Tag: Kat Barrell

2019 ClexaCon Friday with Wynonna Earp and many others

2019 ClexaCon Friday with Wynonna Earp and many others

In this blog post, I talk about the things that I have seen and experienced on the first day of ClexaCon 2019. Last week, I talked about the panels by and on BiPositive Podcast, Nicole Pacent, Queer Representation in Burlesque, One Day At A Time, and Avalance. This week, I discuss some of the other fun things that happened on 2019 ClexaCon Friday. I have added a video that I recommend watching if you want the full experience (don’t forget to subscribe!). I hope you enjoy it!

‘2019 ClexaCon Friday with Wynonna Earp and many others’ Here are more of my ClexaCon adventures. On Friday, I had many interviews in the pressroom, including Haviland Stillwell, Carmilla, Jes Macallan, Amber Benson, Venice: The Series, and Wynonna Earp. Then, there was a mixer with the filmmakers at the film festival. I saw TWENTY A Webseries, Good Kisser, Passage The Series, BIFL, and The Date.  You can read all about it: http://bit.ly/2019CCFriday
Please subscribe to my channel!

2019 ClexaCon Friday: pressroom interview with Jes Macallan

After the Avalance panel, which ended on an emotional note as you may have seen, Jes was scheduled to come to the pressroom for an interview. But we all knew that she needed some time to recover, so we were just waiting there for her to show up when she was ready. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long, and she was happy and upbeat when she entered the room. She blew me away on stage during the panel, and she did it again in the pressroom. That woman is truly something special! Fun fact: on her way to the pressroom, she chatted with Katrina Law, who crashed her panel with a ‘Nyssara 4 life’ shirt.

After this interview, I meant to go to the Earper meetup. As I was on my way, I met some lovely people who follow me. They actually just came from the meetup and told me it was over. Oh well, that happens with these busy schedules. I guess we turned it into a micro meetup?

2019 ClexaCon Friday: pressroom interview with Amber Benson

Last week, I said that Jes was one of the two biggest surprises for me this con. The other one was Amber Benson. She has humor, and she is opinionated. She understands how everyone felt about Tara’s death in Buffy and how that death falls within the ‘bury your gays’ trope. Also, she explains how the team behind BTVS has learned from it.

Usually, we have to wait, and the interview starts in a rather rushed way. Amber came in five minutes early, and so I walked over her to talk to her after setting up. I found out her boyfriend really likes stroopwafels and so I gave her one to give it to him. I later heard she ate half of it too and loved it, ghehe.  

2019 ClexaCon Friday: pressroom interview with Wynonna Earp

The interview with Wynonna Earp was rescheduled to a later moment. All of a sudden, the room was PACKED. I mean, there hadn’t been that many people all day. Because I had just interviewed Amber, I still had my front row seat. How very lucky I was!

I expected it to be crazy with questions since it was so crowded all of a sudden, but when the interview started, I indicated I had a question and immediately was granted permission to ask it! I said this on Instagram too, but it felt like a moment of growth for me. Last year, I was in the back, observing more than joining. This year, I opened the busiest interview of them all!

I asked Kat about Pooched, and her response was so lovely. I don’t know what I was expecting but not that she thanked me for asking about it.

2019 ClexaCon Friday: film festival

After the interview with Wynonna Earp, I had to run to the film festival part of the con. Friday evening, there was a social event with the filmmakers. The filmmakers were showing their films or the first episodes of their upcoming web series, such as Passage and BIFL. Also, there was a sneak preview of Good Kisser.

As you may have seen, I reviewed Good Kisser a few weeks ago, and at ClexaCon, I was able to interview the cast.  At the mixer, I introduced myself to the cast so that we already knew each other before the interview on Saturday. That makes things slightly more comfortable!

TWENTY The Web Series

TWENTY The Web Series was also present. Last year at ClexaCon, I saw Lily Richards a few times, but it was at the uncomfortable moments such as the restrooms, so I ended up not talking to her. That was my one big regret from ClexaCon 2018, so when I had the opportunity again, I made sure to tell her how much I loved the show.

I ended up talking to Lily and Caitlin for a while, and they agreed to do an interview with me. So, the next morning at 9 am, we were already working together. That was special! I can’t tell you precisely when you will see this interview, but I promise you within the next few weeks.

The event had a little red carpet event, so I have some BTS videos and photos for you in the video. The first one is actually Lily and Caitlin, and the red carpet still had to be sorted out😉

The Date

Emma, who wrote and directed the short film The Date, was also at ClexaCon. A few weeks before ClexaCon, she and her co-writer Hansof stayed at our house because The Date was showing at the Amsterdam LGBTQ film festival. So, I wanted to catch up with her on camera to find out what the screening was like. Because of the One Day At A Time panel, not a lot of visitors came to the film festival but the ones who did show up gave a great response to the movie. I loved hearing that others enjoy this short film as much as I did!

More ClexaCon 2019 Friday coming up

On Saturday, I had two exclusive interviews and a cool pressroom interview with ODAAT, visited some fun panels, recorded at the red carpet event, and visited the Ascension party. I will tell you all about it in my next blog posts!

In the meantime, you can read these ClexaCon blog posts (with videos!):

ClexaCon London Saturday Adventures

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.

‘ClexaCon London Saturday Adventures’ ClexaCon London was amazing and in this blog post, you will read all about it: http://bit.ly/CCUKSat

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 & AnnieJamie 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.

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)

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!

Love Fan Fest Photo Shoot and Opening

Love Fan Fest 2018 Part 2: Love Fan Fest Photo Shoot and Opening

This week, I will tell you all about the second part of Love Fan Fest 2018: the Love Fan Fest Photo Shoot and Opening. Saturday morning, I was going to try to get into Love Fan Fest for the second time since my press pass was not available yet on Friday. Because of that, I had missed Shannon Beveridge’s panel and I was a little nervous about whether or not I was going to receive it this morning.

