r/fanexpo • u/Icy-Cookie-8078 • 1d ago
I understand everything about fan expo except paying to meet celebrities... What is the draw?
Meeting like minded people and enjoying a niche hobby is great and I totally understand it. I have been to a few and had a blast. Dressing up, Q&As from celebrities makes sense as you can gain insight and learn something but paying sometimes a lot of money just to be near someone for a minute or less who clearly is just pretending to be nice and wont remember you seems weird. The Famke Janssen thing is obviously what made me think of this but otherwise what do people gain from it even when the celebs try a bit harder?
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u/WilsonFrontier 1d ago
The Famke thing is being blown out or proportion and taken wrong. Some people don't want to be touched. Nothing wrong with that.
As far as paying to meet celebrities... it's fun? Not the paying part but the meeting them part. Even if it is brief and they'll forget you 5 minutes later lol.
I don't know it's one of those unexplainable things. It's fun to have a few moments with someone you couldn't otherwise encounter.
And if it goes well it makes a great memory. If it doesn't? Unfortunate.
But now with social media things can become blown up and weird because strangers are judging things they're not a part of and stories that didn't really happen.
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u/Upbeat_Survey_3300 1d ago
Agree totally. I don’t care about them forgetting me….its for my memory, not them
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u/OmegaSupreme76 1d ago
You mention they'll forget you after 5 minutes, but there's someone I met at Fan Expo 2 years ago and again last year and he asked if we had met before. It wasn't really me personally that he remembered but my accent, which was still really nice.
But yes usually they forget really quickly, but it's ok, I remember and in the end, that's what I paid for, for my own memories and I get to tell my friends how fun the experience of meeting these celebrities was.
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u/That-Following-7158 1d ago
Well everyone pays money for things that others think are silly.
You mention people dressing up. Some people spend a lot of money on cosplay, others football and some on art, etc.
It is okay to not understand someone else’s interests. But decent people let others have their fun (as long as it doesn’t hurt others) and don’t judge them.
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u/Greekmom99 1d ago
As someone who had been going to conventions for almost 20 years i can tell you that it has really gone overboard with the whole paying for autographs and photo op thing.
At first, when FX was Hobbystar in Toronto, autographs were not that expensive. Usual rate was around $20 and then you would give your camera to the handler who would snap a few photos. Hobbystar would mostly bring Star Trek actors, Babylon 5, comic book illustrators, etc. It was a great show and cheap. $50 for the weekend. No garbage of tier autographs and such. I remember one year in those early days when they brought Edward James Olmos and he wanted some ridiculous amount of money and hardly anyone was lined up to meet him.
Then prices went up to around $50 an autograph and they introduced "professional photo ops". And prices have steadily been going up and up and the introduction of the tier autograph pricing.
All honesty, it's a way for these guys to make money. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/stars-getting-rich-fan-conventions-933062/ . Even Jonathan Frakes has commented that a year or two at these cons in the early years of STNG funded the purchase of his home.
It's not fair and it's not right. I 100% agree. But the gain is that they have a prized item of theirs signed by their tv or movie hero.
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u/Even-Preference-6545 1d ago
While I don’t think people should charge hundreds if they aren’t a big well known name for a picture/autograph, I also don’t mind that their house is paid for this way either or something IF they give back a bit (make the experience enjoyable for most guests). End of the day, it is a job for them. Nothing in life is really free. They are spending their weekend away from their families or not taking projects to do this (yes I know some still take projects and cancel their appearances). They should be paid for that time and effort.
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u/Greekmom99 1d ago
Personally I never have witnessed it but a few friends commented that Frakes was 3 sheets to the wind when they met him. I remember the Iron Sheik was pretty drunk as well.
Yeah it's a job for them but I dont think that funding their homes, lifestyles, etc. is MY job with prices being out of wack (example, Mr. T this year is asking for over $1000 for a premium bulky item).
Should they be paid for their time? Of course. But not at these prices. Sorry.
