Fan Expo Denver 2023 - Highlights
Flying Around a Thunderstorm
Denver, Colorado. The Mile High city as it is famously known as due to the city being 5,280 feet above sea level. On June 30th 2023, Denver held its annual Fan Expo event spanning the course of 3 days, ending on July 3rd at the Colorado Convention Center. Over the course of this weekend, droves of people showed up from all across the country. I flew into Denver International Airport from Southern California to cover this convention with my dad as my assistant/travel buddy. I was lucky enough to meet some of my favorite artists, attend a panel, shop, and take in my surroundings as there was no shortage of cosplayers showing off their fandom pride.
Before we left California, the state of Colorado was showing up a lot in our local news due to the severe weather they’ve been having. I was a little nervous to travel in these conditions, but the Fan Expo Gods would not have made me miss this amazing opportunity. Our plane flew through the clouds like butter and we landed safely at the airport. It was Friday the 30th, so we decided to go to the convention center and pick up our “press” passes. Some of the celebrity guests who were supposed to be there all 3 days canceled due to travel and weather related issues. Fortunately for me, the Scream cast (Neve Campbell, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy and Rose McGowan) announced they would be extending their visit by adding Friday to their itinerary. I was stoked when I found this out. There were other actors who did the same thing by extending their stay, so even with the cancellations it all balanced out.
I was there to film the convention, so I ran around and tried to capture as much as I possibly could. I wanted to showcase the creative and eclectic cosplay that was there as well as showcase some of the vendors. My head was on a swivel the entire time because there was so much to look at. I really enjoyed the Artist section. It was cool seeing my favorite movies and TV shows represented in fun and creative ways. There was a cosplay I saw and I regret not taking a photo of it and it was Nandor and Nadja from FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. I gasped with excitement when I saw them walking around. I saw a full size velociraptor walking around, droids, a giant LEGO diorama of Disneyland. I ran into some zombies at one point. There was something for everyone at this convention. My dad was excited to see a Bert and Mary Poppins cosplay as well as Willy Wonka. The vendor hall did not disappoint. I could have easily spent all 3 days in that hall and I’d never see the same thing twice.
Plotting with Jamie Kennedy
Meeting Rose McGowan
The celebrity autograph lineup was impressive. I’m combining Friday and Saturday when I talk about this portion of the convention because most of these people were not there on Friday. You had Christopher Lloyd, Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Trejo, Steve Burns, Jodi Benson, Shameik Moore, Tom Felton, some of the cast from The Office and so much more. As stated previously, the Scream cast were there Friday which was nice because their lines weren’t that long compared to Saturday and Sunday. I ran over to see Jamie Kennedy first. I asked how his flight was and told him I enjoyed his podcast. He pointed at my camera I had set on the table and I explained to him what I was doing with it. I felt a little discouraged shooting in the autograph area because most people did not want to be on-camera even from afar. I told Jamie this and without missing a beat goes, “Well I won’t tell if you won’t” implying that I could film him if I wanted to. My face lit up and I went, “Wait, really?!” I got my camera set up and had him give me a 5 second shoutout that I could use for when I edit my Fan Expo Denver video. I love him so much for doing that. Before this interaction, I had met him at a convention back in February and he was delightful then, so seeing him again just proves my point that Jamie Kennedy is not one to miss out on when it comes to meeting the Scream cast at conventions. Right next to him was Rose McGowan, so I got in her line. I had never met her before so I was excited. I told her that her character’s death scene in Scream gave me nightmares as a kid and like Matthew who I originally met back in February she said to me, “That’s way too young to be watching that.” I replied, “I like to think I turned out alright.” She agreed, “I think you did too.” Rose also gave me some really interesting insight into the garage death scene. She said (and I apologize if I misheard this) that she could fit through doggy doors and they used that in the movie because of it. I said, “So it’s like an escape hack being able to fit through doggy doors?” and she went, “No, it’s like a I locked my keys inside my house and need to get back in hack.” I thought that was funny. I was feeling confident after meeting Jamie so I asked if I could film her doing a 5 second intro for me. She did and I was so happy. It was fun meeting her. I love when you meet people and they’re easy to talk to. I struggle with that sometimes because I have my socially awkward moments, so when I meet people like her or any of the Scream cast I feel so comfortable and safe being myself.
