Creation-Ist Values
| Meta | |
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| Title: | Creation-Ist Values |
| Creator: | Peter David |
| Date(s): | 1991 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | https://www.peterdavid.net/2004/11/06/creation-ist-values/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Creation-Ist Values is an essay by Peter David.
It appears to have been first written for "Comics Buyer’s Guide," David's column on December 6, 1991, and then posted on David's website on November 6, 2004.
Well, this column is going to shock and appall some people who feel that the little guy is always right and the big guy is always wrong. May even lose me a few fans among those who are not willing or interested in considering all sides of an issue. Gee…maybe I should withhold my name.
I was contacted a couple months back by Adam Malin and Gary Berman of Creation Con. Now I’ve had a solid working, professional relationship with Gary and Adam for about ten years, dating back to when Creations were primarily comics cons before they metamorphosized into media shows in general and “Star Trek” shows in particular. And for the last five years or so, I’ve done personal appearances at various Creations, mostly in the New York area. My appearances are generally twenty minutes to half an hour in length...
Some Topics Discussed
- David's general experiences at conventions, both fan-run and for-profit
- David's comments regarding a December 1991 Creation Con
- David didn't go to Creation Cons for the money as he can make a lot more in other easier ways; instead he went to Creation Cons to meet the fans
- David responds to a then-recent open letter encouraging fans not to support Creation Cons
- "I don’t think [Creation Cons] want to obliterate smaller cons. I think they want to make money. Period."
From the Essay
In recent months, Creation Con has become something of a lightning rod for criticism. At a recent “Trek” con I attended, people were wearing badges that had the word “Creation” with the international prohibit sign (the “Ghostbusters” logo for you non-world travellers) slashing through it. A flier was being handed out that prophesized a future where all conventions would have no panel or discussion groups or video rooms or art shows or filksinging, etc. Where all ticket prices would be outrageously high and sold at two price levels, the air conditioning would be lousy, and stars would be tied up with exclusive appearance contracts. Where fan conventions that were better organized and better run than Creation would be killed off. Fans were urged to write and complain to the various “Star Trek” actors and urge them to boycott Creations, the monolithic organization whose goal is to destroy convention fandom.
If I were to take an active role in Creations, then I knew that I was going to have to defend my decision to do so (it’s started already when I’ve told fans at cons that I have no intention of boycotting Creations.) If I distanced myself, however, then I wouldn’t have to worry about being tarred with the same brush of bad publicity that is sweeping across Gary and Adam. The latter would be the smart way to go. The safe way to go.
The problem is, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. After ten years of decent and friendly treatment by Gary and Adam, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Sorry boys, but there are too many people down on Creation right now. I’m afraid you’ll have to count me out.” It seemed craven and cheap.
Because the bottom line was, Creation had not done anything illegal. Not even immoral. I mean, if Gary and Adam had gone around saying, “We’re not going to invite black actors to appear because we’re charter members of the KKK,” I doubt you’d be seeing me at any Creation Cons.
Attacking [Creation Cons] because they’re allegedly out to squish fan-run conventions into oblivion? I’m sorry, I don’t buy it. You see, I was in a similar situation back in my days as [Marvel[Marvel’s]] direct sales manager, at a time when Marvel decided to release tons of specially-packaged reprint material into the market. (Steranko’s “SHIELD” work, that kinda stuff). Independent comic publishers screamed that Marvel’s sole purpose in doing so was to drive them out of business. I’m sorry, but I was at the meetings where discussions about reprint packages were first held. Marvel’s sole purpose was to make money. Period. How such an outpouring of material might affect the Indys was never a factor. There was no grand scheme to destroy other publishers. No conspiracy. Sorry. Just a drive to make bucks. Certainly not one of mankind’s nobler motives, and not particularly considerate of the financial needs of others. But it’s not malicious.
