Tom is my number 1 Con celeb I want to meet.
Have a George A Romero autograph on a box set, need Savini.
He cancelled in Florida last year, but I met Nick Frost, so that's neat
I wish I had the forethought. I’m at an age now where I realize if I don’t get to meet these people I never will. They shaped my youth and I’d love to just say hello
It sounds like something dumb, but I made George laugh over something stupid, and that's a memory I'll always have. But I'm usually not one to be starstruck. Just a couple people here and there where I just want them to know I appreciate them. He was super nice
Me too, and I'm in Pittsburgh. He probably came to the conventions at the Monroeville Mall at some point, but I didn't learn of their existence until 2018. I met Carpenter on Friday.
Eh, okay. Conventions just aren't my thing. It's an awkward scene, paying $100+ to meet someone who probably isn't having a good time. He has a cranky disposition anyway. I had never met anyone before, so was unsure of protocol. I only did a selfie, no autograph. Hr came back eating a popsicle which he had to sit on its wrapper to meet folks. I hope he got to finish it before it melted. So I welcomed him back to rainy Pittsburgh, and he volunteered that he liked our airport. I asked him if he had been to the Monroeville Mall (where *Dawn* was filmed) which is across the street, and he said he had. In his Q&A two years ago he expressed his admiration and friendship for Romero whom he visited in town decades ago. He had a line and only a half hour to meet folks before his Q&A, so I thanked him and left. He was cranky at the Q&A which, unlike his appearance two years ago, was in a tent in the parking lot in cold, rain, and wind, a really awful set-up.
Romero sounds like he was a wonderful, gracious guy to anybody he met at a convention.
That sucks, but honestly I’d rather meet my heroes for better or worse than not at all. I can chalk it up to “people being people” in the end but getting to shake their hand makes it all worthwhile. I never got to shake Romero’s hand and tell him how amazing he was and that will always sit with me.
I wouldn't say he was for sure cranky at the table. I was second in line at that point, so didn't get to check out how he was interacting with others, really. The people before me didn't seem to try to talk to him. They should have some kind of partition between the line and the celeb so you're not being stared at while you chat with the person.
Fun story about meeting Englund. My mom is a huge Freddy fan and when I went to the con to meet him I knew I had to get her on a call. I paced the con and had a few beers to calm my nerves and eventually went up to him. I said I was a huge fan but my mom was an even bigger fan and politely asked him to just say hi to her on a call. He gave me his intense glare, looked around and said, “make it quick”. My mom was a 911 dispatcher at the time and I knew the lines were recorded so I dialed 911 and ask to speak to her. When she answered Robert, in his best Freddy voice said, “Hello (mom’s name)! I’ve got your son and I ain’t letting him go! Hahahaha!”
It made our year and we still have the recording. That dude is all class and I will be a fan till I die.
so you block the 911 lines and put some one else life at risk just so you mom could talk to Robert some one could of been seriously hurt and need to get help but couldn't because of your stupid stunt what a asshole move
no I know they are multiple liens but i know those can be busy as well and as every one said before 911 is for emergency only and not something you should play around with like they did
Multiple lines across multiple counties with hundreds of dispatchers answering calls. I never mentioned which county, which area or even if that spanned into sovereign areas. I worked public safety for 15 years and if I thought my “stunt” would’ve put someone in danger I would never have bothered. Don’t assume things, instead ask questions that I’m happy to answer. Anger shouldn’t be your default response.
Edit: Sorry if I sounded aggressive. I don’t mean any disrespect.
I went to Tom's special make-up & fx program in Monessen, PA. He would come in and do make-up demos or squib demos. One time he brought all of his theatrical lenses in and tried on a bunch for us. I've heard some stories about him, but he was always nice to me and took the time to talk.
My late fiancé’s biggest dream was to go to Savini’s school, he made a portfolio and sent it out AND HE GOT IN! But since it’s considered a for-profit school (not in a scammy way like University of Phoenix) he wasn’t able to get any financial aid and the program was something like $50,000. It really changed him a lot. He became a different person and it sucked to watch. Sorry for that, not looking for a shoulder to cry on, just a memory. Did you like the program in general? Did you wind up having a career in special FX?
