Tag: Hollstein (page 1 of 2)

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Skam España, Carmilla]

24 July 2019 / / Comments Off on Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Skam España, Carmilla]

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday

June 30, 2019, marked the second and final day of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday, I visited many panels, talked to RED for a second time, and went to the closing party. You can read all about it in this blog post, or you can watch the vlog I made of this day. This vlog has a special message from RED and the full closing party. You can find it below this image.

‘Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday’ June 30, 2019, marked the second and final day of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday, I visited many panels, talked to RED for a second time, and went to the closing party. You can read all about it in this blog post: http://bit.ly/LFF19Sun
Please subscribe to my channel!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday started with the WayHaught panel

On Love Fan Fest Sunday, I started a bit later than on Saturday. After all, on Saturday, I had to pick up my press pass at 8 a.m. On this day, I didn’t have anything planned until around 11 a.m. The WayHaught panel was planned at this time, which was fun as always. Kat took her parents with her, and I immediately noticed them on the side of the stage. They were looking really proud and then Kat introduced them to the audience, which obviously gave a big round of applause.

Someone in the audience had this really good idea of giving them lines from certain scenes. The other person had to guess what the follow-up line was. It was really funny to see how competitive Kat and Dom both were.

It’s funny to look back at these Wynonna Earp panels. They had heard that they were starting filming season four already and we had not yet. So, sometimes, with the answers that they gave, you can tell that they were really looking for ways not to reveal the truth.

Skam España panel

Then, we had to leave the room for the next panel. I think it was actually the first time we completely had to clear the room. It was time for Skam España. I had not watched that show, so I was surprised to see the incredibly long line waiting to get back into the panel room. They obviously have a huge number of fans. That made me realize I probably had to watch that show.

I wanted to know a bit more about the show, so I visited the panel. Unfortunately, I could not understand it as it was in Spanish. I did return at the end of the panel and realized they sometimes said something in English. So, I could have stayed, but I thought I’d be wasting my time. I still want to check out the show, though!

RED panel

Then, it was time for the RED panel. I absolutely love listening to them. I know quite a lot about the show as I had interviewed them the day before, but because of the fans’ questions, I still heard some new things.

It’s beautiful to see how incredibly grateful they were for being present at Love Fan Fest. I truly think they deserve all the exposure and support they can get. Season 5 is out now. If you haven’t watched the show already, please pay for a season if you hit a paywall. It is worth every penny.

Melanie Scrofano’s panel

After RED’s panel, it was time for Melanie Scrofano’s panel. She cracks me up every single time.

However, there was also one serious, special moment. It really had an impact on me when she told everybody she had had treatment for an eating disorder. Apparently, she has talked about it before, but I didn’t know. And the beauty of it was that she told about it after having been asked what she was proud of. She has obviously come to terms with it. You can tell it affected the room. She received a big round of applause.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday ended with the Hollstein panel

The next panel was the Hollstein panel. Natasha and Elise were happy to be on stage again. The funny thing was that the same person who asked Kat and Dom the lines questions asked Natasha and Elise that question.

Elise immediately got really nervous. She said it was like her nightmare where she was standing on stage in a play that she’d done years ago and she can’t remember the lines. Carmilla was recorded about five years ago. She definitely had a hard time remembering the lines, which was just hilarious to watch.

They praised the person of the question. Dana, who often moderates their panels, always has these really fun things for them to do on stage and this one definitely had the same quality.

Another season?

One thing that I remember from this panel is that Elise asked the audience if, if they would make another Camilla season, would we all watch it again? Would we be interested in that? The entire room responded with a ‘yes, of course,’ which kind of surprised both Natasha and Elise. They didn’t know that that would still be a thing, which in turn surprised the room. She stated that she didn’t have any information about a possible season 4, but she just wanted to know. Well, I hope they will think about it now that they know this.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday: final autographs

The Hollstein panel was actually the last panel of Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday. Then, there was a giant time block scheduled for autographs. This was the only event happening at this particular time, so that meant that every con guest was signing and every con visitor was waiting in line for an autograph. It was a huge queue. I didn’t want to film it because waiting in line is no fun. I didn’t want to upset people.

After a while, I was called into the autograph room. I was not allowed to be there as press; it was just for the con’s own videographers. However, I was allowed to talk to RED for a few minutes. As a result, I was able to ask them one question: how had they experienced the weekend of Love Fan Fest?

