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  • WhatHappenedToKingConBrooklyn2011?

    We postponed KingCon III from 2011 to 2012....

    Hey everyone:

     

    Regan(Convention Coordinator) and I (Lyceum Manager) have had some time to ponder the future of KingCon at the Lyceum. Since the postponement of the con’s third installment, we have come to several conclusions and perhaps one or two almost obvious revelations.

     

    First and foremost, we have an ever increasing love Brooklyn. What it was, is and will be. We are always happily surprised as each new resurgent indie industry (small press, sumptuous food, journalism, textiles, heck, even terrariums) lifts the borough up a bit more.

     

    Despite our home team leanings Brooklyn isn't necessarily the most creative or best place on earth. No one place is. Perhaps it inspires more passion than other places, and those of us who live here we think it is the best, but that may or may not be true. It is unequivocally the most densely populated in many recently re-imagined and revisited realms of art and manufacture.

     

    The best thing Brooklyn is, as far back even as the 1860s, ia a confluence point for talent from around the globe to around the corner. Being next door to Manhattan is a boon as well as a curse depending on the issue and the way the wind is blowing.

     

    While we started with an all things Brooklyn con we were beset with issues left and right that did not speak of a great center of confluence, but of a brewing bitterness in the art community at large, a discontent there seemed to be no way to dissolve.

     

    • The dates don’t work due to con fatigue(odd that new restaurants can open all the time but not a new marketplace for art)

    • Table Space should be Sans a Fee

    • Admission Should be Free

    • Don’t have anything mainstream, don’t do what Wizard would do

    • No part of the con should be outside the building, even at the expense of vendor space and more awareness of the con to the general public

    • Other genres are met with ire

    • Movies and Memorabilia don’t mix with art

    • Don’t use any mechanism, no matter how accepted it is elsewhere, to increase foot traffic.

    • Don’t accept sponsorship from any source deemed innapropriate.

    • The honorariums are insufficient.

     

    Pretty much at every turn we were met with dissent as we tried to create an event that would both celebrate Brooklyn artists and incorporate more of Brooklyn than solely the building(the Lyceum).

     

    Faced with this logic that went directly against any reasonable business effort to even break even, let alone make a profit, we decided that the third con needed to be changed, so it was postponed.

     

    The new con for better or worse, will be shaped differently.

     

    We look to have a good time with artists of many areas, genres and levels of success both at the Lyceum and about the neighborhood.

     

    While it is clear that this will not solely be the seemingly insular, Brooklyn-centric con the local artists have pushed for (clearly not economically viable), it will honor Kings County’s once and future role of meeting place for the masses, mixing bowl for the races, the skill sets and the classes.

  • Con Makeup 2012

    How we see the recipe for success...

    The con is open to wide ranges of talents, ages and genres, while Brooklyn wont overshadow them, its artists will be given a higher level of focus than they would ever get at the larger cons and, the simple square footage of the venue means no one gets shuffled to a back alley, struggling to be seen.

     

    3 axis... Geography, Experience, Genre

    Geography:

    • 20% from Brooklyn

    • 20% from the rest of the city

    • 20% from the tri state region (NY, NJ, CT)

    • 20% from the eastern seaboard

    • 20% from the rest of the world

    Experience:

     

    • 10% undergrad (art schools)

    • 20% 5 years or less out of school

    • 20% mainstream (higher profile)

    • 50% 5 to 15 years

     

    Genre:

    • 40% - Comic

    • 40% - Sci Fi/Fantasy

    • 10% - Animation

    • 10% - Graphic design

     

    These percentages are guideline and not absolutes. Something to shoot for.

  • Panels

    Some thoughts...

    Panels: As with all things Brooklyn nowadays, this is an opportunity to deeply examine and explore. The best panel from KingCon II was Hips, Lips and Penciltips. It packed the small room with the widest audience mix of the weekend and it was relegated to and lasted past its end of con cutoff with attendees sharing personal anecdotes and asking really intelligent questions. This is what we strive to create more of.

     

    Some will be at the Lyceum, and some, FINALLY, will be scattered out and about as the schedule warrants. More Brooklyn for all to see...

     

    Thats all now from the once and future home of KingCon, the Brooklyn Lyceum.

     

    If you have any questions of comments you can email us at  info@kingconbrooklyn.com.

    p.s. The Next con is the week of the NYC Marathon 2012.

    p.s.s. In the interim... a few intriguing panels to whet the appetite, a slew of comic related events... Lets look for some in April and May.

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