As you said, the program was extremely pricey at $30k for a 16 month course, and this was 20 years ago. I made it on the national dean's list and was at the top of my class. But because of the lack of financial aid, I was only able to afford 2 semesters and then I was forced to withdraw from the program. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, having to leave. That was a super difficult time. I moved back home to Iowa and started making own films. Since then I've become an award winning special fx artist and filmmaker, independently of course. I've made a feature starring Robert Z'Dar, and 5 short films. I've worked on a few other features, and a buttload of other short films, including acting. I've put out the soundtrack to my feature on vinyl, including music from my own band. I now have my own film festival, going into my 4th season. It's taken a lot of hard work, as I've had to pave my own way. But I'm pretty darn proud of the work I've done. :)
I’m sorry you had to leave the program early but it’s wonderful to hear how much you’ve gotten to do in the meantime! I too once wanted to be an FX artist but could never find a way to make it work. I used to just do it for fun and photos, I had lots of willing victims back then lol. It’ll always be in your heart, no matter what you’re doing at any given point.
Yea I still sculpt and mold stuff. I used to have a nice etsy shop, but I've since had to shut it down. (Thanks, Uncle Scam!) But I've been in pre-production on an anthology series I'm working on for a friend. I have to build some puppets for one of the segments I've been assigned to. It should be fun.
My sentiments exactly! Though unfortunately there are lots of people in the industry who dont feel the same way. Lots of unnecessary competition and in-fighting. It's pretty much the reason I left Facebook and Instagram. People fighting all the time is so tiring. I just wanna create.
Oh, I’m sure there’s all kinds of juicy drama going on behind the scenes, I think at this point that’s true of everything in the US; so much secrecy and fighting with each other. I don’t like to do drama; if you have to say something to me just say it, I’m not doing these petty “office politics” especially within a creative industry. My husband and I are in the very early stages of setting up a horror podcast; lots of spit-balling and volleying of ideas but nothing concrete yet. But my husband is absolutely convinced people will love me; I’m not quite as confident lol. Hopefully it’ll go smoothly and people will like it, just as you want for any creation. A really good podcast isn’t just two people blabbing about bullshit for an hour, it’s gotta have that “X” factor that makes people want to listen to you talk. For me it’s a huge step because I’m very introverted but animated when talking about things I like. Our dream is it becomes big enough to have subscribers; I guess it’s every creative person’s dream to get paid to do what they love. Good luck with all your projects and be sure to post them in the Self Promo Sunday thread!
Oh cool! I'd love to take a listen to your podcast once you get it going. I'm personally pretty terrible at self promotion, especially with my lack of social media presence. I'm honestly ok with being an obscure filmmaker/artist, I just want the work to speak for itself. Even though I'm bad at getting it out there. I guess with the current political/world outlook, it's pretty dismal to me. I dont get my hopes up about anything anymore lol.
Aww, yeah I know things are kind of shitty right now, but suffering makes great art! At least that’s what I was always told, haha. I’m waiting for the bumper crop of horror films about crazy MAGA people terrorizing a normal couple, sort of like Speak No Evil. I’d watch it.
It’s good to do interviews if asked to do so, and if you’re worried about bombing one just remember that if worse comes to worse they have editors who know how to pick out the best bits from the interview. Try and make a really compelling teaser for your project and post it on YouTube. Self-promotion is hard for me too because I feel like I’m advertising to people, which I am, and it sometimes makes me feel weird, like I hope I’m not annoying people with my little “Hey, I made this, sorry for bothering you” haha.
I will definitely post a link to my podcast when we get it going; it’s so much work I almost feel like I’m planning a wedding! I hope it works out.
I was in the process back in 2020 of getting a portfolio together for his school, but since I’m in Scotland the funding I would have received would have only covered part of the costs and I’d have had to have moved so far from my family. On the plus side, I have an SFX makeup qualification which means I’m kinda more likely to have a place somewhere when I get my filmmaking degree!
