Gatecon 2005

[Feli]

UPDATES
none of the actors have signed contracts forbidding them from attending non-Creation conventions. Meaning? All of the cast/crew are perfectly free to attend Gatecon 2005. Gary went as far as to make it clear that the actors are more than welcome to attend the next Gatecon,

...

Back in September Gatecon began to move forward with plans to expand its convention lineup long before Creation announced it would be hosting a show in Vancouver.

Be on the lookout as I bring you complete coverage on this story in the days to come in the news/articles section of GateWorld. It is my passionate intention to be unbiased in that report so that fans will be able to make their own judgment call with ALL of the facts in hand.

David, when you do write that article could you please shed some light on how these latest statements fit with the following statements, taken from the Gatecon website:

Unbeknown to us, MGM had already signed for the Vancouver, BC area a license agreement with the convention / promotion company called Creation. It would appear, as we understand it, if Gatecon was going to carry on supporting Stargate that Gatecon would operate as a sub-licensee of Creation.

(snip)

the Board of Governors was left with three choices:

• We could fold up & not do Gatecon 2005
• Accept a one-night event for Gatecon under Creation during their April 2005, Vancouver / Stargate Creation convention
• Carry on as Gatecon without Stargate.

(snip)

Now having said all that, we now are forced to purge our event of actions, names and images that may infringe upon MGM and Stargate's copyrights.

My main question is: is Gatecon in prinicpal allowed to have Stargate-only guests (I'm mainly thinking of the writers, directors and other crew members they had in the past)? In other words: is it their choice to expand or is it a necessity in order to get a con together at all?

[TameFarrar]

Weird maybe, but not the only one. I've never watched any of the other Sci-fi shows either.

Well I am glad to know I am in good company

Ok I have read through everything and I am even more confused -

here are my questions -
1) Can AT, MS, and CJ be guests at Gatecon if they desire to?
2) If the above is ok why all the controversy?
3) If question number 1 is NO why not?

I would like to be clear on the three main stars of SG1 so I can make my $$ plans as well as my travel plans as soon as possible.

I think it would be unfair of either Gatecon OR Creation to expect fans to buy tickets based on a *Surprise Guest* rather then just being straight forward.

Since I have no interest in spending any amount of $$ to see the stars of *Smallville* or *Andromeda* it would be extremely upsetting to me to be stuck with a ticket and there are no stars of SG1 attending.

[Dana_Jeanne]

This was posted in response to the post from David, parts of which were also posted (with permission) at OurStargate.com. Posted here with permission from Gary Berman:

Thought it would be timely to add some facts to this discussion:

I'm posting this because I think it is fair for fans posting here to know that the decision to change Gatecon was made long before these recent discussions/decisions.

The fact is that Gatecon had/has issues with MGM that have nothing to do with Creation. In fact, it was never our intention to run an event in Vancouver and our original license with MGM did not include permission to do so.

Further, and this may be a surprise to many, when Gatecon did not end up with set visits last year we were helpful behind the scenes in getting them when Allen told us that he was going to have trouble meeting his budget without them (and he told me that he would have to cancel guests if they didn't have them).

Gatecon had every opportunity to strike up a deal with MGM. They didn't, they chose to change their event, and they are planning on running that same new event now.
And, also, throughout this period when we were aware of the issues they were having with MGM we offered to help and join forces with them. They turned us down, their choice. We even offered to fly all four owners of Gatecon to the mutual show and they turned that down.

More power to them, their choice, and one other thing: WE HAVE NO EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS WITH ANY ACTORS. ANY ACTOR IS FREE TO DO WHATEVER EVENTS THEY CHOOSE, and a matter of fact we purposefully made sure the Stargate actors knew that we would not care if they did the "new" Gatecon. I do want to clarify, that virtually all convention contracts include a specific non-compete clause (for a limited time and distance) but these will not preclude Gatecon from any of the guests we have.

As usual, we do ask moderators to ask us about the things they post to get the facts.

So basically fans have a choice now: they will have the Gatecon they would have had and we will be happy to allow them to promote their event at ours, which I'm sure will be helpful. And fans will ALSO have an event that has the support of MGM which they would not have had. Fans have the choice, there should be no hard feelings and hopefully both will be great.

One final point, MGM owns Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. They make the decisions. We are just a licensee and we are fans of sci-fi as much as anyone on these boards. We started the company as teenagers back in 1971 because we were fans and at that time there were virtually no other genre events.