Meeting Henry Winkler
After meeting Rose McGowan, I went across the way and met Henry Winkler. He definitely wears the shoes of “nicest guy on the planet” well. He shook everyone’s hand and was very charismatic and kind. I brought a bag of different colored pens for him to choose from and he closed his eyes, stuck his hand in there and pulled out a black pen. There was a moment where we both looked at each other like, that’s disappointing but we’ll go with it. He’s a classy guy so black suits him. I spoke to him while he was signing my book but I’ll be honest, I clammed up a little. I think I said something about his character in Scream. I asked if I could film him and he politely declined. If you’re ever going to be shot down whether it be from a job or a college application, let Henry Winkler be in charge because he will let you down gently and you won’t be crying with your head in your hands. In all seriousness, he was great and I respect him even more for being a person with boundaries. I aspire to be like that.
Having a Moment with Matthew Lillard
I was on a roll filling up my notebook with autographs so I decided to get in Matthew Lillard’s line. He is known for having long lines because so many people love him, so I was prepared to wait a bit. It ended up not being that bad. I enjoyed eavesdropping on the fans in line with me who were sharing their love of Scream with one another. Some of them were excited to meet Matthew and some were nervous. The guy in front of me told me his hands were shaking as we got up to the table. It was really sweet to see the impact Matthew had on people, especially in-person as opposed to through a computer or phone screen. It was my turn to meet him (again) and when I say I word-vomited on this poor man, I basically told him all of my hopes and dreams and I was up there so long that when I watch the video back my dad took of us I’m like, someone please make me take a breath. I think I was trying to make up for the time I met him a few months ago where I barely said anything to him. In a nutshell, I told him I’m trying to pursue my passion and said that he inspires me because of his outlook on his own career journey. The things I said to him about myself, I’ve never said out loud to anyone. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t start crying. I did later. Way later once I got home and the Fan Expo dopamine rush wore off. I don’t know why I told him the stuff that I did about myself, but I felt safe (mentally/emotionally) doing so which is a testament to Matthew Lillard. He genuinely cares about people. I like to think he was a little bit moved by it because he came around the table and gave me a hug. He told me to keep shooting and wrote a little note of encouragement in my autograph book which I will cherish forever. On a less deeper note, I brought up how great he was in the show Good Girls and he went, “I’m sorry it got canceled.” I also congratulated him on everything. He’s a talented person and I’m so happy for him.
The grand finale of autographs I got was Richard Dreyfuss. He wasn’t feeling well so I technically didn’t speak to him when I got his autograph. I spoke more with the man who was helping him. That guy was super nice and helpful. He wanted to make sure I got the signature in the right place with the right colored pen. I appreciated his attention to detail. I’m also really happy that Richard Dreyfuss was selling posters of Jaws, Close Encounters and Stand By Me. I have always wanted a Jaws movie poster and I was able to get one for $10 at his table. It was a great experience getting his autograph and I appreciated his prices. In my eyes, he’s legendary so the fact he could have been charging more but wasn’t, felt like I had hit the jackpot.
Vacation Reunion Panel
One of the moments my dad and I had been waiting for had arrived and it was the National Lampoon’s Vacation Reunion panel. Randy Quaid, Beverly D’Angelo and Christie Brinkley had to cancel their appearances so it was just Chevy Chase and the kids: Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron. They talked about behind the scenes moments while filming the original Vacation movie. Chevy talked about the late John Candy and Harold Ramis. Anthony talked about how he was kicked off set for trying to watch the shower scene with Beverly D’Angelo in it. Dana tried to get all of us to sing the “Holiday Road” theme song together. I grew up with these movies because of my dad, so it was surreal to see these people in-person and experience this with him. Two behind the scenes moments stood out to me while Chevy was talking and one was the rollercoaster scene. I believe Dana was the one who said they did 15 takes or something outrageous like that and a lot of the adults in the scene had stand-ins because they physically couldn’t ride it that many times. Chevy brought up an instance during a scene with Rusty where Clark’s glasses start to fall off his face as Anthony is trying to act out his scene. Chevy was off-camera and kept letting his glasses slide further and further down his face which made him look ridiculous and tried to get him to break character. At the end of the panel, the moderator asked them about a potential Vacation reunion 40 years later on-screen. Chevy took that opportunity to pitch his own idea of what the next Vacation movie should look like. His pitch started off so strong and then quickly spiraled into chaos. It was pretty entertaining. After all these years he still makes me laugh.