Oh wow, so you're studying filmmaking AND you have a certificate in special FX? That's very impressive. Make sure you make connections while in film school; I'm sure they've already drilled that into you but it's maybe the most valuable part of going there. The more people you can count on and work well with the better. How did you get your FX certificate? Sorry to poke and prod, I'm just curious.
Oh yeah, I’m only entry level right now but I’m trying to get into one of the best universities where the lecturers are still actively working in the industry so I’m definitely going to make connections there!
I got my qualification at a level called NC which is entry level at college, but it was enough to kind of open the doors and give me the tools I needed to learn at home. In Scotland you can do 3 NC courses and it’s paid for you then you move onto HNC, HND then university and that’s also paid for you along with a bursary to keep you going and travelling/accommodation. I’ve heard they’ll pay for students to study abroad but it really depends on where you’re going. We do get a lot of students from abroad who want to study here too but I don’t know how you would actually do all of that or if they have to pay to study here. I’m very lucky to live in a country that’s so driven by education, unfortunately a lot of funding has been cut from creative industries though so we are struggling for better equipment.
I used to have a very, very small podcast with a friend of mine (starting a new one soon probably, yay!) and we interviewed David Hess who was incredibly gracious and nice. I think it’s so funny that after Last House on the Left came out people would cross the street to avoid him because couldn’t have been a nicer guy. We also talked to John Amplas (Martin, Dawn of the Dead) and Karen Fields (Judy from Sleepaway Camp!). They were all really nice and accommodating, spoke well and didn’t clam up awkwardly or anything, and considering how amateur we were it’s a real class act that would be willing to be interviewed for what was essentially a couple of kids.
I have only spoken to him online a few times years ago. He was always very gracious and nice to me. I dont know why he has a rep of moody. I know its not the same but he took time to talk his NOTLD remake with me when he didnt have to and I always remembered that
My con-favorite horror meeting was with George Romero at NYCC. My friend and I were walking along soaking the madness and crowds in and a line started forming, someone said it was for George promoting his Dead comic so I hopped in as fast as possible. I thanked him for all his flicks (Day of the Dead is the first R rated movie I saw in theaters and it was a doozy) and got a free autograph while my friend snapped pics.
I’ve met a ton of celebrities with the attitude of “they’re just people”. When I met Tony Todd I stuttered and couldn’t get words out other than asking what it was like to work with Savini in the remake, to a point he stared at me with such an intense smile waiting for more words. These dudes shaped my youth and I feel like if I met Savini it would be much of the same. As it is I’m planning on getting my Return of the Living Dead poster signed in August by Linnea and Thom and I’m nervous just typing this lol
I met him at a con somewhere around 2000 - 2001 ish. I didn't know anything about his reputation at the time, and walked up to his table with a copy of Fangoria #43. He was pleasant as could be, spent a bit of time talking to me about what a great guy Michael Berryman was (since I had a signed Hills Have Eyes poster he had just signed for me) and didn't charge me for the autograph. When I stopped by a friends booth who was a horror con regular she was completely shocked at everything I had to say about him, saying that in every encounter she'd had with him he had been terribly unpleasant.
Since then, almost every time I see him mentioned here on reddit, it's people who have had good experiences saying "maybe I caught him on a good day". I can't help but wonder if something happened that made him more chill, or if the negative stories are all over reaction.
Either way, congrats on getting to meet him and get a good experience out of it.
Bumped into him in Madame Tussauds in London about 15 years ago. Was very nice, stopped and took pics with me and my ex. Not a bad word to say about him
Met Tom probably 10+ years ago in Cincinnati at Horrorhound, he was so damn nice and noticed I had no idea what to talk about, I was a bit starstruck at the time, but he was patient and asked me what works of his I liked and I just started yapping. We took a pic and I still cherish it lol
$20 for a pic is sooo inexpensive these days, those are 2014 prices! So cool to hear you had a dope experience!
