12 MAY 2017
If you didn't get a badge for San Diego Comic-Con and you were hoping to fill your days and nights with Nerd HQ - forget it. Zach Levi just announced they aren't coming.
If you're familiar with their history, they've struggled in the past to find the funds to come to SDCC - and it sounds a lack of such is the issue this year.
Bright side: They are hoping to present other activations. He is "committed to whatever we can bring you, in whatever form" and promised that the next week will bring a flurry of announcements about other things they're doing.
So this may leave a hole in your Comic-Con plans - but if you have a badge, you should be able to find something else to fill it. If you don't and were coming mainly for Nerd HQ, you may want to rethink the entire idea.
Showing posts with label nerd hq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nerd hq. Show all posts
Set your alarm for the Nerd HQ sales
14 JULY 2016
There's a lot to love about Nerd HQ, but let's not kid ourselves: the Conversations for a Cause are at the top of the list. And now that some of them have been announced with sale dates of tomorrow, Friday, 15 July, at 6 or 7 or 7:30 am PST, you've got your work cut out for you. You need to decide which ones you'd like to attend and then divide and conquer with your Comic-Con sale squad.
If you've never been to a Conversation before, here's the good news: it's smaller and therefore more personal than a typical SDCC panel with the same people. The conversations get more candid. On the flip side, because they are smaller, you're competing with a ton of people for a smaller number of seats.
Take a look at the schedule and then set your alarm. If you don't get the tickets you want, ask around and keep asking. People will decide to do other things that day, or will be willing to trade you for something else, etc. And be aware that it's likely other Conversations will be added. Keep watching and be ready to act.
There's a lot to love about Nerd HQ, but let's not kid ourselves: the Conversations for a Cause are at the top of the list. And now that some of them have been announced with sale dates of tomorrow, Friday, 15 July, at 6 or 7 or 7:30 am PST, you've got your work cut out for you. You need to decide which ones you'd like to attend and then divide and conquer with your Comic-Con sale squad.
If you've never been to a Conversation before, here's the good news: it's smaller and therefore more personal than a typical SDCC panel with the same people. The conversations get more candid. On the flip side, because they are smaller, you're competing with a ton of people for a smaller number of seats.
Take a look at the schedule and then set your alarm. If you don't get the tickets you want, ask around and keep asking. People will decide to do other things that day, or will be willing to trade you for something else, etc. And be aware that it's likely other Conversations will be added. Keep watching and be ready to act.
Nerd HQ tickets go on sale 2 July
1 JULY 2015
It's here! The stalking is over. Tomorrow, on 2 July, Nerd HQ will put their Conversations for a Cause tickets on sale.
The sale starts at 6 am PST (ouch), with tickets released in batches: 4 panels every 15 minutes. Yes, you probably thought you were done with stressful online sales, but try not to get too anxious about this; look at these panels as the icing on your Comic-Con cake. There are only 200 seats in the room. If you get tickets, great but if not you'll still have plenty to do.
I think all 4 days have good panels but Saturday and Sunday will probably be the most in demand. Be ready.
It's here! The stalking is over. Tomorrow, on 2 July, Nerd HQ will put their Conversations for a Cause tickets on sale.
The sale starts at 6 am PST (ouch), with tickets released in batches: 4 panels every 15 minutes. Yes, you probably thought you were done with stressful online sales, but try not to get too anxious about this; look at these panels as the icing on your Comic-Con cake. There are only 200 seats in the room. If you get tickets, great but if not you'll still have plenty to do.
I think all 4 days have good panels but Saturday and Sunday will probably be the most in demand. Be ready.
Nerd HQ reminder
25 JUNE 2015
Ticket sales are nigh for Nerd HQ's Conversations for a Cause. First-timers, take a look at their site and some conversations from previous years and you will see why these are so popular. If you just want to focus on SDCC this year, that's understandable; however Nerd HQ offers some fascinating content and it's within walking distance. If you have a gap day, this should be high on your list.
Watch closely for announcements on ticket sales because that should be happening very soon. Also, consider their app.
