Amber Axelson – CarmillaCon

By starrymag | February 27, 2019

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) How did the idea for CarmillaCon come about and why is now a great time for this convention?

A) It started at ClexaCon last year in Vegas where some fans of the show were getting together and said, “It would be cool if a convention had a lot more Carmilla ” That’s how it started. [laughs] It was a small idea and more people got involved in it. I would say probably around November of last year things really started picking up for us.

Given the success Carmilla has had over the last few years, it’s crazy that a fan convention hasn’t taken place yet.  The fandom is still alive and thirsting for new content. We’re definitely unsure of the future of Carmilla and if it will be picked up as a pilot. However, there’s no time like the present and we want to do our duty as fans to show the world how much we care about this show.

Q) Around the holidays you were asking why a CarmillaCon convention would be important and what it meant to them. How helpful was that outpouring and embrace you received?

A) I don’t think we knew what to expect when we asked for that. But I know for me, personally, when I saw those videos I could not stop crying. Some of them…It just pulled at the heartstrings. I knew how important the show was because it was important to me, but to see that many people…These videos came from all over the world and it was mind blowing.

Q) How significant was it finding the right location for the convention and what kind of place were you looking for?

A) It was around November when we started seriously looking into venues to find a place that could not only have the numbers we were looking for, but also a budget for fans wanting a convention. It’s kind of a small budget so we needed someone to work with us. We knew it had to be in Toronto. I thought that was very important to the series.

Q) What kind of space will the Sheraton offer?

A) The space is more appealing to the eye than some of the others we were looking at. The location is perfect. It’s right by the Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square and it worked for our budget. The original place wasn’t at a hotel, but we kind of wanted people to have that option to rest then come downstairs for the con.

Q) Did having attended a con help you with the planning?

A) Definitely! It’s not only showing us what we want but showing us ways we can improve on doing certain things. Again, most of the people involved in this are going to ClexaCon this year. So, it’s kind of like a research mission. [laughs]

Q) When you started with this idea what feedback did you get back from the people behind Carmilla?

A) We checked to be sure Shaftesbury was on board for us to do this. They gave us their blessing and that’s where it went from there. We also received great support from some of the creators of Carmilla earlier on when this was just an idea which gave us the motivation to really drive this idea home.

Q) What kind of reaction did you receive from the cast?

A) I think at first it was like, “Really? You guys are doing this? Just a Carmilla convention?” [laughs] I can’t speak on behalf on any of that. One of the members has a friend who has an event planning company and is a lawyer. She did all the behind the scenes talking to reps. I think they were very excited that we actually wanted to do this.

Q) With other conventions Natasha and Elise are ever present as “Hollstein.” We don’t get enough opportunities with Kaitlyn to get their perspective. Also, Lola/LaFontaine relationship and the inter-relationships with the core characters which is equally important. It’s nice that a lot of the cast is appearing!

A) Kudos to Natasha [Negovanlis] and Elise [Bauman] who were excited to hear that we were planning on inviting as many cast members and creators as we can. I think they definitely want to spread the love around with their other cast mates and we’re excited as well to celebrate the whole ensemble.

Q) It will have been five years since the series premiered on YouTube. Is there anything special planned for a reunion?

A) We’ve talked about it for sure!

Q) Any chance Sole’s music might be able to pop by?

A) It’s a possibility and we’ll try our hardest – stay tuned!

Q) Talk a little bit about how “Creampuffs” can establish a budget and expect for spending.

A) We definitely want to make CarmillaCon as affordable as possible for all fans which is why we’re releasing the tickets now about seven to months in advance of the event. We’ll release autograph, photograph and meet & greet opportunities a little later on so the fans can budget out their spending.

Q) As a fan, what is it about Carmilla that inspired you to want to get involved in planning this convention?

A) I started watching the series a little bit later. To be honest, I think the first time I saw it on YouTube I was like, “What the hell is this?!” [laughs] I watched a couple episode and didn’t get drawn into it. But then I started watching it later and I think it was Season 3…I’m a little bit older than the rest of the group, so I finally got on Twitter. It was right before New York Comic Con when the movie premiered, and I met some people and met them in New York. I made this group of friends through the series that has been so amazing and life changing for me. They were at my wedding! We all met in Vegas last year for the first time and I never left a place so happy and sad at the same time because these people I’d met over a little web series made me feel closer to them than I have friends I’ve known for my entire life. It’s weird. It’s been amazing for me and I want to pay it forwards with that. That’s why I’m involved. It’s not for Twitter followers. It’s for fans to have that same experience that I did meeting people that love the series and meeting life-long friends that you wouldn’t’ normally meet in real life. For me, personally, that’s what it is about.

Q) What’s been the dynamic like working together as a team to plan the convention?

A) We have a really good team and we work really well together. There are about eight of us working together and it’s good. It started with a little idea and then snowballed into this. It’s like, “Whoa! We’re actually doing this! Okay.” It’s still a little shocking to me. It’s great. It’s going to be worth it.

Q) Is there anything else you want our readers to know about CarmillaCon?

A) We are going to be looking for volunteers soon! We’ll have that page up on our website this spring. We’re going to reach out to vendors and artists as well. If you subscribe to the website, all of the news will be shared through there in a newsletter. Also, stay tuned for more announcements to come!