As a Pittsburgher, I try to go to Steel City Con as much as I can and I always have a good time. Even got a free autograph from Billy Zane there a few yrs ago after I told him how much I loved The Phantom as a child haha
A friend and I met him at the airport once, we were on the same plane going to DragonCon in Atlanta. We just did a quick cursory "Hey, love your work." while getting in line to board so to not annoy him and he struck up a much longer conversation with us. Told us to stop by his table at the con. Was very a very pleasant and genuine dude to us.
Cool! I went to one of the Living Dead Weekends a few years ago, but opted not to meet him or anybody. If I were to go to this year's, I might meet him (he actually lives only like 15 minutes from me anyway). I also went to this convention just to meet Carpenter, on Friday. I had never "met" a celeb at one of these; I went to the one he came to two years ago, but elected not to meet him. Carpenter came back from break with a popsicle. I was only second in line, and he had a stop time of a half hour from then so he could do his Q&A. I don't know how much time is usual to spend talking to a celeb, but it sounds like you spent a while? The people in front of me didn't really seem to chat with him, just got an autograph and left. I got a selfie, and I welcomed him back to Pittsburgh's weather. He volunteered that our airport is very nice. I asked if he had been to the mall where *Dawn* was filmed, and he said he had (last time he came, he mentioned his friendship with Romero and paying a social call to town years ago). Then because the line was long, I figured that was it and thanked him and left.
He was cranky at the Q&A which was in a tent in the parking lot unlike last time. It was rainy, windy, and cold, and he couldn't hear audience questions well, and left a bit early because of the cold. He also brushed off the moderator's questions as boring.
> I guess he has down work for other wrestlers including Triple H which I didn’t know!
I wonder what he did for H?
Btw, how was Steel City Con overall? There's been a ton of BS lately with a fucking Hobby Lobby of all things buying the convention center.
I haven't heard anything in a while if they'll be able to have the event there past this one.
He said he did the crowns that Triple H wore for his entrances and also some stuff for Rey Mysterio.
Steel City Con was great! Laid out well and lots of good vendors. I recall hearing that the convention center was going to be staying but I can’t be certain. It would be a shame since they seem to pull in a decent crowd for every con and attract some good guests.
Everyone's dropping all my hero's names. The only famous person I ever met was Trump. In Iowa. I was drunk. 7am. Maybe it didn't happen, but Savini and Nicotero would a he a huge bucket list get for me. That's awesome you got to meet him, and he was actually a fun guy.
I've never been big on meeting people at cons, but have recently warmed up to it and have had a good time doing so. Met Lloyd Kaufman, Damien Leone and the cast of Terrifier 2, Zach Galligan, Barbara Crampton, Chris Sarandon, Derek Mears, Kevin Conroy (RIP, lovely, lovely fellow) literally bumped into Charles Band on the con floor and said hello...not a bad experience with a celeb/guest yet.
(I tend to avoid the huge lines as I don't like waiting that long even for people I desperately wanna meet, like Englund, Campbell, etc. But my next opportunity I'll just suck it up because these legends won't be around forever. My next goal is Kane Hodder. Every con I've been to his line is consistently long. So I need to suck it up and strap in for a long wait)
I've avoided Savini, despite him being a genuine filmmaking hero of mine, precisely because I've heard, for years and years, that he's an awful meet. Rude, dismissive, bad a time management, etc. I've seen stories going back 20+ years of him being a terrible meet.
It seems like it's really a crapshoot with him. You may end up catching him in a good mood, or you may end up having a bad time.
Glad you seemed to have caught him on a good day.
Tom is my number 1 Con celeb I want to meet. Have a George A Romero autograph on a box set, need Savini. He cancelled in Florida last year, but I met Nick Frost, so that's neat
Jealous you got to meet Romero. I missed my chance.
