Official Anthrocon Announcement Regarding Media (and some words about Darrel)

[giza]

Hey folks,

Uncle Kage does not have a Live Journal, so he asked me to repost this here. It clarifies a number of things regarding Darrel Exline and the recent media fiasco at Confurence, as well as clarifying Anthrocon's media policy.

If there are any questions or comments, Uncle Kage can be reached via e-mail at <ceo at anthrocon.org>.

We all know what happened at Confurence.

I have seen a lot of rumors flying, most of them villifying Darrell
Exline. I won't have that. Darrell and I have had our differences, but
he is a man who lost many thousands of dollars of his own money in a
desperate effort to keep life in his convention. The reason he did that
was to continue to provide people with the opportunity to get together and
have fun. It was something he believed in, something important enough to
risk his own financial stability to promote. Whether or not you agree
with his methods, at least respect the effort he put forth. Take that
from one who knows just how much that takes out of a person. He did this
for you. Does that mean nothing?

People have said that Darrell was paid for this, and took the money as a
"sell out" of the fandom. That is hogwash. The *hotel* received $4000
from the filmmakers for the right to film there. Not a penny of that was
applied to any of ConFurence's debt. Take it from me -- hotels do not
work that way.

People have said that Darrell did this deliberately as a means of
destroying the fandom. That is also hogwash. Why would a man who gave so
much want to do such a thing? The truth is that he took a calculated
risk. The people who contacted him made a lot of high-minded promises and
made it sound as though it would be something wonderful. Darrell no doubt
believed that he would have control of the situation. What he did not
consider was that these people have a wealth of experience in this
business. Getting out of control is what they do, and they do it well.

Darrell felt he would be doing something positive for the fandom. He
misjudged the sleaziness and deceiptfulness of the filmmakers, as well as
the amount of control he would have over the situation. I know. I get a
lot of emails from these people myself, and believe me, they can sound
VERY pursuasive. They plead, they promise, they cross their hearts and
hope to die, they tell you how much they respect you. It is very easy to
fall into their trap. It could have happened to any of us.

With this example, though, it is less likely to. Anthrocon has never
allowed tabloid TV shows in, and while I'm still breathing, it never will.

I recently received a request from TechTV to do a show on Anthrocon. It
sounded perfectly harmless, but then, they always do. Their description
of the show as highlighting the "funny, sexy, scary" side of the internet
was all I needed to hear. The answer they received was the same that they
all receive: "Anthrocon is a private event held on private property. Its
membership is not interested in being the subject of your documentary.
Thank you for your query."

That is all you need to say. To these people, the less said is the
better.

Anthrocon's policy on media coverage remains the same. We retain the
rights to all video and audio recordings made at our convention. They can
be used privately, but cannot be broadcast without our express written
permission. You agree to that when you get in, or you don't get in.

In conclusion:

Lay off of Darrell. Did he screw up? Perhaps. Sucks to be human
sometimes. Was it intentional? Of course not. Did he profit from it?
Hell, no. Does he feel badly about it? Hell, yes. How do I know all of
this? It's my job.

Will these two shows destroy our fandom? No way. We've had worse, and
we've come right back each time. We'll continue to do so. It's as I've
always said: they're just growing pains. Furry fandom is in its awkward
adolesence right now, and we must roll with these punches as we continue
on our way to maturity.

See you all in July.

-- Uncle Kage

Comments

[cerisewolf.livejournal.com]

I'm more than a little absent minded. I'm sick of the phrase "Good initiative, bad judgement" But I suppose my command rubbing my nose in my mistakes has given me a little comparative wealth in the common sense department. As long as he can learn from shit, he's got nothing on the record that won't go away with time.

Mistakes are mistakes, but and the Man show? That's worse than comedy centrals little news show. I'm willing to bet his nose has been rubbed into the whole initiative/judgement thing, so as far as my opinion gos, I say it's over and done with.

Good to hear from Kage

[doniago.livejournal.com]

While I won't say I totally agree with all of what Kage said, I do support his sentiments, especially in the truth that we all screw up at one time or another. We should consider the possibility that Darrell wished to and would have scrubbed the media if he could have, but by that point it was beyond his control.

I also was not aware of the massive financial loss he apparently took in this enterprise, which, to put it mildly, sucks. Despite not being a real believer in the fandom I would take risks for them...but nobody could talk me into that kind of risk. This suggests to me that he is committed to the fandom's cause, and that should be appreciated.

As for the media's abuse of the situation, I think I sufficiently addressed that in a previous comment.

Thanks for passing this on Giza. Hope to see you at AC.

[quentincoyote.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to agree that the fact it was The Man Show should have been a *huge* warning sign, right there. I believe that he didn't do this on purpose, and had only the best intentions. Similar to what happened with the Anna in Wonderland show. Those furs got taken in, basically, and I still cringe when I think of some of the segments from that piece.