Rewatching this footage made me happy all over again. You can watch it in the vlog I posted online. Slowly but gradually, people were done getting their autographs. The first post-con blues started to hit people. We realized it was time to say goodbye to people we would not see in a while because they live in a different country or even on a different continent

Closing party

But first, closing party! Everybody started to gather in the panel room. We had to wait a bit. People started to throw a ball in a basketball hoop. What? Watch the vlog.

Then, all the actors came on stage together. Like last year, the final moment of Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday was emotional with lots of love and gratitude. We all watched a video together about this second edition of LFF.

Every actor had a moment to say something. I don’t think anybody could have counted all the tears that were shed. The closing party lasted about twenty minutes, so that means there were a lot of tears, words of kindness, and rounds of applause. And with that, the second edition of Love Fan Fest 2019 came to an end!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Sunday means final goodbyes

I was hungry, but I didn’t feel like leaving and saying goodbyes, so I ended up staying until around 10 p.m. I had some really meaningful conversations and final hugs. That was it for me too.

Yes, the upcoming weeks, I will still have blog posts and videos about Love Fan Fest. So, stay tuned!

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Carmilla]

17 July 2019 / / Comments Off on Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday [Wynonna Earp, RED, Carmilla]

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday

June 29, 2019, marked the official opening of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday, I picked up my press pass, visited the press interview and photoshoot, interviewed RED, watched a World Cup match, and went to most of the panels. You can read all about it in this blog post, or you can watch the vlog I made of this day. You can find it below this image.

‘Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday’ June 29, 2019, marked the official opening of the second edition of Love Fan Fest. On Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday, I picked up my press pass, visited the press interview and photoshoot, interviewed RED, watched a World Cup match, and went to most of the panels. You can read all about it in this blog post: http://bit.ly/LFF19Sat

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday started with a press interview and photoshoot

At 8:15 am, I was already at the location to pick up my press pass. Unlike last year, I received it immediately. All I had to do now was wait 45 minutes for the press interview and photoshoot to start. I walked around a bit and said hi to the people I know.

The press interview was interesting because all the actors were there at the same time. So, it’s not like you can ask every single actor a question. I decided to ask a World Cup question because that way, every actor had a chance to respond (and I knew Elise would).

After I finished my question, nobody was very actively trying to take my microphone from me. That was odd. Usually, we’re in a room with a bunch of people who want to ask questions. I guess most of the press members were photographers this time? I think four-five people asked a question, so we were done rather quickly. That meant some of us, including me, asked a second question.

The photoshoot followed, so I was able to make some BTS from that moment as well.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: opening

After the press moment, it was time for everybody to enter the main panel hall and find their numbered seats. This is always such an energetic moment because everybody is still fresh, excited for the day, nervous, emotional, happy to see familiar faces, and so much more.

What is unique about LFF is that they have an opening and a closing of the con. They can do this because they have a reasonable number of guests (as opposed to the huge list of ClexaCon) and only one panel room. It’s funny because the guests never seem to know what they are doing on stage. They receive their applause, say hi, and then try to leave. Then, it gets a bit awkward because some of them are told to leave, and the guests who are on the first panel are told to stay. Everybody just laughs about it.

Editing

I would have loved to stay for the first panel, but I wanted to edit the press interview and give that to my YouTube subscribers immediately. As a result, I had to leave after the first panel. I was allowed to edit in a friend’s hotel room, which was super nice of her.

When the video was converting, I went downstairs again to visit Melanie’s panel. After a few minutes, I had to leave again to work on the video. I missed the Hollstein panel, but after 2.5 hours, the video was available for my subscribers. If I may believe the comments, they appreciated the gift 😉

In the hour lunch break, I visited a street with shops nearby. The food at the location isn’t all that, unfortunately. I enjoyed a nice lunch by myself, went back to the location, and met up with some friends.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: afternoon program

After the one-hour lunch break, it was time for the LGBT Fans Deserve Better panel. They experienced some technical difficulties, but it was fixed later on, thankfully. At 3 pm, the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Italy started, so I found some fellow Dutchies in the lobby to watch the match with.

To be honest, it was a nice distraction because I was getting nervous about my interview with RED. I absolutely love the web series and ehm; these women are gorgeous, so yeah… My nerves were definitely starting to kick in.

Interview with RED

As always, it turned out I had nothing to be nervous about. We had a really good talk. I got to ask questions about the beginning of the show, about their new season (you can now watch season 5, which I highly recommend), and a few other things. We ended up talking for 22 whole minutes! Wow. After the interview, I was also able to share a few personal words of appreciation. All in all, this was the most magical moment of LFF2019 for me!

I will divide the interview into two parts and upload these two videos in a few weeks. Subscribe to my channel to watch them the moment they come out!

