To Pay or Not to Pay: An Autograph Tale (revisited and updated)

             


          I can remember as a child seeing my favorite celebrities on television. Whether it was my favorite actors, voice over, or even sports celebrities. Sitting there imaging what it would be like to meet them, talk to them, or who knows maybe even get their autograph. From what I’ve heard, when I was a kid in the eighties, autographs were easier to obtain. If you saw your favorite celebrity, you just walked up and asked for his or her autograph. They would usually go all “Joe Green” on you and say “sure kid” and give you an autograph.

          For me personally, the main celebs that I would have access to were the Dallas Cowboys or the wrestlers of the WCCW. I would get autographs from my favorite players like Randy White, Danny White, or Roger Staubach or some of my favorite wresters the Von Erich family, the Dingo Warrior, or Chris Adams. Fast forward to current times and the game has completely changed. Instead of automatically getting the “sure kid”, you get the “is this going on eBay” question. Even if you say no, you get inevitable “you’re lying” look. It especially happens if you’re not a kid. But I’ve seen it happen to kids as well. In all fairness, I can see it from the celebrities’ point of view. If people are getting their autograph for free, and then sell it, then they believe they are entitled to some of that proverbial cash.

          Sometimes I think the celebrity fails to realize that if it’s the value of their autograph they are worried about, then the more they sign the less their autograph is worth. It’s all supply and demand in the world of collectibles. For example, take former Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson. C.J. would sign for just about anyone who would ask. Now don’t get me wrong C.J. wasn’t the only player that did that. In my opinion, the people who would ask for his autograph were his true fans. He was one of the most fan friendly players at the time.

          It wasn’t until 1998 that I had a chance to meet a “Hollywood” actor. In the mid to late nineties one of my favorite television shows was the X-Files. I watched it every week, read the official magazines, etc. I later found out they were making a movie. This was information that made this X-Phile very happy. To top it all off there was going to be a nationwide promotion tour. The tour would consist of actual props from the television show, exclusive trailers, and actors from the show. The way it worked was you paid for admission and just about everything inside was free (even autographs). Though Mulder & Scully weren’t there, three of my favorites were. Even though autographs weren’t guaranteed, I was able to meet two out of the three actors that was there.

          In 2002 I came across Dallas Comic Con. “Con” was short for convention. I did some research beforehand and found out that some legends from the comic book industry were going to be there along with some great science fiction writers. Most importantly to me I also found out that some actors and actresses were also going to be on hand signing autographs for a price. My wife and I attended this show; little did I know this was going to be a regular thing.

          Up until then I had never paid for an autograph from a celebrity but I understood the reasoning. I didn’t fully agree but I understood. Besides 10 to 20 dollars per autograph wasn’t that bad from someone you truly admire. Plus, you may never get to meet that person again. The choice is pretty fairly simple, if you want to pay, pay. If you don’t, then don’t. It’s just about like everything else in the world. The choice is entirely up to the individual and no one else. No one is forcing you to attend and pay for anything. Like it or not, it is a business. Since that first X-Files Expo, I have attended many conventions over the years. I have met a lot of my favorite celebrities at the conventions I have attended. I have also obtained autographs from most of them. For example, at one show in particular I was able to meet one of my favorite actors, Adam Baldwin. Now it’s not often you see Adam Baldwin walking the streets of Dallas. I know this, which is why it was a no brainer for me to gladly pay for his autograph.

          I have so many fond memories from that first convention, unfortunately there are a few regrets as well. My few fond memories was being able to share this memory with my wife, meeting Carrie Fisher for the first time, and meeting the late great Dave Stevens. Three regrets in particular always stay with me as well. Not meeting veteran actor Ben Chapman (who has since passed away), not getting a sketch or an autograph from the late great Dave Stevens (even though I spoke with him several times throughout the day), and not meeting actor Glen Shadix (also who has since passed away). Now I know you can’t tell who’ll pass away unexpectedly, it’s just something you’ll have to deal with if it happens to you.