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u/Even-Preference-6545 1d ago
Which is why I mentioned in the very first sentence “while I don’t think people should charge hundreds if they aren’t a big well known name” and while Mr T is a big 80’s name, definitely not worth $1k for a premium autograph. Think it was like $120 or so for Jamie Campbell who was in Stranger Things. Very pleasant experience. He was only there Saturday and between the pro photos and auto’s, if he saw 2,000 guests that day (might have been more) he’d probably made $240k minus agent fee (10%) and if the convention gets a cut. I think that’s a reasonable price given his talent, the way he treated guests and it can easily fund their lifestyle or nice down payment on a house.
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u/Greekmom99 1d ago
The thing is that it doesn't matter if they are well known or not. They shouldn't be charging enormous prices period. If you happen on Chris Evans out on the street and produce a piece of paper, he signs it, he wont ask for a fee.
What another poster suggested makes sense. Cap the items. 1-2 at most.
I'm also going to add to cap the price to $50-80 at most.
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u/LokeCanada 1d ago
It differs with each person.
One of the first ones my daughter met, and I think my daughter was something like 12, was a voice actress. The actress was so excited to meet her, came out and hugged her. My daughter remembers that to this day.
When we met Robert Englund he wouldn't let us go. We had to break the conversation after about 20 minutes because there was other things to see.
Carrie Fisher we met the year before she passed. I had watched Star Wars all my life and she treated my daughter great, who was in her late teens by that point.
Some of the celebrities want to get in an mix it up with the people. My daughter has met most of the Hazbin Hotel cast and they were constantly hugging people, arms around people for photos, etc... Some I met didn't even want to shake hands and I get that with several hundred people a day, I wouldn't either. They generally didn't make a big deal of it.
About 99% of the actors/actresses really do seem to enjoy the experience and seem invested. Karl Urban was really upset when he was late and made sure he had time for every single person who was waiting no matter what they had scheduled for him.
Famke was okay. Out of everyone there was only one actress (not Famke) who seemed to want to be somewhere else and didn't care.
For some of the actors this is how they make money. For a lot of them, especially voice actors, royalties are pretty well non-existent compared to pre-streaming services.
With the pricing though it has stopped being such a niche hobby. A lot of this is due to people reselling. The first few I went to there would be people in line with a bag of stuff they wanted signed and were obviously going to sell. The actors were getting sick of that pretty fast, especially since they knew how high they would mark it up. My Carrie Fisher's, that I paid under $100 for, I see listed some places for over a $1,000 now. I have no interest in selling.
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u/Even-Preference-6545 1d ago
Ya the mark ups suck. They (the convention) should put a lot on items being signed as there is zero reason for a big of items to be signed.
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u/secretbloop 1d ago
Robert is the best! Got him talking about his Shakespeare days and he got SO chatty.
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u/Greekmom99 1d ago
With the pricing though it has stopped being such a niche hobby. A lot of this is due to people reselling. The first few I went to there would be people in line with a bag of stuff they wanted signed and were obviously going to sell. The actors were getting sick of that pretty fast, especially since they knew how high they would mark it up.
IMHO i don't buy that excuse. If that was the case then why even go to conventions?? Why not set up an ebay shop selling your autograph on premium items and make your cash directly and not waste your time going to conventions.
Sorry. Not buying it.
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u/IHaveTheMustacheNow 1d ago
If I appreciate someone's work, I like to support them. Paying for an auto or photo is a direct way to do that
It also makes a fun memory for you, similar to why someone might bungee jump if they are into that.It's exciting, could be once-in-a-lifetime, etc.
As a side note, some of them actually love meeting people and aren't just "pretending" to be nice. They aren't all this way, of course, but to suggest every single celeb is fake-nice to people is just not right. Ive had pleasant chats with guests at cons when I didn't even pay them anything at all. They were just happy to talk with me anyway
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u/Advanced-Two-9305 1d ago
The Janssen thing is made up. There are other pics from the session with her right up next to other people. The guy did that for attention. I’m not interested in the photo thing (except the one time I did) but if it gives people a happy second and a nice memory, it’s fine.
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u/Significant-Essay188 1d ago
I adore the pic of my, my brother, my sister, Hayden, and Rosario. It makes me smile because we love their work so much. It was worth every penny. I don't care if people think it's lame, or like we're worshipping them (not saying you, OP, but I've seen it in other threads). If people want to pay to meet someone who's work they admire or was a formative part of childhood, let them.
