No idea why your panels didn't get accepted/what the drama was this year...
Easy. The drama this year was the same drama as last year. There has been no new drama made, they just don't forget previous crud. Therefore: Rym and Scott bow out of attending because the staff refuses to let them know what they will be doing, they are blacklisted forever.
Granted, there are worse things to be blacklisted from. If they ever get themselves banned from PAX, then I will be bummed out. That's one con where I can find my people. edit: Shame about East being the same weekend as AB. While I regret to say that my 3D job is weighted way more toward the PAX set, I want to see if I can check out your Con next year. I'm trying to convince Scrym to consider running a panel in the late night when there isn't much doing, but PAX is...well...packed? We'll see how things shape up.
Granted, there are worse things to be blacklisted from
It's exciting, actually. This is the first time we've ever been rejected, and the first blacklist we've ever had the pleasure of being added to.
After the way they talked about Daryl internally, you'd think he shot a baby. I can all but imagine their discussions about us, what with our being spies for Reed and acting "too professionally." ;^)
No idea why your panels didn't get accepted/what the drama was this year...
Easy. The drama this year was the same drama as last year. There has been no new drama made, they just don't forget previous crud. Therefore: Rym and Scott bow out of attending because the staff refuses to let them know what they will be doing, they are blacklisted forever.
Yeah, I know. I'm vaguely familiar with all the drama. I was just hoping it had blown over by this year.
Shame about East being the same weekend as AB. While I regret to say that my 3D job is weighted way more toward the PAX set, I want to see if I can check out your Con next year. I'm trying to convince Scrym to consider running a panel in the late night when there isn't much doing, but PAX is...well...packed? We'll see how things shape up.
Well, AB is working with PAX to make it easier for folks to attend both cons. Details are up in the air, but some of the things we're discussing include shuttle buses between the cons (not too difficult as they were buses running this year due to the hotel situation anyway) and reg booths set up at each others' cons. Other stuff will be determined as we get more in depth with our discussions with PAX.
After the way they talked about Daryl internally, you'd think he shot a baby. I can all but imagine their discussions about us, what with our being spies for Reed and acting "too professionally." ;^)
Yeah, I heard some of the Daryl chit-chat after his incident at Otakon a couple years ago. While I know he and his crew can be very snarky (and they were particularly harsh on some of their snark), I have found them to be some of my best panelists at AB. I personally found the idea of blacklisting him over that incident to be unjustified, but I wasn't running Otakon's panels at the time (and I don't think I'd ever want to again -- even if I wasn't running AB's as well) and therefore didn't have too much say.
FYI, Yuyuke, Neito, and a few others came to me at AB (sorry if you heard this story before) with the idea of me running in at the beginning of Daryl's Craziest Death's panel at AB to "shut it down" ALA Otakon as a joke before letting it continue on. Unfortunately, it completely slipped my mind due to all the fire fighting and whatnot I had going on that the time. Still, it would've been pretty funny if it happened.
After the way they talked about Daryl internally, you'd think he shot a baby. I can all but imagine their discussions about us, what with our being spies for Reed and acting "too professionally." ;^)
Did they really accuse you of acting too professionally? Fail. Also, I don't get why Daryl's thing was even an issue. They could shut down the panel, but freaking out like that? Totally silly. They are going to alienate all their funniest presenters, and get rid of most decent panelists if they keep this up.
Did they really accuse you of acting too professionally?
I had private conversations with certain unnamed Otakon staff where they said that we were trying to "run Otakon like a business," claiming that "we're not a professional convention, and never should be," and that "staff culture is more important than getting things done."
I was yelled at more than once for using what other conventions do as examples. To give you a near-direct quote from one of those conversations: "We don't care what other conventions do, and we don't like talking about them here. Don't use another convention's success with an idea as the basis for trying it at Otakon: we don't want to be like other conventions."
After the way they talked about Daryl internally, you'd think he shot a baby. I can all but imagine their discussions about us, what with our being spies for Reed and acting "too professionally." ;^)
Did they really accuse you of acting too professionally? Fail. Also, I don't get why Daryl's thing was even an issue. They could shut down the panel, but freaking out like that? Totally silly. They are going to alienate all their funniest presenters, and get rid of most decent panelists if they keep this up.
Stuff like that is part of the reason why I've wavered with leaving Ota's panels staff (and working for a different dept.) after I was no longer panels head there. It's difficult because I do consider myself friends with the other panels staff and the folks who started running it after I stepped down, but I've also disagreed with their management styles. The Daryl situation was, unfortunately, one of these cases.
I think the major problem is that their staff culture is a culture of not getting things done. You could almost say enforcer culture is more important than getting things done, but they are synonymous!
I had private conversations with certain unnamed Otakon staff where they said that we were trying to "run Otakon like a business," claiming that "we're not a professional convention, and never should be," and that "staff culture is more important than getting things done."
