Convention Fans

One of my favorite online writers is Liz Ohanesian, who with photographer Shannon Cottrell, have been hitting up Los Angeles’ fandom conventions for LA Weekly. These ladies were brought together to scope out a convention, and ever since then, they’ve been hitting up cons like San Diego Comic-Con, Long Beach Comic Con, and Anime Expo, just to name a few. They are the kind of reporters we love here at Convention Fans, because they are writing positive stories about fandom, cosplay, and conventions. I recently had a chance to interview Liz and Shannon, and we chatted about how they ended up in the world of fandom cons, their favorite ones to attend, and their advice for budding young journalists out there.

What follows below is my interview with the dynamic duo, and at the very bottom you’ll find links to some of their recent stories at LA Weekly! Special thanks to Shannon for giving us permission to repost some of her great photos with this interview.

Liz and Shannon, when was your first fandom convention, and how long ago was it?

Liz: Anime LA, probably about three years ago.

Shannon: I think it was Comic-Con San Diego 1993, or maybe it was 1994. It was before they changed the logo to what it looks like today and it was, of course, a lot smaller.

Approximately how many conventions have you attended in your lifetime?

Liz: Not sure exactly, but not a lot, maybe something in the neighborhood of ten. I should probably add, though, that in Los Angeles there are a lot of non-convention fandom events, like doll meet-ups, parties at Royal/T (a maid cafe) and theme nights at clubs like Tune in Tokyo and Malediction Society. We go to those fairly often.

Shannon: I’d probably say about 10 as well.

What are some of your favorite conventions to attend?

Liz: So far, my favorite con is Comic Con. Coming from specifically a journalistic standpoint, Comic Con is quite a challenge. First of all, it’s huge and there’s a much larger press presence than at other cons, so we have to make sure that we have unique stories. Comic Con is quite mainstream now and we know that a lot of people are going to be covering the celebrity sightings and major movie news, so we try to seek the things that might get lost in the Hollywood hoopla. All that forces us to work even faster and harder than we normally would at a convention (we actually filed stories while sitting on the floor in front of the Exhibit Hall entrance). It’s basically a four-day adrenaline rush. Can’t beat that.

Shannon: Defiantly Comic-Con because there is so much to do and see, this year we were literally running around chasing down steampunks and those people giving out free hugs. I think Comic-Con is probably the most diverse in terms of fandom; the spectrum of people is really great. There are people that come for the mainstream movies and TV shows, but also people who are interested in vinyl toys and manga.

What makes a convention enjoyable for you?

Liz: Getting to meet interesting people is great and I love to have random conversations about manga or The Mighty Boosh. My favorite part of conventions on the whole, though, is the artists alley because I appreciate the creativity and DIY spirit involved in the fandoms.

Shannon: The fans. Conventions wouldn’t exist without them and they are certainly the ones responsible for setting the newest trends. I think it’s fantastic that people are really friendly. I always leave cons with an education in something new.

What makes a convention not enjoyable?

Liz: Definitely carrying around a laptop for ten hours a day, four days straight. I usually come home from conventions sore, bruised and dehydrated, but it’s worth it.

Shannon: It’s rough when there are fan wars. I know not everyone is going to agree but I don’t think that is an excuse to be intolerant. A fan is a fan at least people should come together on that. Oh, also bad wifi is the worst!

What fandoms are you interested in, personally?

Liz: Both of us are pretty big fans of The Venture Bros. and The Mighty Boosh. I think we can quote entire episodes of both. I’m mostly into anime and manga, but I also love comics and some sci-fi movies/series.

Shannon: Definitely The Venture Bros., interviewing & photographing Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer was a total fan moment for both of us. I’m very sad we missed Dragon*Con. I’m also really into Blythe dolls and the first Blythe Con is coming up this month! Those two cons make me wish I lived in Georgia, just for a second. I love Los Angeles.

How did you come to start writing about/taking photos of conventions for LA Weekly?

Liz: I went to Anime LA a few years ago just because it was near where I lived and I wanted to find some new DVDs. I stumbled into the Anime Music Video contest and was taken by two particular entries. Since I mostly cover music and had been writing quite a bit about remix culture, I thought this was fascinating. After the con, I tracked down the creators of the two videos, interviewed them and then, a few months later, went to Anime Expo where one was entered in their AMV competition. I wrote a story for LA Weekly about it and the response was amazing. I did a few other stories related to anime fandom after that, then Anime LA came around again and Shannon, who I knew through some other assignments we had shared, said she would shoot it. We had such a great time doing the story that we became a team and started wandering through LA in search of more fandom events.

Shannon: It was all Liz’s planning. I just said yes. The coverage we did for ALA was such a hit that our web editor, Erin Broadley, encouraged us to do more.

How is covering a convention for “the press” different than attending just as a fan?

Liz: We don’t have the chance to take part in the usual con activities like cosplay or waiting in line for autographs. We’re usually running around interviewing people and taking photos.

We try to maintain a balance between our role as journalists and our own fangirl (used in the best sense of the word) tendencies. For example, even if I wanted to wait in line for three hours for a Neil Gaiman panel, I couldn’t because we have other stories we have to research and report.

Shannon: Time is always an issue. We never get a chance to see everything we wanted, but the story is always more important.

As a member of the press, what is something convention organizers can do to better help you cover their con?

Liz: The cons in general have accommodated us well, so we haven’t had a whole lot of problems in terms of our work. However, there are times, like with certain concerts at conventions, where there are no photo privileges and that’s a bummer.

Shannon: That is a bummer.

What advice would you give to someone who’s never attended conventions before, but wants to start?

Liz: Don’t do too much planning. For us, most of the fun comes from not knowing what were going to find. We work spontaneously, just about every piece we write (save for some pre-arranged interviews) comes from collaborating on the steps of the convention center. Keep yourself open to new ideas.

Shannon: Keep your eyes and mind open, there is so much to experience at conventions. Also the people are always really friendly and open to conversation.

Any advice for the budding young journalists out there?

Liz: Do as much research as you can before going out on assignment. I think one of the reasons that Shannon and I have been successful in our event coverage is because, even though we would never claim to be experts, we’ve done a lot of research. We keep up on convention news and various fandom news daily, so even though we don’t really plan our coverage far in advance, we’re never going in someplace blind. Also, make sure you love what you cover. Conventions and other fandom events have become a regular part of our reporting because we love it and I hope that our own passion for the subject is evident through my writing and Shannon’s photos.

Shannon: I don’t want to sound like an afterschool special or anything but, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ve never learned anything from a victory. I’m constantly telling myself while looking over photos, I wish I would have done that this way or gotten a better angle on that shot. There is no right or wrong way to cover an event, just your own point of view.

Recent Articles by Liz, with Photos by Shannon:

Dungeon Master: It’s Neither Fetish Nor LARP
The Venture Bros.’ Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick Talk Favorite Music
Tune in Tokyo Where Jpop Becomes LA Pop
Fan Interviews from Long Beach Comic Con: How Much is an Autograph Worth?
Anime Expo 2009: Taking in the Otaku Trends

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