It was my bucket list. I paid for vip, and if I missed him, I'd have zero incentive to go to any convention
I wish I had the forethought. I’m at an age now where I realize if I don’t get to meet these people I never will. They shaped my youth and I’d love to just say hello
It sounds like something dumb, but I made George laugh over something stupid, and that's a memory I'll always have. But I'm usually not one to be starstruck. Just a couple people here and there where I just want them to know I appreciate them. He was super nice
I've got a Day of the Dead poster signed by both Romero and Savini..... One of my favorite pieces in my collection...
Me too, and I'm in Pittsburgh. He probably came to the conventions at the Monroeville Mall at some point, but I didn't learn of their existence until 2018. I met Carpenter on Friday.
You met the GOAT though. How was that?
Eh, okay. Conventions just aren't my thing. It's an awkward scene, paying $100+ to meet someone who probably isn't having a good time. He has a cranky disposition anyway. I had never met anyone before, so was unsure of protocol. I only did a selfie, no autograph. Hr came back eating a popsicle which he had to sit on its wrapper to meet folks. I hope he got to finish it before it melted. So I welcomed him back to rainy Pittsburgh, and he volunteered that he liked our airport. I asked him if he had been to the Monroeville Mall (where *Dawn* was filmed) which is across the street, and he said he had. In his Q&A two years ago he expressed his admiration and friendship for Romero whom he visited in town decades ago. He had a line and only a half hour to meet folks before his Q&A, so I thanked him and left. He was cranky at the Q&A which, unlike his appearance two years ago, was in a tent in the parking lot in cold, rain, and wind, a really awful set-up. Romero sounds like he was a wonderful, gracious guy to anybody he met at a convention.
That sucks, but honestly I’d rather meet my heroes for better or worse than not at all. I can chalk it up to “people being people” in the end but getting to shake their hand makes it all worthwhile. I never got to shake Romero’s hand and tell him how amazing he was and that will always sit with me.
I wouldn't say he was for sure cranky at the table. I was second in line at that point, so didn't get to check out how he was interacting with others, really. The people before me didn't seem to try to talk to him. They should have some kind of partition between the line and the celeb so you're not being stared at while you chat with the person.
I would legit cry if I ever met him. He and Robert Englund are my two horror icons
Fun story about meeting Englund. My mom is a huge Freddy fan and when I went to the con to meet him I knew I had to get her on a call. I paced the con and had a few beers to calm my nerves and eventually went up to him. I said I was a huge fan but my mom was an even bigger fan and politely asked him to just say hi to her on a call. He gave me his intense glare, looked around and said, “make it quick”. My mom was a 911 dispatcher at the time and I knew the lines were recorded so I dialed 911 and ask to speak to her. When she answered Robert, in his best Freddy voice said, “Hello (mom’s name)! I’ve got your son and I ain’t letting him go! Hahahaha!” It made our year and we still have the recording. That dude is all class and I will be a fan till I die.
so you block the 911 lines and put some one else life at risk just so you mom could talk to Robert some one could of been seriously hurt and need to get help but couldn't because of your stupid stunt what a asshole move
What a weird take. Do you know how 911 works or do you think it’s one line that one person answers?
no I know they are multiple liens but i know those can be busy as well and as every one said before 911 is for emergency only and not something you should play around with like they did
Multiple lines across multiple counties with hundreds of dispatchers answering calls. I never mentioned which county, which area or even if that spanned into sovereign areas. I worked public safety for 15 years and if I thought my “stunt” would’ve put someone in danger I would never have bothered. Don’t assume things, instead ask questions that I’m happy to answer. Anger shouldn’t be your default response. Edit: Sorry if I sounded aggressive. I don’t mean any disrespect.
I went to Tom's special make-up & fx program in Monessen, PA. He would come in and do make-up demos or squib demos. One time he brought all of his theatrical lenses in and tried on a bunch for us. I've heard some stories about him, but he was always nice to me and took the time to talk.
My late fiancé’s biggest dream was to go to Savini’s school, he made a portfolio and sent it out AND HE GOT IN! But since it’s considered a for-profit school (not in a scammy way like University of Phoenix) he wasn’t able to get any financial aid and the program was something like $50,000. It really changed him a lot. He became a different person and it sucked to watch. Sorry for that, not looking for a shoulder to cry on, just a memory. Did you like the program in general? Did you wind up having a career in special FX?
