In light of the ongoing fallout from Universal FanCon I thought it would be helpful to do a little amateur investigation in hopes of providing answers to questions many of us have. This will likely be an evolving and changing document about the “what” and “when” of FanCon (I hope to discuss the “who” in another post because that could also be a long one), and my intent is to provide something moderately helpful to those dealing with this situation. If you have anything you want to correct here, let me know. You are welcome to copy and republish portions of this as long as you (1) attribute to me by linking back to this Medium post and (2) do not profit from it or use it in any professional / paid capacity (looking at you BuzzFeed).
Some Disclaimers / Disclosures:
- All information I have gathered was found via public and online sources unless otherwise stated.
- It is not my objective to dox anyone or put them in danger of physical harm or unlawful harassment. So, despite any hurt or anger you may feel, please don’t do anything like that. All personal information here is legally available to the public (most of it from government organizations and social media) and can be discovered in about 10-20 minutes of searching online. Having said that, I will try to give extra consideration when discussing women of color for reasons that should be obvious.
- I am not a journalist, private investigator, attorney, event manager, or similar professional. I’m doing all this on my own time and without compensation.
- I have nearly $0 at stake here. I am not an artist, performer, guest, or vendor. My income does not depend on conventions. I can drive to Baltimore in 40 minutes, my hotel reservation was cancelled without incident, and I was refunded for my extra ticket. I contributed $1 to the Kickstarter. I understand many others are facing dire financial situations due to FanCon, and I’ll try to be as cognizant of that as I can, but be aware that I am not in the same situation.
- I have little patience or sympathy for gross incompetence or negligence.
- I have less patience or sympathy for liars, con men, frauds, and predators.
- I have zero patience and sympathy for grossly incompetent liars and frauds.
- This may be a fairly long read.
A Timeline of Key Events
I’ve done my best here to lay out some key events and when they occurred while trying to limit it to basic facts. I have included some personal conjecture and theories, but I’m always open to additional input and correction. Relevant web-based sources are linked throughout. All times are Eastern/NYC Time.
December 13, 2016
Kickstarter campaign launches
- The stated goal was to “bring together at least 10,000 of our closest geek friends”
- The campaign specified the dates and location for FanCon: “Universal Fan Con will take place on April 27th through the 29th of 2018, at the Baltimore Convention Center”
Update 5/7: According to an article written for Vulture the convention center was indeed secured — for $45,000 — before the Kickstarter campaign ended.
December 15, 2016
The Black Geeks and Black Girl Nerds issue a joint press release about FanCon
January 2, 2017
The Universal FanCon Kickstarter campaign achieves its initial funding goal
January 12, 2017
Kickstarter campaign ends after successfully raising $56,498 with 1,187 backers
8:25 PM — The official FanCon Twitter account tweets that original backers will receive “Special Edition Swag, Commemorative Gear, and a Reception”. The approximate value of these is unknown.
January 13, 2017
FanCon provides an update to Kickstarter backers:
- States that “hotels have been reserved, and the contract for the convention center has been signed”, this is one month after announcing the dates and location in the Kickstarter campaign
- Promises backers “beginning in 2019 and beyond, you will receive FREE ADMISSION TO UFC FOR LIFE”. This is also announced by FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler via twitter.
If anyone knows the name of the company that signed a contract with BCC or Hyatt, or has seen contracts and correspondence related to a BCC-FanCon agreement, please contact me.
January 12 to 27, 2017 (estimated)
Kickstarter collects funds
- Per Kickstarter policy, funds are collected 14-days after the campaign ends. This would be on or about January 26–27.
- I personally received email notice of collection on Jan 12. My credit card statement seems to reflect this.
- The campaign is in the name of FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler, but it is unknown who received the funds. I have contacted Kickstarter to see if they can share any information, but have not received a response.
February 22, 2017
FanCon website goes live.
April 13, 2017
A trademark is filed for Universal FanCon, as an unincorporated association based at an address matching the business address for Universal FanCon Corporation. The filing attorney listed is Heidi Tandy of Price Benowitz, a law firm that has also done legal work for Black Girl Nerds.