After that, I visited their panel too.

Love Fan Fest 2019 Saturday: Word Cup and panels

After RED’s panel, I ran to the lobby to watch the final minutes of the match and cheer with the other Dutchies after our victory. After that, I ran back to the panel room to catch a few minutes of the panel with Rhiannon, Ivana, and Isabella. You know you will have fun when Isabella is on a panel, and indeed, she made the room laugh quite a few times.

The day ended with the Wayhaught panel, which drew a big crowd. After that, I didn’t really know what to do. All the guests were signing autographs, so I chatted with some people. I ended up watching the second World Cup match of the day as well. It was just fun to hang around in the lobby with all the people you hardly ever get to see in real life.

Some tapas near my pension were calling my name, so I had to give in and eat. I was quite relaxed because the next day would start much later for me. Watching the footage I shot that day made me so incredibly happy!

More ClexaCon London Adventures

20 February 2019 / / Comments Off on More ClexaCon London Adventures

More ClexaCon London Adventures

As you may have read last week, I visited Kat Barrell’s panel on Saturday as well as the I have a que(e)ry panel. In this final ClexaCon London blog post, you will read more about my ClexaCon London Adventures: all the interviews I had and the panel by Natasha, Elise, and Annie. It also helps to watch the video below this image because it allows me just a bit better all the things that have happened. Also, please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

‘More ClexaCon London Adventures’ In my final ClexaCon London blog post, you will read more about the interviews I had and the panel by Natasha, Elise, Annie, and Dana. I also tell you about an unexpected turn to my day. Read it here: http://bit.ly/CCUKSat18

ClexaCon London Adventures with Jamie Clayton

That afternoon, we had a press moment with Jamie Clayton. I absolutely loved her presence. I’ve said it before but what an energy! I’ve learned quite a lot even though her interview was only 15 minutes.

You can read about it here: Jamie Clayton (Sense8) talks trans representation at ClexaCon London. Also, you can watch the video below.

The panel by Natasha, Elise, Annie, and Dana

Dana Piccoli moderated the panel by Natasha, Elise, and Annie. First, it was just Natasha and Elise. As always, Dana had a fun idea for them to act out. On previous panels, she made them act out scenes from famous movies.

This time, though, she wrote a Hallmark-inspired holiday movie called Boughs of Holly. It always makes me laugh to see Elise and Natasha’s face right before she announces what she will make them do. Can we make that movie happen?!

Then, Annie joined and it was fun to see how dynamics change when there are now three people being interviewed.

An interview with Natasha, Elise, and Annie

Right after their panel, we had to return to the press room because Natasha, Elise, and Annie were coming for an interview. As I expected, ClexaCon London turned out to be Annie’s first con. I thought she brought some interesting insights to the table.

For instance, she reminded us that it takes a lot of time and effort for actors to work on their craft, training and auditioning in between projects, which we as an audience don’t always know about. We just see them on the screen when they are working on a job.

You can find the interview here: Natasha Negovanlis, Elise Bauman, and Annie Briggs visited ClexaCon London. Also, you can watch the video below.

Vlogging

After this interview, I took some time to record some vlogging footage. That meant I headed to the main panel room for Jamie’s panel a little late. When I walked to the panel room, I saw that the autograph lines for Natasha and Annie were a little slow. Apparently, everybody was at Jamie’s panel or in one of the other rooms. As I really wanted to have a quick interview with Natasha about Freelancers Anonymous, I took the opportunity to talk to her about it.

That sounds very proactive of me. In reality, I walked back and forth like ten times 😉

ClexaCon London Adventures: Impromptu interview

She said she wanted to but that she could not do it at that very moment. She thanked me for trying to promote new LGBTQ+ projects with my channels, which was amazing. I gave her my card to give to her agent, so we could make it happen.

After that, I talked to Holly, one of ClexaCon’s directors and I learned that they as an organization really like what I do with my blogs, vlogs, and social media posts about ClexaCon. That gave me such an intense feeling of happiness you guys. I can’t explain.

And then, Natasha’s agent walked up and said we could do the interview RIGHT NOW. No time to be nervous. Oh, wait, that happened anyway, of course. That moment, Holly also told Natasha’s agent that I am one of their favorite publications. It meant so much to hear that. Plus, more nerves…

Freelancers Anonymous

I was allowed to go “backstage” and talk to Natasha. She answered a few questions about Freelancers Anonymous and made sure everybody watching pre-ordered the movie (the interview was released three days before the release date).

