by “Holy crap, you are creepy as shit. Sneaking up on me
wearing that collar with that freaky ass smile.”
– Negan
My name is Anyssa Guzman and I’ll be honest. I’m a super fan of the television show, “The Walking Dead”. I’ve seen every season, read the comics, quoted it like no other and this past weekend I attended Walker Stalker Con. Now, Walker Stalker Con is a convention that was created by James Frazier as a sort of spin-off of his popular podcast, The Walker Stalkers Podcast. This convention, however, is not sponsored by AMC but instead is an event that is funded BY fans FOR fans. So, like Lego did with their Adult Fans of Lego AMC created a conversation with Walker Stalker Con with the help of actors and actresses from the shows to create an unforgettable experience.
I watched excited children eagerly wait in lines to take pictures with professional cosplayer’s and grown adults become emotionally overwhelmed by meeting their favorite celebrities. Personally, I felt the exact same way. At the convention I met, Michael Cudlitz and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, both actors from the popular show. Cudlitz played a character named Abraham before being killed off brutally and Morgan played his killer, Negan. Cudlitz was exciting to meet but the main reason I attended the convention was for Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
When I was ten years old I watched the show “Supernatural” and in the first season Jeffrey Dean Morgan played a character named John Winchester and it was the first time I’d ever seen him. So, as I grew up I watched him in “P.S. I Love You”, “Watchmen” and eventually “The Walking Dead”. So, after watching Jeffrey Dean Morgan since the age of 10 I finally met him at 22. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t an overemotional fan because for the next three days I couldn’t stop talking about it and nothing could wipe the smile off my face.
So, why is it that there are actors appearing when there are no contractual obligations to do so? AMC 
chose to do so because rather then forming a divide between the fans and the show they instead chose to nurture the relationship by allowing vendors to sell licensed merchandise like my bat, Lucille. They also chose to nurture it by allowing actors and actresses to meet fans without punishing them for technically involving themselves in non-affiliated AMC events. So, like Lego did with AFoL the AMC chose to create and nurture a bridge between the fans and the show.
Contact:
Twitter: @NyssaGuzman
Instagram: @nyssaguzman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyssag18/
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I enjoyed reading your post Anyssa! I like how you compared your super-fan experience of the Walking Dead to the class discussion we had about what Lego did with their Adult Fans of Lego to create an in-person conversation that connected fans but also built a community of “super fans.” I also really like how you included a picture of yourself at Walker Stalker Con!
Great post Anyssa! I love how you connected to the lecture by talking about your own personal version of AFOLs. I too am a super fan of some TV shows and movies and could only dream of meeting those people in person! This shows the power of fans to drive networks and companies to shift their strategies and focus on certain audiences.
Hey Anyssa! I loved reading your post. Great connection of the LEGO super fans to something near and dear to your heart. It is so great how AMC created this event for fans. I love how they care about their fan base and attempt to engage fans with actors/actresses! Your pictures are awesome.
Hi there! I enjoyed reading this blog post because it went deeper than just describing something we talked about in class, you found a personal relation to the topic of superfans and I think that the fact you could express it both in writing and visually was unique. This approach will definitely be an influence for me as I think about my own blog post. Funny how legos and zombies can be related!
I really enjoyed reading this post! You did a great job of describing something we talked about in class by connecting it to a personal experience you had. I’ve often imagined meeting some of my favorite celebrities and for you to share how you felt at the time and why you are such a fan really made this post that much better! I also like how AMC has taken a different approach to fan interaction. There are many companies that do whatever they can to squeeze money out of fans or their main target audience and it was cool to learn that AMC does the opposite and it, in turn, has created a bigger bond with Walking Dead fans.
Anyssa- I knew I was going to enjoy this blog post right when I saw the photo of Lucille. This personal experience of you being a super fan makes learning more about it relatable. The photos added made the article stand out and your writing was to the point and clear. Looks like I need to catch up on The Walking Dead!
What a great post Anyssa! It is always so awesome reading about something when the author is so passionate about their work. I’m glad you had your fangirl moment after 12 years of loving Jeffery Dean Morgan. I think it is a great marketing strategy for AMC to involve themselves in a convention like this.
Wow great connection, Anyssa… I loved how the story and connection came together in the end. I’ve never seen Walking Dead but I LOVE P.S. I Love You. I think Lego and AMC made great choices by connecting with the event/company because of the overwhelming support and love from the fans. At the end of the day the fans are the consumers and making them happier and feeling more connected to the product will do well for the company. Super jealous that you got to meet someone you’ve dreamed of meeting your whole life… hopefully one day I will be so lucky. Fingers crossed
I loved reading about this and seeing the pictures showing your true fandom. With you it is “The Walking Dead” and for me it is “How I Met Your Mother” and “Friends.” I’ve seen HIMYM a collective of 9 times through (going on 10) and could probably watch an episode and tell you exactly where we are in the show, what season, and what led up to that moment. With “Friends” I haven’t seen it as much but begged my mom to go to the studio to see their set when I was a senior in high school. Granted, it’s not the original set, but, a lot of the props they set up were from the original series. The couch however, not original completely, as they went through eight couches throughout filming because of how many hours they sat on it throughout all the seasons! Anyway, I loved your story and love for another great show among many.
Great post, Anyssa! This was a great connection to our class discussion and brought it around full circle. Goes to show that superfans exist in every genre. Also, personally jealous that you got to have such a memorable superfan moment. I am still waiting for the day I get to superfan girl out at the Harry Potter Warner Brothers studio tour.