Features
Walker Stalker Con New Jersey 2016
By: Jennifer Vintzileos
My introduction to The Walking Dead was courtesy of my husband, Matt. After a former co-worker urged him to check out the post-apocalyptic zombie program, it immediately became our Sunday night ritual to sit down and treat ourselves to the Fox lineup (The Simpsons and Family Guy), followed by AMC’s The Walking Dead to end the night. Fast forward to now and this show has become more than a show. It has become a following!
So, when I first started seeing the posts for Walker Stalker Con, I was excited that there were people out there like me who wanted to share in their love of all things The Walking Dead. And I am especially proud to say that for the past two years, I was able to be a part of Walker Stalker Con New Jersey!
For the first year that Walker Stalker came to the Garden State, I volunteered – a task that I have nothing but the utmost respect for in every sense of the word. I did get to do a fun Norman Reedus group photo with other volunteers to end the first day, as helping run photo ops was insanity. If you could imagine how difficult it is making your voice heard over the masses eager to meet and take photos with their favorite cast members, imagine doing that for hours on end 2-3 days in a row. Also, con crud? Not pleasant.
Last year, I went as a guest for one day where I witnessed even larger crowds, a line for Norman Reedus that snaked and went from one side of the convention center to the other and a parking garage turned into a photo ops frenzy. I managed to get silly-stringed in my Boondock Saints photo op and meet Sean Patrick Flanery, one of my childhood crushes since I was sixteen years old. It was madness, pure messy and fun madness.
This year, with a changed venue (much larger I might add), new policies to streamline the crowds and a press badge, I attended my third Walker Stalker Con New Jersey and treated Starry Constellation Magazine followers to some live coverage from inside the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, NJ. I also got a chance to say hello to some of my favorite volunteers and meet a few more of my favorite cast members!
Day 1:
With badge in hand, my good friend Deanna (“Dee”) and I made our way over to the first stop of the day – Norman Reedus’s autograph table. It’s always best to get there first, as a rather large portion of the ticket buyers approach his table bearing gifts, props and wanting lots of hugs. And Norman, in his friendly way, accepts each gift, hug and kind words with grace and a smile for each and every person. Sometimes he comes out from behind the table to meet and give his fans with little children or disabilities a little more love. You can’t help but swoon.
Now, normally I am a very talkative and social individual, but Norman manages to always leave me tongue-tied. Maybe it’s the smile, the hugs or just how humble and grateful he truly is for every fan that he meets. Any attempt I have made at talking to Norman in the past has been some jumbled mess of words that I am always kicking myself for later. But Dee made it clear that this time she was ensuring that I managed full sentences. I was not about to let everyone down!
As I approached with a bag of gifts in hand that included some homemade goodies (because I am a baking junkie) and toys for his pets, Norman reached across the table to give me a strong one-armed hug before glimpsing at my photo I brought for autograph: the Boondock Saints photo op from the last Walker Stalker. I explained how I was still finding silly string on my person hours later. He, of course, mentioned having “mad skills” with silly string, dug into his gift bag, smiled at the homemade bottle of wine and gave me another hug as thanks. Truly a great way to start off Day 1!
The Reedus experience out of the way until tomorrow’s photo op, Dee and I popped over to a few of the vendor tables to peruse various pieces from artists, including a live drawing session by Rob Prior. If you have never heard of Rob Prior, I highly recommend you check him out ASAP. He was creating several pieces within the business hours of the convention, varying between The Walking Dead cast members and Star Wars. Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes – The Walking Dead) even joined him on the second day of the convention for his live painting of Carl.
When my friend Amy finally caught up with us, we grabbed some “liquid courage” to chat and catch up before I ventured over to my next target, Austin Nichols! While I do remember seeing him as Julian in One Tree Hill, I am also a film nut who enjoyed his roles in The Day After Tomorrow and The House of Usher. I might have a thing for B-Movie horror and thriller movies. I also have a thing for tall, handsome men.