You can read it here: Freelancers Anonymous: The New Queer Movie for Everybody. Also, you can watch the video below.

Emotional after all those ClexaCon London Adventures

I’m not going to lie; I was a little emotional after that afternoon. I missed Jamie’s panel but had so much in return.

That Sunday, I had a few more interviews. I did not see much of the con anymore because I already had to leave at 3 pm.

PS here are my interviews with 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.

 

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony

3 August 2018 / / Comments Off on Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony

I spent Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday up in the relax room of the guests, interviewing them on the gorgeous balcony. As a result, I missed most of the panels but I had a blast just chatting casually with everyone. I have to confess that I did ask myself a few times: “Is this my job?!” At the same time, I experienced so many feelings that I got really emotional, so Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday was definitely a rollercoaster ride for me. Oh, and how cool was that closing ceremony?

‘Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: Interviews and Closing Ceremony’ I spent Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday up in the relax room of the guests, interviewing them on the gorgeous balcony. I also experienced so many feelings that I got really emotional, so Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday was definitely a rollercoaster ride for me. Oh, and how cool was that closing ceremony? You can read all about it here: http://bit.ly/LFF20183

Brianna Hildebrand

I have seen the first and second movie of Deadpool but other than that, I did not really know much about Brianna. That is another thing that is so great about these cons. By listening to someone’s panel, you can figure out what kind of a person one is (on a certain level of course) and what one’s work means to others. I thought it was a really relaxed panel to get the day started. Some of her stories even gave me inspiration for questions for our chat later that day. You will see this interview appear on my YouTube Channel in a few weeks so make sure you subscribe!

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday meant many, many interviews

After Brianna’s panel, I was brought to the relax room of the guests again, like the evening before when I talked to Shannon Beveridge. This time, we were brought to the gorgeous balcony with a nice green view and a lot of sun. While I was checking my camera and mics, Dom sat down one table down for a quick tanning session. At a moment like that, I just think: “How great is my life right now?”

Gaby Christian

I was waiting for my chat with Brianna but Gaby Christian was standing right by my table. I had not been able to talk to her yet and I really wanted to. So, I asked if she wanted to talk to me for a bit. She did not have any plans until noon so she agreed, which made me really happy and nervous at the same time. Impromptu interview happening in 3,2,1, go!

I simply focused on some of the things that came to mind when I watched South of Nowhere again. I knew that she had been in Spain for a while already and walked the Camino de Santiago, so I asked her about that. Surprisingly, she had visited the city in which I live, The Hague, too! So, we talked a bit about that. All in all, it was simply a fun conversation. We had to stop suddenly so the ending was slightly abrupt but I was simply very happy that I was able to talk to her for a few minutes.

Again, this video will come out in the next few weeks, so make sure to subscribe to my channel!

Chatting with Brianna Hildebrand

When I was waiting for my interview with Brianna, right before Gaby agreed to talk to me, I was having a great time with Brianna’s girlfriend, whose mother is Dutch. We ended up discussing hagelslag, which is chocolate sprinkles we put on sandwiches. I may have scared Brianna a bit when I started the interview with “So, I have some inside information from your girlfriend.” I quickly told her it was about her hagelslag habits  though😉

Interviewing Kat and Dom

At noon, we (LGBT Fans Deserve Better, WayHaughties, and I) were scheduled to talk to Kat and Dom. A big table in the middle of the balcony was arranged for us. We made sure the cameras, microphones, and voice recorders were ready. I started to feel nervous again but when they arrived, they were so chill that I quickly felt relaxed again. After all, the first thing they said was that on the second day of a con, they always feel more relaxed. Well, then I should be relaxed too 😊

I wanted to know how they experienced LFF. After all, they have visited so many cons in very different places and the questions asked on the panels were asked by fans instead of a moderator. They were both truly in love with LFF, I noticed. That made me happy because I felt some questions asked were not always that respectful. The language barrier may have been the problem, though. It was good to see how enthusiastic they were, which was confirmed at the end of Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday when they were announced as the first confirmed guests for LFF 2019.

Another interesting thing I noticed was that when Dom started talking about a conversation she had had with her agent about the specific projects she would like to take on, Kat was in awe. I wanted to know whether they learn from each other in that respect, so I asked Kat whether she felt she could have a conversation like that too. She indicated that it felt scary to her so I just wanted her to know that I think she can. I mean, her fan base is not going to go anywhere anytime soon…

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Kat and Dom

Interviewing Natasha and Elise

At 1 pm, we were able to talk to Natasha and Elise. They had a little less time to talk to us than Kat and Dom did, so we quickly started. It was pretty amazing because they were asked one question about queer representation and they just started talking and talking. It was beautiful to watch and they made some valid points about opening up the pool for actors who are interested in playing queer characters as opposed to always asking the same people and about roles representing non-binary and trans people.

