It was a privileged to have been nominated for best podcast for the third annual Geekie Awards. It was a true honor that so many people work so hard for us in our Geekie campaign. Words cannot express how thankful I am for everyone.
I am extremely proud of our Geekie Awards campaign. Our supporting blog post had over 5,000 views and was shared extensively. I credit this to the superb skills of Tessa Lange, who played Thor in our video. Tessa is a tap-dancing, kick-boxing, artist, and actress. There is no question she is a Renaissance woman who will go far in her career.
I especially want to thank Gerry O’Brien, a New York political consultant, who was our un-official campaign manager. Gerry gave us a lot of excellent advice on our campaign. I credit our strong campaign to his help.
I am in awe of the fact that friends since elementary school voted daily; friends from my seventh grade comic book club campaigned on social media for us; youth from scouts and high school mock trial loyally voted; lawyers, judges, computer forensic experts rallied to our cause; and even the wonderful family I dog-sit for voted daily for us.
It is extremely easy for people to respond with a request for an online vote with silence. Our fans, family, and friends rallied for us and I will never forget it. There are no words to convey how grateful I am from such love. While we might not have gone home with that ray gun, I feel truly blessed from everyone who stood with us.
A Show for Every Geek
The fact two lawyers discussing property rights over Thor’s Hammer and where Iron Man should sue Ant-Man truly showed that Geekie Awards is for everyone who considers themselves a geek.
I broke tradition and did not wear a bow tie to the event. I instead dressed as the 13th Doctor (I count the War Doctor as the Doctor) and my friend Megan went as Clara.
I really enjoyed seeing Ernie Hudson present Michael C. Gross the Lifetime Achievement Award. The man has had an amazing career from National Lampoon to Ghostbusters. It was also awesome to see Gross give Hudson a bag of Twinkies.
Kevin Smith was very deserving of the new Geek Pioneer Award from all of his experience from movie-making to podcasting. It was also great to see how much he loved the one-cut fight scene in Daredevil.
The nominees for best podcast visited together on both nights. The team from Hadron Gospel Hour and I were at last call for two different bars after the show, discussing history, the best James Bond car chases, and Doctor Who. It was amazing to be nominated with such great Geeks.
None of this would have been possible without the vision of Kristen Nedopak. Kristen’s contribution to geekdom highlights we are a community that likes to come together to recognize those who invent, create, and inspire. I believe the greats such as Jack Kirby, Leonard Nimoy, and Ray Harryhausen would be very proud of how Kristen has brought geeks together. We all owe you a debt for creating this opportunity for all of us.
The Two-Night Format
I loved the Geekie Awards new two-night format. The first night focused on a pre-party for the nominees. This was a fantastic opportunity for attendees to network, have red carpet interviews, and enjoy a festival atmosphere.
I was thrilled to finally meet so many people in person after interacting with them on Twitter since the first Geekie Awards. Moreover, the first night allowed for honorees to meet each other and enjoy being a community. This added to the experience, because there is literally so much happening in a whirlwind that two nights allowed honorees to maximize the experience. Furthermore, the photo booth was an excellent touch.
The awards show was nicely done. The “swag” for attendees included computer sleeves celebrating the time travel theme Doctor Who, Back to the Future, and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Other takeaways included a cool new lapel pin with The Geekie Awards logo and hacky sack.
One of the challenges of the evening were long lines for the red carpet interviews. This was minimized for those who had interviews the night before. Possible ways to improve this for both honorees and press in the future would be to have any of the following:
A Line Marshal to ensure the steady flow of live interviews, so everyone has their moment to shine;
Have additional press areas for recorded interviews, so more interviews can be held concurrently; and
Have a press area for recorded interviews to be scheduled earlier in the day, so there is no rush due to the show opening.
If the Geekie Awards evolves into a festival, this would expand the opportunities for interviews to be held over a longer period of time.
Ways to Enhance the Experience
The Geekie Awards continues to make new improvements each year. The new venue and two-night format really improved the experience from the first two years.
The first Geekie Awards had activities the attendees could interact with for photos, such as the bridge of the Enterprise-D and R2-D2, for examples. People posed for photos with the TARDIS this year. Bringing in similar exhibits would give people the opportunity to have fun and take home memories that make great photos. Having more interactive elements would likely be popular for attendees.
The Geekies has always had cosplayers interacting with the audience and posing for photos. This is a ton of fun and something that should continue.
The categories at the Geekies have continued to develop each year. I would not be surprised if the podcast category became scripted and un-scripted categories in the future, similar to how the video categories sub-divided. There are differences in producing a scripted story that is told on a regular basis and a discussion show exploring different topics. Given the fact there were 60 entries this year, this category could divide to expand the opportunity for recognition.
To the Future
It was an honor being nominated for Best Podcast. It was heartwarming to have so many people seek me out to say hello from the creators’ party to the after party. I am in awe of everyone who helped us, from old high school classmates sending supportive notes, to friends calling before the show to wish us luck. This is an experience I shall not forget.
Now it is time to focus on the future. 2015 has been amazing from San Diego Comic Con to The Geekie Awards, and we look forward to the road ahead.