So, with Dee and Amy pushing me over towards his table (I mean it, literally pushing me) I spent at least five minutes explaining to Austin about the best and worst beaches in New Jersey to visit before he stood up for our selfies at the table. If you’re on the shorter side like me (I am 5’4″), when Austin stood up to his 6’3″ height, I was basically face to face with a chest. But taking pity on me, he knelt down, snapped off four fun selfies before giving me a hug and sending me back to my friends. A true gentleman.
In my Austin-induced haze, Dee had mentioned wanting to meet Ross Marquand (Aaron – The Walking Dead). Last time at Walker Stalker, it was much more difficult to get to his table. General Admission tickets basically mean that you are the last to get to the table and if a higher-ranking ticket approaches the table, they get to go before you. Also, Ross is a bit of a talker with his fans, a quality that I happen to like.
Unlike the other tables, Ross also featured something different for his fans: the chance to do a video! The volunteers even encouraged the video and it wasn’t difficult to find out why because when I approached the table, it was a surprise to find out I was the first person at the convention to request the video. As I walked up to introduce myself, I even mentioned we were popping the “video cherry,” so to speak. Ross went right along with the plan and was quite charming, as off video he regaled me with some Robert DeNiro and Justin Timberlake impersonations. If you’re looking for a smile and a laugh, Ross is your man!
Deciding to save Josh McDermitt (Eugene – The Walking Dead) and Michael Cudlitz (Abraham – The Walking Dead) for Day 2, Dee had gotten Norman to autograph her arm and located the row of tattoo artists near the entrance. And as luck would have it, they offered the “Autograph Special.” The remainder of our day was spent in panels, where Tovah Feldshuh (Deanna – The Walking Dead) spoke of her experiences in acting and even treated the crowd to an impromptu vocal performance!
But it was the final panel of the day that ended Day 1 on the best note, as Dee, Amy and I witnessed the Cosplay contest. The categories were broken down into the “walkers” and the “stalkers,” where audience participation determined who won the grand prizes for each group: a VIP pass to a future Walker Stalker Convention. With the “stalkers,” a “Carl” that eerily resembled Chandler Riggs took first prize and an honorable mention to The Walking Dead children, courtesy of Mother Hubbard Photography. For the “walkers,” it was all about the barbed wire walker who looked like he could have been an extra on the show.
Day 1 was exhausting, but more fun than I could have hoped for. And there was still more to come!
Day 2:
After sleeping for what felt like forever, Day 2 was going to prove fun as I wanted to sneak in some time with Josh McDermitt and Michael Cudlitz before checking out the rest of the vendors and preparing for another fun photo op experience with Norman. Being considered a VIP has its perks, one of them being that Josh’s table was relatively quiet around 9:00 am. And so, my first stop would be there. Instead of an autograph, I opted for the selfie because really, who would give up the chance to get a selfie with Eugene? Also, I lucked out in my volunteering experience the first year and got Josh’s autograph on my t-shirt.
Josh, being the consummate gentleman, grabbed my phone to snap some photos. Again, as I am vertically challenged, Josh took his time in posing me so we were both in the shot. At first, they were very sweet, but slowly evolved into hilarious faces, poses and even one where he looked like he was practicing his walker skills on my head. Handing me back my phone, I requested one more hug before setting off.
I headed to Michael’s table and just like Josh, I had his autograph already so another selfie was in the works! Cudlitz is definitely a table that everyone should visit at Walker Stalker or any convention. Everything started in the episode in The Walking Dead where Abraham made his famous “Bisquick” reference. Turning a humorous pun into a profit for food banks, Cudlitz created the Bisquick Challenge. In addition to boxes of Bisquick, convention goers are encouraged to bring canned foods, low sugar cereals, juice boxes and peanut butter.
On a personal note, I made sure my selfie with Cudlitz was posed with the Bisquick boxes. With each city that participates, the amount of goods are weighed and those who donate the most are mentioned on the Walker Stalker page. The real winners of this challenge? Those who are in need of the donated goods. It is always refreshing to see our favorite cast members taking the time to give back.