I noticed we only had a little bit of time left so I wanted to ask at least one question before they had to go. Ever since they had won a CSA Fan Choice Award, I was wondering what kind of influence that award had on their career. I remember Natasha introducing herself in her acceptance speech because most actors present in the audience were on TV or in films rather than on the web. As I am not from Canada, I was wondering how that might have influenced their networking opportunities or opportunities regarding projects.

I was surprised when they told me they had noticed zero effect on their career. It made me feel sad for them at first. Then, Natasha explained a part of Canadian culture to me and how the award meant much to her personally and that it gave her inspiration to continue doing what she does.

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Natasha and Elise

Melanie’s panel

We were scheduled for an interview with Melanie at 3 pm, right after her panel. So, I had some time to visit her panel. It was pretty touching when she came on stage because she thought that nobody would come. She figured there would only be ten people because she had already had a panel the day before. Seeing everybody present made her emotional, to which everybody responded with a big applause. Are you kidding me? Of course, everybody is going to be there!

It is not even her humor that I like about her so much; it is the way she talks with her hands and pays so much attention to every detail in her stories. One moment I particularly liked was when a mother came to the microphone with her little daughter. She had a big, important question: who is Melanie’s favorite Disney princess? I love how children put things in perspective for you, lol. In the end, what truly matters?

Melanie’s revelations

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday also marked the day Melanie used her panel to reveal a few things about Kat and Dom. I am pretty sure Kat and Dom did not necessarily want those things to be revealed. You could tell she knew she was digging a hole for herself on stage and she just kept digging and digging. It made me cry-laugh. At the same time, I just wish I was present at the moment the three of them saw each other again after finding out what Melanie had told on stage.

Ten minutes after her panel, we sat down for our interview. It started with another hilarious anecdote by Melanie, so we were already laughing when the interview started. I just had to ask her about what had just happened on stage but I started laughing before I could ask the question. I finally managed to ask whether she had talked to Kat or Dom right in between the panel and now. “What did you do?!” she replied. To clarify, I did not do anything but I guessed Twitter had already brought the news to Kat and Dom. She dreaded that conversation for sure!

You can find the interview here:

Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday: interview with Melanie

Closing ceremony

After the interview with Melanie, I was having all kinds of feelings so I decided to chill for a bit. There were no more panels, just people in line waiting for their autographs. I met a few new people while sitting in the shade and walking around for about two hours. I love how easy it is to talk to people at cons!

My press buddies and I discussed whether we should go out for dinner or stay for the closing ceremony. We were not exactly sure what the closing ceremony would entail. We decided to stay. Boy, were we glad! What an amazing (unplanned) party that was!

The audience had to wait as the guests were coming a bit later than planned. People started taking photos on stage with all their friends. Then, the DJ decided he did not care what music he was playing, so all the requests were being granted. Hence, music from Wynonna Earp and Carmilla started playing loudly and more and more people started dancing on stage and in front of the stage. I felt the floors go up and down with all the jumping around. What a spontaneous party!

#LFF2019

At the end of Love Fan Fest 2018 Sunday, it was announced that LFF will be held again next year. In addition, they announced that the first confirmed guests are Kat and Dom. The crowd obviously went wild. They then entered the room with Rhiannon and Gaby, which only led to more noise.

Together, we watched the first part of the Love Fan Fest aftermovie, which led to a few tears being shed. The four of them said a few words of appreciation and there was a very intense group feeling. It was truly special. You see, you do not have to be a big con to have a big impact; at this smaller con, you could almost touch the sense of community. Rhiannon, Dom, Kat, and Gaby were right when they said they will always carry this feeling with them and it is exactly how every audience member felt too.

Post-con blues

That marked the beginning of my post-con blues. Wow, they are real. Until ClexaCon, I had never heard of them but man, they do exist. They were enhanced by a certain situation that occurred right after LFF. With some of my new friends, we went out for dinner in the only place close to the hotel. Our starving stomachs did not want to take us any further.

The seats outside were taken so we went inside. A soccer match was playing loudly on the TV. It was a small and shabby restaurant with about four or five tables. I entered the place first and all eyes went to the door because everybody was facing our direction as that was close to where the TV was hanging. Nobody said anything and they just stared at us. We sensed we were not welcome at all but we just had to eat.

So what?