What’s beautiful is the way fan-run conventions work the reasoning both ways. In cities where Creation has scheduled conventions near or around other conventions, it’s claimed by the fans that it’s being done to disenfranchise the smaller cons. But in cities where Creation has never scheduled shows that could potentially conflict with fan-run cons, the fans have thumped their chests and proudly declared, “Creation’s afraid of us and hasn’t dared to try and take us on.”
... I know of only a couple of instances where Creation endeavored to sign someone and limit their appearances. To the best of my knowledge, one “Trek” star has signed such a contract–and no one put a gun to the star’s head to do so. And when the practice was widely decried, Creation (admittedly, only to the best of my knowledge) ceased their endeavors. But they’re still under fire for it.
What amuses me is the belief that Fan = Good and Creation = Bad. I can tell you from personal experience that the most poorly run conventions I’ve ever attended were run by fans. I’ve been to fan cons where I had to help set up the dealer’s room because the dealers were in confusion and the organizers were nowhere to be found. Cons where promised rides to and from the airport never materialized because the organizers forgot when I was coming. Cons where I got stuck with hotel bills because the con ran out of money. Cons where there was no one to run the programming or introduce panels…speakers just kind of wandered on and off in confusion. Cons where the attendees numbered precisely five. Cons where schedules ran an hour or more behind. Where projectors and video machines broke down.
Attacking them for crackdowns on non-licensed merchandise? That directive is coming from Paramount, not Creation. I mean, hëll, Paramount is cracking down on licensed merchandise, much less non-licensed. Now I don’t know every single dealing that Creation has with their dealers, but all I know is that the dealer’s rooms look pretty crowded, and don’t tell me that Creation owns all the merchandise at all the tables because I seriously doubt it.
The thing that cannot be denied, however – the thing that cannot be ignored – is that people are upset. For all the things that I feel that Creation is not doing wrong, there has clearly got to be something they’re not doing right.
What might that be? That’s easy.
There’s no personal touch.
That’s what it all boils down to. People feel as if they’re being treated like cattle, and to a degree, they’re right. In order to streamline the business as much as possible, Creation has knocked away all but the essentials. Again, it’s like a fast-food franchise. You know precisely what you’ll be getting: No more, no less. No surprises.
It’s that lack of surprise that has leeched much of the charm out of what Creation puts on, to the degree where they themselves tend to refer to them as “Shows” rather than “Conventions.” A convention is a two-way social event with room parties and ]]filk\\ singing and a feeling of society. A show, you simply sit there and watch.
Fan-run conventions are put on for the fans to talk to the stars. Creation shows are put on for the stars to talk to the fans. It’s a subtle but important difference. And the bottom line is that it’s the lack of personal flourishes and touches that people really complain about.
Fan Comments
Speaking as a fan-run convention organizer (who’s still sorry he couldn’t get you D-backs tickets), the biggest problem I have with Creation is that they’ve created expectations in the actor community that simply don’t mesh with what we can offer. When we bring a guest in, we pay their airfare, their hotel room, we give them a per diem so they can feed themselves, and we try to accommodate any sightseeing requests they might have. In return, they are there for most or all of the convention, take part in a reasonable number of panels, and when they’re not on panels, are often available for other convention members to interact directly with. I’ve only been involved in fandom for a decade, but I’m told that, way back in the day, it was possible to get actors to come out to fan-run conventions on terms not too far different from those. Then, Creation happened. It’s been a few years, but the last time I checked, a Creation guest does a single hour-long panel with a Q&A, signs autographs for a few hours (often for an extra charge), is insulated from the fans except during these events, and is paid anywhere from $5000 (minor recurring character) to $10,000 (front-line non-star) or even more (Shatner, Stewart). You see the difficulties. [1]
Say what you want about Creation Cons, They are the only game in town for small areas like Hawaii. I realize it’s generally not worth it to run a con here, but at least they tried.
