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Epic Con? Well, That's How Some Guests, Vendors And Attendees Seem To Describe It…. (UPDATE)

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Somedays you just can't get rid of a con –  Photo from DIY Fashion.

*****Make sure to check site often for any guest cancellations, there are no refunds for cancellations. If you purchase a photo op or special VIP with a certain guest and the guest is cancelled then those purchases are refundable.***** – www.epic-con-ohio.com

This weekend gone, the Epic-Con Ohio Geek Fest took place in Dayton, Ohio. Or some of it did. From posts on their Facebook page (that have yet to be deleted) as well on other folks pages and Twitter feeds, there have been some rather strong reactions.

Christopher A. Adams  A month ago, the following guests were all advertised to be in attendance on this con's webpage: Jim O'Rear, Scott Tepperman, Walter Koenig, David Warner, Barbie Wilde, Barbara Nedeljakova, Debbie Rochon, Tiffany Shepis, Tara Cardinal, J.P. Luebsen, Cerina Vincent, Reggie Bannister, Don Coscarelli, Michael Baldwin, Linnea Quigley, J LaRose, Jennier Jostyn, Michael Berryman, Suze Lanier-Bramlett, Marcia Karr, Sonya Thompson, and Larry Mainland. These were all guests that I was excited to meet and interact with at the show. Within the last two weeks ALL of these guests have removed themselves from the show due to the actions of the convention promoters, with many posting on their own Facebook sites that Epic Con was in breach of contract and not providing transportation to the con all the while ignoring the requests of the guests for a response. Many of us have seen several of the celebrity guests post on the convention's FB page asking for a response to travel/planning issues since the con was not maintaining communication. As a fan, it seems to me that all of these guests were simply "used" as pawns to dupe us in to buying tickets in advance. And, then, when they had our money, they backed out of the deals with the guests and the whole thing fell apart. This is as disappointed as I have ever been with a convention. As many have stated, this seems like a "bait and switch". The fans, the guests, and the vendors have all been duped and basically robbed. I certainly hope there is no year three for this ripoff of a convention.

This certainly didn't seem to be an isolated response. Checking in with some of the names mentioned,

Barbie Wilde At this late date, I am very sad to announce that due to circumstances beyond my control and through no fault — or conflicting previous engagements — of mine, I will be not be appearing at Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest in Dayton.

Jim O'Rear CONVENTION WARNING…. I WILL NOT be appearing at EPIC-CON OHIO GEEKFEST this weekend. I have not cancelled and want to be there with those who were coming to see me, but the promoter has breached my contract, as well as the contracts of over 35 other guests, and refuses to respond to email. Many have already been removed from the website but there are still several listed as appearing who have personally told me that they will not be attending, either. It appears as if this event is a bust, so beware if you have not already bought your tickets. I especially feel bad for those who were duped by this convention and pre-purchased tickets, which are non-refundable. I apologize to those who planned on making the trip to see me. Please know that I did everything within my power to be with you. My next stop will be in Phoenix, AZ, next week for PHOENIX FEARCON! Hope to see you there!

Barbie Wilde And Epic Con have deleted Jim O'Rear and my posts on the EC FB page telling the fans we won't be there. On the website, they've just deleted our photos but not said we've cancelled. It's as if we never were booked.

Jim O'Rear Jill…. As one of the previously advertised guests, I can tell you, in a nutshell, that the convention breached their contracts with over 35 guests, telling most of us 2 days before the show that they would not honor our contracts to appear…. and after they had used all of our names to pre-sell non-refundable tickets to the public.
Yan Birch As so many of my fellow Actors I never received my plane tickets to Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest this weekend; therefore I am saddened to say I will not attend this event after all and I apologize to all the fans. I did not cancel. I hope to see you all at future events. Be safe!!!

Adrian Paul Official Page It is with regret that I have to inform you that Adrian has had to pull out of the Dayton convention, through no wish, nor fault of his own. He has told us that he was fully ready to fly to Dayton on the 24th, having changed his own flight from Europe with the ticket rebooked. It seems Adrian is not the only celebrity who has pulled out. Several others too have done so, after apparently no response from the organizer regarding contractual commitments. For those of you who bought tickets, Adrian would like to extend his apology and hopes to be able to see you at another time and venue. (Bev Shihara)

Wendy Steenson Murphy — 1 starEven though my cosplay group was invited to be a guest over 5 months ago, since the promoter is unable to provide any information on our hotel/travel accommodations, or even what day/time the panel we are supposed to be hosting will be held (the convention is in 24 hours……) we have decided not to attend. We are still listed on the website as attending, even though I notified them that we will not be coming. We have attended dozens of conventions and this is the most disorganized mess I have ever seen. I feel bad for all the people who bought tickets to the VIP's that are not appearing.