The only table available was right under the TV. They just kept staring at us in silence until we sat down. The waiter threw a menu at us and barely helped us at all. It was pretty intense. Nothing happened but the sensation of being watched that closely already made me think: “I have just met these people but I would not want to be here with anybody else. If this means a fight will start, I would be happy to defend each and every one of them.” I do not think I have ever experienced this before. It just blew my mind. So what if some of us have short hair? Geez…

It actually had the opposite effect. I feel we bonded even more at that table. Thanks, buddies! I did make me sad though. It also reminded me of why we continue to need these cons and pride and other LGBTQIA events. We need to show our diversity over and over again until we no longer stand out. So, see you at Love Fan Fest 2019?

Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 (+WayHaught, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge)

25 July 2018 / / Comments Off on Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 (+WayHaught, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge)

Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 (+WayHaught, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge)

I meant to publish this blog post a few weeks ago but I had to change my LFF content schedule somewhat due to unforeseen reasons and publish my interviews with Kat and Dom, Melanie, Elise and Natasha, and Shannon earlier. I prefer posting things in chronological order but alas. So, a few weeks later than planned, this post will be about Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 and other panels later that Saturday, such as WayHaught, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge. I may also have been kicked out by security somewhere. Yes. It is not always easy to blog and vlog for you, dear readers! First things first, let’s delve into the panel of Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018.

‘Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 (+WayHaught, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge)’ This post is about the panels on Saturday by Natasha and Elise, Kat and Dom, Gaby Christian and Rhiannon Fish, and Shannon Beveridge. I may also have been kicked out by security somewhere. Yes. Blogging and vlogging is not always easy 😉 Find the blog and THREE new videos here: http://bit.ly/HollsteinLFF

Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018

The first morning of Love Fan Fest was all about Wynonna Earp for me but around noon, there was another treat: Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018. I loved how Elise and Natasha clearly showed their respect and support for one another. It seemed that despite all these interviews and conventions together, they still hear new things about each other. For instance, Elise was talking about her projects behind the camera and how she was glad that it offered her a certain degree of freedom. Natasha replied with “That’s awesome!” and indicated that the audience should applaud for her more loudly.

I was also seriously impressed with the creativity of the questions, some of which led to hilarious answers and situations. For example, one question was whether Elise and Natasha could show how Laura and Carmilla would experience this visit to Barcelona. I was laughing so hard during Elise’s answer that I only recorded Natasha’s answer. I nearly missed Elise’s response to Natasha turning into Carmilla but I managed to record some of it. These moments are the reason I fell in love with (LGBTQ) cons 😀

The panels of Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018
Exclusive interview with Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018

Autographs

After their panel, Elise and Natasha went to the big autograph room. At ClexaCon, I loved filming that. After all, how beautiful is it to watch fans finally meet their idols? I walked to the staff member at the door and explained that I was press and that I wanted to film inside. I was allowed in, recorded a small video of me explaining what was going on in that room, and then I walked to the lines of people waiting for Natasha and Elise.

When I started filming there, a staff member walked up to me and said that I could not film. I explained to her that I was press. She said “oh, sorry” and left. A minute later, security came up to me and said something in Spanish. As I did not understand, he decisively said “no press.” Yup, I got kicked out.

WayHaught panel

During Love Fan Fest, whenever Kat and Dom were on stage, there seemed to be at least some talk about a possible marriage between Waverly and Nicole. The fans obviously want to see something happen in that respect.

That did not seem to be enough. We were surprised by a beautiful proposal on stage. I do not know the names of these two lovely ladies but the look in the eyes of the one proposing was so very intense (the other one had her back turned to me so I could not see her eyes). It was as if they were completely alone, not on a stage with Kat and Dom right by their side and 400 other women in the room. Whoo!

Access

After a short break walking around and having some food, I went back to the main hall. I have been receiving a few comments under my vlogs about how optimistic I continued to be even though this whole press thing was kind of hard. However, I can tell you that this was the moment when I was in low spirits. I was asking myself whether the trip was worth it. Therefore, I gave myself an option: am I going to be sad because of the way things are (not) going or am I going to do something about it? I decided to do the latter.

You see, our press contact was not responding and I realized the country code was not saved correctly in my phone. Once I had fixed that, I contacted her again. I asked her whether we could somehow get permission to shoot some photos and videos in the autograph room. When I was waiting for Gaby Christian’s panel to start, I heard we were granted permission for ten minutes right after Gaby’s panel, when Kat and Dom would start signing. How awesome was that?! That is when things started to go better and I was able to get better footage for you!