‘Love Fan Fest 2018 Part 2: Love Fan Fest Photo Shoot and Opening’ In this blog, you can read all about the Love Fan Fest Photo Shoot, opening, and Wynonna Earp panels on Saturday. You will also find two videos: http://bit.ly/LFF20182Vlogs

First, here are two vlogs for you! The first one is about the Love Fan Fest photo shoot and opening:

The second one focuses on two Wynonna Earp panels on Saturday:

8 am

We as press were told to be back the hotel at 8 am to pick up our press passes. I took metro line 1 to the hotel. It took me a little longer to get to the hotel than before because the metro apparently does not run that often in the weekend. That meant I was at the hotel at around 8.15 am.

My press buddies had a look on their face and I was worried whether they were upset with me for being a bit late. I was supposed to have breakfast with them after picking up our passes so I thought that was it. Unfortunately, it was the same story as yesterday: nobody knew about the press passes and we were told to wait. That did not sound good.

Wait again

After a while, we were told to go to the merchandise stand. When we got there, they did not know where the passes were. We were told to wait again. By now, there were about five more people waiting for press passes.

At about 9 am, we were pointed at. That made us hopeful. Then, the others were given their press passes and we were not. If you wanted to see me in a nervous state, that was probably the best time. After some running around and phone calls, our contact found a list with our names and we were finally granted the holy press passes. Can you imagine how relieved I was?

Photos

That relief lasted two seconds. “In ten minutes, all the guests will come down for the Love Fan Fest photo shoot and interviews. You are supposed to go to the main hall for that right now.” Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I started to panic. I had nothing prepared. Yes, there were a few questions in my mind but if you have to go talk to actors, who have been asked questions a million times before, and you are new to this and you are recording it and oh yeah, you might also be a fan at the same time, you feel pressure.

I grabbed a peanut bar from my bag because I needed food to think…. I went back to ClexaCon in my head and I remembered how nervous I was for my very first interview and how completely unnecessary that was. “They are human beings too, they can be nervous themselves or they can be completely relaxed, just breathe!!” I kept telling myself.

Love Fan Fest photo shoot

Let me tell you, nobody is relaxed during those photo moments. I remembered the press room at ClexaCon and I could see it happen again at the Love Fan Fest photo shoot. The guests had to walk on the stage in the main hall, where it was completely quiet, and they were asking themselves: how do I need to pose? I tried to stay calm and not let the “OMG – OMG – OMG – OMG” in my mind shine through. I hope it worked :p

To interview or not to interview

After the Love Fan Fest photo shoot, it was time for interviews. However, I was then told that we (the “special media”) were not scheduled for interviews now but that I would be texted when they had found a spot for us. I was on call. It felt good not having to do interviews right on the spot but at the same time, spontaneity is hard too.

Also, I was still in the room with my other press buddies, who were not scheduled for interviews either, when all these interviews were taking place around us. That kind of looked funny. So, I just started to record footage of the guests being interviewed.

When I came back from a restroom break, though, my press buddy was casually chatting with Melanie, Kat, and Dom, who had come to our chairs to relax and wait for their first panel. I felt weird just joining the conversation but all my stuff was right there so it was not like I could simply go anywhere else… Oh well.

I asked Melanie how crazy her schedule was and yup, it was as crazy as you can imagine. She said she had a great agent though, who looked after everything, so she would not get too uncomfortable. We all need sleep and food, after all. I met Melanie’s agent the next day: I can confirm she really looks after her 😊

Opening

Then, the guests left and all the visitors entered the main hall. It was exciting to see everybody so happy for Love Fan Fest to start. Loud music started to play and images of the guests appeared on two screens. That footage was shot at the balcony where I would have my interviews later (so keep an eye out for that 😉).

The audience went crazy with anticipation. Then, all the guests entered the room and went back to the stage. They were not told what to do at that stage, so it ended up being quite funny. Everybody but Melanie, Kat, and Dom had to leave again so that everybody’s program could start.

Purgatory panel

Love Fan Fest’s first panel was called the Purgatory panel, which meant that Melanie, Kat, and Dom were on stage together. At one point, Kat and Dom had to leave and the second panel started, which was Melanie by herself. What was cool about this event was that the panels were not moderated. They were simply Q&A panels. That meant the guests were asked the questions that visitors really want to know.

Respectful

I did think a few times that the questions asked were not that respectful though. For instance, I heard somebody say something along the lines of “I wish everything/everyone was as beautiful as Mel’s ass” before asking her question. I wondered why anyone feels the need to say stuff like that. Luckily, in the very beginning, the guests could not hear the questions because there was too much echo on stage. This was fixed later during the day.

Another example is that in response to a question, Dom explained that she does not want to sing in front of a crowd because it makes her feel very anxious and then a few minutes later, another person asked her to sing. Maybe it had something to do with the language barrier?

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to ask Kat and Dom what they thought of the questions and they were genuinely very happy with them, so I guess it was just me or they missed those things because of the echo. Anyway, I thought there were some truly interesting ones as well that made them think very hard before answering.

More photos and videos

After that, I walked around a bit to take photos and shoot videos of everybody waiting in line for their photos and meet and greets. I asked staff whether I could take pictures inside the rooms but I could not. I understood that but at least I tried for you guys 😊

Next week, I’ll talk about the following panels: WayHaught, Hollstein, Gaby Christian, and Shannon Beveridge. I also have some press footage from the autograph area, for which my press buddies and I had to work hard. Stay tuned and do not forget to follow me on YouTube!

PS Want to watch Wynonna Earp? You can get season 1 here and season 2 here.

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