Chevy Chase Photo Op
Finally, to wrap up the day we got to do our photo ops. I had bought one for my dad and I with Chevy Chase. We got in line for it and it was quick and easy. I walked up to Chevy and said “Hi” to which he responded “Hi” back. We took the photo and that was it. I posted the photo to Instagram and him (or his team) “Liked” it so that was cool. That made my day. One thing I noticed about Chevy is that you can tell he really loves and appreciates his fans. It was nice to see that side of him in-person because the internet tends to wash away all of the good characteristics about a person by only showing you the negative. He even said at the panel, “I wouldn’t be here without you.” For someone like him who has had a lot of success, it takes a certain kind of person to admit that and I respect that. So Chevy if you ever read this, thank you for being a part of our family (whether you like it or not).
Neve Campbell Photo Op
Next up, I had my photo op with Neve Campbell. Neve’s autograph line was too long on Saturday so I was not able to talk to her or get her signature in my book. Our interaction for the photo op was very quick. I stood next to her, they snapped the photo and before I left I said “It’s so nice meeting you.” There was so much more I wanted to say, but it will have to wait until I catch her at the next convention. The vibe I got from her in those 10 seconds was that she seems like a very sweet and nurturing person. I watched the Scream panel they did on Sunday online and she got choked up at the end because she was overwhelmed and grateful that so many people showed up to support her. It made me tear up watching it. I love her so much. Final Girl Forever.
Matthew Lillard Photo Op
I had a photo op with Matthew Lillard and I know what you’re thinking, haven’t you had enough of him? Um, no and how dare you. The Scream cast as a whole are amazing people. Protect them at all costs. I also love the fans. The fan comradery at these conventions whenever the cast is there is unmatched. Anyway, while I was in line, Matthew came out and went over to the guy on stage who was calling out the photo op group numbers. He borrowed his microphone and made an announcement to everyone that if anyone has children, has a disability or has bad anxiety to come to the front of the line. I’ve seen him do this at other conventions and it’s always a sweet thing to witness. He’s too good for us. I eventually made it up to the front. I am called over. We took our photo. Before I left he gave a little squeeze and said, “It’s nice seeing you again.” I don’t know why, but that 2 second interaction had me smiling the rest of the day.
My cup of happiness that whole weekend was overflowing. From doing what I love filming the convention to exploring Colorado and sharing a plane ride home with Richard Dreyfuss. Yes, you heard that correctly. Richard Dreyfuss was on our flight back to San Diego. And yes, we went over and talked to him which was a gutsy move but I told my dad “YOLO”. We were respectful and thanked him again for attending the convention. He seemed bummed that he missed 2 days of it. When I told him I was “press” he asked what newspaper I worked for which is honestly my favorite thing anyone has ever asked me. We kept it brief, thanked him for his time and said sorry to bother you to which he replied, “Oh no, it’s okay.” Our plane was pretty full and it took everything in me not to say “We’re gonna need a bigger plane.” It also happened to be the 4th of July weekend which is when Jaws takes place, so being on a plane with Hooper flying back to our coastal city felt very patriotic. My dad said to me on the plane, “It’s a good thing we’re not on a cruise ship with him” referencing the movie Poseidon (2006) he was in. We watch too many movies.
Fan Expo Denver exceeded my expectations. I thought they were well organized and there was still enough space to move around even on their “sold out” day. There were tons of activities I didn’t even get to mention like the arcade and cosplay red carpet. This was one of the most memorable Summers I’ve had in a really long time and I’m grateful I got to cover it. Go check out Fan Expo Denver 2024! They are already selling tickets for it and they have even added an extra convention day (Thursday).
If you would like to check out my experience in video form, here it is below:
