Denver Pop Culture Con Day Two Recap
Written by Dr. Sarah
Where do I even start? Seriously where do I start this day?
I guess I start it after 12 hours of sleep. Yes, you heard that right I slept for 12 hours.
Once I woke up I immediately prepped my hair and makeup and made my way to the Convention center. My first stop was the media room to finalize media posts for day 1. I can’t say enough good about the staff in the media room. They were always incredibly helpful and kind.
I want to take this time to tell you more about Pop Culture Classroom, the non-profit organization behind Denver Pop Culture Con. I had some time to speak briefly with Tara in the media room in the morning, talking about the resources available for all types of educators from the non-profit via PopCultureClassroom.org. These resources are available for free or at very low cost for educators. I’m personally looking forward to using them in the upcoming school year for Lilly.
Much of this day feels like a blur, I spent some more time walking the floor as I made my way to the Captain Colorado theater for the Critical Role panel. Once seated with other members of the media we immediately all bonded in our love for Critical Role and the time passed relatively quickly.
Once the theater was loaded Brian W. Foster came out to introduce the cast of Critical Role. It was amazing to watch their reactions to the crowd and you could see how close they are as they interacted on stage, smiled, laughed and cried with us. The fans asked some amazing questions showing the absolute depth and passion of the Critter Community. Like I said before, I am so proud to call myself a Critter.
By this point I needed an adult beverage and made my way to the beer garden to wait for my autograph with Matt Mercer, in that time I connected with other nerds as we talked about Disney World, Geek Parenting, books, and all the other geeky things we love. I encountered some amazing cosplays at the same time. There’s something to be said for nerds. We love to meet like-minded nerds. Now that being said, I also had my only creepy moment so far, when a man with his girlfriend asked me where he could get laid. I maintained my control, didn’t attempt to gatekeep the couple, and stressed the importance of consent, leaving it at that and leaving the table. Don’t be this guy, ever.
I made my way to Celebrity Summit, after a few friends to remind me to go to the bathroom first (because nerves.) I waited for my time slot, prepared my dice box for signing and of course dropped a few dice while I was waiting in line, while I made an awkward joke about making a critical failure. When my turn came up, interacting with Matt was amazing, he makes eye contact when he talks to you and seems genuinely happy to meet the fans. I told him why Critical Role is so important to me and for the first time meeting a “celeb” cried (which only embarrassed me more) but Matt got up and gave me a big hug. Big hug, and he didn’t let go for a minute. These voice actors, show such a depth of caring for their fans that I’ve never seen or experienced before and it is because of them that the Critter Community is so damn amazing.
I was pretty wiped out after that moment and headed back to the hotel where I plopped down in the lobby to start writing this article. Little did I realize that I had sat down next to Matt Key from Key Questions. Now, I did realize that Sean Gunn was also at the bar and just smiled to acknowledge him (I’m not the one to approach people in public, I like to give people their space.) Heading back to my seat with a Stout and a shot of High West Rye I realized it was Matt Key. He was also hard at work but I said hello and we had a fantastic conversation about projects he’s working on, how the Critical Role panel went, and how I really think Key Question needs to be on the Critical Role Twitch Channel (or some iteration of it.)
This weekends experience has, hands down, been the best Con experience I’ve had. This is my second year attending Denver Pop Culture Con and it has quickly become an absolute favorite. I’m also looking forward to Reno Pop Culture Con coming in November. Time will only tell but I would love to see Pop Culture Classroom come to Salt Lake City.
Stay tuned for more coverage on social media today and a Day Three Recap tomorrow!