Since Day 2 is always the best day to make purchases from vendors, Dee and I went to visit some of the artist tables for some new pieces to bring home. There, I had the chance to meet with Robin Overton of Overton Custom Artwork & Framing, a paramedic who sketches portraits in his spare time. His wife, Colleen, directed our attention over to a cardboard display of pictures called the “Black and White Hall of Fame.” As Robin finishes a piece and they send it off to make prints, he tries to give the original piece to his subject. All but one has received their originals: Andrew Lincoln (Rick – The Walking Dead). Apparently, Andrew does not watch any episodes and nor does he like to keep gifts of himself in character.
Down the vendor line, Christian Masot, a fellow artist and part of Blackbird Gallery & Art Studio in Jersey City, NJ was sketching a Chandler Riggs piece at his table. Displayed at the booth, you could find beautiful hand-painted prints from Alice in Wonderland to Jack & Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. And yes, there were prints from The Walking Dead. In addition to gallery space at Blackbird Gallery & Art Studio, there are photography classes and “Paint & Sip” nights. And if you’re looking for tattoos, Christian does custom ink, too!
As Dee and I made another lap around the convention center, we managed to catch a podcast happening with Cassandra Peterson. You may know her as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. On the first day, she was in character meeting fans. But on the second day, sans costume, she spoke at this podcast about how Elvira came to be and, more importantly, how like Pee-Wee Herman Cassandra actually owns her character. Also, for 64 years old, she looks amazing!
By the time the afternoon rolled around, it was time to make our way over to photo ops. In similar fashion to the autographs, Norman Reedus’s lines are nothing short of insanity! For this photo opportunity, I decided to just dress in Reedus-style fashion (hat and sunglasses with a black t-shirt) and pull one of his signature moves in the photos. In most photos, Norman has been known to not smile (maybe a smirk at best) and provides many hand gestures, from a thumbs-up to the peace sign, even a middle finger or two when he feels like it. And fans don’t get offended. In fact, they love and encourage it!
While on line, I managed to befriend a Michonne Cosplayer. She had been in the contest the night before, but sadly was not even picked for top three. Yet her costume was so authentic, even Norman gave her props when she got up to him in the photo ops line. And trust me, if you saw how quick the line moves, you would know that Norman saying anything more than “hi sweetheart” at photo ops is a treat. Opting for the peace sign and a small smile, the photo was snapped and my last event with Reedus for the weekend was done. After some more walking, trying to catch glimpses of the other familiar faces that have graced The Walking Dead screen, it was time to call it a weekend.
Post-Convention Thoughts:
Semi-broke, tired and ready to return to real life, I had time to reflect on how the Walker Stalker team really outdid themselves this year. The crowds were large but there was always enough room to get around. Everything had more of a synergy than in prior years. Also, having only the General VIP Badges and getting rid of the Celebrity VIP Badges proved successful in streamlining the whole line process. There was less confusion when it came down to line control, which in turn made line control a little easier to manage. Even for Norman Reedus’s line, but that will always be crazy.
Success can be attributed to finding a bigger venue and fewer ticket options, but it’s also clear that the volunteers and vendors play a large part. They create an experience for fans that goes beyond waiting in lines. They share smiles, stories and are always ready to assist you even when they are running on little to no sleep. Those are the real celebrities of the whole weekend. Walker Stalker New Jersey, as the saying goes, third time’s a charm!
Check out the links below for additional Walker Stalker Con dates and guests, as well as some of the celebs and vendors I visited:
Walker Stalker: www.walkerstalkercon.com
Norman Reedus: www.bigbaldhead.com
Ross Marquand: www.rossmarquand.com
Tovah Feldshuh: www.tovahfeldshuh.com
Rob Prior: www.robprior.com
Silk City Tattoo: www.christianmasot.com
Blackbird Gallery & Art Studio: www.blackbirdgalleryjc.com
Mother Hubbard Photography: www.motherhubbardphotography.com
Eclectic Goods: www.facebook.com/eclecticgoodssva
Top Notch By Design: www.topnotchbydesign.com
Overton Custom Artwork & Framing: http://www.ebay.com/usr/mltparamedic
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