 

Christine Movie Car

October 24 at 5:28am ·

I regret to inform everyone that Bill & I & the cast members of the "Christine Reunion" are unable to attend Epic-Con this weekend. Unfortunately contractual obligations were not met by the promoter when we arrived. We apologize to the fans but cannot absorb more debt. We sincerely understand her situation and wish her only the best but need to continue our journey. We will return to the area at some point in the future to visit.
On a positive note I received a message from my good friend Tim Shockey &Green Goblin Head wanting to spend some time with me and celebrate my upcoming Birthday !! It turns out he will be only a few hours away at the Flint Horror-Con !!! http://flinthorrorcon.webnode.com/

Bill had a talk with the promoter late Thursday night and they came to an agreement. So look out Flint , Michigan !! Bill and I look forward to running into you soon !!!!! ;0) {oo)==v==(oo}

And even those who did still go had problems.

Simon Bamford Anyone have a contact number for the organisers of Epic Con in Dayton Ohio? I have flown in from the UK and waiting in the lobby of the hotel for them to pay for my room so I can check in. Jet lagged and abandoned, don't know what to do! Any ideas?

Though this was, at least resolved,

Simon Bamford All sorted…in my room…all is well with the world again.

One of the agents made their stance clear.

The Scarlet Abbey Attention Fans/Attendees of EPIC CON,

I wanted to make an official announcement that a number of The Scarlet Abbey's clients guest appearances are cancelled for this upcoming weekend's event, EPIC CON in Dayton Ohio.

Due to circumstances beyond the control of The Scarlet Abbey or it's clients, unfortunately, has resulted in cancellations.

We greatly apologize to all the fans/attendees out there who were so looking forward to meeting The Scarlet Abbey clients.

We look forward to seeing you all at other events in the near future.

Sincerely,
Missy Gordon
Owner / Booking Agent, The Scarlet Abbey

But there was some serious debate going on about this,

Timothy Beal My clients Tom Wright, Jim Winburn and John Carl Buechler do not currently have their flights either. But do you see any of them or me bashing the promoters? No . There are a lot you people who do not know what happened behind the scenes. If you want to thank anyone for certain talent not being able to be there , you should thank Tony Todd, Walter Koenig and Missy Gordon who stuck the promoters up for their money and had them pay deposits to Tony Todd and Walter Koenig and Tony and Walter running off with the promoters money and not making good on their appearances. That money could have went to book the remaining fights.Thank you Walter and Tony

Jim O'Rear Any deposits paid to guests were part of their contracts. The promoter knew these deposits were part of that deal and should have planned accordingly. The fact is, the promoter over extended themselves. These deposits would have been due any way. If the promoter did not want to pay a deposit then they didn't need to sign that agreement with the talent. The deposit amount should have been included in their operating budget. No one "ran off with the promoters money" except the promoter. In addition, the amount of the deposit would not have covered expenses for more than 40 guests who have had their contracts breached. To state that Tony and Walter were paid a deposit that was large enough to cover the flights and hotels of 40 guests is completely ridiculous.

And more spinning to come, with Epic organisers posting the following.

Derek Maki Coolwaters would like to make an official comment about EPIC CON, an event that is scheduled to take place on October 24-26, 2014 in Dayton Ohio. Fans have been asking why our clients were cancelled from the show and a few fans have been posting bad things about Coolwaters, its clients and or the promoter.

Since no one has information on the contracts between the clients and the promoter, no fan should be making accusations against Coolwaters, its client nor the promoter. Fans do NOT know the reasons behind the cancellations and their comments or statements stating that they are privy to contract points or demands is unfair and untrue.

The cancellations where due to circumstances beyond our control and it in now way should reflect the dealings or feelings of Coolwaters employees and its clients.We ask that the negative remarks stop immediately and that the show be allowed to continue with its business and its other guests. Coolwaters has not degraded the show in any way and feels that the comments made about us and our clients, by others, is unjustified and unwarranted.

Coolwaters and its clients hope that a future area event will bring them face to face with fans, but for now, this event is not possible for us. Thanks – Derek Maki; President of Coolwaters Productions LLC.

During the past several days, there has been adjustments to some of the line-up of advertised guests. Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest acknowledges this and regrets the dismay this may have caused to those guests and their fans. As a second year event there has been challenges, but that is to be expected. The intent was to create a platform, in this area, for people who have a love for comics, cosplay, cars, or wanting to meet authors, FX artists, independent filmmakers and up-and-coming talents. Look forward to seeing everyone have an exciting time in Dayton. Thank you.