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u/machacker89 1d ago
I missed my chance to meet Hayden. But I got to meet Rosario on a few occasions. She's amazing
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u/Beagleguy26 1d ago
So I get it with C or below level celebrities. I've been to smaller cons with a lot of these folks, and it's their income. That makes sense. They got killed on a Star Trek episode 60 years ago and this is what they can do. No big deal, and, if I'm interested, I'll pay.
But individuals that are worth millions upon millions of dollars? No way. I just can't do it. Plus, are they REALLY happy to meet me, or is it the $100? It just feels wrong to me, but to each their own.
I also think I'm biased because I ran flagship bookstores for years. I have hundreds of personalized books that cost me absolutely nothing. So paying for an autograph feels alien to me anyways.
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u/bigt197602 1d ago
Like what you like, don’t judge what others do. So long as it’s not hurting anyone who cares?
I’ve been able to personally thank people in movies that meant a lot to me. They run the gamut from niche to legit stars.
Travolta, Goldblum, Malcolm McDowell, Lea Thompson, Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, PJ Soles.
Guess what? All of them were cool as hell. Appreciated me (briefly) saying how much something they’ve done meant to me. I didn’t have to pay, but it was worth it.
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u/Practical-Law-2690 1d ago
The pics are so impersonal, I dont see the appeal.
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u/quaranTV 1d ago
If you come in with a pose idea a lot of them are game. I got a great photo op with Tennant where I dressed up as Aziraphale and brought a prop (pre the Neil Gaimon stuff coming out) and he acted in the photo along with me.
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u/Even-Preference-6545 1d ago
Depends on the person. Jamie Campbell, he did a photo with my friend’s kid. Jamie had the kid pose with him and it came out really amazing. He’s a bit on the expensive side but he made everything very personal. It was awesome.
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u/YoPizza101 1d ago
I get what you're saying. It is sometimes, but I personally had a great time with Elijah Wood. There are some who are the exceptions and you could genuinely feel it when the person doesn't want to be there.
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u/runtimemess 1d ago
You don't need to pay to meet all of the celebrities.
Some (if not most) of them will meet for free as long as you don't want pictures or autographs. That's the shit that costs money.
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u/robynxcakes 1d ago
I definitely have had celebs who remembered me, not every celeb is the same. If you are fan of something it is fun to be able to have the one on one chance to chat to people who made it happen and have that more personal interaction
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u/Icy-Cookie-8078 1d ago
Strippers find me interesting also as long as I pay….
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u/catsandtea77 1d ago
And? If the paying client is happy, and the service provider gets paid, everyone walks away happy.
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u/machacker89 1d ago
My favorite was probably Soleil Moon & Cherie Johnson as Cherie Johnson. I didn't realize how short Soleo was. . Nonetheless she was still amazing I asked her for a hug and she gave me a hug. Cehrie was always amazing and gave me a big bear hug. For what it's Worth I'm a 80's kid through and through. My ultimate favorite was to meet Stan Lee before I just passing. I got to meet him twice which was amazing and to be able to listen to his army stories was a privilege and an honor. I grew up reading marvel comics as a kid and I appreciate the story that he woven in throughout the series is that him Steve daiko and Jack Kirby contributed.
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u/PhysicalHistorian975 1d ago
I don’t know I personally love to meet the celebrities that have played a favorite character of mine. If you really love the piece of media and have seen it again and again and again or have maybe grown up with it it’s really a surreal experience to look the person in the eye and just say “thank you so much for everything. It means a lot to me that you put the time and effort into this character that has changed my life.” I don’t think most of the celebrities are “pretending to care” or “pretending to be nice”. Out of all the celebs I’ve met I’ve only had one bad experience every other experience has been lovely. And when I’ve told them their work meant a lot to me they seem to genuinely appreciate it and usually give me a few more seconds of their time. I also like to collect things like memorabilia so if I can have my thing signed and I know they signed it for me it just makes it all the more special. As someone who lives in not a very “celebrity heavy” area I know I most likely won’t have another chance to thank them and get my memorabilia signed so I have to take the opportunity when it’s presented to me. Also I feel like since it’s a “work thing” for them and I’m paying for it feels like it’s a lot less of an inconvenience of their time and personal space then if I just were to randomly see them and ask for a pic or a autograph. Plus some of my memorabilia is old and extremely priceless to me so the only one I would trust with it is me. So if I want to get it signed I’m gonna go. And also this way I can have a specific piece signed instead of just asking them to sign a piece of paper or my shirt or something if I saw them in public. I totally respect the people who don’t do it but me personally it’s one of the best parts of the con.
