Posted in: Comics | Tagged: GeekERIE, jimmy palmiotti, kickstarter, Nerd Nite, PACA Art Space

Incentivizing the Intangible – Bringing The Geek To The People

Published Sat, 31 Aug 2013 13:00:12 -0500

Sean McGrath writes for Bleeding Cool:

OK, I have a long story to tell, so if you suspect you're going to TL;DR a few sentences in, just skip to the last paragraph to find out what I'm offering Bleeding Cool readers this weekend on my The GeekERIE Kickstarter. HINT: it'll be gorgeous!

For everyone else, if you've ever even heard of my hometown of Erie, PA, you'll know it as The Mistake on the Lake. Sure, Cleveland tries to claim that title, but they're thriving little too hard these days to really seek such low, pity-me attentions. Erie is in far more serious straits, which is due in part to our inability to define where we live and what we want it to be when it grows up. We have a lot of cool things here like Presque Isle and four distinct seasons, wineries and a massive homebrewing scene, ghosts, vampires, and a werewolf migration. We're number two in safety from natural disasters which is quite the bonus for the coming days of the Apocalypse of Your Choice, but then we're also tied for tenth place in obesity (it's all these delicious home-style restaurants and the sad lack of dog parks) and number three in snow (which I happen to like). We have bars, churches and pizzerias in equal measure so you can sin, be saved and switch vices all on the same block. And while we're hardly cosmopolitan (though Lord knows we try), there is this great groundswell of music, arts, theatre and dance run by dedicated and passionate folks who want to make The Arts what Erie is known for. However, with students coming for college, but leaving after graduation because the economy is so uncertain, means that we're not only losing people, we're losing talent. Because of this transitory population, normally stable communities are constantly in flux, which is, you know, unstable.

Here's where The GeekERIE comes in.

In my comic-loving, spoiler-filled corner of the Universe I think I can do something. I want to create a place to Geeks of all stripes to come and have a place to hang out, learn, share, meet personalities, be inspired, create, and teach. Think of it as a GeekCommunity Center with an Outreach Department. If I can do this, if I can make THIS part of Erie better, then someone else will be free to make their part better, and so on until Erie is back on its feet again. I'm campaigning for funds to pay for a year's worth of events and activities that will make Erie Geeky, and maybe keep talent here. Some of what is on the agenda is:

I ran a 24 Hour Comics Day last year in the PACA art space, which was great. This year, I want to run it from one of the 24 hour diners in town or 3Bs Saloon ("Beer, BBQ, Bacon"; they bring bacon to your table instead of chips), to showcase not only the art but local businesses as well. The Kickstarter money would fund the artists' food and coffee for the length of the event.
Another event I'm planning is the horror movie night with a live ghoulish host (like Elvira or MST3K). I've already tapped some local comedians and have my eye on a venue called the crookedi, which hosts bands and poetry slams, but could accommodate us as well. This, of course, requires a screen and a projector (and possibly rent).
Another friend is an amazing miniatures painter. He wants to host a painting workshop, and I would subsidize paint kits and beginning miniatures sets.
I have plans to partner with the local United Way's literacy outreach program for which I need graphic novels and other reading materials.
Nerd Nite
I want to bring together the local talent to write, draw, ink, color and publish locally-created comic books. The recession hit this area hard, and people work so much to support their families, there's often not enough time (or money) to create, let alone publish. I want a local micropress that could, with the right marketing, give these folk some well-deserved attention.
Protips – Comic professionals (I'm eyeballing you, Jimmy Palmiotti! We'll have Greek dogs!) talking about their work and art, some coming to give workshops on comic creating for kids (Sorry, Jimmy, but I don't want to have to explain Sexy Monday to some kid's Mom). Professionals need airfare and hotel rooms, probably food; kids need paper and pencils.

And as more people get involved and The GeekERIE finds its place, who knows what else we could do? Animated shorts? Guerrilla movie making? Urban knitting? NYCC 2014 road trip? Hell, yeah! Why the fuck not?

This isn't your hometown. Why should you care? In Big Hopeful Picture terms, donating means that you would be participating in a community-building project, which makes you an agent of change. However small a thing anyone can do to make a corner of the world better in some way, that action lets others do the same, and still other and on and on and further and further outward until improvement is inevitable. By helping fund this campaign, you're helping me make my home better for my being here and for your belief in this campaign.

And that makes you amazing.

But if you couldn't care less about hope and community and all that schmaltz, I'm offering Bleeding Cool readers a special stretch goal. For this weekend –Saturday, August 31, 12 AM to Tuesday, September 3, 12:01 AM– if the campaign reaches the halfway mark ($6500), I will mark the occasion by marking my body with a specially designed tattoo – I'm thinking Rich Johnson's face – that will incorporate the initials of all the people who donated in the above timeframe. If the Kickstarter goes past that… well, for every $1000 past $6500, I'll add a new stretch goal. You'll have to pledge to find out what they are!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!