was actually pretty cool because I could watch the entire preparation before the taping. As you may have heard in my vlogs, I love watching all the things a production requires backstage. I decided to film that and stop when the actual taping started. You can find the preparations in the vlog!

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 – third panel: Doccubus and Valkubus

I was right on time for the Doccubus and Valkubus panel. I was curious to see what they would talk about since they had already been on stage with Emily Andras and the others on Friday. WayHaught had also been on a larger panel earlier but that relationship is still on a current show, so it seemed much easier to talk about.

Unfortunately, the moderator asked the same type of questions as the ones that the actresses had been asked in the previous panel. I had expected them to zoom in on those two relationships but it was more the general stuff about shooting Lost Girl and the characters’ sexual orientation.

Do not get me wrong, I can watch Anna Silk, Zoie Palmer, and Rachel Skarsten any day but this separate panel did not add anything. Okay, it added laughter to the day. They sure have humor!

Want to watch Lost Girl? Try Amazon! Want to own the DVD/Blu-Ray? Try Amazon, eBay, Zoom, Zavvi, or Bol.com.

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 – fourth panel: Shethority

Afterward, I went to the panel on Shethority not knowing what Shethority is. Shethority is a website founded by Chyler Leigh, Caity Lotz, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers to empower women through shared stories, support, and inspirational guidance. The website is not live yet but they were actively inviting everybody in the audience to share their stories there once it is live and create a sense of community.

End of ClexaCon

That was the final panel of ClexaCon for me. I walked around the vendor hall one more time to soak in the last ClexaCon vibes. I was feeling sad that it was over. My new-found friends Immy and Denise (more info in previous blogs) and I recorded some more videos. We recorded two together and in the ClexaCon recording booth, Immy used my mic to get her video done. She helped me get some photos on The Throne and I took her bag of fan pics up to my room for safekeeping. See, we really were a team 😊

Las Vegas sightseeing

We decided to walk the Strip together to do some sightseeing and get some food. It turned out we walked way more than we had initially intended. Even though we are not the biggest fans of Las Vegas (if you have been there once, you pretty much get the gist of it), we just kept going. I knew a nice spot that was a bit un-Vegassy (it is a word now), so I wanted to show them. They did not really trust me as we were all getting hangry and tired but man, once we were there, they loved it. Where? The botanical gardens in the Bellagio. You can see it in my vlog!

I finally said out loud that I was feeling very sad. I just had to share it. Immy said something about post-con blues and it was like a light switched on in my head. That makes sense! That is exactly what it was! Post-con blues. Wow. I never knew something like that existed but yes, it is real!

Finally, we ended up at a taco restaurant where we had a great meal. As Immy and Denise had tickets for the Blue Man Group, we had to rush back. They barely made it but still. I left Immy’s photos at the front desk and went to bed.

Final Last Vegas moments

On Monday, I walked around the Strip once more. Seeing actual daylight and feeling the sun on my skin was a new sensation as I had hardly been outside all weekend. My eyes caught a big sign saying that a patio was meant for brunch, which seemed too funny after the ClexaCon brunch joke. My Instagram followers agreed.

At 5 pm, my flight left and I had to switch planes in Salt Lake City. I tried to see that big temple but unfortunately, it was nowhere to be seen. Maybe on the other side of the plane? My flight home was good and arriving home felt great. I unpacked all my stuff immediately and went to the daycare center to pick up my son. He was really happy to see me but he was also a little mad that I had been gone for six days. I persuaded him with a gift though, so all was forgotten soon.

When we came back home, my wife was there. Home Sweet Home! Nope, I hardly suffered from a jetlag that week. Apparently, my body never adjusted to Las Vegas time, ghehe.

Tag: ClexaCon 2018 (page 1 of 2)