From Dusk Till Con's TargetJon speaks to Ryan Reiter, creator of  first year show, ZomBcon, which debuts Halloween weekend in Seattle, WA.

If you live in the Northwest, you may have heard or seen the world record breaking zombie walk that took place in Seattle that had over 6000 attendees. From the same organizers of the Red White and Dead Zombie walk comes zomBcon, a convention focusing on the “zombie culture”. zomBcon has put together an impressive guest list and has several great events planned geared towards the “zombie” culture. Planned for Halloween weekend this year, this first year convention looks to make waves on the convention scene.

I had the chance to sit down with Ryan Reiter creator and founder of West/North Entertainment and he gave me some insight into zomBcon and what they have planned.

TargetJon: Tell me about zomBcon. How did it come about? When is the convention? Where is it going to be held?

Ryan Reiter: The convention takes place in heart of downtown Seattle this Halloween weekend (October 29th – 31st) at the Seattle Center. ZomBcon arose from the success of last summer’s event spectacle, The Red, White, and Dead Zombie Walk on the Fourth of July weekend in Fremont. 6,000 people in full zombie costumes mobbed the streets and subsequently won a Guinness World Record. We were honored to receive the award at the Comic Con Convention in San Diego in front of thousands of fans.

The record win triggered a huge ripple in the Zombie community signaling the evolution of Zombie Fan Culture as its own separate genre in horror. With the genesis of the World’s first convention dedicated to the exploding cult of Zombie fan enthusiasm, ZomBcon 2010 officially marks the “Year of the Zombie” and is on its way to cementing Seattle's reputation as the “Zombie Capital of the World.” The city that owns the Guinness World Record for the “Largest Gathering of Zombies” on the planet now plans to bring the community another first.

TargetJon: Since Seattle is the “Zombie Capital of the World”, was it a no-brainer to have a zombie convention there?

RR: Initially, given that our annual Red, White and Dead Zombie Walk broke two world records, it seemed like the perfect host city. The fans are definitely there,and we have an incredible community partner partnership with Seattle International Film Festival.

We believe that Seattle has great potential and offers attendees a unique and culturally relevant place to visit every year. We are bringing a world-class convention that rivals the best you'd find in any major city. We have prepared a great program filled with amazing guests from all over the country. This is finally something really big that Seattle can call its own.

TargetJon: What media guests do you current have scheduled to be there?

RR: It’s kind of surreal; we started out with a wish list and aimed high. Thankfully, we have every guest we requested so far and it continues to grow. George A. Romero will be honored, along with Lloyd Kaufman, Bruce Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, Max Brooks, and Seth Grahame Smith, Ladies of the Evil Dead followed by a few more guests that I can’t share with you at this point, but they are big names, so stay tuned.

All of our guests tie into more than just your traditional panels that offer sneak peeks and promotional vehicles or for autographs, we have all of that, but we wanted to work with our guests to find opportunities to make this unique for them to sign on and interact with their fans too. We're crafting some really fun events. Trekkies VS ZomBies Family Feud anyone?

TargetJon: What authors are planning on doing book signings?

RR: The biggest names in Zombie literature are signed on. We are most proud to be bringing to life Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide as an interactive fan workshop with real life survival and combat trainers following Max Brooks' presentation.

We had the great pleasure to meet up with Quirk Books at SDCC this year and talk with Brett Cohen about bringing their arsenal of guests from Seth Grahame Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), Steve Hockensmith (Dawn of the Dreadfuls) Kevin David Anderson (Night of the Living Trekkies).
Ryan Brown plans to be in attendance and already has had his book, PLAY DEAD turned into a film.

Other authors include Jonathan Mayberry, Roger Ma (The Zombie Combat Manual,) Steve Mockus (How to Speak Zombie), Scott Browne (Breathers) and many others. It’s pretty amazing who you can meet at this convention.

TargetJon: What events are planned for the weekend? Is there going to be a vendor room, screenings etc.? Do you have another world record zombie walk attempt planned?

RR:
- Max Brooks and George A. Romero plan to sit down for the first time ever and discuss George's influence on society
- EVIL DEAD Gala – Restored with Bruce Campbell
- George A. Romero – Night of the Living Dead Gala & Honorary Tribute
- Lloyd Kaufman - Honorary Tribute for Independent Voice in Film and Television
- Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide Workshop and Lecture
- PROM OF THE DEAD – Halloween Costume Party

TargetJon: Where do you see zomBcon growing, do you want it to be just a Northwest convention or something more?

RR: That has been one of the most commonly asked questions by people. Some see Zombies as the next Twilight trend, but Zombies have always kept a steady pace over the last ten years. From 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, and Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead to Zombieland and The Walking Dead on AMC, not to discount the countless video games and iphone aps.. the genre is exploding back into mainstream pop culture.

ZomBcon International will remain in Seattle for the time being and we hope to show the world why Seattle is known as the Zombie Capital of the World.
In the future, I would like to see it reach to many different audiences, including our international fan base.

TargetJon: What are the ticket options for the convention? Any VIP perks? Hotel deals?

RR: We have several different packages and single day tickets. The Ultimate Fan Weekend includes hotel, VIP access to every event, private parties and celebrity meet and greets. If you're a film buff, grab the Celluloid VIP pass and get first seating at the film festival. One could get a single ticket to the Zombie Prom or just come to the Winchester Pub on Sunday and have a beer.

We're happy to have partnered with The Maxwell Hotel, literally a few steps from the convention center. They have been super to work with and the hotel is gorgeous. We have room available at our website, or one could reference ZomBcon for discounts.

TargetJon: Any hints at upcoming announcements you can share with the From Dusk Till Con faithful?

RR: One thing we are working on that no one knows about yet- we've commissioned cult artist Stephen Romano to create a limited edition poster art for the rerelease of Evil Dead that you will only be able to buy through ZomBcon. It will be a throwback to the early days of horror posters that you can get signed by Bruce and the Ladies of the Evil Dead.
...and then there's that thing about AMC's The Walking Dead that I can't tell you about....

TargetJon: In a year of conventions really stepping up their game to be bigger and better than the rest, what is going to make ZomBcon stand out from the crowd and make it the convention of choice?

RR: That is always the trick; be better. To answer that- stay true to the fans, they are who matter most. I have been to so many conventions and I am always underwhelmed by the panels in big white rooms and its all about promotion and egos. I want to hear from the best in the business and find out what interests them and what they think about all of this, not necessarily their publisher or agent's sales agenda. We have some amazing panels that break the mold for many different reasons. We can't even call them panels. We're going to redefine the interaction between guest and celebrity.

Some say we have a lot to prove and that’s okay. We like that people are talking about us. We are the world’s first dedicated zombie culture convention and our success and reputation will be built on creating an experience for fans, not just producing an event. We are every excited that all of our guests will be accessible to our attendees, so whether you want an autograph or listen to Max Brooks interview George A. Romero, hear Bruce Campbell talk shop on the best ways to kill a Zombie, play Left 4 Dead For The Win, or stock up on Zombie Survival gear. There’s something for everybody.

TargetJon: Where can fans keep up with the convention or contact you for more info?

RR: Catch us on our Facebook (ZomBcon-Seattle) and Twitter (Twitter.com/zombcon) for up to the minute updates which is always buzzing and www.zombcon.com.

TargetJon: Ryan thanks for taking the time to chat with us and good luck with the show and your future endeavors.

RR: Thanks! We greatly appreciate your support being a new CON this year, it all greatly helps.

- TargetJon