April 27, 2017
Ticketing begins and Kickstarter backers are notified of early bird pricing
May 23, 2017
8:54 AM (approx)— The domain geekisuniversal.com is registered by Tom Leonard (FanCon Vice President of Marketing and Sales) under a company called Left Marketing. This domain is later used for an online resource portal for FanCon Affiliates according to emails provided to Women Write About Comics.
2:27 PM — FanCon announces application for convention volunteers
June 17, 2017
FanCon organizers host a meetup during AwesomeCon
- I personally met some of the staff and affiliates there. The team seemed excited and professional (see business cards below).
- I discussed the event, the team, and con planning with Director of Business and Strategy Peter Matise (I’m 90% sure it was him, maybe Robert Butler). He gave what I considered an overly positive assessment of FanCon’s progress, which is not entirely unreasonable since they had nearly a year to make it happen at that time and I was not entitled to details team members would be.
July 13, 2017
Universal FanCon Corporation is formed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
- Directors — Robert Darnell Butler, Austin (Maurice) Abram
- Business address matches a residential property owned by Universal FanCon Finance Director Austin Abram
- Articles of Incorporation appear to be filed by attorney Qasim Rashid. This is the same name of an individual listed by Kickstarter as a collaborator of Universal FanCon/Robert Darnell Butler — I contacted Qasim via Twitter to confirm his involvement in the corporation but have not received a response. His Twitter page does not currently indicate any involvement beyond a single tweet promoting the Kickstarter campaign.
- Update 4/30: According to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, they do not maintain records of the issuance or exchange of shares, and since the corporation is private they are not required to report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. So it is unknown who else may have ownership of the corporation.
- It is unknown if or how any contracts were established prior to the formation of this company; such as contracts with the Baltimore Convention Center or Hyatt hotels. Nor is it known how payments were made for business cards, web hosting, trademark, legal fees, etc. or what the implications of that could be.
According to at least one guest, writer Jeremy Whitley, FanCon guests began receiving appearance agreements on this day. Jeremy shared a copy of the agreement with me, which outlines specific timeframes for various actions:
- FanCon planned to provide guests with four night stay at a hotel.
- FanCon was required to send plane ticket confirmation 30 days before the event. That did not happen for at least one guest in this case.
- Cancellation of the event by FanCon requires a minimum of 60 days notice to the artist/guest. If notice is provided they shall be held harmless.
- According to an email exchange I had with Jeremy, he says of the agreement: “I never received any of the things that are here promised which date 30 or 60 days out from the con.” His name was also misspelled as ‘Jeremy Whittle’.
- Also, according to interviews conducted by Women Write About Comics, another guest, identified only as Sam, had a similar experience and his accommodations were never confirmed.
October ??, 2017
Date unknown — Thai Pham joins the FanCon team as VP of Convention Operations and Entertainment. According to an interview Vulture conducted with Pham and Robert Butler, Pham was a paid contractor. It is unclear if Ron Roecker, Vice President Public Relations & Corporate Communications, was also brought on board at this time but he was also a paid contractor according to Vulture.
October 13, 2017
The FanCon Foundation is formed as a corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia
- The business address is the same as Universal FanCon Corporation.
- A search of the IRS records revealed no match for FanCon. It is presumed the corporation does not have tax-exempt status.
- Update 4/25: A source for Women Write About Comics confirmed the foundation was registered as a non-stock corporation
- According to an event posted on the Wounded Warrior Community Fundraising website, FanCon Foundation: “provides funding and support to organizations that highlight, create, or represent diversity and inclusion, while also supporting the needs of anyone who is a fan of pop culture” (Source). Since this description would certainly apply to the FanCon event, it is likely the foundation was founded to collect donations that would fund the activities of Universal FanCon Corporation.
December 9, 2017
Featured guest and proponent of FanCon, Orlando Jones, tweets his last known mention of FanCon on Twitter
Update 5/7: according to Vulture Orlando Jones and his team dropped from FanCon in mid-March, citing low ticket sales.
