Zachary Levi's Comic-Con Tips & Zombie Bullying PSA
Zachary Levi's tips for having the best time at a fan convention (Nerd HQ)
Comic Con has been going on for so many years that those going time and again know the drill. They know they will have to queue up early to get into certain ballrooms; they know they will often have to sit in said ballroom all day, even if they only want to catch one or two select panels at the end; they know to grab swag bags and carry snacks because there is nowhere to eat on the floor. But Nerd HQ is brand new, so LA TV Insider Examiner went to event producer (and Chuck star, duh) Zachary Levi to learn what was most essential to consider in order to make the most out of his event, and of course, have the most fun while there.
First and foremost? Levi pointed out that his Nerd HQ is free to fans, with the exception of the panels, which are being designed to raise money for Operation Smile, a charitable cause for which Levi acts as an ambassador.
“I think that as a celebrity you’re given incredible power. It’s a really incredible gift that you’re given, and platform that you’re given, and you can use that just for selfish ambition, or you can use that to shine a light on things that need a light shone on them,” Levi told us over the phone earlier this month.
Want to read all about the planning of Nerd HQ? Click here for part one of our chat with Levi.
So of course, if you can give more than the minimum $20 asked for attending each panel, Levi (and the charity!), would greatly appreciate it, but he pointed out that he didn’t want to break the bank for the biggest fans. And as of right now, there really aren’t any “extras” for donating more. Levi didn’t want to get into tiered seating or anything that might begin to separate some nerds from the rest. You’re all equally important to his Nerdolution!
More tips from Levi:
- Respect is key-- of each other as fans, but also of the celebrities themselves. “[Nerd HQ] is a refuge for people from Hollywood coming down to enjoy themselves and also interact with the fans, so if they have time for pictures and autographs and stuff, then awesome, but if they say they don’t have any time, then just respect that and let them kind of enjoy Comic Con as you’re enjoying Comic Con as a fan,” he requested.
- Don’t ask personal or otherwise intrusive questions during the panels. Levi said personal questions are the only things he considers off-topic at Nerd HQ, but other than that, he wants fans to feel free to “nerd out” as much as possible-- as much as he has in the past. “Really the whole point is just to give fans a chance to ask what they want to ask,” he said. “As long as it’s about the work, and about the experience doing the work-- you know, when I first met Dominic, I riddled him with questions because I was a huge Lord of the Rings and LOST fan, and when Dom came and guest starred on [Chuck] a couple of years ago, I was like ‘Dude, I’m sorry; I know I’m about to totally nerd out on our right now, but what was that experience like working on Lord of the Rings?’ And then once I got through all that, I was like ‘So, I’m also a huge LOST fan…’ And I just wouldn’t let it got because you want to know! And it’s just stuff that you’re not going to get in an interview, or it’s stuff that they wouldn’t print while the show was still going on, but now you can kind of get those answers or those candid moments or whatever. I think it will be really exciting.”
- Don’t feel like you have to stuff your SDCC swag bags with snacks for Nerd HQ. “Instead of being lost in the sea of the enormity of the floor and hopefully having a buddy with you who’s running to go grab a bottle of water while you wait, it’s like ‘Hey, we’ve got a cocktail waitress here; would you like a cocktail or some crab cakes’?” Levi previewed.
- Before heading to San Diego, make sure you spread the word and tell as many of your friends as possible. Tweet; Facebook; Tumble (?), etc! Oh, yeah, and buy some Nerd Machine swag. Special benefits await. “There will be benefits to buying Nerd HQ apparel,” Levi teased. “For example, the treasure-slash-scavenger hunt that we’re going to do on Thursday to kick off the HQ, you can only participate if you’re wearing Nerd Machine apparel, so if you want to be involved in it, and you want to win whatever cool prizes are at the end of the rainbow, then, you know…”
- If you’re entering the Nerd Shorties contest, keep it clean but step up your creativity. “we want to be able to show them to everyone, including minors, so don’t get too crazy with language or nudity or stuff like that. There should be no nudity and hopefully no crazy language or stuff like that, but I just want people to get creative! It’s tough to make a minute short film, but it’s also really a fun challenge, and with After Effects and computer graphics and with everything that you can do now at home with pro-sumer technology, people have made some really cool stuff! And know that people are making really cool stuff so really step up your game and try to make something as cool as you can make it,” Levi advised.
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