In the last few years there have been a lot of promoters around the world that have announced events with guests that they didn't have contracted. There are promoters who ran shows that did not come close to delivering what was advertised. There have even been several promoters that have taken ticket money and disappeared or closed down before refunding ticket money. With this happening with more alarming frequency it is only natural that the copyright owners of the properties being "used" become more proactive in protecting THEIR FANS. Some may like it, some may not, but it is understandable.

Hope this adds to the discussion.
Gary Berman
Creation Entertainment

[ShadowMaat]

I look forward to David's article. I'm curious to see if he'll manage to discern any truth from the conflicting reports we've been getting thus far.

Gatecon says the deal with Creation came out of nowhere and they imply that some of the guests may not be available because of it- hence the need to expand the con's scope. I also know it was heavily implied that Creation was the reason we might not get set tours/props anymore.

Creation says Gatecon knew full well what was going on and decided not to act, that the actors are free to attend any convention they want and that they (Creation) even helped Gatecon procure some set tours last year.

I've also heard people on the Gategoers list say that what's filtering down from some of the actors is that they DO have exclusive contracts and that they CAN'T do other cons.

Obviously everyone can't be right. I'm sure there's a bit of truth in each story, but how much? And how much is misdirection and/or misunderstanding?

[DJFavorite]

I look forward to David's article. I'm curious to see if he'll manage to discern any truth from the conflicting reports we've been getting thus far.

Gatecon says the deal with Creation came out of nowhere and they imply that some of the guests may not be available because of it- hence the need to expand the con's scope. I also know it was heavily implied that Creation was the reason we might not get set tours/props anymore.

Creation says Gatecon knew full well what was going on and decided not to act, that the actors are free to attend any convention they want and that they (Creation) even helped Gatecon procure some set tours last year.

I've also heard people on the Gategoers list say that what's filtering down from some of the actors is that they DO have exclusive contracts and that they CAN'T do other cons.

Obviously everyone can't be right. I'm sure there's a bit of truth in each story, but how much? And how much is misdirection and/or misunderstanding?

It is very frustrating. One minute you get bummed out over one report, then excited over the next. I'm sure once the dust settles (which I hope is very soon) then the "truth" will be known.

[Asgard]

Ya it is hard to know which report to belief with so much conflicting information out there. Like people have said I bet the truth lies somewhere in the middle with Creation and Gatecon both at fault somewhat, but we will have to see.

[Skydiver]

there are contradictions in both statements.

we've heard both that some actors have exclusive contracts for creation only, and we've heard that that is not the case. Presuming both parties are talking about the same actors and the same convention year, one of them is in error.

basically, all i think we're ever going to get is a huge round of passing the buck, no one wanting to tell the full, unadulterated and un-spun truth and no one wanting to take responsibility for their or their organizatin's actions.

mgm will blame creation or gatecon, creation will blame mgm or gatecon, gatecon will blame mgm or creation

The truth is somewhere in the middle and will likely never be known.

again, what it all boils down to is that if you're rich enough, then you're good enough of a fan for 'them' to care about. Just like on the titanic, the only people worth saving (or caring about) are the ones who have money. for the rest, it's fend for yourself time.

Remember years ago, when fans were bemoaning the lack of stargate stuff adn wishing that mgm would do something about it? well, this is the result. MGM has had to invest money in the fandom now, and by hook or by crook, they will get it back

[Skydiver]

I look forward to David's article. I'm curious to see if he'll manage to discern any truth from the conflicting reports we've been getting thus far.

to quote Princess Bride, it'll take a miracle

Gatecon says the deal with Creation came out of nowhere and they imply that some of the guests may not be available because of it- hence the need to expand the con's scope. I also know it was heavily implied that Creation was the reason we might not get set tours/props anymore.

Creation says Gatecon knew full well what was going on and decided not to act, that the actors are free to attend any convention they want and that they (Creation) even helped Gatecon procure some set tours last year.

I've also heard people on the Gategoers list say that what's filtering down from some of the actors is that they DO have exclusive contracts and that they CAN'T do other cons.

Obviously everyone can't be right. I'm sure there's a bit of truth in each story, but how much? And how much is misdirection and/or misunderstanding?

what's possible, if some actors are bound by a creation exclusive contract, then sure, they can attend other cons....maybe if they they pay the penalty for a breach of contract.


