Whedonopolis 2016
Note: this article was also published on SciFi4Me.com.
No power in the ‘verse can stop fans. And it’s fans that are behind the new (at least in name) con Whedonopolis, with the goal of the con to raise money for charities. Formerly Fandomopolis, the con celebrates all things Joss Whedon. The con is a project of Fandom Charities, which holds fundraising events for charities, and has done things such as clothing drives and screenings of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on Halloween.
Scheduled for May 13 — 15, the con will be at the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale, and range from $30 for Sunday only to $60 for the full weekend. “We saw that there hadn’t been a Whedon-based convention in Los Angeles in ages,” says Tony Caballero, the co-chair of of the convention. “With Joss’s endorsement of our previous efforts, we felt it was time to remedy that. It’s a labor of love, but we’ve found, time and again, that Whedon fans are some of the most enthusiastic, energetic and giving fans there can be.”
Since Fandom Charities started the con, they have raised over $50,000 for charities. This year, the charity auction will be benefiting two nonprofits designed to fight bullying: the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and the Pop Culture Hero Coalition. The charities are typically chosen by the guest of honors. Proceeds from the auction, autograph sessions, and photo opportunities will all benefit the charities.
Guests include guest of honor Juliet Landau (did you know she’s producing a vampire documentary?), the behind the scenes crew for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., author Philip-Jon “PJ” Haarsma (who was the executive producer of Con Man), actor Doug Jones, and more.
As for why using this for charity, Caballero says, “Fandom Charities was founded on the power of ‘geeks giving back’ in some way for all that Joss has given to us, and the belief echoed in Angel when he says ‘if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.’”
For more information about the con, visit their website.