Ticket sales are nigh for Nerd HQ's Conversations for a Cause. First-timers, take a look at their site and some conversations from previous years and you will see why these are so popular. If you just want to focus on SDCC this year, that's understandable; however Nerd HQ offers some fascinating content and it's within walking distance. If you have a gap day, this should be high on your list.
Watch closely for announcements on ticket sales because that should be happening very soon. Also, consider their app.
Let's talk about Nerd HQ
27 MAY 2015
After months of waiting to find what Nerd HQ would be doing at Comic-Con this year - and if they'd be there at all - we have some details. And they sound pretty great so far.
First-timers: do not skip over Nerd HQ news and doings. It might sound like some offbeat ancillary event that you don't have time for, but this is truly one of the best offerings you'll come across at SDCC. Zachary Levi organized this a few years back as an event that has gaming, new tech, parties and other events. The panels (called "conversations") are with the creators and actors fans care about, and they're often much more personal and revealing than SDCC panels. They also help a good cause - Operation Smile. Check out some of last year's offerings and you'll see what I mean.
So what do we know about this year?
Again, if you're new, don't write off Nerd HQ with the excuse that you'll be too busy with SDCC. It's right there downtown and you will probably get just as much out of this as you will from the actual Con. There's a beating nerd heart at the center of this that makes most attendees feel engaged and gratified without being overwhelmed - as can happen across the street.
The ticket release schedule will be announced in mid to late June. Stay tuned.
After months of waiting to find what Nerd HQ would be doing at Comic-Con this year - and if they'd be there at all - we have some details. And they sound pretty great so far.
First-timers: do not skip over Nerd HQ news and doings. It might sound like some offbeat ancillary event that you don't have time for, but this is truly one of the best offerings you'll come across at SDCC. Zachary Levi organized this a few years back as an event that has gaming, new tech, parties and other events. The panels (called "conversations") are with the creators and actors fans care about, and they're often much more personal and revealing than SDCC panels. They also help a good cause - Operation Smile. Check out some of last year's offerings and you'll see what I mean.
So what do we know about this year?
- It'll take place at the New Children's Museum - that's 3 floors and 35,000 square feet of nerd festivities.
- The entire top floor will be hands-on game play.
- The Conversations for a Cause have an incredible lineup so far: Norman Reedus, Evangeline Lilly, Joss Whedon, Seth Green, Guillermo del Toro, Lucy Liu and more.
- Nerd HQ has teamed up with IGN to stream the conversations - making them available to those of you who won't be anywhere near San Diego this July.
Again, if you're new, don't write off Nerd HQ with the excuse that you'll be too busy with SDCC. It's right there downtown and you will probably get just as much out of this as you will from the actual Con. There's a beating nerd heart at the center of this that makes most attendees feel engaged and gratified without being overwhelmed - as can happen across the street.
The ticket release schedule will be announced in mid to late June. Stay tuned.
Yes, you should go to SDCC even for 1 day
22 FEBRUARY 2015
.jpg)
San Diego Symphony Summer Pops Comic-Con Concerts
Now that the smoke has cleared from the badge sale, two groups of people have probably come to terms with how they did: those who got 4 day or Preview Night badges, and those who got nothing. There's not much to decide there, after all.
But people who landed in the more nebulous zone of a one day badge or Thursday/Sunday have to decide now if they really want to go after all. My vote: yes. Unless the airfare is going to be outrageous and you're already strapped for cash, you should definitely go to Comic-Con. Even just for one day.
I discussed the Thursday/Sunday split when I landed in it last November. But I want to point out a few other reasons you should attend, especially for first-timers who've never been to SDCC before. It's easy to visualize Comic-Con as something that happens within a building, like a soccer game or concert would happen inside a stadium. You're either in or you're out. But the Con is quite different. It is a sprawling octopus of a phenomenon with tentacles that can accommodate anyone - whether they have a badge or not.