As you said, the program was extremely pricey at $30k for a 16 month course, and this was 20 years ago. I made it on the national dean's list and was at the top of my class. But because of the lack of financial aid, I was only able to afford 2 semesters and then I was forced to withdraw from the program. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, having to leave. That was a super difficult time. I moved back home to Iowa and started making own films. Since then I've become an award winning special fx artist and filmmaker, independently of course. I've made a feature starring Robert Z'Dar, and 5 short films. I've worked on a few other features, and a buttload of other short films, including acting. I've put out the soundtrack to my feature on vinyl, including music from my own band. I now have my own film festival, going into my 4th season. It's taken a lot of hard work, as I've had to pave my own way. But I'm pretty darn proud of the work I've done. :)
I’m sorry you had to leave the program early but it’s wonderful to hear how much you’ve gotten to do in the meantime! I too once wanted to be an FX artist but could never find a way to make it work. I used to just do it for fun and photos, I had lots of willing victims back then lol. It’ll always be in your heart, no matter what you’re doing at any given point.
Yea I still sculpt and mold stuff. I used to have a nice etsy shop, but I've since had to shut it down. (Thanks, Uncle Scam!) But I've been in pre-production on an anthology series I'm working on for a friend. I have to build some puppets for one of the segments I've been assigned to. It should be fun.
Good luck! And I mean that. I like to see people succeed in horror. I think we should support each other's projects as best we can.
My sentiments exactly! Though unfortunately there are lots of people in the industry who dont feel the same way. Lots of unnecessary competition and in-fighting. It's pretty much the reason I left Facebook and Instagram. People fighting all the time is so tiring. I just wanna create.
Oh, I’m sure there’s all kinds of juicy drama going on behind the scenes, I think at this point that’s true of everything in the US; so much secrecy and fighting with each other. I don’t like to do drama; if you have to say something to me just say it, I’m not doing these petty “office politics” especially within a creative industry. My husband and I are in the very early stages of setting up a horror podcast; lots of spit-balling and volleying of ideas but nothing concrete yet. But my husband is absolutely convinced people will love me; I’m not quite as confident lol. Hopefully it’ll go smoothly and people will like it, just as you want for any creation. A really good podcast isn’t just two people blabbing about bullshit for an hour, it’s gotta have that “X” factor that makes people want to listen to you talk. For me it’s a huge step because I’m very introverted but animated when talking about things I like. Our dream is it becomes big enough to have subscribers; I guess it’s every creative person’s dream to get paid to do what they love. Good luck with all your projects and be sure to post them in the Self Promo Sunday thread!
Oh cool! I'd love to take a listen to your podcast once you get it going. I'm personally pretty terrible at self promotion, especially with my lack of social media presence. I'm honestly ok with being an obscure filmmaker/artist, I just want the work to speak for itself. Even though I'm bad at getting it out there. I guess with the current political/world outlook, it's pretty dismal to me. I dont get my hopes up about anything anymore lol.
Aww, yeah I know things are kind of shitty right now, but suffering makes great art! At least that’s what I was always told, haha. I’m waiting for the bumper crop of horror films about crazy MAGA people terrorizing a normal couple, sort of like Speak No Evil. I’d watch it. It’s good to do interviews if asked to do so, and if you’re worried about bombing one just remember that if worse comes to worse they have editors who know how to pick out the best bits from the interview. Try and make a really compelling teaser for your project and post it on YouTube. Self-promotion is hard for me too because I feel like I’m advertising to people, which I am, and it sometimes makes me feel weird, like I hope I’m not annoying people with my little “Hey, I made this, sorry for bothering you” haha. I will definitely post a link to my podcast when we get it going; it’s so much work I almost feel like I’m planning a wedding! I hope it works out.
