Q&A: CEO of Fandemic Tour to plant flag in Houston’s pop culture community
In 2017, CEO of Fandemic Tour John Macaluso was set to launch a new brand of comic conventions, with the first show being at Houston’s NRG Center. However, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston hard and resulted in the Fandemic Tour being put on hold.
Now, a year after the original launch date, Macaluso is set to plant his flag in the Houston pop culture community. From Sept. 14 – 16, Fandemic Tour will bring celebrity guests, artists, vendors, cosplayers and fans together at NRG Center.
On July 12, I had the opportunity to interview Macaluso about what fans can expect from this new pop culture event.
Q: Last year, Fandemic Tour was set to launch its first show in Houston. However, due to Hurricane Harvey, it had to be put on hold. What was that experience like and what made you want to bring the event back to Houston?
A: Well first of all the experience to Houston was devastating, and then on a personal experience it was almost like I was pregnant and had a miscarriage. It was terrible. I went into a state of depression for a couple of months. We put so much time and so much effort and so much work into trying to give the fans a great show, then all of a sudden the rug gets pulled out from under you. It was terrible. But, listen, I believe in Houston. I think that Houston is resilient. I think the people in Houston are great people and this is where I am planting my flag. I am planting my flag here in Houston and I hope to do many, many, many more shows here. I’ve already confirmed dates for next year. I am so excited to be here.
Q: How is the Fandemic Tour experience different from other comic conventions?
A: A couple of different things. The reality of it is a comic con is exactly what it says; it’s a comic convention. Our tour will hopefully be different with the celebrity talent that’s coming, with the artists that are coming, the vendors will be very diversified, programming should be fun and educational, and hopefully, it will be logistically a very, very well run show. To the point where the attendees can see it and appreciate it because that’s what we want to do. We want to make sure our mantra is, “Take care of the fans, take care of the fans, take care of the fans.” Now, we know that you can’t make everybody happy, but if we can make 99 percent of the people that come to this show happy and say, “You know what, I appreciate the way you guys did registration. I appreciate the way that you guys ran line control. I appreciate the way that you treat people in the show and thank you so much for giving us a good show;” That will hopefully differentiate us.
Q: Recently, you had your first show in Sacramento. Is there any aspect from that experience that you want to improve or implement with the Houston show?
A: Listen, if you’re a seasoned veteran at doing shows and stuff like I am, I will tell you, you always want to improve. “What can I do better?” “What can I do to give the fans a better experience?” Sacramento ran beautifully. If you read all the comments on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, they were very complimentary. 500 people must have stopped me at the show and thanked me just for bringing the show there and I hope 500 more stop me here in Houston.
Q: As of now there are quite a few big names announced to be celebrity guests such as Sebastian Stan, Norman Reedus, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Milo Ventimiglia and Dave Bautista. Can fans expect to see that list grow in the coming weeks?
A: There will be a few more announcements. You really never know. I could get a phone call from someone that says they’d love to come to the show, and if it makes sense we’ll bring them.
Q: Lastly, is there anything you would like our readers to now about Fandemic Tour’s upcoming Houston show?
A: I would love your readers to know that we really care about the fans. We’re looking to take care of the fans. We think that we’re bringing you a really strong celebrity lineup. We think we’re bringing you a lot of local artists; a lot of international artists; a lot of very big names in [the Houston] community. Hopefully, our programming will be fun and educational. Come to the show and have fun with us.
For more information on Fandemic Tour and to purchase tickets, head to www.fandemictour.com.
Also published on Medium.