          I can honestly say though, the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to the convention circuit. So, if you do decide to go to a comic book or science fiction convention, have fun. Will there be things that you don’t like? Maybe. Will there be things you like? Definitely. Just go there with an open mind, the readiness to embrace your inner nerd, have a great time. Be sure to do your own research beforehand. Check the conventions website, read their social media pages, talk to the regulars. Most of them probably know the ins and outs of the circuit better than anyone. They can help you if you have any questions. All you have to do is ask.

            There are good conventions and there are some conventions that will just nickel and dime you without delivering the goods. On the other side though, there are some that are as much for the fans as they are for the money. You just have to look for them. Word of mouth is the best type of advertising, so researching a convention beforehand will make the good ones easier to find. I personally don’t go to many conventions anymore. As stated in the beginning, Dallas Comic Con was the convention I visited the most. But that has completely changed. I do not go to their shows anymore for a multitude of reasons. But I know a lot of people that do. And that’s cool. You have that choice.

          Long story short, if you decide to go, remember the most important thing is to HAVE FUN.

Do conventions ruin celebrities for fans?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. I’ll start this for those who might be not as familiar with conventions as others. There are Sci-Fi, Comic book, Horror, and really any kind of genre of convention that are usually held in or around major cities across the country and abroad. The most popular (imo) is the Sci-Fi/Comic Book convention. It’s usually held at a location that has at least a few large rooms. One room is usually the vendor room. The vendor room is like a merchandise market. Various vendors have tables set up selling their merchandise. If there is something you are looking for from the Science Fiction or comic book world, you can most likely find it there. But just as any other open market you need to be aware of who you’re purchasing things from. As with the rest of the world, not everyone is there to sell quality goods at a fair price. Be wary of possible bootleg products as well as highly overpriced price tags. Secondly, there is usually an artist room aka “Artist Alley”. Comic book artists, writers, inkers, etc. are here. There is usually some awesome local talent as well as more mainstream comic book talent. There you can get your favorite books signed, buy original art, or just a handshake and a hello. Thirdly there is the media room. The media room is usually where the celebrities are. A lot of times conventions will bring in celebrities to help boost admission sales. Now this isn’t the baseline for every convention. There are variations. This is to give the uninitiated a general idea. Sometimes there are additional rooms for Q&A’s, gaming, demos, cosplay contests, etc. Hopefully you get the idea.

It seems that lately more and more conventions are popping up all over the place. Some are small, some are large. Some are extremely costly and some are fairly priced. I came into the convention scene a little later than some of the other seasoned veterans did. Some remember when all convention celebrity attendees didn't charge for autographs or if you did have to pay they were relatively cheaply priced. My first convention was The X-Files Expo in Dallas in 98. There were three celebrities that there from the show and all three signed for free. The downside is that you had to stand in line a long time to meet them. Unfortunately, I was only able to meet two of them, but they were two of my favorites (Outside of Mulder & Scully). They were Mitch Pileggi and Dean Haglund aka Skinner and Langly. 

         I didn’t attend a convention for another four years. That convention was the first Dallas Comic Con. I had researched the convention a little beforehand and I noticed something different going on. Celebrities were charging a fee for their autograph. I understood the reasoning behind the charges. Of course I would rather pay nothing but who wouldn’t. Fortunately, the fees weren’t too bad, so it wasn’t a total surprise. Since prior to the show I didn’t know the exact prices, I had to figure out who I really wanted to meet just in case the prices were high. Things were good, well to me at least. I got to meet some of my favorite celebrities and artists (Dave Stevens), make some new friends (some of the best friends I have had, have been people I’ve met at a convention) and then call it a day. Were there some negatives? Sure. (Corn chips anyone?) But the positives far outweighed the negatives. But to quote the legendary Bob Dylan “The times they are a changin’”.