Oy. Like I said, maybe we just have different priorities. We want efficiency, professionalism, and things to be organized and run like a well oiled machine. I've found being business-like in the short term means more time for fun in the long term! And the attendees love it! PAX is quite professional, and it is one of the best conventions I have ever attended. I really doubt that a business-like attitude would harm the fans enjoyment of the con at all, in fact, it would probably increase it. (Think how the registration for artist alley, and badges are handled now!) You can be professional and still love what you do. We who produce the animation art you love are professional, but we still have a ton of fun. There's nothing to prevent the Otakon staff from attending the meeting in freaking suits and ties and sitting around a boardroom table, and then going to whoop it up afterwards and be best friends forever. You can be productive and fun at the same time. You know what is a good staff culture? A culture without drama and sekuhara, without taking everything personally. No tradition, just getting things done to increase the enjoyment of what you love.
"staff culture is more important than getting things done."
That line is just sad.
Agreed.
A (non-anime) conference I'm involved with has a senior committee member who regularly asks the question, "And how will this [expense, decision, etc] benefit our attendees?" It tends to really focus our discussions. I think a lot of cons could benefit from asking themselves that question more often.
The thing is, there's no reason why you can't have both a "staff culture" as well as "run things professionally like a business." I run panels at AB (and the one year I ran them at Otakon) as professionally as I possibly can. Do I screw up? Yeah, I'm human, and running panels isn't my full-time job. I have a day job, family commitments, etc., that do come first. However, given those limitations, I do the best I can to get things done right. As far as "staff culture" -- that's what the staff party, various other staff gatherings during the year, etc., is about. When it comes to running the con, it should be as professional as possible.
Fuck. Mokoto Shinkai is going to be at Otakon. They're daring us to go.
I didn't know who this guy was until I looked up what he did. Then I saw the poster of his work The Place Promised in Our Early Days and knew I recognized that poster. It's in my Netflix Instant queue. I really don't recall why I added it, but it's there. Perhaps I'll watch it sometime soon.
I didn't know who this guy was until I looked up what he did. Then I saw the poster of his work The Place Promised in Our Early Days and knew I recognized that poster. It's in my Netflix Instant queue. I really don't recall why I added it, but it's there. Perhaps I'll watch it sometime soon.
Have you not seen Hoshi no Koe (Voices of a Distant Star)?
I shouldn't have told you that then. It's really one of the greatest 25 minutes of animation that exist.
Yeah, it somewhat already spoils it for me. I have no doubt it's probably a very good watch, but I've become such an emotional wussy lately that I cry over the simplest of things.
I shouldn't have told you that then. It's really one of the greatest 25 minutes of animation that exist.
Yeah, it somewhat already spoils it for me. I have no doubt it's probably a very good watch, but I've become such an emotional wussy lately that I cry over the simplest of things.
I may be weird in this, but I didn't cry at it. It's a very specific kind of tearjerker, and not the kind that makes me cry. Good show, though.
I may be weird in this, but I didn't cry at it. It's a very specific kind of tearjerker, and not the kind that makes me cry. Good show, though.
I've watched it a few times, and haven't cried at any viewing either. I think that's largely just because each time I've seen it so far, I couldn't really connect with the concept. Now that I'm in a relationship (and a long-distance one at that), it'd probably mean more to me.
I think that Shinkai really honed his skills as he went along. I like Voices of a Distant Star, but my favorite movie of his is 5 Centimeters per Second. That movie makes me so fucking sad.
Comments
Granted, there are worse things to be blacklisted from. If they ever get themselves banned from PAX, then I will be bummed out. That's one con where I can find my people.
edit: Shame about East being the same weekend as AB. While I regret to say that my 3D job is weighted way more toward the PAX set, I want to see if I can check out your Con next year. I'm trying to convince Scrym to consider running a panel in the late night when there isn't much doing, but PAX is...well...packed? We'll see how things shape up.
After the way they talked about Daryl internally, you'd think he shot a baby. I can all but imagine their discussions about us, what with our being spies for Reed and acting "too professionally." ;^)
FYI, Yuyuke, Neito, and a few others came to me at AB (sorry if you heard this story before) with the idea of me running in at the beginning of Daryl's Craziest Death's panel at AB to "shut it down" ALA Otakon as a joke before letting it continue on. Unfortunately, it completely slipped my mind due to all the fire fighting and whatnot I had going on that the time. Still, it would've been pretty funny if it happened.
I was yelled at more than once for using what other conventions do as examples. To give you a near-direct quote from one of those conversations: "We don't care what other conventions do, and we don't like talking about them here. Don't use another convention's success with an idea as the basis for trying it at Otakon: we don't want to be like other conventions."
You can be professional and still love what you do. We who produce the animation art you love are professional, but we still have a ton of fun. There's nothing to prevent the Otakon staff from attending the meeting in freaking suits and ties and sitting around a boardroom table, and then going to whoop it up afterwards and be best friends forever. You can be productive and fun at the same time. You know what is a good staff culture? A culture without drama and sekuhara, without taking everything personally. No tradition, just getting things done to increase the enjoyment of what you love.
A (non-anime) conference I'm involved with has a senior committee member who regularly asks the question, "And how will this [expense, decision, etc] benefit our attendees?" It tends to really focus our discussions. I think a lot of cons could benefit from asking themselves that question more often.
Perhaps when I'm in a mood where I don't mind crying.
But yeah, watch it when you're in the mood to be moved.