January 2018
According to an article written for Vulture, FanCon had only sold 169 tickets with four months remaining before the event.
January 12, 2018
After designer Cellatrix LePain submitted t-shirt designs for FanCon, VP/Director of Business and Strategy Peter Matise tells her “Everybody working on FanCon is a volunteer.” This contradicts reports of profit sharing for affiliates (see March 9), as well as contractors working for FanCon (see April 22). The official FanCon Twitter account eventually promotes and sells t-shirts credited to Cellatrix LePain on Jan 26. She later told Women Write About Comics “I only handed over my designs based on the idea that no one was profiting from the event.”
February 17, 2018
Trademark filing revived, currently awaiting further action
February 20, 2018
Black Girl Nerds tweets about an open house for prospective FanCon volunteers happening on February 24
March 2, 2018
Jamie Broadnax sends a tweet saying “many of the people behind this will become major players in the entertainment industry”
March 7, 2018
FanCon emails promo codes for backers to purchase tickets
March 9, 2018
FanCon affiliates receive an email from the Tatiana King-Jones*, Deputy Director of Community Outreach:
- States the ticket sales goal is 18,000 tickets** and “active” affiliates are offered share of an estimated $150,000 in profits if this goal is reached
- Introduces the hashtag #FanConAssemble as an effort to “push the idea of Marvel/Disney integrating FanCon”
- Source: Women Write About Comics
*On April 23rd Tatiana discussed her role with FanCon on the FANBros TV YouTube channel, the level of involvement affiliates had with Universal FanCon.
**It is worth mentioning that attendance at Baltimore Comic Con, a popular convention started in 2000, has been held at the Baltimore Convention Center since 2002 and had an estimated 15,000 in attendance in 2010.
Update 4/28 — I’ve recently heard, from more than one source, that FanCon affiliates were offered a commission on ticket sales made using their promo code. I’m currently looking for documentation and will update if/when I can.
March 16, 2018
1:50 PM — FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler announces a private screening for Avengers Infinity War is going to happen, says FanCon badges will be required.
5:59 PM — Jamie Broadnax publishes open letter about Black Girl Nerds, and makes first public mention of Black Girl Nerds LLC. In it she says: “I need to shift from BGN being Jamie Broadnax’s blog to BGN being an entertainment media outlet”
March 17, 2018
10:32 PM — FanCon offers phone charging lanyards, states proceeds will go towards The FanCon Foundation. It is assumed none of these lanyards were ever delivered. FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler later confirms the existence of The FanCon Foundation via Twitter.
March 23, 2018
I contacted FanCon via email for a refund on the extra ticket I purchased in January. Since I had not heard about free passes for backers, I assumed I wasn’t getting a free ticket for donating $1. In response I was told “Unfortunately, there are no refunds but you can always donate a pass to charity or to a friend.”
March 26, 2018
Cut-off date for Kickstarter backers to claim their tickets, approximately 19 days after promo codes were provided.
April 3, 2018
According to FanCon Director of Outreach Jamie Broadnax, financial problems were made apparent on this day: “a bomb was dropped on me about our finances. I was shocked that outstanding bills were not paid”.
According to an April 26 Medium post by Melanie Dione, the former Director of Entertainment, there was a “six-figure deficit”.
Update 4/27: In an interview with The Root Jamie Broadnax says “Thai Pham told me that the organizers had run up nearly $400,000 in unpaid expenses”. Based on previous statements, it is assumed this occurred on April 3.
Update 5/6: On this day the security company contracted by FanCon Independent Security Advisors (ISA), led by Director of Safety and Security Matthew Parker, “learned of a financial management concern” that led ISA to “cease all planning and staffing for this event”. According to ISA, they still have an outstanding invoice with FanCon.
Update 5/7: According to Vulture, Robert Butler told FanCon board members the convention was $289,000 in debt at the beginning of April.
It is also noted in the piece from Vulture that celebrity guests were offered “five-figure” appearance fees. It is indicated that these were paid for with the personal funds of organizers.