But not everyone appreciated the spin. Missy Gordon Talent, Promoters, Fans and Vendors again,

Recently, it was brought to my attention that myself and my booking company – "The Scarlet Abbey" – has been accused of being one of the main reasons of the problems surrounding "Epic-Con" in Ohio. These accusations are false and have been issued by an individual with whom I have never met nor even know. This individual has tried on other occasions to discredit myself and my booking company. Due to these ignorant, vile attempts, it has caused me to have block him on facebook and other social media sites.

For the record, I had nothing to do with any of the issues facing "Epic-Con." There were contractual obligations that weren't met – for not only my clients, but other agents' clients as well. To that end, I still had three of my clients participate in this show – which will no doubt cause me financial loss. However, myself and my company will remain professional – even in the face of adversity. Our dedication to the fans remains strong – and we will do whatever is in our physical and financial means to ensure a wonderful opportunity for the fans to meet the talent we represent.

Blatant, unfounded and false information serves no one at this point. EVERYONE has suffered as a result of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the "Epic-Con" event. However, I would like to point out that myself and my company – "The Scarlet Abbey," will not simply "roll over and play dead" when lies are being disseminated in an attempt to smear our name. Perhaps if this individual was looking for someone to "blame," he need only to remind himself of his own failed convention in Maryland some years back. His heavy influence on "Epic-Con" is evident and documented. Our attention at this point will be to serve our clients, the fans, and the promoters with whom we work, and to grow a professional and well established agency for the benefit of all.

Of coure there were more problems. Such as an article in the Dayton Daily News just before the show featuring many guests who has cancelled previously.

Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest The interview for Dayton Daily News was conducted quickly to make it to print. It was explained to the reporter from the onset of the interview that there were guests that were removed due to various developments. The reporter drafted the article but when additional information wasn't supplied in a timely manner, the reporter went through alternate means so the article would run. Emails have been sent to get this corrected before it goes to print tomorrow, and a disclaimer should be imminent on the website.

Epic-Con Ohio: Geek FestUpdate: A story published in yesterday's Dayton City Paper referenced guests that are no longer participating at Epic-Con Ohio: Geekfest. The content was collected a while ago and the article was scheduled to run prior to the convention's start date. The Epic-Con article went to print on Monday, and while there is no way to revise or update what is on the stands, the staff is aware and will be running disclaimers on the Dayton City Paper website and across social media.

The update was indeed printed on the site, but it wasn't exactly in keeping with the reasons given by non-attending guests.

Neither Tony Todd from "Candyman;" Walter Koenig from "Star Trek; " Adrian Paul from the "Highlander: the Series;" nor David Warner from "Penny Dreadful," "The Omen," and "Tron" will appear as previously reported at Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest Convention and Custom Auto Show this weekend at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Organizers cited conflicting professional obligations and other overseen developments as reasons.

Awkward. But not as awkward as the comments and reviews that kept flooding in.

William A Fulmer A guest or two cancelled is normal due to illness or professional obligations.. Not the promoter cancelling or celebrities cancelling due to non payment or non transportation.. Again one or two guests.. Not 35

Justin Oso Williams Waiting for the class action law suit to bar these people from doing this ever again.

Jill Pancake Everyone keeps saying its normal to have guest cancellations. Yeah a few. Not this many. More than half the guests I wanted to see cancelled. I want to know the real reason.

Carol Henderson I read on a few of the guests FB pages that were to appear at this show that they had no confirmation of airfare or hotel accommodations as of yesterday. Sounds like the producers of this show are trying to pull something.

Robert Love HEY! you said the event schedule including panals were to be updated tonight. Thursday night, and photo op schedules and prces. This has NOT happened yet. How come?? youve had time to deleate posts but cant update schedules for the people who are going? btw, when it says TBA, thats not an update

Chris Kernaghan the problems are the tip of the ice berg.. Celebs are/were not paid what they were promised. (i know this for a fact). There was no green room or food for the celebs (again I know this for a fact). It took ME , the d2o girls, and some vendor to pool together to feed the celebs (it wasnt much but they were grateful someone cared) 3 celebs had special diets (vegan) that should had been addressed. you cant expect guests to sit ALL day without breaks or food.. I question is it ignorange, lack of knowledge, or sometihng else that cause this Con to really put a black eye on geekdom as a whole. Ive been to many cons and NEVER had seen such disrespect to those who were promised things and not given. I hope all the vendors and celebs KNEW that we the vendors appreciated them and was there to back them up. Reality is the people in charge were in WAY over their heads. Whatever the reson doesnt matter..they are ultimately responsible.. there was no program(ads were paid for and never printed), no structure and alot of hurt and hard feelings on both sides. I feel that the celebs are NOT at fault. the buck stops at the top.. and the top is Epic Con management. I hope that the Epic Con uses it as a learning experience andm oves on but I feel that the celebs will NEVER trust anything associated with the term Epic Con in dayton. Hopefully they dont hold it against other cons in general or the people who DID step up and try to help them.