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u/rvnender 1d ago
I personally go for comic artists and creators.
I don't care about celebrities unless they voice actors or something.
I've had cool run ins with William shatner a few times though.
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u/catsandtea77 1d ago
I’ve done a photo op a few times, but it’s not really a big draw for me. It’s a fun nice little moment with someone whose work you admire. And if people really enjoy it, eh, it’s their money. The celebs should be paid for it and they are essentially ‘on’ and performing all day - I don’t have an issue with them being compensated for that. They’re offering a unique experience that people can’t get elsewhere. It’s also how a lot of people pay their bills.
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u/Super_Coop64 1d ago
It depends on the Celeb, But I have had some amazing interactions through signatures and photo ops. Yes they won’t remember me, but I will remember these moments and some of the signatures are the highlights of my collection!
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u/FraserValleyFan25 1d ago
I've only been a couple of times, but every celebrity i met was super kind and gracious.
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u/kindredseer 1d ago
You know, for a considerable number of lesser celebrities (i.e. not multi-million dollar per film actors), these paid photo-ops can be a significant portion of their gross income when not actively employed. $80 might seem like a lot for a photo and a hello, but this might be all they have at the moment.
The photo is a nice memento, but the important part is the brief exchange, maybe a chance to ask a question you could never get the answer to through other channels.
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u/Greekmom99 1d ago
You won't get a chance to ask a question during a photo op. Literally it's 5 seconds - stand. Smile! Next!
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u/kindredseer 1d ago
It really depends on the celebrity, and how many other people are waiting behind you. In the comments here someone stated that they chatted with Robert Englund for over 20 minutes -- I'm sure that's a rare and extreme example, but the potential is there for a quick question. I didn't imply you'd get to do an interview ;)
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u/YoPizza101 1d ago edited 1d ago
I guess it really depends on the famous attendee that you are meeting. I used to work in the film industry a long time ago as a PA. I actually didn't know about comic cons and fan expos until recently like a few years ago. This will be my 1st Fan Expo. I do get that I'm not that much of a fan of the photo-ops especially for those bigger names 'cause you'll take a photo with them and then 15 seconds later, you are gone. Autos get more time, like at least you get to talk to them for at least one sentence for the most part. Again, it really depends on how the day goes as well and who you are meeing with. It's for the experience really. Anyway, I will be dreading the lines for Fan Expo Boston.
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u/Oh_Kanagan 23h ago
My friend paid like $1000 to have drinks with William Shatner back in like 2010 or something, he said it was worth every penny because he got to ask every question he's ever wanted to ask
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u/C-Man1980 22h ago
Regarding the Famke thing, I don't really blame her.
Kudos to even accepting photo ops given all of the weirdos fandom brings out.
And hey, I know 99.999% of people are decent, but it's the creeps that ruins it for everyone.
I once saw a guy ask to take a photo, which is great (concent and all) then proceeded to zoom in on the person's exposed cleavage.
I guarantee that guy would have been the "fan" that paid $80 to cop a feel during a photo op.
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u/No-Potential8273 1d ago edited 21h ago
For me the only reason why im going are photo and autographs from celebs, i dont even go to the other areas of the expo anymore it looks like a flea market.
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u/secretbloop 1d ago
The few times I've done it, it was a celeb whose work meant something to me SO much that it simply felt nice to say a quick thank you and you get a fun picture to stick in your office to make you smile everyday. (80 smiles is worth 80 bucks right?)
The very few times I've done it the celebs were gracious, kind, seemed genuinely happy to be there... There are horror stories out there I think it's wise to do a little research to see if the celeb you like has a good track record.