April ??, 2018
According to Jamie Broadnax: “We discussed having an emergency Go Fund Me and I even created a video as a last-ditch effort.”
April 4, 2018
According to Jamie Broadnax: FanCon held a meeting with Affiliates, where most agreed “a Go Fund Me would be a good idea”
According to Melanie Dione, the former Director of Entertainment, during the all hands meeting she “stated clearly in front of everyone that I believed the [Go Fund Me] was a horrendous idea”
Dee of 3 Black Geeks stated in a YouTube video that he and several others at the meeting suggested telling the fans about the truth about the situation. It is assumed this occurred during the same all-hands meeting. He also stated FanCon financial troubles could have been apparent as early as February.
Update 5/7: According to Vulture this all-hands meeting took place on April 4th.
April 6, 2018
The April 26 statement on Medium posted by Melanie Dione, former Director of Entertainment, reveals some significant developments shared with FanCon staff on April 6. Most notably a sponsor was allegedly found and money was available to proceed with the event.
Update 5/7: According to an article by Vulture FanCon secured a $10,000 sponsorship from SyFyWire. At this time it was known to FanCon organizers that their outstanding expenses were closer to $300,000.
April ??, 2018
According to Jamie Broadnax: At a secondary meeting of the FanCon board (board membership is unknown at this time) they “agreed that we should try to find ways to scale down the size of the space and try to defray costs.”
Update 5/7: according to an article written for Vulture the FanCon board included Robert Butler, Austin Abram, Rob Gill, Peter Matise — all members of The Black Geeks — and Jamie Broadnax.
April 10, 2018
2:21 AM — Black Girl Nerds Twitter account tweets suggestion that the Baltimore Ravens sponsor 1000 tickets for underprivileged kids in Baltimore to attend FanCon
7:44 PM — FanCon emails attendees to notify them badges will not be mailed in time and offers refund of the $8 shipping fee as well as a complimentary weekend pass to “give to a family member, friend, or donate online or give to us to donate to our many charities”
April 13, 2018
8:38 PM — FanCon announces via twitter the availability of tickets and exclusive swag for a special screening of Avengers: Infinity War
On or about April 13, FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler sits down for an interview with MSR. The interview was later published on April 20, hours before the postponement was announced.
April 18, 2018
5:59 AM — The official FanCon Twitter account tweeted that all money comes “from ticket sales and personal bank accounts” and that they “still have expenses”
8:45 AM — FanCon sends tweets indicating they may ask Starbucks for sponsorship
9:33 AM — The official FanCon Twitter account tweets about “buying, gifting, or donating” 3,000 more tickets and indicates that the success of FanCon comes down to ticket sales
9:35 AM — Jamie Broadnax tweets her support for the idea of Starbucks “giving money to” Universal Fan Con in order to redeem the company’s public image after a recent incident at one of their Philadelphia locations.
9:39 AM —FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler tweets his agreement with the idea of financial support from Starbucks
9:56 AM —FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler tweets that the #1 reason to buy a ticket is because other fans “sacrificed and had the audacity to try to change things”
10:32 AM — Roxane Gay is announced as a special guest via the official FanCon Twitter account
1:18 PM — FanCon offers 50% off discounts to Baltimore residents
Time unknown — ISA shuts down all security operations related to FanCon. In a message posted on the ISA training website, ISA CEO and FanCon ‘Director of Safety and Security’ Matthew Parker explains: “In retrospect all the signs were there, sponsors didn’t follow through with commitments, talent canceled, key staff quit and worst still, this convention, this business, became a personal calling all about the message and less about paying the bills. When zealots take over you can bet failure is not far behind.” Mr. Parker went on to say “We do have an outstanding invoice with the management of FanCon to reimburse us for administrative work and to cover flights for agents that did not refund, but that is another story.”