Let's say you have a Thursday badge. You have access to a freshly stocked Exhibit Hall and you can get into the massive MTV party that night - it's free to anyone with a Thursday badge, features multiple bands (Linkin Park headlined last year) and fandom awards. The whole thing is broadcast on MTV that Sunday night. If you only got Sunday, you'll have all those Exhibit Hall deals to take advantage of - lots of marked-down stuff - and a fairly eclectic variety of panels. (Which isn't to say you won't have major ones too. Check out last year's Sunday programming.)
But mostly you'll have a dazzling array of outside events to attend. I'm not talking about vendors or cheap carnival exhibits. I'm talking about really fun high-caliber events and promotions that can be more enjoyable than anything inside the convention center.
Here's just a small sample of the events last year:
The CBLDF party
The Image Expo
The Outlander red carpet premiere
The Adult Swim Fun House and Jammy Party
The Strain screening and fan event
The Walking Dead Escape
San Diego Symphony Summer Pops Comic-Con Concert
The Nerd-A-Thon with MC Front-a-lot
The Zombie Walk and the Zombie Prom
The Orphan Black Meetup
A combined Welcome to Night Vale/Thrilling Adventure Hour performance
The Incognito cosplay party with Adam Savage
Chris Hardwick's @midnight and live Nerdist podcast
The Haunted Hotel/Zombie Apocalypse Store
Geek and Sundry's ongoing party
The Crave Online party with MGMT and Grimes
Free gamer arcades at various bars and locations
A Nerdist laser-tag party
The Assassin's Creed obstacle course
The Game of Thrones Experience
The Sleepy Hollow virtual reality experience
And I'm not kidding when I say that's just a fraction of what was happening.
Of course there's also Gam3rCon - not just gaming but art shows, bands, and panels - and of course
Nerd HQ. Last year Nerd HQ offered up Joss Whedon, the Orphan Black cast, Nathan Fillion, the Supernatural and Walking Dead cast - lots of fan favorites show up there. Check out this list of panels.
Most 2015 events are yet to be announced, but we do know some - for instance, that Conan O'Brien will be taping from Spreckles Theatre every night of the Con. And of course there are beaches, taking the ferry to Coronado Island and lots of local museums that offer special nerd-themed exhibits during SDCC.
So 5 benefits in all to your partial badge situation:
1) You can avoid getting worn out. If you haven't been to SDCC before, you can't imagine how exhausting it is. I say this as a high-energy person who can hike for miles without getting tired. When you're at the Con, a day to sleep in, eat some leisurely meals and then kick around doing whatever you feel like is pure heaven.
2) You can actually spend time with your friends. Every year I have long-distance friends at the Con and while we say we're going to catch up, it never happens because we're trapped in panels and interviews and obligations.
3) You can go to all the fun outside events the people in the Hall H line will never experience.
4) You can avoid going down this hellish rabbit hole next year if you find out now that you actually don't care for Comic-Con. Hey, it happens. A lot. If it's not for you, better to find out when you've only invested in a 1-2 day trip.
5) You will have two chances at going to SDCC 2016, since even a one-day badge gets you into 2016 Pre-registration. And you're only competing against 2015 attendees in that round, unlike the horde of hopefuls in Open Reg.
Did I convince you? Don't ask for a refund. Just go.
Now that the smoke has cleared from the badge sale, two groups of people have probably come to terms with how they did: those who got 4 day or Preview Night badges, and those who got nothing. There's not much to decide there, after all.
But people who landed in the more nebulous zone of a one day badge or Thursday/Sunday have to decide now if they really want to go after all. My vote: yes. Unless the airfare is going to be outrageous and you're already strapped for cash, you should definitely go to Comic-Con. Even just for one day.
I discussed the Thursday/Sunday split when I landed in it last November. But I want to point out a few other reasons you should attend, especially for first-timers who've never been to SDCC before. It's easy to visualize Comic-Con as something that happens within a building, like a soccer game or concert would happen inside a stadium. You're either in or you're out. But the Con is quite different. It is a sprawling octopus of a phenomenon with tentacles that can accommodate anyone - whether they have a badge or not.