Wayne Dansberry you might want to start deleting all the photos in the photo section on this page that is related to the show. you are still misleading the fans on who will be appearing at the show, misleading people on what this show is all about and still promoting on the likeness of celebrities that you could not afford to fly to the show. false advertising on your end so you might wanna clean it up instead of deleting post from celebrities. also if you want respect as a promoter you might wanna start finding time to reply to e-mails that have been sent as a vendor I'm at a loss because I signed up for one show and now its completely different because you can't financially back what you originally promoted. vendors, celebrities, artist, agents and film makers are talking a financial hit because you have no idea how to promote a show. please take some advice if you can't financially support a show from beginning to end go back to being a fan. this post will be marked and saved so deleting it is just a waste of time.

 

Paul Gabbard According to the their facebooks pages, several of the celebs cancelled due to breach of contract. Michael Berryman still didn't have a plane ticket or any commication yesterday so he cancelled. VIP ticket was money well spent, next year I will just go out and find a con-man and give it to him and save the internet back and forth. Epic-Con is a great name cause that is just what it is, an Epic-Con, bait and switch.

Heather Ream You know it will. I would be VERY surprised if the vendors were not still in the red after paying for a table ,and traveling to get there and lodging. Sucks to be them for sure. As well as the people who pre paid online for tickets. And this is why I never buy in advance. Unless it is a well known con that has been around for a few years.

Jeff Bruce Thank you heather. We vendors can only show up and do the best we can. We were expecting the bigger name guests and the crowds they would bring. Now, we are left holding a bag of bills for the show and hope people show up and spend money anyway.

Heather Ream There is a HUGE difference between a guest or celeb appearance being canceled for illness or something out of the "guest" control. Anyone who regularly goes to cons can expect this to happen. BUT when 35 people cancel because of a contract breach on Epic Cons end that is a whole different story.. Wouldn't you say? People were promised to have flights paid for and that never happened. Emails were sent and not responded to..I can't imagine anyone falling for this BS again next year.

Amanda Cross I understand that all the guests left yesterday at 3PM when they were advised that their money and flight would not be paid and there was no one there…. very sad that the guests and vendors and artists had to take such a huge bath on this.

Justin Roman Epic con is literally stealing from us. I understand a few cancellations, but most of the guests cancelling a few days before? We are being lied to and ripped off. Where is the money we paid for our tickets? Epic con doesn't have to pay for 35 guests now, so why can't we get a refund?

Wendy Painter Bell  I can say for myself that I wasn't notified that Walter Koenig had cancelled, I found out on my own. I'm wondering if those other 200.00 VIP ticket people are going to show up thinking they get a limo ride with Walter to dinner… Only to find out Walter did not even come.

Kimi Sue Stafford — 1 star The celebrities were sweethearts! But the people working at the Con were incredibly rude! The place was a joke. I've been to quite a few conventions, and I'm not normally cruel. Epic Con is a joke! They had more security in the building with only vendors…..but hardly ANY security (any that were paying attention) was in the building with the stars. There was a BOOTLEGGER in the corner of the room my gosh! There weren't enough volunteers to be in charge of every star! As for the wrestling show…..that should have been in a separate room. The loudness was disrespectful to the stars and the vendors. I won't mention the name of the star (out of respect) but the star looked as though they were going to cry. They BARELY checked the badges in the building where the stars were. When I first got there they didn't even HAVE badges ready. The con was a sloppy freaking mess!

Robert Love — 1 star Bought tickets based on who they advertised as coming. Most are not coming now due to a breach of contract on Epic cons side and a complete lack of any communication. The Dj and the bands had to be eliminated They continue to delete posts written by anyone upset at the continuing loss of guests, refusal to reimburse special VIP tickets, costing into the hundreds of dollars, and wont get back to anyone at all, including attendees, venders and guests of the show. Its complete theft and the authorities should be called and lawsuits should be made. I would give it no stars if the option was possible.

Justin Oso Williams — 1 starThis was ill handled as though it was a first time out of pocket event. Poor planning, poor management, and poor execution has led to a black-eye on the Dayton Con scene. If these people want to do another event I suggest a private party or event at Scene75 or Chuck E' Cheese, which seems to be more their speed. Haunters, Hunters, Talent, and Writers, if you see these people approach you for future gigs run!