Gaby Christian’s panel

Even more awesome was that many visitors were waiting in line for autographs. That meant we could sit on the front row of Gaby Christian’s panel rather than on the floor. It was fun hearing Gaby talk about South of Nowhere and what it was like to take on that role fourteen years ago. To refresh my memory, I had rewatched the whole show two weeks prior. Can I just say she has a very pleasant voice to listen to?

Rhiannon Fish was also on the panel but honestly, I do not know any of her work so I was focused more on Gaby. They brought a friend, Mike Manning, who was Gaby’s fake husband in SHE4ME’s video, he told us. I wish I had realized it sooner but I also saw him on The Real World: D.C., in which he was struggling with his religion and his bisexuality as he had only recently come out. Powerful stuff!

I liked the mix of the panel; it allowed for a diverse Q&A.

Autographs by Kat and Dom

Right after the panel, my press buddies and I went to the autograph room. A long line had formed as many guests were signing at the same time. I showed the staff member at the door my texts, saying we now had permission to be inside for ten minutes. After a debate with other staff members, we were allowed to enter the room to wait for our press contact.

Inside the room, security came back to me immediately as well as some other staff members. We showed my texts and everybody clearly watched us until our contact arrived. She first had to make a few extra phone calls. Then, we were granted permission to shoot videos and take photos for ten minutes. Dear readers, this footage cost me quite some sweat so please enjoy it thoroughly 😉. Also, please do not share it (edited or unedited) without a direct link to my website and social media account.

Shannon Beveridge’s panel

Because of this opportunity, I missed the first part of Shannon Beveridge’s panel. I have not actively followed her over the years but I have seen some videos of her on YouTube. So, I really wanted to hear what she had to say and what the visitors wanted to ask her. I thought it was funny that she was clearly more comfortable in her videos that on the big stage. Every now and then, a question made her shy. She was asked what she first notices in a woman, for instance. Lol, imagine having to answer that in a big room full of people :p

She has such a big platform with over 600k followers on YouTube.  I am just starting out with YouTube and I find it really interesting to see what you can achieve with it. The past three weeks, my videos have been gaining traction. As a result, I have been getting quite a few private messages about how much these videos mean to people. Can you imagine how much you can help people if you have that many followers? Also, can you imagine how much pressure that adds to your work? That (im)balance continues to fascinate me!

Interview with Shannon

After the panel, at the end of the program, I saw our press contact. I asked her if there were going to be any media opportunities or whether this was it for us today. She asked whether we wanted to talk to Shannon Beveridge. Eh, YES!

So, you can read what it was like to meet Shannon Beveridge and watch my interview below. Please do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and share the video if you like it! I promise you there is more to come. I do not want to give it away entirely but I may also have an interview with someone already mentioned in this blog post!

So, was Hollstein at Love Fan Fest 2018 your favorite or were you there for someone else? Let me know in the comment section!

I had my mind blown at ClexaCon 2018 – Part 5

9 May 2018 / / Comments Off on I had my mind blown at ClexaCon 2018 – Part 5

I had my mind blown at ClexaCon 2018 – Part 5 (ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont.)

This is part five 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, and part four here. In this ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. blog, I will tell you all about the Shoot and Hollstein reunions. Sarah and Amy came to the press room after their panel. I was also present at the red carpet event before the Cocktails for Change party. That means there will be much backstage footage this week! ClexaCon Saturday gave me such an adrenaline boost that despite the jetlag, the Ascension Party was no problem at all.

PS If you need more info about what ClexaCon is, you should 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 5’ This ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. blog is about the Hollstein and Shoot reunions, about the red carpet, and about the Ascension party. There is also much backstage footage this week. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/ClexaCon20185

ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. – fifth panel: Shoot reunion

Ok, I am going to come clean in this ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. blog and say that I have never watched Person of Interest. What?! I know, I know…

So, yes, this was not the panel I absolutely had to attend because I love the show so much. However, this was my chance to finally see Sarah Shahi because, helloooo, Carmen…. I cannot tell you much about the POI stuff; all I can tell you is that that the view from the front was very, very nice.

 

Sarah and Amy’s press room visit

Amy and Sarah came to the press room after the panel. They shared a few laughs when posing for the photos and after that, they both sat down at a table to answer some questions. They stayed for quite a while actually, which was really nice of them. Naturally, the first question was about the L Word reboot.

I also asked a question, the same I asked Dot-Marie Jones: if they were able to pick any award they could win, what would it be and why? Sarah jokingly named a few awards from countries abroad so that she could travel to beautiful places but when I asked her about awards for personal causes, she said that children and the LGBTQ community had a special place in her heart. Watch the interview material in my vlog (and subscribe to my YouTube channel)!

