So six weeks ago I posted a note on my Facebook page asking about the possibility of me bringing Anime Price is Right back to a convention. After a lot of thought and after running several possible scenarios through my head and doing some research, I’ve decided that I’m going to give it a shot.
At Otakon 2011.
This will not be a simple undertaking. As those of you who are familiar with the behind-the-scenes stuff from my previous Price shows know, the 2004 Anime Central version of Anime Price is Right was the result of a couple of dozen people working really hard on every aspect of the show, and the results speak for themselves. I’d like to do something similar for Otakon 2011, but realize that due to the way Otakon and Otakon panels are run, some concessions will have to be made.
Obviously, the first thing that has to happen is the panel’s approval, and to do that I need a good plan of action.
In the past, I required Price to lead off programming for the panel room it was to take place in, and have a dress rehearsal prior to the show while the Contestant Cattle Call is going on outside. Due to the logistics of Otakon, that will not be possible. I need to be able to quietly assemble the prizes and props backstage, behind the curtain, while the panel before it is going on, in such a way that nobody is disturbed and yet everything is completed and ready to roll by the 30-minute buffer time.
Meanwhile, the lineup outside needs to be organized and the Cattle Call needs to take place in that very lineup. I’ll need a couple of dedicated people willing to run the line with clipboard in hand, culling contestants to plug into the copy for whoever we choose as our announcer.
I’ll need to have prizes. Good ones. I’m going to send feeler emails out to Eagle Anime, J-List and Right Stuf as well as Funimation and Anime Network, hoping to convey the feeling that this game show will be a Big Deal. And to sweeten this big deal, I will need to raise some funds to cover a prize budget for things that aren’t donated by potential sponsors (cash for the big wheel, grand prizes for the “car games” and Showcases, etc). All those prizes will need to be in-hand and ready to roll by Otakon to avoid the incident that happened with Anime Central 2005 where negotiations weren’t handled correctly and therefore nobody got their prizes.
(Speaking of, I realize there are still people following me who are owed prizes from their game shows this year. I am still awaiting promised funds from one convention, and am awaiting enough spare cash to mail things to other winners. Please bear with me, the prizes are sorted and ready to mail.)
I’ll also need to be able to *get* to Otakon and have a place to stay. Otakon does not (and will not) offer any sort of compensation other than a panelist badge, but due to the potential AWESOME a game show of the magnitude of Anime Price is Right has at Otakon, I’m willing to take the chance that enough of you would want to see it happen, and would be willing to become part of the financial process necessary to make it happen.
I calculate that it will cost roughly $1200 for me to be able to get to Otakon, secure my share of lodging for the weekend, and have enough money to float a prize budget that will cover anything not provided by whatever sponsors I pick up along the way. Beginning today, I am accepting Paypal donations from anyone who wants to see Anime Price is Right (and the other game show I’m proposing, which I’ll talk about later) at Otakon. If you wish to help out, please click on the Paypal Donate button in the upper right-hand portion of this website, and be sure to make a note that you are donating towards Operation Otakon so that I can earmark those funds separately from other donations I may receive from here on out.
The other game show I plan to submit is a special version of Panel Quiz Attack 25, that will be a free-for-all featuring Mike Toole, Daryl Surat, Mark Nason and Carl Horn (if he’s there and willing, otherwise I will find a suitable replacement) in the ultimate anime trivia expert battle royale. Because of the nature of the game show, each person’s particular expertise will serve them well, and questions will run the gamut of possible genres, time frames, directors, shows, etc. It should be a hell of an entertaining panel.
Historically, Otakon panel submissions open around early February. If I am able to receive at least half of my donation target ($600) by the end of January, I will submit Anime Price is Right and Panel Quiz Attack 25 Battle Royale to Otakon when panel submissions open. IMPORTANT: ALL DONATIONS WILL BE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY if both shows are rejected or if I am unable to attend Otakon FOR ANY REASON. And if there is any overage after the convention is over, I guarantee that that money will be utilized for the same effort for Otakon 2012.
If the panel is approved, I will then begin recruiting among my friends and colleagues who are attending Otakon, for a dedicated staff that are willing to work to make Anime Price is Right run as flawlessly as possible. We have a chance to put together one of the most epic game show events Otakon has ever had, and I really hope we can make this possibility a reality.
As always, thanks for your support, and I will definitely keep you updated as to how things are proceeding.
