Indy PopCon 2017!

Road trips are one of life’s great treasures. Snacks are plentiful, music blares and the open road full of promise stretches before you. Wherever you’re going, you’re bound to have fun getting there.

Back in July I packed my bags and headed to Indianapolis for Indy PopCon – a gaming/pop culture convention where fans of everything from Star Wars and Disney to Deadpool and Anime come together and celebrate their love affairs. Fans cosplay, meet up with their friends and explore the exhibit hall where vendors tempt you with all of your faves’ trinkets.

I was aiming to meet someone specific; his name is Ethan Nestor and his YouTube channel is CrankGameplays (look him up). His friends and fellow YouTubers Brian Long (Girbeagly) and Gerald Jones (OGChan) were with him so we got to encounter all three. They play mostly gaming videos – that is, they get on their computers and play video games on camera. Their content varies a bit to include vlogs, reaction videos, and challenges, but gaming is the focus which makes a convention like Indy PopCon a great place for them to visit.

The first step was buying tickets. Initially I went with a 3-day badge; I figured since I was only going to meet my faves I wouldn’t need much out of my tickets. But as the convention got closer and Brian talked about what they might do for VIP guests, I upgraded my badge. After everything was booked all there was left to do was get ready to go!

The drive down was smooth; music and Ethan’s Trash Goblins podcast kept me company and the GPS lead me straight to my hotel. It was hard picking a place to stop on the way but that was a minor inconvenience. Arriving was the fun part – after I picked up my key and examined my room I got to explore. I’d hoped to casually run into Ethan, Brian and G at dinner or the mall…and I came close.

My hotel was connected by a skyway to the downtown mall – too bad I didn’t know that ahead of time. After taking a shower to wash off the highway it was time to check in for the convention. I picked up my VIP badge and decided on dinner in my hotel lobby – had I chosen the mall instead I would’ve run into the guys I traveled 4½ hours to see. They didn’t come to the pre-party at the bar down the block either.

That was all rectified Friday, the first day of the con. The first thing I did was meet up with a fellow viewer and line up to pick up our meet & greet wristbands – our VIP status guaranteed us entrance to one meet & greet of our choice. We caught a glimpse of our guys going inside the exhibit hall for an early tour too!

Luckily they decided to hang around because 20 minutes later we found them on the exhibit hall show floor. VIP perks came in handy again – for the first 30 minutes of each day we were the only ones allowed in. When I found them, Brian was just talking to his girlfriend while Ethan entertained viewers (his channel is a lot bigger). I gave Brian a hug and the card I’d written for him. When Ethan was finally free I got to hug him too! I gave him a small notebook of haikus I’d worked on for months, but got so tongue-tied in his presence that I didn’t tell him exactly what was in the envelope. I also gave him a pair of “Spirited Away” No Face socks, which he appreciated but couldn’t help telling me were unnecessary. We took pictures and then bid them farewell until the signing.

After we left Brian and Ethan I met up with another friend and fellow viewer (everyone was now allowed in the exhibit hall). We ran into G on the show floor and I gave him a card too. This was the first of several encounters I’d have with our favorites.

While the main goal was to encounter our creators, we got free time before the signing to explore the con’s show floor. There was so much pop culture merchandise! Star Wars figurines, Harry Potter ties and scarves (I bought one), posters, DVDs and comics were all in abundance. To add fuel to the fire, they provided free drawstring bags to hold all of your collected goodies. There was a 90s Were All That panel Amber and I attended too; I was the only one who correctly identified the “My Brother & Me” theme song.

At 6:00 it was finally time for the signing to begin. The line was long but the wait was well worth it – I got another picture with the guys and showed Ethan the ‘Cranky Crew’ bracelet I made. We didn’t have much time since there were so many of us, but getting to speak to them even for a minute and hugging them over and over exceeded my expectations. My friend was waiting for Saturday to go to the signing so Friday she just took pictures from below the stage. Ethan immediately recognized her from her comments on his videos.

The last event for the day was an after party at the bar behind Lucas Oil Stadium. My friend and I made our way there after getting dinner separately. There was Nintendo, music that wasn’t great, a bar and an outdoor patio. The drinks were weak, the music was whack and the Wii was hogged constantly but it was still interesting.

Saturday was the big day because our guys had another signing and the panel scheduled. We used up time perusing the show floor again (me earlier than my friend) and getting lunch. My friend came with me this time and made standing in line way easier. Also, we wanted to get through faster because she was going to a panel afterward so we queued earlier. Everyone else waited for the enforcers to give them the nod to go up to the guys – I didn’t. As soon as the person before me walked away I went up to them. This time I had each guy sign a souvenir card made by an artist viewer.

The big event was the panel that evening. There was a panel right before our guys so I took that chance to get a seat in the front row. They just did a Q&A but it was everything I wanted – they talked about their aversion (or lack thereof) to fan fiction, Ethan signed a young girl’s ukulele, and he did a backflip upon request. Not everyone got to ask a question but they only had an hour so there wouldn’t have been time.

Saturday night brought another after party and this was the official one with celebrity guests in attendance. Ethan, Brian, G were there early and had a special section in VIP. They mingled with us for a little while though! I found myself tongue tied again when Ethan was standing by himself – I mentioned his glasses because we both chose to wear ours that day. G played Mario Kart with some attendees too. Our guys definitely made the party worthwhile because as usual, the drinks and music needed help.

The final day of the convention was uneventful. We went to the last signing – Ethan cracked jokes about me having been to all three but they were sweet to us anyway. After the signing we walked the show floor one more time before bidding each other goodbye. We took a few more pictures and then my friend left town (I was staying an extra night). It was an awesome experience and one I want to have again in 2018.

What made Indy PopCon for me was meeting Brian, Ethan and G on the show floor. That was the best time for me to get up close and personal with them. They were sweet every single time, in spite of me not knowing what to say. Their panel was cool, but being able to say hi and give them hugs multiple times was more than I anticipated. On the road back to Detroit I played a lot of music and Ethan’s podcast, soaking up the memories. If you ever get chances to meet your favorite entertainers I say take it – experiences will stay with you forever.