Erica Kauffman — 1 star Epic cluster fuck. We are heading to Crypticon to salvage what is left of our weekend. Dozens of vendors and hundreds of fans have been shafted by this poorly run show. Shame on them.

Kenneth R Koepnick — 1 star By far the worst convention I have ever been involved in as an attendee or a dealer, which is saying a lot considering I've been to over 50 different conventions around the country so far.. The promoter may be a lovely lady personally & may even have great intentions, but conventions are a business & this is one of the worst run business organizations I've ever interacted with. The most disrespectful of it all is blaming people who are having horrible experiences by saying they somehow badmouthed the convention & that brought it to its knees instead of taking ownership like a business should. The only thing word of mouth can do is damage attendance. Everything else is managed by the promoter.

Per the convention announcement, dealer setup was from 4-9 Thursday night. Upon arrival at 515, there were tables stacked on carts, a handful of celebrity cars, & not a single person from the convention present. Multiple attempts to the promoter's cell phone were ignored, so I grabbed some dinner. Returning at 630, I found a group of similarly confused dealers and still no one from the convention. 2.5 hours into dealer setup for a 3 day convention.
Around that time, the promoter wandered in, saying she had issues with volunteers & that she hadn't slept or ate all day. A very nice artist rallied the dealers & began setting up tables & trying to make sense of them. When I asked the promoter for a list of dealer spaces needed or a floor plan of some kind… anything to help us organize her convention, she informed me that they were in her husband's car, though she had a different story for another dealer. When I asked her to call him & get the information, she did nothing. Upon realizing the level of disorganization, hearing about the various cancellations due to nonpayment, & seeing next to no staffing or leadership, I began asking about the overnight security situation on the dealer rooms. I received two different half answers on the subject which robbed what little confidence was left in the show.
Around 715, as we were still trying to figure out the layout, I turn to find her focused on getting the wrestling ring set up in the back of the room instead. Priorities. Shortly thereafter, she disappeared from the fairgrounds again, supposedly having an issue with guests to deal with… with the dealer room still not set up, with less than 2 hours left out of 5 hours of dealer setup. For the first time, we pulled out of a convention.
No badges, no signage on or around the fairgrounds, not even a list of who paid for what table spaces or what guests were actually still coming. On top of the mass exodus of guests like I've never seen before, the inability to meet the simplest of contractual obligations, the poor managing of the social media pages, and the online harassment suffered by critics from people I can only assume are family & friends (check the 5* reviews), & the hearsay issues from attendees & other dealers since the show actually started… it just appears that the people (person?) in charge were in over their heads from the start. Stick to other, better shows in the area. Decent idea with nice fliers, but stay away… things are not quite what they seem.Manda Dailey — 1 star Edited review to promote the con to the WORST ever, of all time. Also, if anybody wants to discuss ways of getting money back or pressing legal action, you can message me for admission for a group. It's open to vendors, artists, talent, and attendees. I will be vetting people to make sure they are NOT Sheri's friends or family.
And Sheri? I seriously regret letting you vent on Thursday night. Iregret knowing you. Your daughters were lovely and nice, but I hope if they go into management they don't follow your shitty example. I lost money and I only needed to make $75 to break even (yay for living 2 miles away, right?). Dayton is seriously a nice area, with really nice people (except the rich assholes from 2 suburbs), and a lot of nice, fun things to do. I hope that if there's ever a different con in the city, you guys will give Dayton another chance.

If it wasn't required to tap a star to rate it, I wouldn't. This is hands-down the WORST con ever, of all time. I could have spent my time building my online business, cuddling with cats, or watching paint dry: any of those would have been better uses of my time than this convention. We helped set up Thursday and it's just kept going downhill from there. Thanks to incredibly poor organization and financial management, none of the big ticket guests who would draw the crowds came (though the ones that came were awesome despite con managements shitty treatment of them and I don't blame them for leaving early). People were thrown out for incredibly shitty reasons, AND THE WRESTLING BULLSHIT WAS TOO LOUD. The guy who got thrown out for complaining where that rude "wrestler" could hear him? My hero! I'm heard of hearing, and I could barely make out what the few potential customers we did have were asking!

Barely any one is making money. We haven't even made back the cost of our table. We needed this to go well so we could at least make enough for electricity to not get turned off, but since people are leaving or not showing up thanks the the world's crappiest organization, that's not going to happen.

So hey, thanks for fucking us over. Thanks for fucking everyone over. I totally needed to be cold and have no way to cook or store food. Yeah, that's fucking fantastic. Anybody who lives in Dayton knows what it's like trying to get a job out here or get help with bills. I know y'all understand.

