What is a Fan Con?

Have you ever been to a fan con? Wait, do you know what a fan con is? Shannon and Fadra have all the details as they welcome Emma Loggins to the show to discuss Dragon Con, Comic Con, WalkerStalker Con and more!

1:03 What are you watching? Shannon & Fadra have been watching Ozark on Netflix. Great acting, and really well-cast.

They’ve also both been watching Atypical on Netflix. It’s a lighter drama about a boy on the autism spectrum and how his family is dealing with his coming of age. Fadra and Shannon both loved this show. Did you know Keir Gilchrist, the actor that plays Sam, sings in a death metal band? Shout out to Brigette Lundy-Paine (Casey) and Graham Rogers (her boyfriend Evan) for great acting.

9:42 Catch up on our viewing challenge. Fadra is on Season 3 of The Walking Dead. Shannon is finishing up Season One of House of Cards but doesn’t love, love it. Fadra suggests that Shannon should start Travelers.

13:54 Defenders came out on Netflix last week. The Defenders is the 5th of the Marvel original series on Netflix and it’s good. It starts out slow – takes 3 episodes for the heroes to even come together – but it picks up on the back half and Shannon enjoyed it. 

15:03 Last movie seen? Fadra rented Murder by Death (1976) on Amazon Prime. It’s a comedy that spoofs murder-mystery movies. Lots of classic stars from the 70s: Peter Falk, Peter Sellars, Truman Capote, Nancy Walker, Eileen Brennan, Maggie Smith, David Niven, Alec Guinness.

Naked on Netflix is a Groundhog Day-type story where Marlon Wayans has to keep living the same hour over and over. Fadra calls it popcorn entertainment.

Shannon watched The Circle, rented On Demand, starring Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, also John Boyega has a small role. It’s a technology gone wrong theme. The movie is moving along and then, BAM it’s just over and you’re not sure what happened. Shannon enjoyed it, but it needed about 20 minutes more to explain the ending.

19:32 What’s coming up?

• David Letterman returning to TV on Netflix in 2018 with a 6-episode series of in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, and in-the-field segments expressing his curiosity and humor.
• Disjointed, starring Kathy Bates as a pothead, on Netflix August 25. Shannon & Fadra chat about Kathy Bates’ versatility and also we chat Jennifer Jason Leigh – again!
• Beauty & the Beast is on Netflix in September
• Season 7 of The Walking Dead hits Netflix on 9/8
• 6 Below. Fadra watched the trailer and wondered what ever happened to Josh Hartnett? But more importantly – Mira Sorvino plays his mom, who is only 11 years older???
• American Horror Story season 7 premieres September 5th on FX. It’s supposed to be loosely tied into the Trump election. Evan Peters will be the leader of a cult – and he is a doll, so we’re excited to see more from him this season.

Stinger Topic of the Week: Fan Cons

27:00 Fan cons are large gatherings of people who are fans of a specific show… or often a variety of shows and movies. Shannon and Fadra are excited to welcome an expert to talk about this topic!

Emma Loggins is the founder and editor of FanBolt.com where she updates daily on the latest entertainment news, her opinions on current happenings in the media, screening/filming opportunities, and more. She has conducted over 1,000 celebrity interviews with talent such as Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Reynolds, Joss Whedon, Betty White, William Shatner, Harrison Ford, and more. She is a speaker and panel host at several fan conventions and she’s also the co-host of the ATLAS podcast.

28:20 What is a fandom?
Emma defines fandom for us. It’s the state of being a fan and finding your people.

What are some of the most dedicated fandoms out there?
Emma says anything that has a fantasy element and takes you to a place you can escape are the biggest fandoms that have fan cons built around them. “Fandom is family.”

32:22 What can people expect at a fan con? 
Every con is a bit different. On either end of the spectrum are commercial cons like Comic Con, which are more trade-show like and promotional, and Dragon Con, which is fan based, says Emma. In the middle are cons like Walker Stalker that are more affordable and accessible and more of a celebration.

36:34 Emma tells us how Dragon Con got its name.

38:19 Do you get to meet celebrities?
Emma tells us about autograph and photo opportunities and how sometimes celebrities will walk the floor at Dragon Con.

42:30 Are cons family friendly?
Fadra took her 10-year old son to AwesomeCon and he loved it. We talk about cosplaying babies and how parents and kids can bond through these experiences.

44:29 The biggest question – to cosplay or NOT to cosplay?
Emma and Fadra talk about unique costumes seen at fan cons and how seriously people get into their characters. Dragon Con has the best, says Emma. “There’s a level of creativity that is unmatched.”

50:40 Emma offers tips for people attending cons for the first time.

52:35 Final questions we ask our guests:
What’s the best show on TV right now?
Emma: Game of Thrones

What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 6 months?
Emma: Logan Lucky

Thank you, Emma, for being our guest and sharing your knowledge!

You can learn more about Emma Loggins and her many projects at EmmaLoggins.com.

If you know someone who loves movies and TV, please tell them about Stinger! And if YOU enjoy our podcast, we’d love for you to leave us a review on iTunes! Like this one from Melissa in NC:

I don’t typically listen to podcasts outside of business and entrepreneurship, but this one keeps my attention! Fadra and Shannon are entertaining and I love the banter between them. As they talked back and forth about TV shows and movies, I found myself talking out loud back to them like I was right in front of them chatting over coffee. Can’t wait to hear the next one.

Aw, thank you Melissa!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and join our Facebook discussion group – where we talk ALL WEEK LONG about the latest in entertainment. And of course you can find us at @stingerpodcast on Twitter and Instagram.

We had asked for our listeners to suggest epic ending quotes from movies and TV that we could use to sign off our podcast. We’ve got one today, and we want to know if YOU know what movie it’s from. Hit us up on social media and let us know: 

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”