April 19, 2018
Time unknown — according to her statement Jamie Broadnax “found out that we owed more money and that there was no way to run this con with the debt that was owed. I called the team myself and requested an emergency board meeting…”
Update: in a 4/27 interview with the Root, Jamie states that Hyatt, the host hotel, sent an email explaining “that over $70,000 was owed by the close of business Friday, April 20”. Based on previous statements it is assumed this occurred on or about April 19.
3:50 PM — FanCon offers 50% discounted tickets to Baltimore residents via Facebook and Twitter
Late evening —Melanie Dione, the Director of Entertainment, “received a call from Rob Gill, FanCon co-founder and Director of Operations that FanCon would be postponed and that they were working on the messaging”
April 20, 2018 — The day of postponement
8:51 AM — Melanie Dione, FanCon Director of Entertainment submits her resignation
around 11 am — Guests receive notification from the host hotel that their reservations were cancelled. At 12:16 PM Hyatt states the event was cancelled by the organizers.
If you had a reservation with Hyatt, I’d appreciate it if you could ask Hyatt the name of the company that initially held the block of rooms. Hyatt will not share that information unless you are asking about your own reservation. I’d also love to see any emails they sent regarding the booking.
12:10 PM — Melanie Dione announces her resignation from FanCon via Twitter. In her April 26 Medium post she says: “Announcing my resignation publicly was my ringing the alarm for those who booked their hotels elsewhere and happened to follow me.”
1:15 PM — Backers receive an email from FanCon Director of Outreach, Jamie Broadnax notifying them the convention is postponed. Emails of all backers were accidentally exposed to each other in the CC field instead of BCC.
Privacy tips: 1) Always use multi-factor authentication on everything you can, passwords are almost useless alone. 2) You can compartmentalize by using separate email accounts: e.g. one for very personal/secure things like banking, another for shopping/hacker targets, another for risky things like social media, another for job searches, etc. 3) Assume your info will eventually be compromised.
1:39 PM — FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler posts a series of tweets. He states the hotel sent notice of cancellation without any warning. He also states that a movie theater has been paid for. It is unknown who paid for the theater. These tweets have been deleted, but screen captures are available.
2:14 PM — As indicated by one Twitter user, many individuals did not receive an email informing them of any postponement or cancellation. It appears only Kickstarter backers were directly informed, and Hyatt guests were indirectly informed.
2:15 PM — In response to messages and social media activity FanCon announces via Twitter that an update will be made later that day
3:09 PM — FanCon announces via Twitter the convention is postponed
3:37 PM — FanCon states they will provide full insight into the situation and a contingency plan later the same day
5:03 PM — FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler confirms FanCon will provide a full account of what went wrong
Time unknown — Ticketing for FanCon is halted. It is unknown if the Groupon for the convention was halted at the same time, but an emergency request was made by FanCon the same day.
8:59 PM — Talent agency Lo Mo Pro confirms via Twitter that the screening of Avengers: Infinity War is still on for 12am Thursday evening/Friday morning. Tickets must be purchased normally online. It is still unclear if any theater for a FanCon screening of the film was paid for.
April 21, 2018
12:04 AM — The FanCon website is updated with official statement of postponement, it states tickets are not refundable.
7:37 AM — Former FanCon programming volunteer Kayla Sutton tweets details about her experience working with FanCon.
10:09 AM —FanCon affiliate The Nerds of Color releases a statement regarding FanCon.
11:56 AM — FanCon affiliate The Blerd Gurl releases a statement as well as advice for those affected.
1:06 PM — FanCon site updated again to state FanCon is working on refunds.
1:11 PM — FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler tweets apology for making his Twitter profile private, and asks for patience.
2:17 PM — Dee, of FanCon affiliate 3 Black Geeks, releases a video and Twitter statement in response to the situation.
4:48 PM — Director of Outreach Jamie Broadnax releases a statement on BlackGirlNerds.com with additional details.
4:52 PM — In association with a few FanCon affiliates, a group of organizers who are not associated with FanCon announce the WICOMICON popup event. An open invitation is extended to FanCon vendors, guests, and attendees. This is just over 24 hours after FanCon announced postponement.