Catherine Batka — 1 star I really wanted to love this con. It's held a few blocks away from the hospital I was born at, and because I had family area, I didn't have to pay for a hotel. I thought it would be a perfect, small, relaxing con to vend at.

Unfortunately, I was TERRIBLY wrong. SO MUCH went wrong. I should have noticed the red flags when the badges weren't in when I arrived (late, mind you,) and there was no system to confirm if I was actually a vendor or not. I should have just turned around and left when I saw the tabling situation for the artists. I paid EXTRA money to get a 10×10 booth. Because no one knew where to set up, I got an 8×5. MAYBE. So I didn't even get the space offered to the first tier of payment. I have many more grievances that I will write on my Convention Review Blog tonight, but I need to cut to the chase.

I am not bothering to show up today, even as a vendor. The absolute final straw was when a woman at the D20 booth was collecting what little money the VENDORS had managed to make to FEED THE FEW GUESTS WHO ACTUALLY SHOWED UP. According to her, they had not been paid since the night before, which meant they hadn't had breakfast or lunch. The con should feel ashamed of itself for not even feeding the small percentage of guests that actually did show up.

This is without a doubt the worst con experience I ever had, and I came in so excited to be here.

Jeff Bruce Most of the guests were there today, Sunday. Wrestlers left.
Guests out numbered the fans
Sadly. Really want my money back. Not the show I agreed to do.

Problem is, you cannot get moisten from a bone dry sponge. The promoters owe so many that I doubt if any of us see a dime of a refund.

Damn shame. I have promoted shows in the past,
And if I was high on cocaine,
I could have done a better job.
The next show of this type in Dayton won't get a fair chance because of this one.
Damn shame.

There were also allegations of dirty tricks from other conventions…

Kev Diabolique — 5 star 2nd year con and it's still growing exponentially. There will be growing pains, glitches and more that is always the case with anything like this. Other cons and pissed off agents that couldn't bully and manipulate them like other cons like I've seen happening so many times, will try to tear the show down and post bad reviews fraudulently, but it won't work that way lol. I think they are doing a great job, especially for a grass roots effort of about 5-7 people with their own money, not some big convention/business conglomerate that has millions in sponsorships and hundreds of employees and volunteers. I applaud them for going through with this no matter how hectic and hard it is and everyone I've talked to will have your back no matter what. The owner is a genuine caring and charismatic woman that is handicapped with major health issues from major lung problems from what I've seen, which is why she partnered with Pulmonary Fibrosis foundation to make others aware, but still working her ass off to do this for the people and the city to bring awareness, money and something constructive back to the town that she cares for deeply. All of us Daytonians have her back as well as all the celebrities that we know!

I won't say good luck, because this is about hard work and effort, not luck. You will never be able to please everyone, so don't even try. No haters allowed. See you at the show :)

But it would be hard for any dirty tricks campaign to organise this massive amount of activity from guests, vendors and attendees alike… but some people were able to make lemonade.

Author William Pattison I might not get to go to Epic Con. They haven't gotten me a flight and time is running out. All I see is I'm getting screwed again. I can't take it again. This time it will crush me, I swear it will. The thing is unlike other people who this is just another convention for me this is my dream I've had for over 20 years. I've wanted to meet my fans since I wrote my books and I've been denied, and some people took great pleasure in doing that to me. I've never been treated like an artist. I've always been treated like garbage. One convention organizer discribled authors as the lowest wrung on the totum pole, beneath even vendors. He said that authors belonged in the back of the vendors hall and have to pay for everything because no one was interested in them. I'm just so scared right now I'm practically in tears.

Author William Pattison Actually I got some good news. I got my flight at noon with a little help from Derek and my new computer fund. I'll get re-embursed at the convention.

Author William PattisonBeen busy hanging out with my new friends at Epic-Con Ohio: Geek Fest. The convention did not turn out as expected, but I achieved my goal to meet some of my fans and to show people in horror who I am. I will have some pictures to post once I get home. I'm using my sisters IPad and I can't load pictures. I have a lot of cool stories to tell, but I'll do that when I get home and use a computer I'm used to.