Want to watch Person of Interest? You can find it on iTunes or buy the DVDs and Blu-ray at Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Zavvi or Bol.com.

ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. – sixth panel: Hollstein

I am going to be honest again and confess that the Hollstein panel was my biggest reason for coming to ClexaCon. I started following this web series right before the second season dropped and so I was lucky enough to be able to binge watch the whole first season. As I had not told my wife about it, she was not really aware of this show.

Then the second season came and subsequently, the third season came. And then there was talk about this movie. And then there was a crowdfunding campaign. Oh, and then I backed the campaign. And then the release date of the movie was getting closer and I got really excited.

That is when I told my wife about Carmilla and how happy I was to see this movie soon. I watched it by myself (my wife had to work a lot around at that time, so she could not watch it with me). I told my wife how awesome it was. Naturally, she wanted to see the movie too but when we watched the movie together, she told me she did not get it and wanted to watch the series as well. NO problem at all, ha ha! So, we binge watched the three seasons and the movie. I love her…

On stage

I thought it was so cool to see them on that stage! This panel was my little fangirl moment. My big fangirl moment came a few hours later when I was able to talk to them on the red carpet, although I did my best to hide my excitement. Go watch the red carpet vlog and let me know how good or bad I was at hiding the fangirl in me!

 

ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. – red carpet

I had to leave the Hollstein panel early as I wanted to secure a good spot at the red carpet event. It was my mission to record an awesome YouTube trailer at ClexaCon and this event was my best shot at getting amazing content. Want to see the result? Here it is.

Yup, leaving early meant that I completely missed the announcement that Natasha and Elise are coming to ClexaCon London…

As I was told that we were only allowed to talk to guests about thirty to sixty seconds, I figured I asked the guests to pronounce my name first and then see whether there was still some time to talk about anything else. I ended up being able to ask Natasha Negovanlis how Clairevoyant is going, Nicole Pacent about her two panels in the morning, Rachael Hip-Flores when she is going to record another video with Nicole, and Tamara Duarte how (un)comfortable it is to shoot a show while being pregnant. Oh, and the Happy Wife, Happy Life cast and Christin Baker pretty much interviewed me 😉

 

Press collaborations

On my left was Immy and on my right was Jessica (see previous blogs for explanations) and since the place was crammed, we had to work together to get our interviews. I think we had a nice system going.

I had my back to Immy, so I had the right camera angle and she had room to interview people. Jessica would stand straight when interviewing guests and when I was interviewing people, she would move her shoulder away so that she would not be in my shot. It was quite funny.

This way, we gave each other room but we also ended up in each other’s interviews as guests just started talking to the two of us (me with Immy or me with Jessica), depending on where they were standing. It made our interviews more fun and it helped us greatly if one of us was not so very familiar with the guest standing in front of us 😉

 

Are you kidding me?

This event was THE thing that made me most nervous before ClexaCon so I was really happy with how it all went down and how chill some of the conversations were. One moment I particularly cherish is when Holly, co-founder of ClexaCon, was told to move forward on the red carpet but decided to walk back to me, touched my arm, and thanked me for being there, coming all the way from The Netherlands. Are you kidding me? Thank YOU for ClexaCon and having me!!

 

ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 – Ascension party

Because of my jetlag, I had only slept for five hours. So, that morning, I expected I was not going to be very energetic at the Ascension party. Who wants to miss a party like that though? Luckily, I was so pumped from the red carpet that I had an abundance of energy!

Also, a Dutch/American couple had contacted me on Instagram because they had seen me walking around in my Meemoeder.com T-shirt. They were going to the party and I wanted to meet them. That means missing the party was not an option. I loved talking to them. Apparently, I take terrible selfies (note to self: try not to take selfies when a real photographer is present).

What a great party! At 1 AM, though, I had been awake for twenty hours so it seemed best to go to bed. I mean, I had to put my face in front of the camera the next day. I wanted to look reasonably okay…

ClexaCon 2018 Day 3 (Sunday)

That means the end of this ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. blog. Next week, you will read all about the final day of ClexaCon. That means you can read about the following panels: YouTube 2.0 – reaction videos, Doccubus & Valkubus, and Shethority. Also, you can see me being a tourist in Las Vegas. If you sign up for my newsletter, you can be sure you will be the first one to read it. You can find the sign-up form on the top right of this page or in the footer. Again, do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! Thanks for reading this ClexaCon 2018 Day 2 Cont. blog!

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