But The Man Show? C'mon, that whole show is based around big ignorant jerks being ignorant and jerk-ly. Hey, if it had been Ali G, then at least it might've been somewhat clever and funny ;-P

Q.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Hey Quentin, I didn't know you had an LJ, good to see you here! *adds you to his friends list*

[quentincoyote.livejournal.com]

Heheheh. Well... yeah, finally got my ass in gear and started writing to it. Pretty fun, actually! ;) Hope you're doing well, and maybe see you around sometime soon?

Q.

[boixboi.livejournal.com]

Most people have said something along the lines of "He's either the stupidest person alive, or he sold us out." Because the idea doesn't make sense to most of us that he could actually be convinced a program like the Man Show (or for that matter anything airing on a comedy channel) would be decent or fair-minded, we assume the latter. Many people I've talked to who were there at the con said it really hurt their experience, some going further to say it downright ruined it, not too surprising when you consider some of the actions of the crew there involved openly mocking them. I don't think Darrel can pass off that this is just a mistake-- it is, after all, a rather large one, and as such things go he will have to take responsibility for it. He definitely knew about it beforehand, and could perhaps at least have posted something to the website or done something to let people know-- considering how many furs despise all media and media attention. He didn't, which I'm assuming was to keep the attendance from dropping, for fear of losing more money to this thing than he already was in this.

The thing of it is, it's not OUR job to sponsor Darrel's actions. So, he was in debt because of poor workings with the hotel and contracts and all of that. All the fans who attended paid dearly for that, it seems, even if the thing never airs. Darrel saved himself 4,000 dollars he would have been in debt to the hotel due to his own poor management of Confurence. He's not innocent here.

I don't run a con, I don't staff a con, it's true I don't have to put up with the challenges and responsibilities he did. The thing is, he took a personal financial risk by taking the position of con chair, by signing contracts with the hotel. He made poor judgement calls about how many people he thought he could get to attend, and it sounds from others who live in the area as if he had a lot to do with Confurence's decline since 10 through other poor decisions.

Now, I'm not saying he owes anybody to do anything-- he doesn't. But I would never trust this man, personally, because it seems he has a lot of trouble making good decisions. He's earned all of the distrust he recieves, even if not the outright loathing.

[taral.livejournal.com]

Darrel saved himself 4,000 dollars he would have been in debt to the hotel due to his own poor management of Confurence.

Read again. He did NOT make any money, nor was his debt reduced.

[boixboi.livejournal.com]

I wasn't suggesting he made any money, only that he got out of some of the debt...but looking again, as it reads, you are correct.

[foxiecrumz.livejournal.com]

I've always respected Kage for being firm on the no media stance.
I can't say enough how much I distrust the media.
Ask me about my darkstar crew days next time I see you. :P

[tigerwolf.livejournal.com]

Leave it to Kage to try to remove the blame from someone. Quite frankly, I'm not buying it. Darrel was in debt, and I think honestly, he DID make some of his money back by 'selling out' or .. 'making a mistake'. Honestly? I don't think Darrel is THAT incredibly stupid that he wouldn't have known what the Man Show is about/was planning, and honestly, no matter what Kage says, I agree with most of the people who claim that Darrel was a sellout.

Its his poor leadership and management skills that drove CF into the ground, and he made a last ditch effort to try to bring some of his debt back out of his pocket. *shrug* But whatever, to each their own. At least I didn't waste MY money on it. I had considered it, but then figured that it wouldn't be worth my time, considering how bad last year's was.

Re:

[tigerwolf.livejournal.com]

See, that's the thing. I wouldn't be STUPID enough to run a con, because the only time you get praise is if basically everything goes right, and I know that I don't have the time, nor the patience to do so.. However, Kage doesn't know the whole situation.. NOBODY does.. and it is still my belief that Darrel isn't THAT stupid to know what the show is about and what they do..

[film2edit.livejournal.com]

Doug, thanks for posting that. I'll pass the post along to some other folks.

[patgund.livejournal.com]

You know, I know Darrell, and worked for him doing first aid at a CF several years ago. Considering Darrell has had a no press policy in the past, it sounds to me like Darrell may have been told by the hotel that these groups would be there, so cope. Especially since he didn't get any money from it, and that hotel is getting increasingly fan-hostile, (LosCon's had some problems there as well.)

He may have tried to make the best of a bad situation. Alas, the results have half the furs I know in reflex panic grooming mode, and the other half boiling tar and plucking chickens.

Guess what, We'll cope, we'll survive. Pointing fingers and assigning blame does no good, I'm more concerned with what can be learned from the experience.

Were mistakes made? Quite possibly. However, people and communities learn from mistakes. We can learn from this. Shit happens, we cope, we go on.