Something useful to know. It's really hard to put on a comic convention. The successful ones take a huge amount of work and it's a credit to them that this seems normal now and expected now. But undercapitalisation is a real problem, to paraphrase an old quote "How do you make a small fortune in running comic cons? Start with a large fortune". In this case organisers Jackabyte Multimedia & Gaming clearly didn't have the funds to carry through with commitments before receiving ticket sale revenue and as a result, the show was kneecapped. The response is not to delete Facebook posts but to apologise, refund and learn. And maybe garner enough sympathy and understanding to have another go…

UPDATE: This post from the promoter's husband was posted on Facebook but has since been deleted.

before you say Too long didn't read, read! lol
On a serious note though, we are seriously good people just don't take shit from anyone at any time, don't scam, don't like crooks, injustice, racism, shit talkers, trouble makers, liars, we don't go out to harm anyone or anything. What you people did to my wife while she is seriously ill that many witnessed trying to please everyone while they screamed, acted like complete fools in front of everyone including the Police there, was absolutely revolting and fucking immature at best for people that do cons like yourselves. She was stressed the fuck out because of the sabotage that is now very well known, very well documented, happened several times during the show that even some vendors witnessed, helped us with and reported, and still went through with the show as well and it's being taking care of as we speak. Many of you I was even talking to through the whole weekend and laughing with you and you didn't even know who I was. Some talked shit and wasn't the wiser either beca! use you didn't know who I was standing there listening to some of you sound like selfish whiny little brats that don't get their way costing us money and making other good vendors leave that supported us because someone took their spot and tried to fight them regardless of the situation and no damn excuse to act a fucking fool like children. Some of the vendors were so damn childish, disrespectful, high, and drunk that you were fucking fighting for vendor tables, fighting behind the coliseum about spots and expect someone to give you money back after you made Epic Loot and Games leave the round house and they were the shows only true paying partner at the time to run our gaming that would have brought about 200-300+ @$50+ a pop Magic the Gathering regional tournament players here that would have bought vendor items and many sales throughout. The vendors you pushed out were Magic the Gathering vendors that were big supporters from the start of our show that you destroyed bec! ause of idiocracy. You cost us a fucking massive amount of los! s of mon ey and yourselves just from your bad behavior and should have been kicked out by the Police as they were going to do, but we let you stay. I won't even touch on the actual celebs prior to the show that caused a major issue up front and their agents that took money and even flights that bailed with our loot and lied on the facts of these situations, as this is for court and truly can't talk about it. Truly amazingly immature on you guys part and I'm not going to troll any further as it's become boring and unproductive in a sense.

So I ask you, unless you are connected to other shows that want this show to fail that we did indeed expose, such as the guys that showed up and stood on the balcony of the coliseum, whispered to vendors to tell EpicCon that Days of the Dead said hi(this is a fact so no edit, but could be someone else pretending to be), took pictures, watched the drifting while we filmed them doing so and plain clothes Police and Security followed them around that they thought no one knew they were there when I warned them to not show up, as well as the Horror Hound ones that tried the same several times during the weekend, thus some of the made up stuff about metal badges and other petty stuff just to make things more difficult. We have nothing against either one of these shows nor care to, so it needs to stop and they can go back to sabotage each other like they both bitch about for years now. Leave us out of it. It took several vendors and the large portion of the celebs to see some of t! his to finally totally understand. When you have celebs that have lost their minds, including Jake the Snake (was forbidden by us to step into the ring for liability reasons because of his health and he broke that when he got in the ring and did the Snake pit for Rockstar on camera that he wants not posted online), DDP, R.A. out of about of the 40 celebs total that did not do this, try to shake my wife down for money like mob guys and crackheads trying to take the cashbox or get in the safe at about 1pm on Saturday on the main day of the show with many that witnessed it first hand that were utterly shocked at this behavior and got involved against them. This included other celebs that came to help my wife essentially fight them off including Mel Novak among others as well as the undercover Police with R.A. trying to get in the cash box. Many people witnessed this happen at least twice. Now you know why they ultimately were made to leave by the Police not us, not because the! show was a flop, or a scam, or whatever you think, it's becau! se they attempted to attack her and shake her down when the show was just getting started while celebs, vendors and attendees watched in shock. This was unbecoming, unprofessional, and an attempted criminal act that many seen and they voided the contract, thus left for breaking the law by making threats simply because she was a woman that they thought they could shakedown. R.A. literally was in my wife's face a few inches away and threatened my wife with harm and that something bad was going to happen to her if she did not open the safe early Saturday with decent amount of people in there, all while trying to get all of their money before the show was even getting going, violating the contract of the sales guarantee by the end of Sunday. She feared for her life after R.A. made a threat of something bad is going to happen to her on Saturday with the Police and celebs present, thus being removed by the Police. She had to be taken to the EMS for treatment after that and they can verify! it. They screwed themselves on this one because of that behavior and you don't try to shakedown someone like common thugs, thieves and druggies when the show just started or any other time for that matter. It's a civil matter at best and they made it criminal and for what now, for them to leave with whatever they made and people looking at them like they are lunatics now and fans lost so much respect that were there. Jake was caught refusing money for signed autographs that he is required to take, thus this violated his contract for meeting his sales guarantee plain and simple.

