Interview with OTFCC's Malin Huffman!

During the month of June, most of the rumors on my page had to do with various aspects of The Official Transformers Brand Collectors Convention. Saying that not all of these painted OTFCC in a flattering light would be a gross understatement. Rumors are interesting, but every now and then you just want to dispell them and get the facts. To that end I recently contacted OTFCC’s PR liaison, Malin Huffman, to get some answers to the more persistent questions about the upcoming convention. Mallin was gracious enough to answer nearly all of my questions.


Smooth: How will the convention utilize the Donald E. Stephens’ Center (DESC)? Considering the hall is massive, will only a portion of it be used for the convention?

Malin: We're still finalizing the layout of the space we'll be using; you're right, the convention center is huge! I think we ended up with a better venue than was originally planned. A map and convention schedule will appear in the pre-registration packets, which will be mailed out soon.

Smooth: Will there still be an art room, a video room, etc or will the massive DESC hall house all of the various OTFCC activities

Malin: Yes on both the art and video rooms! These are all planned to be separate areas, but I'll be able to say more for sure once the map/schedule are out.

The video room this year will showcase the entire run of the Generation 1 cartoon. I always enjoy the video room because it's a nice place to dodge the crowds, chill out, and immerse myself in episodes broadcast on a big screen.

This year's art contest/auction is being organized by Jenni (aka Trixter) and me. You can find more info on the categories and rules on the 2005 boards. I should note that while we put in a deadline of July 1 for converting VHS entries to digital video, I'll be happy to do this until July 25th.

Smooth: The convention exclusives: Are they still on track to be released at the convention and two-weeks after the convention respectively?

Malin: Yes, Megazarak is still planned to be available for pickup, with Sentinel Maximus to ship following the convention. We'll announce if we become aware of a change on this between now and convention time.

Smooth: Is there a definitive guest list at the moment?

Malin: Yes, (while I'll add the standard disclaimer that this list can always change due to professional commitments,) below is the current guest list.

Keep watching www.otfcc.com for updates, because we've got a couple more surprise guests to add to this roster!

ANTHONY BEARD (master painter)
BOB BUDIANSKY (G1 writer, original comic series)
VINCE DiCOLA (musician, TRANSFORMERSâ„¢ THE MOVIE)
SIMON FURMAN (writer, TRANSFORMERS ENERGONâ„¢, TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSEâ„¢)
DAN GILVEZAN (G1 voice actor, BUMBLEBEEâ„¢)
GUIDO GUIDI (artist, TRANSFORMERS ARMADAâ„¢, TRANSFORMERS ENERGONâ„¢)
MICHAEL McCONNOHIE (G1 voice actor, TRACKSâ„¢, COSMOSâ„¢)
ANDREW WILDMAN (artist, original Generation 1 comic, TRANSFORMERS WAR WITHINâ„¢ II: THE DARK AGES)

Smooth: OTFCC and its precursor, BotCon have always been famous for its various panels. What panels can be expected at this year’s convention?

Malin: We've got the usual panels attendees have come to expect- the Hasbro Q&A, voice actors, writer/artists, and the organizers' panel.

Besides the panels, there's a number of diverse fun activities- a toy painting workshop, the fan-written spoof of Transformers cartoons and other media, the sold-out mystery dinner and live script reading (for pre-registrants only,) the G1 multimedia library, which hasn't been talked about much, but should be cool- there will be artifacts like early versions of G1 cartoon scripts, the G1 Hasbro licensing guide, etc. And there will be a surprise or two!
Smooth: How many different dealers have signed up this year? Is the total number of tables available?
Mallin: I don't have the final count dealer-wise, but we're looking at around 90 tables and the dealer room is PACKED! We had dealers signing up until the last second, which is great but now we have to figure out where to put them all. (The lesson, next time, sign up early! (smiles) So fear not, there should be plenty of Transformers-related merchandise for attendees.

Thanks, Malin, for all the info! Remember everyone, the convention's coming up soon. If you're anywhere near the Chicagoland area, or are in the mood for a road trip, check out OTFCC!