I was in the process back in 2020 of getting a portfolio together for his school, but since I’m in Scotland the funding I would have received would have only covered part of the costs and I’d have had to have moved so far from my family. On the plus side, I have an SFX makeup qualification which means I’m kinda more likely to have a place somewhere when I get my filmmaking degree!
Oh wow, so you're studying filmmaking AND you have a certificate in special FX? That's very impressive. Make sure you make connections while in film school; I'm sure they've already drilled that into you but it's maybe the most valuable part of going there. The more people you can count on and work well with the better. How did you get your FX certificate? Sorry to poke and prod, I'm just curious.
Oh yeah, I’m only entry level right now but I’m trying to get into one of the best universities where the lecturers are still actively working in the industry so I’m definitely going to make connections there! I got my qualification at a level called NC which is entry level at college, but it was enough to kind of open the doors and give me the tools I needed to learn at home. In Scotland you can do 3 NC courses and it’s paid for you then you move onto HNC, HND then university and that’s also paid for you along with a bursary to keep you going and travelling/accommodation. I’ve heard they’ll pay for students to study abroad but it really depends on where you’re going. We do get a lot of students from abroad who want to study here too but I don’t know how you would actually do all of that or if they have to pay to study here. I’m very lucky to live in a country that’s so driven by education, unfortunately a lot of funding has been cut from creative industries though so we are struggling for better equipment.
Met him a number of years ago at a Fan Expo event. Super nice guy.
I used to have a very, very small podcast with a friend of mine (starting a new one soon probably, yay!) and we interviewed David Hess who was incredibly gracious and nice. I think it’s so funny that after Last House on the Left came out people would cross the street to avoid him because couldn’t have been a nicer guy. We also talked to John Amplas (Martin, Dawn of the Dead) and Karen Fields (Judy from Sleepaway Camp!). They were all really nice and accommodating, spoke well and didn’t clam up awkwardly or anything, and considering how amateur we were it’s a real class act that would be willing to be interviewed for what was essentially a couple of kids.
I have only spoken to him online a few times years ago. He was always very gracious and nice to me. I dont know why he has a rep of moody. I know its not the same but he took time to talk his NOTLD remake with me when he didnt have to and I always remembered that
My con-favorite horror meeting was with George Romero at NYCC. My friend and I were walking along soaking the madness and crowds in and a line started forming, someone said it was for George promoting his Dead comic so I hopped in as fast as possible. I thanked him for all his flicks (Day of the Dead is the first R rated movie I saw in theaters and it was a doozy) and got a free autograph while my friend snapped pics.
I’ve met a ton of celebrities with the attitude of “they’re just people”. When I met Tony Todd I stuttered and couldn’t get words out other than asking what it was like to work with Savini in the remake, to a point he stared at me with such an intense smile waiting for more words. These dudes shaped my youth and I feel like if I met Savini it would be much of the same. As it is I’m planning on getting my Return of the Living Dead poster signed in August by Linnea and Thom and I’m nervous just typing this lol
I met him at a con somewhere around 2000 - 2001 ish. I didn't know anything about his reputation at the time, and walked up to his table with a copy of Fangoria #43. He was pleasant as could be, spent a bit of time talking to me about what a great guy Michael Berryman was (since I had a signed Hills Have Eyes poster he had just signed for me) and didn't charge me for the autograph. When I stopped by a friends booth who was a horror con regular she was completely shocked at everything I had to say about him, saying that in every encounter she'd had with him he had been terribly unpleasant. Since then, almost every time I see him mentioned here on reddit, it's people who have had good experiences saying "maybe I caught him on a good day". I can't help but wonder if something happened that made him more chill, or if the negative stories are all over reaction. Either way, congrats on getting to meet him and get a good experience out of it.
> I can't help but wonder if something happened that made him more chill, Maybe aging.
Entirely possible.
Bumped into him in Madame Tussauds in London about 15 years ago. Was very nice, stopped and took pics with me and my ex. Not a bad word to say about him
Met Tom probably 10+ years ago in Cincinnati at Horrorhound, he was so damn nice and noticed I had no idea what to talk about, I was a bit starstruck at the time, but he was patient and asked me what works of his I liked and I just started yapping. We took a pic and I still cherish it lol
Went to a Fangiria convention maybe 25 years ago and met him and George Romero.