We know the show had issues, mistakes and this was not hidden period. We know the show was not a success it should be. For gods sake, why the fuck do you want to destroy it so badly when everything we have went into it for you to just talk shit and name call on my wife like complete idiots and me for defending her that you didn't have the balls to do when I was standing near you, but become a keyboard warrior and insult based on stuff that you truly don't know or understand? That shows that you are idiot trouble makers unless you prove me wrong and the Police and Attorneys are indeed watching all of this, no if and's or buts.. So you weren't happy, so be it, but many were happy that we talked to that said so and many of the celebs have sent their regards as we speak via text messages and will be back if we do this again. So wtf is the point in the clueless insults when you don't know much at all of what transpired other from outside looking in on fogged up windows essentiall! y until now and complaints from a small number off people for a fact, determined to be heard over the majority as usual? It was indeed royally sabotaged, and even many of the celebs that finally sat down and seen it, they helped out to fix it and this was greatly appreciated. So try being considerate for once and stop being fucking destructive assholes and now going on attacks on our business, personal life and things that you can't comprehend. No one ripped anyone off and this show was intended to be for the fans by fans from grassroots and no sponsorship money what so ever other than Epic Loot and Games that was forced out of their paid sponsor spot by asshole vendors fighting and stealing spots, very rudely so at that and guess who has to pay them back? Not you. It will be back contrary to what the people that caused this want, and it will be bigger, better, and more streamlined as we learn.

In the end, you can't make everyone happy, but destructive behavior and now personal attacks are not good for anything but self serving interests. You whine, bitch and moan, but are completely clueless to see anything that really happened, don't know nor care how things really work, much less know how to run a convention like this. Some have self serving interest via other cons, but this show is not interfering with any other show and even if it was, who cares. Grow up and stop making god damn false claims for Christ sake. It's bad enough that we lost all of the money that came in just to pay the celebs due to idiots causing issues so that they did not meet sales guarantees during the weekend. Wanna know where it went, well there you fucking have it, it's all gone and went to the celebs to make them happy and that my friends is the facts of that. The safe was emptied to pay the celebs plain and simple. We ate a big one on this because of trouble makers, but still fucking her! e and many of you whiners, detractors, trouble makers could never deal with this without offing yourself or someone else, much less deal with being genuine good people. So go ahead, continue to cause problems, we are still standing and will continue to stand like we always do. I'm done, and if you don't understand by now after what I was truly upfront and real about the weekends events, you never will. So hate on and get in fucking line with a complaint that will most likely be dropped anyway because we did no one wrong, nor did so intentionally no matter how the trolls cry and moan, oh well. So stop the personal attacks as well.

BTW, my daughter paid for that whole VIP luncheon out of her part time job. That cost her over $1000 to take care of the green room, her cafe part of the show and the VIP luncheon for all that food to try and save the luncheon for you unappreciative assholes to talk trash after the people bailed just like the rest did including the music festival. Hmm just for you dumbasses to complain. She is broke now trying to make sure YOU were taken care of and you owe her your thanks as do we, while you bitch after everyone left us high and dry right before the show because of trouble makers saying shit and threatening them to not come to the show or be part of it. Even C.Thomas Howell's Manager was told to not let him come by someone connected to this attack, but he did anyway and nobody even knew this. Pffft NO ONE WAS SCAMMED! Now, this Ed G. is pissed at Rockstar and posting bullshit about us, we don't even have shit to do with Rockstar nor do we even know who he is. So stop Ed. If! your beef is with them, then keep it with them, we aren't apart of that nor care to be, as we don't even know who you are seriously or even knew who Rockstar was until they wanted a booth at the show that turned into ring somehow, go figure. The Rockstar announcer started fights with our vendors being rude that had nothing to do with us and some vendors got pissed and left, thanks to him.
You want real, you want answers, well there it is. Happy? Probably not, you'll just find more to bitch at and tear us down. Fine, but we don't fall so easily, trust me on that one there. You want to be genuine honest people you claim to be instead of throwing bullshit lies and slander out there, false accusations, personal attacks now, then understand what I just wrote that is 100% fact, because this shit is going to stop and we are very tired of this relentless attack of this small group of people that have have too much voice on what should not even be this way. If you have genuine complaints that you think something criminal is going, bring your ass to Dayton, meet with our partners for the show the FOP and Dayton Police, with us present and lodge a legit complaint, if not stop with the bullshit.

With that said, I'm going to check on my wife to see if she is even ok, probably be back in the hospital thanks to you assholes destroying her hard work and this families life with bullshit. Maybe I might finally get some sleep after a year of long nights and days working on this show if she is ok……………………….…………….Peace


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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