7:57 PM — FanCon posts on Facebook, as well as Instagram, decrying the public identification and accusations of wrongdoing made against organizers. It specifically mentions that Thai Pham, along with unnamed others, are either contractors or volunteer staff.
Update 5/7: An article for Vulture confirms that Ron Roecker and Thai Pham were paid consultants for FanCon, although they were both listed as Vice Presidents on the FanCon website. Payment was apparently made from personal funds of the board members.
8:40 PM — Some vendors receive email notice of cancellation
April 22, 2018
11:40AM — FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler sends a series of Tweets (since deleted) stating he is working to refund money. He also indicates antagonism against organizers is at the level of death threats.
Time unknown — The Facebook event for FanCon is cancelled
5:08 PM — A tweet from Professor Shy Guy reveals that a Google survey for special guests erroneously contained the name PrideCon instead of FanCon. PrideCon was a failed, kickstarter-funded convention led by FanCon VP of Convention Operations and Entertainment Thai Pham. In addition to his role described on the FanCon website, this could be considered documentary evidence of his participation in the planning of Universal FanCon.
April 24, 2018
7:49 AM — Sarah Doheny, PR Consultant for FanCon, begins to publicly engage with a few individuals on Twitter.
10:45 AM — Some vendors reportedly receive notice of refunds for table fees paid via ShowClix. FanCon made no announcement nor claimed credit for this action.
Afternoon — Several ticket holders (myself included) who purchased via ShowClix report receiving refunds from ShowClix. This may be in accordance with the ticket broker’s policy for cancelled events. FanCon made no announcement nor claimed credit for this action.
6:36 PM — PR consultant Sarah Doheny tweets that a statement is forthcoming
8:01 PM — Some vendors and artists report they have yet to receive any direct notice about the status of FanCon
April 25, 2018
7:49 AM — Women Write About Comics publishes a fairly thorough and excoriating review of FanCon, the Kickstarter campaign, and FanCon leadership. It corroborates much of my own research and includes additional information; it is definitely worth reading.
5:13 PM — FAMCON, an online/digital convention experience created in place of FanCon panels, is announced for Sunday April 29.
10:35 PM — FanCon sends an email regarding the postponement and expressing support of unnamed alternative events in Baltimore. It also states they are “working around the clock to make this right”. While this email reportedly went to panelists, is unknown if it went to vendors or guests as well. There was no mention of specific actions being taken, refunds, nor any explanation for the situation.
Update 4/28: I spoke to a number of vendors at WICOMICON about FanCon and some had not received notice about the status of FanCon from organizers.
April 26, 2018
10:33 AM — It appears the City of Baltimore, or whomever was responsible for putting up a welcome sign, was unaware FanCon has been postponed
April 27, 2018
12:20 AM — Levar Burton expresses his disappointment with FanCon via Twitter
2:05PM — In an email interview with the Root, Jamie Broadnax states she was offered a portion of profits for her efforts but “I haven’t seen a dime and at this point, I don’t expect to see anything despite spending a lot of my time and putting my reputation on the line for it.” She also notes that “none of the organizers are answering my calls now”.
May 1, 2018
Stephanie Williams, co-host of Misty Knight’s Uninformed Afro Podcast, receives a cease and desist letter from her co-host and the FanCon Director of Outreach, Jamie Broadnax, and posts it on Twitter.
May 7, 2018
Vulture publishes an interview with FanCon President Robert Darnell Butler. In it some additional information is made clear, but organizers indicate they are broke and unable to offer refunds. Also Butler indicates a lack of support is to blame for the conventions failure.
I will try to update this timeline with relevant information as the situation evolves, or if I come across important new information.
Suggested Further Reading:
Women Write About Comics — This article does a good job of explaining why FanCon was likely doomed from the beginning. It also lays out a significant amount of information based on their research.
The Makings of Letting Down the Fans — An insightful statement from Melanie Dione, the former Director of Entertainment for FanCon
Vulture interview with Robert Darnell Butler gives some additional details about the planning and failure fo FanCon
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