Dragon Con Media Relations Podcast Resumes with First Podcast of 2020
Dragon Con TV interviewer Chris Lloyd joins Dragon Con Engagement Director Dan Carroll to discuss a wide range of topics including his role as Dragon Con TV’s official interviewer, what Dragon Con TV is, the 2020 Dragon Con Charity – Big Brothers Big Sisters, Dragon Con Superheroes, and what makes a good interview.
We also talk about reporting from Dragon Con. With Media Access applications opening March 15, now is the time to get ready!
If you have topics you would like for us to discuss in depth, feel free to reach out to Dan Carroll (Dancarroll@dragoncon.org) or Samm Douglas (mediarelations@dragoncon.org). We are always happy to discuss anything Dragon Con on the DCMR Podcast.
Parade Registration Opens and Closes
One of the most talked about events at Dragon Con is always the Dragon Con Parade. Since 2002, the Dragon Con parade has filled Peachtree Street in Atlanta with costumed superheroes, aliens, hobbits and elves, Kirks and Spocks, Stormtroopers and a wide range of characters. As the parade has grown, the excitement to be part of the parade has grown with it.
Saturday, February 15, 2020, registration for the Dragon Con Parade opened and closed online in a matter of two hours. Completing full registration for all 3500 marching positions. Last year’s registration closed as full after only 4hours.
Dragon Con reporters will be able to view the parade from the Dragon Con Parade Media Corral, located at the corner of Peachtree Street and Baker in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Of course, with six months to go before the convention, this is subject to change, but anticipate this will be your viewing location again in 2020. Reporters will need Dragon Con media access badges to enter the corral, but those with valid media access will be allowed to walk through the parade for extraordinary access for photography and videography.
More details about the parade will be shared throughout the year. For more information about the Dragon Con Parade Contact Dan Carroll.
Dragon Con Superheroes/Charity
Dragon Con Superheroes spent their snow day in Atlanta a little differently than most fans in the area. Launching into their first Dragon Con Superhero event of 2020, 140 Superheroes spent the day at Open Hand Atlanta cooking, creating, delivering, and caring for Atlanta area clients with delicious meals and surprise valentine cards. DCTV Captured it in video!
The Dragon Con Superheroes is a community service project team for our members, volunteers, and staff to give back to our local community. Since 2014, Dragon Con Superheroes have contributed more than 3,100 hours to Atlanta-area non-profits. But, Dragon Con’s Spirit of Giving doesn’t end with The Dragon Con Superheroes.
At Dragon Con, we raise money for our designated charity throughout the convention via auctions and other events Organizations selected in the past have represented a wide range of community services, including support for families facing lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and heart disease, assistance for the homeless, community food banks, education, and libraries. The 2020 Charity is Big Brothers, Big Sisters, an organization that is dear to the Dragon Con Media Relations Team.
And, Dragon Con has a blood drive! In 2019, LifeSouth, which has organized the convention’s annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” collected more than 10,000 units of blood and blood products from 3,600 donors
https://www.dragoncon.org/mediarelations/2020/02/21/dragoncon-2020-official-charity/ (Press Release about BBBS)
Registration Notes
Media Access Applications Open March 15, 2020. Media access is opened to reporters and photo journalists over the age of 17 who are on assignment from an established outlet. Media Access closes August 10 (15?) and onsite registration as media is limited to local broadcast and print and media with significant distribution. We do not provide media access to social media influencers unless invited by a Dragon Con director.
As we get ready for Dragon Con Media Access to open we are updating our qualifications and considerations page so you can better prepare your application. Look for a link to updated qualifications and considerations in early March, 2020.
Dragon Con 2020 Notes – Dragon Con Guests
The process for bringing guests to Dragon Con begins before the previous year’s convention and continues up to the first day of Dragon Con. Our guest committee works with individual guests and agents to ensure the greatest fan experience each year. We recommend that all guests apply to Dragon Con using the guest application form. This form is also used for attending professionals to apply.
Looking at a variety of factors, Dragon Con brings 400 guests each year! The breakdown for the guests on average is over 100 celebrity guests in the Walk of Fame, over 120 Comics and Pop Art alley guests, and the rest of the guests distributed through literature, film, music, and the reality tracks.
The guest list is updated all year round and new guests are announced through Social Media and the Dragon Con webpage. Dragon Con Media will do our best to share the major guest announcements and will update the guest list on both our website and our podcast, but Dragon Con itself is the best place to track guest announcements.
In late spring and early summer, we often field concerns that our guest list is not strong this year. You can include any year because this is a common concern before June. The reason for this is that Dragon Con tends to make major guest announcements in the summer. By mid-august the feedback that fans and reporters give to us is that “This year you have the best guest list ever!”