Travel out of state, is hideously expensive here, so basically residents of HI are SOL when it comes to SF Cons. [2]
The biggest problem I had with Creation Cons in Manhattan (And the reason I stopped attending them) was when they suddenly switched to “Preferred Seating” for the media guests years back. A few of us had shown up to see Patrick Stewart and we decided to get to the auditorium early, and we easily found seats. We were suffering through a fan-made music-video/worship piece centered around someone’s favorite Trek star when a couple came over to us and informed us that we were sitting in their seats. Bewildered, we looked around and asked them exactly WHAT the hëll they were talking about, as there was nothing “marking” that seat as theirs. (Every Creation Con I had been to up until that year had open seating)
When they called over one of the seating nazis to clear up the matter, instead of explaining this new development to us nicely, the con worker began indignantly telling us that we couldn’t sit there because it was “Preferred Seating” which you had to pay extra for. We tried quite reasonably to point out to him that we had never seen that before at a Creation Con, and besides, exactly HOW were we supposed to know the seating was reserved when nobody told us at the box office, nor were there signs posted anywhere? Con goon then angrily pointed to the masking tape numbers on the carpet denoting each row and said we should have been able to tell from THAT. I finally lost my temper and... [3]
>What’s beautiful is the way fan-run conventions work the reasoning both ways. In cities where Creation has scheduled conventions near or around other conventions, it’s claimed by the fans that it’s being done to disenfranchise the smaller cons.
When a certain convention group attempts to hire *the exact same actor* for a convention *1 week prior* in a city *an hour and a half away* from a *first time convention*, it’s rather hard to swallow that this would be “coincidence” –
Especially when the actor calls up our concom just a few weeks out, announcing that he’d just gotten this brand-new invitation to appear at this other group’s event, when his FTC appearance has been advertised for well over 6 months.
And they would have said they weren’t attempting to draw the audience away from the First Time convention, by holding the event almost in the next town over, the week prior?
I realize this column is nearly 13 years old – but I didn’t buy coincidence then, and I still wouldn’t buy it today.
(and yes, I did attend my share of Creation Conventions – I’m just sorry that the Dreamwerks convention group folded up shop.) [4]
Having attended my first con 20 years ago at the age of 15 (Yikes, that long ago?!) I’ve certainly watched smaller city gatherings like that first one in Scranton, PA (w/ Jimmy Doohan!) change a lot. I think that they’ve become more business like partly through necessity, but I’m not surprised that, as when this was first published as it is now, that some people feel that organizers have lost a bit of that “personal touch”.
One thing I’ve noticed at cons over the years, is the practice of Media Guests charging for autographs. In such cases, are the still commanding the same level of appearance fee AND getting all the autograph cash or are they not taking a flat appearance fee and just working for the signing money? If the latter, does the con still pick up their transportation and hotel costs, etc.? [5]
I stopped going to Creation cons about 1989. I’d found that the dealer’s room no longer had anything that interested me; that no matter what seat I chose, I always seemed to have the misfortune of sitting too close to a couple who appeared to be unfamiliar with soap; and that whomever they had as MC of the auctions (and sometimes slideshow presentations regarding upcoming Trek related events) had a very condescending attitude towards the audience. Those factors, among others, led me to give up on Creation cons.
But at one time they were very enjoyable. My first convention (of any kind) was a Creation con in March, 1984. Walter Koenig was the guest, and happened to be chatting with some people in the dealer’s room. Having no clue what happened at conventions, I asked him how these things worked, and he took a few moments to explain about the panels and the like. It was a kindness I’ve always remembered.
In June of that year, there was another Creation convention with Mark Lenard, which I attended along with my grandmother. She enjoyed herself a great deal. She doesn’t know that much about Star Trek or science fiction, so had no clue who Mark Lenard or the other guests were, but she found it a pleasant experience.
So, my early experiences with Creation cons were pleasant, but sometime between 1984 and 1989, they changed, becoming less enjoyable. [6]