SMOF News, volume 2, issue 35

Strike effects on media cons, and news in brief.

Writers’ Strike May Affect Media Cons

As most of the world knows by now, the Writers’ Guild of America has gone on strike, barring most TV, movie, and new media productions from having any new writing done. This means movies are delayed, shows are halting production as they run out of material, and so forth.

The San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog has noted a less obvious way that the writers’ strike could affect Comic-Con International this July. It points to the WGA’s strike FAQ, which says:

Can I promote my project at a film festival or at a “For Your Consideration” event about the film or show I wrote on?

No. You should let the Company know you are prohibited from making these promotional appearances about your work until the strike concludes.

Production delays and lack of writer appearances might not be a fatal blow to the legendary promotional events in Hall H. But the SDCC Unofficial Blog adds that more problems may be coming:

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is set to begin their own negotiations with the AMPTA on May 10, and their contract expires June 30. SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild comprised of actors, begins their negotiations on June 7, and their contract also expires June 30. According to Deadline, there are currently talks that both organizations could theoretically strike in solidarity with the writers if an agreement is not reached before June 30.

Should either organization strike, their members would also be prevented from doing publicity on their projects — meaning there is a world in which no actors are allowed to promote their upcoming projects at San Diego Comic-Con.

Your local generic media con would probably be unaffected, as actors are appearing there on their own, rather than as part of promotional events. But other conventions big enough to attract promotions would be affected, as well as official fan conventions.

The last writers’ strike, in 2007-2008, lasted 100 days, 22 longer than this one would need to be to affect Comic-Con International.

In Brief

• FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 21-23) has added Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as guests.

Event Calendar

Weekend of May 5-7

• Starbase DemiCon: A New World, Urbandale, Iowa, USA

• Na meji nevidnega, Ljubljana, Slovenia

• AtomaCon 2023, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA

• ChupacabraCon IX (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA

• WagonCon 6 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA

• Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA

• Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France

• Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA

• San Marino Game Convention, San Marino

• 1d4Con 2023 (gaming), Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA

• Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• SoCal Gaming Expo (video games), Ontario, California, USA

• Game Jam South (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA

• MagicCon (Magic: the Gathering CCG), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Shine Con (anime), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Kogaracon (anime), Edison, New Jersey, USA

• Anime Arizona, Mesa, Arizona, USA

• Animefest 2023, Brno, Czechia

• Pokheimon Festival, Heimsbrunn, France

• Northern FanCon (media), Prince George, British Columbia, Canada

• Saratoga Comic Con, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

• Apopkon (media), Apopka, Florida, USA

• Contropolis Pennsylvania (media), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA

• The Hero Con (media), Fort Meyers, Florida, USA

• Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention (media/space), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Weekend of May 12-14

• SFeraKon 2023, Zagreb, Croatia

• Glasgow International Fantasy Conversations (symposium), online

• Furry Weekend Atlanta: The Lost City, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Furry Down Under 2023 (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia

• Game Market, Tokyo, Japan

• North Star (sf RPGs), Sheffield, UK

• Lan ETS (LAN gaming), Montréal, Québec, Canada

• Tsunami 41 (anime), Mérida, Mexico

• Kameha Con 5 (anime), Allen, Texas, USA

• PuchiCon (anime), Atlantc City, New Jersey, USA

• IberAnime, Lisboa, Portugal

• Hazard Con (anime), Erie, Pennsylvania, USA

• Metrotham Con Episode IV: Return of the '90s (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

• Geek Days Lille (media), Lille, France

Weekend of May 19-21

• Metropol Con Berlin (German national sf convention), Berlin, Germany

• Keycon 40: Choose Your Own Adventure!, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

• Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik (music), Hanstedt, Germany

• Mephit Mini Con 24: Highland Games (anthropomorphic), Kirchen/Sieg, Germany

• Furry Weekend Holland: Spirit of the West, Baarlo, Netherlands

• CanGames, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• LinCon (gaming), Linköping, Sweden

• Geekway to the West 2023: Moshin' With Meeples (gaming), St. Charles, Missouri, USA

• Huzzah! Con 2023 (miniatures gaming), Portland, Maine, USA

• Tokyo Alley 11: Marine! (anime), Perth, Australia

• Anime Central, Rosemont, Illinois, USA

• Bak-Anime, Bakersfield, California, USA

• CloverCon (anime), Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA

• Otafest 2023 (anime), Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• Tidewater Comicon, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