Now I can only personally speak from my own experiences. But I’ve heard from people who have had similar experiences, say that this has happened to them as well. In their eyes as well as mine things are going good and then the local fan friendly convention gets bought out by a corporation. Corporations only see one thing, dollar signs. The one on one interaction with your favorite celebrity is replaced by the cattle call. What I mean by that is you are just going through the line like cattle with basically no interaction with the celebrity. Just pay your money, collect your autograph, and move along. Don’t even think about eye contact. Lol (ok that was a stretch. But it happens) Customer service goes down, prices go up. Instead of a small handful of celebs being brought in, a plethora (to quote Three Amigos) of celebrities is now being brought in. At double, sometimes triple the price for their autograph. They would in turn start getting the “bigger” names in not only the science fiction world but in television and movies. Simply because they have the financial backing of the corporation. So they can afford to bring in the bigger names. When it used to be the celebrities seemed to love meeting their fans, now a lot of them consider it just an easy paycheck. Comic Cons have turned into “media cons”.  They rush you through the line and nickel and dime you for everything. Don’t even think about pulling your camera out a taking a photo of the celebrity signing your item. Because you now have to pay an additional fee (anywhere from $30 to $125) for a photo with the celeb for an “Olan Mills” style photo. It seems like now with the bigger conventions and it seems to be bleeding over to the smaller ones, you aren’t even allowed to take your camera or phone out at all. Now don’t get me wrong I love to see a variety of celebrities at a convention. But if there is so many to choose from, how do you choose. If you have five to ten (or more) “headlining” guests charging $40 to $150 (yes, I said $150) an autograph and various other guests at considerably lesser price tags, someone is getting the short end. Now if there were only a small handful of guests, let’s say five to ten total, the playing field is a little more even. And everyone goes away satisfied.  

I’ve seen a growing trend at conventions as of late. A lot of people think that it started with The Walking Dead actors charging their fans so much for their autographs. But I believe it started way before that with the Creation conventions. With those drastic price increases it is making other celebrities who wouldn’t normally charge as much start raising their prices. Of course I understand, I don’t like it, but I understand. If a celeb is sitting at a table and charging say 25 dollars for their autograph and there are two other celebs to their left and right charging let’s say 40 dollars. All three have a steady line but the one charging 25 is thinking “I could charge 40 and get more money for doing the same thing”. So he/she changes their price to 40. So it begins. Most (if not all) of celebrities that go to conventions are there for the money and therefor don’t mind the price increase to their fans. Some maybe oblivious to the prices. I doubt it, but I guess it’s possible. Now I’ve had the “pricing” conversation with many people, even with some of the celebrities themselves. Celebs saying they don’t make the prices it’s the promoters. The promoters saying it’s the celebs that make the prices. Either way the prices continue to go up and it’s the fan’s wallets that suffer. I know no one is forcing you to go or to pay the prices. I know things go up, not just with autographs but with everything. That’s beside the point. It shouldn’t go up that drastically. Gas went up over four dollars here in Texas one year, it’s not that anymore. Prices can go down. Maybe not what they were exactly, but they can come down. Of course it’s just my opinion though.

I have also had conversations with those who have absolutely zero knowledge of the convention world. They’ve asked me what goes on there and how does it work. They’ve seen the photos I’ve taken and autographs I’ve gotten. So I explain to them what all goes on and how it “works”. Once I get to the pricing part of the autographs, they are completely dumbfounded. “You have to pay for their autographs?” some would say. Then after they would think about it they would understand a little bit but not fully. Their thoughts would turn from a positive to a negative saying that “if they really cared for their fans they wouldn’t charge”. Then it would really get heated when they became aware of the higher priced autographs and “photo ops” from some celebrities. Going as far as saying they are no longer a fan. Even though they’ve never met them or attended a convention. “If all they care about is ripping people off at these conventions then they won’t see another dime from me”. I really didn’t understand at times how it got so heated. But regardless it did and by a number of people.

I also know people who can’t attend conventions because either they are too far from them or too expensive. So they are strictly ttm collectors. TTM means “Through the Mail”, meaning that someone can find an address for a specific celebrity (either a manager or agents address) and they write to them asking for an autograph. Generally there are things that should always be included, a letter of request, something for them to sign, and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). But I have found that with the recent growth spurt of a variety of celebrities at conventions, ones who use to sign for their fans for free via ttm now refuse because they aren’t getting paid like they would at a convention. Some have even started an official store selling autographs through there. Sometimes if you write to them you will get a standard return to sender. But some will actually keep the items you’ve sent and send you a Pre-Print autograph (a photographic copy of their autograph on a photo) or a letter requesting payment. 

My question is this: Do conventions have the possibility of ruining a fan/celebrity relationship? Especially with the ever rising ticket, autograph, and photo op prices.