Walk Softly and Carry a Big Schtick

Photos posted recently:
WisCon 32 (May-2008)
Mother's Day at the Faire (11-May-2008)
Culture Day - Gamble House (01-Jun-2008)
LASFS/Aftermeetings part 322: Coral Cafe (06-Jun-2008)
Dad's Birthday Lunch (10-Jun-2008)
Allie & Glenn's Wedding (14-Jun-2008) et seq. (morning photos not previously uploaded)
Cosplay Picnic at Santa Monica Beach (15-Nov-2008)
Anime Los Angeles 5 meetings part 31: Exec, General Meeting (16-Nov-2008) et seq.
Indianapolis Trip (Nov-2008)
LosCon 35 (Nov-2008)
Picture of helen_keeble is from wiscon.

What happened, did I fall off a cliff? Not exactly. I think I owe y'all a recap of my fall and winter since my last installment. Let's pick up the story with Part 1 of my four-part PMX report. The post I made on animelosangeles doesn't count here, and for the most part I'm repeating everything I said there anyway. (Other installments: part 2, part 3, part 4.)

Pacific Media Expo was the first full weekend of November.

( My Friday morning started out with a detour to pick up Selina. We had about ten people representing Anime Los Angeles over the course of the weekend... )

library_lynn (left) was able to come out for part of the weekend! Hooray! My lovely wife doesn't make it to that many of the conventions on the circuit, because she works about three Saturdays a month. So on the whole, it was a weekend with some of my favorite people.

The fine folks at PMX had given us a choice spot, on the side of Artists' Alley closest to the elevators (right). With our shiny new red tablecloth, we had an eyecatching location. The Downstairs Team spent the weekend there, giving away postcards, Shinbunshi (our newsletter), and temporary tattoos with le_moose's "Chibi Winking Ala" on them, granola bars, gummy worms, and bottles of water; and sold some silly ribbons to raise money for all the ribbons we give away for free at animelosangeles. Also they had some ribbons to give away freely as they wandered the convention, to add to the buzz. I'm thinking next year we'll have an ask-for-it-nicely ribbon -- if you say "May I please have an xyzzy ribbon" you'll get that one.

( It's been pointed out that sometimes I'm ambiguously snarky, or even passive-aggressive, in my LJ posts. So let me state this plainly: I like Pacific Media Expo... )

( Does PMX have problems? )

They're a small convention with big-convention connections. Oh, I'm green with envy on that front -- one of my set pieces has to do with "big conventions can do things little cons can't, and little conventions can do things big cons can't" and they're straddling both areas. (Do I need to add a caveat that "...and PMX can do everything?") Just as one example, they're bringing in Asian fashion designers you won't see at Animé Los Angeles or at Anime Expo. And they seem to be giving AX a run for their money as far as bringing in musical acts.

They're doing okay. I hear they had about 1400-plus people, and that they were up a little from last year. There's a great community of people that appreciate PMX for its unique aspects, especially regarding art and fashion. They're trying interactive events such as a Cowboy Bebop event, which reminds me a little of what Rum Party has been doing at other SoCal conventions. And tatsugawa is encouraging people to participate, to bring in more ideas. Anyone want to report on how PMX is using Facebook and Myspace?

To be continued...