Time to start building another MediaWest*Con programming slate!
I’m Scott Clark, and I’m in my second year coordinating Programming at MW*C. I’ve been attending since MW*C 6, way back in 1986, with only one missed year (2016). I regularly participate as a panelist, on at least 5 to 6 panels each year, and in the past have been an active producer of Fannish Music Videos for the MW*C vidshow (I’m the guy who made the annual “tribute video” – pass the tissues!). My wife and I have also been the hosts of the popular annual MediaWest*Con Whose Line is it Anyway live improv event on Sunday at the con every year since 2006 (guest-hosted in 2016).
We launched an all-new e-mail address for submitting your MW*C programming suggestions and questions in 2018: mwcprogramming@gmail.com. Please add it to your e-mail address books. Please be aware that as you contact me at that address, I’ll be adding YOU to the list for future general MW*C Programming announcements, including the upcoming stage of “Signing Up for Panels”, unless you specifically ask to not be contacted.
Also watch the replacement Twitter feed for MW*C Programming – @mwcprogramming – for updates. [https://twitter.com/mwcprogramming]
Right now I am looking for panel suggestions. With so many platforms on which to watch TV shows and movies now (network, cable, Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, CBS All Access, etc.) there are surely many ideas. Remember, we have multiple tracks of programming running at the same time.
I’m just looking for panel ideas/topics right now. Be wild! Be crazy! Be creative! What fannish interests have kept you going this past year? What are the hot current fandoms that deserve a panel, and what classic retro fandoms still generate enough fannish love to justify some panel space? What fannish crafts are you obsessed with right now? What do you think your fellow fans will be interested in discussing in May?
At the end of the 2018 con, several people contacted me to say they wished there were more interactive parts of the programming – more workshops or “participatory” programs. I can only put programs on the schedule that participants suggest and volunteer to run. If these types of programming appeal to you, now is your chance to speak up and suggest them. Similarly, there were some complaints about how many “Open Discussions” panels have been on the schedules in recent years – these were programming topics that were suggested, but no-one volunteered to sit on the panels. They have been used to “fill in” empty slots in the programming – dedicating a programming space and time to anyone who wanted to show up and discuss that topic with fellow fans. These will not appear on this year’s programming slate, or if they do they will be used sparingly and a more clear description will be provided to indicate that there are no assigned panelists for such open discussions.
Deadline for suggestions is March 15, 2019 and panel sign-ups will start immediately thereafter. As always, suggesting a topic DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY PUT YOU ON THAT PANEL. That is the next phase, starting March 16th! [If you absolutely want to be on a panel based on a suggestion you’re making, let me know and I’ll make note of your preferences. However, we’ll still be going through a sign-up stage starting in late March.]
As always, your Categories include:
A. Television
B. Movies
C. Actors
D. Literature (books, magazines, comics, etc.)
E. Fandom (fan fiction, fandom)
F. Internet (blogs, social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
G. Games/Gaming (includes boards games, computer games, RPGs, MMORPGS, Steam, Smartphone App Games, etc.)
H. Creative pursuits (hobbies, fannish videos, Furries, filking, crafts, etc.)
J. Workshops (can be on nearly anything – you can suggest a workshop and run one)
If you have an idea for a programming topic that doesn’t neatly fit into one of these categories, just describe what you’re interested in doing and I’ll work with you.
All you need do is send an email to mwcprogramming@gmail.com with SUGGESTIONS in the subject line and then your suggestions, such as:
A. Star Trek: Discovery (CBS A.A.) – What has the introduction of Spock meant to this series?
B. Marvel’s The Avengers: End Game – The implications of End Game for the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
D. The Sci-Fi Novels of 1969: 50 Years Ago – Let’s discuss the big genre novels of 1969, including The Andromeda Strain, Bug Jack Barron, Damnation Alley, The Left Hand of Darkness, Slaughterhouse Five, Ubik and The Warlock In Spite of Himself.
J. Costuming Makerspace – Everyone bring your costuming supplies and questions and share ideas with fellow costumers!
As you are submitting suggestions, please put each suggested panel idea/topic on its own separate line.
Again this year, for “TV” shows, PLEASE cite the channel/network/venue the series is on, as there are now so many platforms (i.e., Sherlock (BBCA), Grantchester (PBS), The Man in the High Castle (Amazon), Discovery (CBS All Access), West World (HBO), etc.). Thanks!
If the panel is slash, please put either ‘slash’ or ‘/’ in the topic. If it is not identified as such, it will be considered ‘gen’.
If you want to do a workshop that you will run, let us know the topic, how long it will be (average 2 hours), and any special needs you expect to have. If you are already volunteering to run a unique workshop at this early stage of the process, please let me know that at this time – that is the one type of programming I am willing to take early sign-ups for.
Any questions, e-mail us at mwcprogramming@gmail.com
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Scott Clark, Lincoln, NE
E-mail: mwcprogramming@gmail.com
Twitter: @mwcprogramming
Planning Documents will be on Google Docs, and will be continually updated there, so participants can see what has already been suggested.
This document also available online at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fprmZTXTGWcGs5j6wn25l-cEoLQTD0l63RAHZ4-02fM/edit?usp=sharing
or at: http://bit.ly/2DzyF1F
