Life After the Undead continues to hobnob with The Walking Dead but now, Pembroke's book and cover artist, Jerrod, have brought R.L. Stine into the fold. Here are some photos and a report by Jerrod on his experiences at The Spooky Empire.
Enjoy!
The show was held at a new location this year at 'The Hilton Orlando'. It was much better than previous years and more spacious. A tremendous improvement. I had all intentions of spending the full 3 days there and returning Monday. However, I was pretty much wrapped up on photos, meet and greets, friends, etc. by the end of the night on Saturday. So, I decided to skip Sunday and get back to Jax earlier. It was a fantastic time for me, because I wasn't stuck behind a vendor table for 3 solid days and had freedom to roam.
On Friday night, I had two priorities. R.L. Stine and the professional photo op with Hodder, Englund and Kane.
R.L. Stine - He only had a one hour window scheduled for all three days for autographs (just 3 hours the entire weekend). I'm not really interested in autographs, I just wanted a photo with LATU. I made it a point to be there an hour early to beat the crowd and get the shot. While standing in line, I was thinking "He's not going to want to take a photo with another authors book, but what's the worst that could happen, he'll just say no". The man is known worldwide and I thought this would be my toughest one to get… so knock it out Friday night. He showed up exactly on time (8:00pm) and I was the first person up… I told him you were the author of LATU and wanted him to have a copy as a gift and also wrote him a letter. I presented both to him on behalf of you and to my surprise he said "Hey, ya want to take a picture of me holding it up as proof that I got it?" Holy crap! My worries were over, we both laughed and he took the shot! He was very friendly, soft spoken and thanked you very much for the gift! Unbelievably, I was eating breakfast at the Hilton the following morning and he sat at the table across from me. Upon leaving, I went over and shook his hand, and not until that point did I mention I did the cover art work on the book I had given him. He said and I quote "You're a very talented artist and please thank her again for me. I'll read it the first opportunity I get". We shook hands again and I left.
Tyler, Englund, Hodder - My photo shoot time was 9:00pm (one hour after R.L. Stine), so I immediately went to the photo room. As soon as I got in the room, I gave each of them a copy of Slasher and told them the shoot was for the author in Wyoming. It was a very quick paced shoot and very little time… they took the shot. Generally there is only one shoot per customer… but as luck would have it, Robert Englund said to the other two "I want to take another one with me reading the open book". So really the second shot was pure luck and a bonus! After your photo shoot I was scheduled for my own (with them).
Saturday: More crowded, longer lines and more pics to take. I was taking photos for myself, as well as getting your shots in, so I had priorities. I still had your two Slasher books for Hodder and Englund (with letters). But, I couldn't present them properly at Friday nights photo shoot, so I wanted to hit them up separately. Plus I didn't want Tyler Mane to feel left out.
Kane Hodder - I've been to several shows in the past with Kane and I already knew he was 'very' fan friendly, also one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Same goes here! I presented Slasher to him, along with your letter and he loved it! I told him about you and that you wanted him to have a copy. He said "Please thank Jessica for me and make sure she gets this photo O.K." (He signed a picture for you).
Steve Dash - I really didn't know very much about Steve, other than he was the actor under the Sack Mask in Friday the 13th 2. I also really didn't even voluntarily approach him. I was talking with Patty Mullen (Frankenhooker) next to his table and he called me over. He said… "Can I see a copy of that book Kane was looking at?" I said "of course you can!" I then proceeded to tell him about you, the book and that I also did some art work on some of your other novels. He asked for my information and business card. We talked a lot about art and painting. He really took an interest in Slasher and I gave him an extra copy I had brought along 'just in case'. I'm glad I did! He was really happy to get it! I brought along my Amazon copy for back-up and it turned out I needed it. I would have to say, Steve seemed to take the most interest in the book than all the celebrities over the weekend. When I left this table… he started flipping through the pages and reading.
Robert Englund - He always has the biggest fan draw and the longest lines. So methodically, I waited till he was not at his table (He was tied up in a Q & A session with the cast of 'Nightmare 4') When he got back, I was about the 20th person in line of about 200 people. He remembered the previous nights photo shoot' and I told him I wanted meet with him separately so I could present the book (and letter) to him. He said "you want to take another picture of me reading it?" He liked doing the reading pose! He said "Thank Jessica very much and I really appreciate it"… without hesitation, he started signing a photo to you. After he signed the photo, he shook my hand and again said "Please thank Jessica!"
Heather Langenkamp - I didn't have a copy of Slasher to give her, so I simply just asked her if she could hold my personal copy up for a photo. She was sitting at the next table over from Robert Englund. Not only did she oblige, but she wanted to thank Jessica with a signed photo. She was very nice and cordial.
Tom Savini - When I approached Tom, I told him that you were a good friend of mine and the author of 'Slasher'. I asked him if he would mind taking a photo with the book. He flipped through the pages and said "Only if I'm in it!" He went to the back of the book and found his name in the index. When he did, his face lit up (as if surprised) and said "Wow… you must be a really good friend to do this!" He held the book up, I took the shot. I said 'Thank you so much!' Then he said (while smiling) "Please thank her for putting me in there!" We shook hands.
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| Iron Singleton |
IronE Singleton - He was a real 'cut-up' with his fans. Lots of laughing, hugging and photo fun with everybody. I told him I did the cover of LATU and would like to take a photo with him holding it. He was more than happy to take the shot and then said "Let's take one of us holding it together". The copy I had for this photo op was an extra I brought along, so I told him… Please keep it, Pembroke would love for you to have a copy. He thanked us both and we shook hands.
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| Travis Charpentier |
Kevin Galbraith and Travis Charpentier (both zombies from the 'Walking Dead') were actually in the "Vendor' room and not in the 'Actor' room with everybody else. They were there to promote the video store 'Movie Stop' and were at the 'Movie Stop' booth. Both of these guys were from Atlanta where 'The Walking Dead' is filmed. I asked them both if they would mind taking the shot with LATU and they wanted to. I told them about you, the book and my involvement. They were both more than happy to pose with anything 'Zombie'.
I was 'really happy and surprised' that I pulled it off and got all the target shots (both yours and mine). It was a different world for me, because I was free to roam, take my time and not stuck behind a table for 3 days. I guess that's why I finished early, because I was still in the vendor (artist) mind set. It was so relaxing not worrying about sales and just enjoying myself. I also got to spend some quality time with friends. I did bring with me a few paintings and prints for delivery, but that was in no way a hindrance.
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| Kevin Galbraith |
Most (nearly all) the actors 'sell' their autographed photos for $20.00 each or more… but, I've learned that if you give them something (… a gift, book, print of your art, etc.) They will sometimes give you a freebie in return. I never seek autographs, but if they offer it, I'll take it. So, that's why some of them gave you a free autographed photo. I think it's really cool of them when they do! For me personally, the photos mean more than the autographs.
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