2019 is underway, and so is planning for Dragon Con 2019!

Dragon Con 2018 was the best Dragon Con ever! Better crowd management, amazing guests, a thrilling return of the Dragon Con parade, and so much more! We look forward to seeing you at Dragon Con 2019, but we wanted to share some information about how to make sure your readers, listeners, or viewers will have exciting content.

With the growth of Dragon Con and Dragon Con Media Relations, we have had to make some changes to our department to better serve you. Former Media Relations Director Dan Carroll has been promoted to Media Engagement Director and former Dragon Con Interview Manager Samantha Douglas has been promoted to Dragon Con Media Relations Director.  Erin Behnke, a long time Dragon Con Volunteer, has been promoted to Dragon Con Interview Director.

This is what these new roles will mean:

• Contact Dan to work more closely with Dragon Con or ask specific questions about the convention or request a spokesperson interview. Dan will continue to lead the Media Relations department and serve as spokesperson for the convention. He will work directly with reporters for matters involving coverage questions, information about the convention, interviews with Dan about Dragon Con, interviews with other Dragon Con directors, and guest interviews prior to the show. He will send out Dragon Con press releases and lead Dragon Con reporter tours. His new email is dancarroll@dragoncon.org.
• Contact Samm with questions or concerns related to registration or onsite activities. Samm will be the administrative arm of the convention. She will be handling registration prior to and at Dragon Con, leading the team of 17 volunteers who are in place to serve reporters, directing onsite support and assistance, managing podcast space, and working as a utility infielder.  Her new email is mediarelations@dragoncon.org
• Contact Erin with questions about guest interviews. Erin will be managing and coordinating onsite guest interviews for the media guests, writers, authors, artists, and comic book creators. She will be in touch with you as the convention gets closer to help you to make the most of your Dragon Con experience. Her email is interviews@dragoncon.org.

Erin

Samm

Dan

Other things you should know:

• Dragon Con Media Access Requests open March 15 and will remain open until August 9. You will get more reminders before those dates.
• Please remember that reporters who provided media access in 2018 must enter their coverage through the self-reporting form.
  • https://www.dragoncon.org/mediarelations/2018/09/24/dragon-con-reporter-self-reporting-form/
  • This coverage must be entered before Mar 15.
  • If you have not entered you coverage by January 15, you will get a firm reminder.
• Please ensure you route all media requests through the Media Engagement Director, Dan Carroll (dancarroll@dragoncon.org).  Even if you are on friendly terms with a director, please send an email to Dan before contacting them officially. We have been reminded recently by directors that not all directors are comfortable being interviewed.  They are experts on creating amazing fan experiences and would like to know that when reporters contact them that they are reporters who are sanctioned by Dragon Con.
• Speaking of directors, we will be opening the Director Interview Request/Spokesperson request form in April this year to give reporters a chance to talk about Dragon Con early and often and to build great content.
• This year the Dragon Con Media Relations Podcasts return. Expect the first episode for 2019 in February!
• Remember that on average, 31% of reporters are invited to interview media guests. If you do not get a media guest interview invitation, don’t worry, because there are still many other guests in the comics, artist, and author categories!
• There are 80,000 Dragon Con attendees, so there are 80,000 amazing Dragon Con stories you can consider covering.
• This year we will begin providing Dragon Con Media Relations Updates monthly through May, bi-weekly in May, June, and July, and weekly in August.
• For local broadcast media, we will always be able to bring costumers to help you with colorful and lively coverage in-studio or on location.
• Let us know what can help you to best cover Dragon Con! We will listen to all ideas, and implement as many as we can!  What would you like to see covered in the Podcasts? What would you like to see in our monthly updates? Do you want to know more about the 35 Dragon Con Tracks? Learn more about diversity throughout Dragon Con? Maybe gaming? Comics? What about those guests?

As always, we are grateful for your interest in Dragon Con! You are not just reporters to us, you are part of the greater Dragon Con Family.