• Comic Con Revolution, Ontario, California, USA

• Fantasy Basel (media), Basel, Switzerland

• CradleCon (media), Garden City, New York, USA

• Dublin Wizard Con (fantasy media), Dublin, Ireland

• Horrorcon UK (media), Sheffield, UK

• Crypticon Seattle (horror media), Seatac, Washington, USA

• Seaquestria Fest (My Little Pony), Ocean City, Maryland, USA

Weekend of May 26-28

• Balticon 57, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

• MisCon 37: Monster Mash-up, Missoula, Montana, USA

• Satellite 8, Glasgow, UK

• Fargo CoreCon: Portals to Fantastic Worlds, Fargo, North Dakota, USA

• Marcon 2023: Save the World, Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Åcon 12 (relaxacon), Mariehamn, Finland

• WisCon 46 (feminist sf), Madison, Wisconsin, USA

• ConFuzzled (anthropomorphic), Birmingham, UK

• AnthrOhio: To the Fur Flung Regions of Space (anthropomorphic), Columbus, Ohio, USA

• NomadiCon (anthropomorphic), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• KublaCon 21 (gaming), Burlingame, California, USA

• ReCon (gaming), Kernersville, North Carolina, USA

• PrairieCon (gaming), Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

• Rocky Top Game Con, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Evergreen Tabletop Expo, Renton, Washington, USA

• Gamex 2023 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA

• TableTopCon '23 (gaming), Southport, Australia

• BGG.Spring (boardgames), Dallas, Texas, USA

• Enfilade 2023 (miniatures gaming), Olympia, Washington, USA

• PaizoCon Online 2023 (Pathfinder/Starfinder RPGs), online

• Otaku Link 6 (anime), Derby, UK

• FanimeCon (anime), San Jose, California, USA

• Thy Geekdom Con (anime), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA

• Animazement (anime), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

• Mizucon (anime), Miami, Florida, USA

• AniMinneapolis (anime), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• ExpOtaku A Coruña (anime), A Coruña, Spain

• Anime Riverside 2023, Riverside, California, USA

• Chibi-Con 2023 (anime), Winterthur, Switzerland

• MomoCon 2023 (anime), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Sabaku Con 2023 (anime), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Naka-Kon 2023 (anime), Overland Park, Kansas, USA

• FedCon (media), Bonn, Germany

• MCM London Comic Con, London, UK

• Cherry Capital Comic Con, Acme, Michigan, USA

Weekend of June 2-4

• ConCarolinas 2023, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

• Oz-Stravaganza 2023: Over the Rainbow to Oz (Wizard of Oz), Chittenango, New York, USA

• DieCon 2023 (gaming), Collinsville, Illinois, USA

• UK Games Expo (gaming), Birmingham, UK

• Y-Con 2022 (gaming), Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

• North Texas RPG Con (vintage tabletop RPGs), Irving, Texas, USA

• A-Kon Episode 32 (anime), Irving, Texas, USA

• KimoKawaii (anime), Conroe, Texas, USA

• DoKomi (anime), Düsseldorf, Germany

• Awesome Con (media), Washington, DC, USA

• 3 Rivers Comicon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• Whinny City Pony Con 2023: Tropical Getaway (My Little Pony), Schaumburg, Illinois, USA

• Austria Comic Con, Wels, Austria

• Portsmouth Comic Con, Portsmouth, UK

• Argentina Comic Con, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Zomerspel 2023 (gaming), Merelbeke, Belgium

• Phoenix Fan Fusion (media), Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• ConQuesT 54, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

• Fantasticon 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark

• ColossalCon (media), Sandusky, Ohio, USA

• North Country Comic Con, Watertown, New York, USA

• Anime Marathon, Königslutter am Elm, Germany

• NordCon (gaming), Hamburg, Germany

• YUMiCON (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA

• Ultra Gaming Expo (video games), McAllen, Texas, USA

• Sci-Fi-London 23 (film festival), London, UK

• JodiWorld (Chronicles of St. Mary’s/Time Police series), Coventry, UK

• SaltCON Summer (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA

• Wellycon 2023 (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand

• My Hero Convention: Alabama (anime), Birmingham, Alabama, USA

• Warsaw Comic Con, Warsaw, Poland

• Cogs & Corsets (steampunk), Bloomington, Illinois, USA

• Etna Comics 2023 (media), Catania, Italy

Coda

• ChatGPT has memorized a lot of genre fiction (The Register)

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