Let's say you have a Thursday badge. You have access to a freshly stocked Exhibit Hall and you can get into the massive MTV party that night - it's free to anyone with a Thursday badge, features multiple bands (Linkin Park headlined last year) and fandom awards. The whole thing is broadcast on MTV that Sunday night. If you only got Sunday, you'll have all those Exhibit Hall deals to take advantage of - lots of marked-down stuff - and a fairly eclectic variety of panels. (Which isn't to say you won't have major ones too. Check out last year's Sunday programming.)
But mostly you'll have a dazzling array of outside events to attend. I'm not talking about vendors or cheap carnival exhibits. I'm talking about really fun high-caliber events and promotions that can be more enjoyable than anything inside the convention center.
Here's just a small sample of the events last year:
The CBLDF party
The Image Expo
The Outlander red carpet premiere
The Adult Swim Fun House and Jammy Party
The Strain screening and fan event
The Walking Dead Escape
San Diego Symphony Summer Pops Comic-Con Concert
The Nerd-A-Thon with MC Front-a-lot
The Zombie Walk and the Zombie Prom
The Orphan Black Meetup
A combined Welcome to Night Vale/Thrilling Adventure Hour performance
The Incognito cosplay party with Adam Savage
Chris Hardwick's @midnight and live Nerdist podcast
The Haunted Hotel/Zombie Apocalypse Store
Geek and Sundry's ongoing party
The Crave Online party with MGMT and Grimes
Free gamer arcades at various bars and locations
A Nerdist laser-tag party
The Assassin's Creed obstacle course
The Game of Thrones Experience
The Sleepy Hollow virtual reality experience
And I'm not kidding when I say that's just a fraction of what was happening.
Of course there's also Gam3rCon - not just gaming but art shows, bands, and panels - and of course
Nerd HQ. Last year Nerd HQ offered up Joss Whedon, the Orphan Black cast, Nathan Fillion, the Supernatural and Walking Dead cast - lots of fan favorites show up there. Check out this list of panels.
Most 2015 events are yet to be announced, but we do know some - for instance, that Conan O'Brien will be taping from Spreckles Theatre every night of the Con. And of course there are beaches, taking the ferry to Coronado Island and lots of local museums that offer special nerd-themed exhibits during SDCC.
So 5 benefits in all to your partial badge situation:
1) You can avoid getting worn out. If you haven't been to SDCC before, you can't imagine how exhausting it is. I say this as a high-energy person who can hike for miles without getting tired. When you're at the Con, a day to sleep in, eat some leisurely meals and then kick around doing whatever you feel like is pure heaven.
2) You can actually spend time with your friends. Every year I have long-distance friends at the Con and while we say we're going to catch up, it never happens because we're trapped in panels and interviews and obligations.
3) You can go to all the fun outside events the people in the Hall H line will never experience.
4) You can avoid going down this hellish rabbit hole next year if you find out now that you actually don't care for Comic-Con. Hey, it happens. A lot. If it's not for you, better to find out when you've only invested in a 1-2 day trip.
5) You will have two chances at going to SDCC 2016, since even a one-day badge gets you into 2016 Pre-registration. And you're only competing against 2015 attendees in that round, unlike the horde of hopefuls in Open Reg.
Did I convince you? Don't ask for a refund. Just go.
New Nerd HQ panels go on sale at noon
22 JULY 2014
We're minutes away from another Nerd HQ sale and there are two new panels on the docket: The Maze Runner (Friday) and Mall World Premiere and Q&A. (Thursday).
They go on sale at noon PST so be ready.
We're minutes away from another Nerd HQ sale and there are two new panels on the docket: The Maze Runner (Friday) and Mall World Premiere and Q&A. (Thursday).
They go on sale at noon PST so be ready.
On the Nerd HQ sale
19 JULY 2014
Yikes. Today was uglier than anticipated. It was like a small-scale badge scale. Panels sold out in record time. I thought yesterday's Image Expo sale was bad, but this is much worse.