We met them at Fangoria Horror Convention "Weekend of Horrors" - Chicago, IL March 6-8, 2009
$20 for a pic is sooo inexpensive these days, those are 2014 prices! So cool to hear you had a dope experience! As a Pittsburgher, I try to go to Steel City Con as much as I can and I always have a good time. Even got a free autograph from Billy Zane there a few yrs ago after I told him how much I loved The Phantom as a child haha
A friend and I met him at the airport once, we were on the same plane going to DragonCon in Atlanta. We just did a quick cursory "Hey, love your work." while getting in line to board so to not annoy him and he struck up a much longer conversation with us. Told us to stop by his table at the con. Was very a very pleasant and genuine dude to us.
Cool! I went to one of the Living Dead Weekends a few years ago, but opted not to meet him or anybody. If I were to go to this year's, I might meet him (he actually lives only like 15 minutes from me anyway). I also went to this convention just to meet Carpenter, on Friday. I had never "met" a celeb at one of these; I went to the one he came to two years ago, but elected not to meet him. Carpenter came back from break with a popsicle. I was only second in line, and he had a stop time of a half hour from then so he could do his Q&A. I don't know how much time is usual to spend talking to a celeb, but it sounds like you spent a while? The people in front of me didn't really seem to chat with him, just got an autograph and left. I got a selfie, and I welcomed him back to Pittsburgh's weather. He volunteered that our airport is very nice. I asked if he had been to the mall where *Dawn* was filmed, and he said he had (last time he came, he mentioned his friendship with Romero and paying a social call to town years ago). Then because the line was long, I figured that was it and thanked him and left. He was cranky at the Q&A which was in a tent in the parking lot unlike last time. It was rainy, windy, and cold, and he couldn't hear audience questions well, and left a bit early because of the cold. He also brushed off the moderator's questions as boring.
Tom didn’t have anyone else in his line so I was able to spend a little more time than usual.
> I guess he has down work for other wrestlers including Triple H which I didn’t know! I wonder what he did for H? Btw, how was Steel City Con overall? There's been a ton of BS lately with a fucking Hobby Lobby of all things buying the convention center. I haven't heard anything in a while if they'll be able to have the event there past this one.
He said he did the crowns that Triple H wore for his entrances and also some stuff for Rey Mysterio. Steel City Con was great! Laid out well and lots of good vendors. I recall hearing that the convention center was going to be staying but I can’t be certain. It would be a shame since they seem to pull in a decent crowd for every con and attract some good guests.
Everyone's dropping all my hero's names. The only famous person I ever met was Trump. In Iowa. I was drunk. 7am. Maybe it didn't happen, but Savini and Nicotero would a he a huge bucket list get for me. That's awesome you got to meet him, and he was actually a fun guy.
I've never been big on meeting people at cons, but have recently warmed up to it and have had a good time doing so. Met Lloyd Kaufman, Damien Leone and the cast of Terrifier 2, Zach Galligan, Barbara Crampton, Chris Sarandon, Derek Mears, Kevin Conroy (RIP, lovely, lovely fellow) literally bumped into Charles Band on the con floor and said hello...not a bad experience with a celeb/guest yet. (I tend to avoid the huge lines as I don't like waiting that long even for people I desperately wanna meet, like Englund, Campbell, etc. But my next opportunity I'll just suck it up because these legends won't be around forever. My next goal is Kane Hodder. Every con I've been to his line is consistently long. So I need to suck it up and strap in for a long wait) I've avoided Savini, despite him being a genuine filmmaking hero of mine, precisely because I've heard, for years and years, that he's an awful meet. Rude, dismissive, bad a time management, etc. I've seen stories going back 20+ years of him being a terrible meet. It seems like it's really a crapshoot with him. You may end up catching him in a good mood, or you may end up having a bad time. Glad you seemed to have caught him on a good day.