2017- My 10th year at Comic-Con
I am very lucky to have attended San Diego Comic-Con for the last nine years. I love going it so much that I count down the days throughout the year. During the first few years, getting tickets was pretty easy, but as time went on it became much more difficult. If I was lucky I bought tickets online but sometimes I had to buy them from other people who were selling their tickets (not allowed anymore). Today it is very hard to get tickets but I think everyone should try to get one. You can find out more on their website here.
There are many awesome things that I do at Comic-Con. I go to different presentations for things like; comic books, movies, video games, TV shows, and cartoons. I get to see sneak peeks at what is coming up, like seeing an episode of a show for the first time, or having characters in a video game being revealed. I also get autographed posters and other products from celebrities. (I got to meet Stan Lee and lots of other celebrities). There is also a lot of exclusive stuff that you can get at different Comic-Con booths on the floor. Some of it is free but most things you have to buy.
Three years ago I meet Fred Tatasciore, a voice actor who does the voices of characters like the Incredible Hulk on Marvel cartoon shows and Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I told Fred about my Unintentional Humor®books and he suggested that I should apply to be a Comic-Con professional (meaning that you are in the business of people like the voice actors, actors, comic book writers and artists). In 2015 I applied and was accepted to be a Comic-Con Professional attendee!! Now I receive a free four-day pass and sometimes I can get a guest pass, too.
There are some rules to becoming a professional at Comic-Con. You have to send in proof that you work in the industry or media. You do this by mailing in your work and filling out an application that you want to become a professional at Comic-Con. A list of your work is not enough proof to get a professional badge, you have to send in the materials. If the proof is not sufficient you will be denied a professional badge. Even though I am a professional attendee, I still have to wait in line for presentations and autographs the same way I did as a normal guest. I don’t get any benefits for waiting in line, so if the line is very long there is no guarantee that I can get into the show or get the autographs I want.
I am very happy about all of the amazing experiences I have had attending Comic-Con. I am looking forward to Comic-Con 2017 and plan on attending Comic-Con for many more years. If you want to know more about being a professional at Comic-Con here is a link to the Comic-Con Professional FAQ page.