This is all suposition and i do not know the details of any actor's contract (or even who is creation exclusive, presuming that is a fact) however penalties for breach of contract are not unheard of. and if this were the case, then both statements could be true.

if actors are bound by an exclusive contract, then they could attend another con, if they were willing to pay the price

[rihannsu]

Well, this is just wonderful. Finally, the SG universe expands, and just when the franchise starts to explode we the fans get the shaft.

Personal experience with Creation leads me to lean towards Gatecon and the little guy. If I'm wrong then I'll apologize to Creation.

This year was the first one that I'd have enough $ and time off of work to go up to Vancouver. I live in the middle of the US, and just getting a plane ticket to the upper left hand corner of the continent will cost me a fortune.

But paying $500 just to get in, adding $ for photo ops (ain't going that far away without 'em), the dessert parties that (at least with the Trek cons they've done) were the only way to mingle with the stars (the 2-3 that they can squeeze in there), the autographs going for $50 a pop, the limited photos that you can use to put the sigs on (only the ones you just bought at the table over there that cost a fortune to buy in the first place), and the "fee to just sit there in a chair 5000 feet away from the stage and breathe" and I could raise a child in Manhattan for the same amount of money I pay for this thing.

Jeez, and I was planning on taking a nice vacation in Vancouver after the con. I can't even afford to buy a doughnut at Tim Horton's after this thing.


But I'm not bitter.

[ShadowMaat]

Go to Gatecon, you'll have enough money to bury yourself in Tim Hortons.

[Skydiver]

I'll make no secret of my personal preference and going to any con is expensive. that's a fact i wished more organizers would acknowledge.

unless you happen to live in the town where it happens, or close driving distance, it's an easy 500-1000 dollars just to get there.

i'm using the average air fare of 300 and roughly 100 per night for the hotel, plus food. it will vary per person, but a minimum of 500 is a good estimate

on top of this, i, the goer, has to shell out hundreds of dollars to walk in the door. In the case of gatecon, it's 225 now, creation 499 (for vancouver)

now with gatecon, you don't get a tour included in that cost, you do with creation.

however the two years i won studio tours in the auction i paid 226 and 151 respectively. Yes, folks paid more. some person shelled out 2000 dollars for their tour, but as an average, it ran close to 200 a piece.

going to gatecon i'm still money ahead.

autographs at gatecon are free however the 'big three' were only signed on for one day, saturday, so no one got autos with them, only pictures.

photographs do cost and how much you pay depends on what you want. there were 15 actors last year. most of them cost 15 each, amanda, chris and michael were 25 each. if you got them all it was close to 300 dollars for your photos. Some did it, some picked and chose some didn't get any at all

I have no idea what the cost of the room is for creation's con, the best western ran 120 per night IIRC.

what it all boils down to, going to a con ain't cheap. for many, it's something they save up for all year. It is literally the only vacation some get.

yes, it is something folks do willingly. i doubt anyone is standing beside a person with a gun to their head forcing them to go...however when you do go it is nice to be treated like a person, not a walking, talking pocket book by folks that don't care about anything but whether or not your credit card goes through

[rihannsu]

And there's a big difference between being nickeld and dimed to death and willingly putting out money for extras.

God, I forgot about hotel and meals.

Maybe I could just move in with Chris or somebody and earn my keep.

[BackStageJim]

One way to cut the expense is to volunteer at a Creation event.

Their deal was/is for each day you work you get signed material since you would miss those people doing other things. They don’t charge you that day since you’re a volunteer. Thus, your cost is air/hotel and meals. A lot of people in the California area who travel to LA, chip-in to get a suite that can sleep four. It also makes a great place to party after a day of exhaustion being on one’s feet all day.

Not sure the LA person can help with the logistics, but they could point the best e-mail/contact person. It would be good to have had experience at a convention, as the first time is a test of stamina.


-- from their website
Wanna Help?
TO VOLUNTEER FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EVENTS PLEASE CONTACT
our VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR at: [email protected]
We really appreciate your help in publicizing this event on-line.

[auralan]

My head is spinning from all the conflicting info. Personally, I'd never attend another Creation event after a couple of bad experiences a number of years ago, but this sounds way too messed up to only be their fault. It takes more than one entity to make this much of a mess.

[TechnoWraith]

To anyone who has been to Gatecon in past years:

Are the dates generally the same each year? I ask this because I probably will not make it to this year's GateCon(s), I'm considering making long-term plans for attending "next-year's" (2006) GateCon. So if the dates are relatively static, then I can plan accordingly for vacation time from work (as well as getting the piggy bank nice and full!).
Thanks for your help, all!