That said, some people are reporting getting tickets for events that are marked as sold out, then suddenly not. So don't get your hopes up, but I would check back if you really have your heart set on something.
Yikes. Today was uglier than anticipated. It was like a small-scale badge scale. Panels sold out in record time. I thought yesterday's Image Expo sale was bad, but this is much worse.
That said, some people are reporting getting tickets for events that are marked as sold out, then suddenly not. So don't get your hopes up, but I would check back if you really have your heart set on something.
Nerd HQ tickets on sale today
19 JULY 2014
At long last, tickets are going on sale today at noon PST for Nerd HQ. Back in Petco Park all four days of the Con, Nerd HQ is mostly free but tickets for panels are $22; by participating, you'll help support Operation Smile. This year the panel series “Conversations for a Cause” will have Norman Reedus, Evangeline Lily, Jared Padalecki, Adam Baldwin, Andrew Lincoln, Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites and cast appearances by The Walking Dead, The Giver, and many more.
There's also a dance party Thursday night and a ton of gaming and new tech to dive into:
Don't forget to get the Nerd HQ App to help you organize all of this. It will provide the schedule of “Conversations for a Cause,” Maker Stage events, parties, maps, and more.
You can get tickets here.
At long last, tickets are going on sale today at noon PST for Nerd HQ. Back in Petco Park all four days of the Con, Nerd HQ is mostly free but tickets for panels are $22; by participating, you'll help support Operation Smile. This year the panel series “Conversations for a Cause” will have Norman Reedus, Evangeline Lily, Jared Padalecki, Adam Baldwin, Andrew Lincoln, Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites and cast appearances by The Walking Dead, The Giver, and many more.
There's also a dance party Thursday night and a ton of gaming and new tech to dive into:
- SEGA will showcase Alien: Isolation, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA and two titles under the new Sonic Boom franchise – Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U system and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the Nintendo 3DS hand-held system. Fans will be able to play demos of each title.
- Maker Studios will have an exclusive stage for performances and panel discussions from various partners including Dodger, Stampylonghead, JonTron, Markiplier, Jesse Cox, The Game Grumps, CaptainSparklez, and Ninja Sex Party, with appearances by KassemG and Amy Pham.
- Intel will show off a variety of tech toys and activities. Attendees can create custom green-screen photos with Intel-based tablets, enter for a chance to win over $40,000 of prizes and try the first modern digital version of The Settlers of Catan board game.
- Finally, Facebook will unveil a new activation; the innovative Facebook Fan Question Station. Comments from the Nerd Machine Page will be sourced and the Facebook Fan Question Stationwill randomly select fan questions for talent to answer in the NerdHQ green room.
Don't forget to get the Nerd HQ App to help you organize all of this. It will provide the schedule of “Conversations for a Cause,” Maker Stage events, parties, maps, and more.
You can get tickets here.
Help make Nerd HQ happen
12 MARCH 2014
This year Nerd HQ needs your help. Zach Levi is crowdfunding the 2014 event on Indiegogo, to the tune of asking for a cool $1 million to cover production costs like staff, security, lighting, crew, venue, etc.
What you can contribute: Anything from $5 on up
Where you can contribute: Indiegogo
Deadline: 24 April
Find out more here.
If you've never been to Nerd HQ before, you're missing out. It's not officially part of San Diego Comic-Con, but it takes place right there at the same time, and offers a different breed of fan experiences, including tech/gaming demos, social events and celebrity panels. If you tend to grumble about Comic-Con going mainstream, or being divorced from its original roots, cross over to Petco Park and plunge right into Nerd HQ. It doesn't look like old Comic-Con, but there's a familiar authenticity and sense of community there that - let's be honest - sometimes gets lost across the street.
This year Nerd HQ needs your help. Zach Levi is crowdfunding the 2014 event on Indiegogo, to the tune of asking for a cool $1 million to cover production costs like staff, security, lighting, crew, venue, etc.
What you can contribute: Anything from $5 on up
Where you can contribute: Indiegogo
Deadline: 24 April
Find out more here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)