Uncle Kage was quite wise in his post

[technomom]

I'm not part of furry fandom, but I'll reiterate something I've said for years - do not trust the press to do anything but use you to get whatever they want said out there. If you are 100% sure that agrees with your own agenda, that's great - work with them. Otherwise, stay away.
http://www.technomom.com/writing/press.html

[snowdog.livejournal.com]

I trust reporters to be fair, accurate and showing both sides of the story. I also stll believe in Santa Claus. :D Seriously though, If I'm at a con, and some media type comes up to me, I'll be polite, but as far as answering any questions, nada.

[wordslinger.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Doug, and thank you, Uncle Kage.

I've been there, done that, bought the tee shirt with sweat and blood and personal debt. I ran four different conventions and was a staffer on many Worldcons (including the one that just tanked and lost tons of cash.) For the record, I've dealt with stuff like that and I've known Darrel for around 15 years.

You might not like it or agree with it, but Kage's take on it is spot on.

Thanks for saying that, guys. I'd add my name to the note any time.

WORDS FROM THE DRAGON

[joshvon.livejournal.com]

Well First and Foremost I'd say It's good to hear from Kage, and I thank god that he is runing the first furry con I'm going to attend, and that he has enough insite and common sense not to let in an type of media so that I can enjoy myself and not have to worry bout some film crew misinterperting what my interestes are. It is however unforunate that the actions of not what the furs at confurance did, but what the man show crew and juggies did.

But while I do not agree with what devon did, I do not know him and can not make a judement on his character, or say he did it for money because I don't know his fincial situation. We also can not completly damn him or the con for what it might do to the fandom. Who knows they might not even air it. They film a tun of stuff they dun air.

But know this. We all are wisier for it happening and know that it will not happen again. Especially not with Kage in charge so hazah having ppl like Kage an such out there and let them be teh spokespersons for the fandom (note: I have not met kage IRL, but his statements and actions reflect those of a great man and con leader)

So I say wait till it airs...then let the (pardon the pun) fur fly.

Thanks for posting this.

[starbiter.livejournal.com]

Welcome, btw, to my LJ friends list! :D
I have been out of the furry track for so long, that when I heard about this I felt like it was completely unrelated to who I am now. And in a way, it still is. But I'm glad to hear the news, even if it's bad. I mean, I guess I'm glad to hear UK give some clarification to it.
Still..... Furry + Media = Pandora's Wide Open Box of Evil, Squiggling Badness. When are people going to learn? ER, Vanity Fair, MTV wasn't enough?

I like Kage and respect him

[toraneko.livejournal.com]

but his opinions on what did or didn't happen are just that, opinion, conjecture. Darrel is the only one that really knows and I don't know if I'd trust him to be honest about it. His track record isn't very good so far with the honesty thing at this point. I've seen posts from him on the CF message board encouraging people to book rooms 'before they sell out" when that was not even close to happening. He has a track record of bad decisions and that is the main reason so many stayed away. I don't believe for a second he didn't know exactly what was gonna happen and even if he didn't know the responsibility still falls on him as the con chair.

It'll most likely remain fodder for the rumor mill for some time to come, or at least until the next scandal emerges.

I also have to get a huge chuckle out of people complaining that it wasn't an accurate portrayal. Um.....it's the Man Show and Jimmy Kimmel. comedy shows, not nightline. *LOL*

[kinkyturtle.livejournal.com]

Whether you agree with the points Kage has made or not, there's one thing I think we can all agree on:

We should keep our heads and be sensible about this incident, and not be beating each other up or calling for anybody's head on a platter or whatever.

Darrel Exline and a Southern California Furry Convention

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

Some people in fandom know me as Andrew. I used to work on CF staff until Darrel and I had a rather public and noisy falling-out. I said some things publicly on a.f.f. that I now wish I could take back; the rest is now irrelevant with the fall of CF. People who know the story can testify that I'm no partisan of Darrel's, in fact rather the opposite.

Uncle Kage has an excellent point, a realization I reached a year and a half after my public, messy and personally painful dispute with Darrel. The man has now put several years of his life and a boatload of money (his inheritance, I might add) into running Confurence. I disagree with his "sources and methods" and I feel very strongly that CF should not die with Darrel.

However, damn it, furry fandom owes Darrel one hell of a lot. If you attended CF in the last five years, you attended a private party thrown and paid for by Darrel Exline. The only thing he had to gain was his reputation, and now he's blown that out too.

There are two possibilities here:

1) Darrel was genuinely trying to do good and screwed up. Thank him for what he did, forgive him his mistakes and move on. It didn't cost _you_ over thirty grand.

2) Darrel's been feeding his ego at the fandom's expense (and considerable personal expense.) If this second is true, could everyone shut the hell up now and stop feeding his ego?

Either way, let's all drop it and focus on something useful: creating a new Southern California furry convention to carry on the tradition if not the trademark.

Thank you.

(permission granted for redistribution)