We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jerry Shafer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jerry below.
Jerry, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
It began almost ten years ago. I am a comic book aficionado with a personal collection of about 20,000 comics who went and still goes to comic book conventions of all types, large and small. What I noticed was that, over the years, the price of entry was becoming exorbitant and far beyond the semi-affordable fixtures of the early days; this references entrance cost from the low end of five dollars to $50 bucks, plus or minus, on the high end. At that time, since I had gainful employment at my vocation as an English teacher, and time off in the summer, I didn’t give a jot about the price; I paid my fee, eagerly pushed through the turnstile, and joined the ballyhoo of the comic con fetes, usually in medias res! It was a nerd and geek dream come true. There were comics to be bought, and vaunted creators to meet, and celebrities at which to gawk, and gaming areas (both table top and video), and truly fascinating panels open for anyone to attend, that were based on a myriad of subjects far and wide and all concentrated in Nerd and Geek Culture! The days rushed by at the tremulous tempo of the messenger god Mercury making a speedy delivery to Nerdy Mr. Rogers, himself. This is to say that the show went by too fast, and in the process of experiencing its wonders, addiction was assured. I would travel to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and locales in between, just to catch a show! It truly became a major fixture in my life. Yet, I noticed, as the prices increased access decreased. I could still afford entry, yet many people, especially ones with families were beginning to be left out. The amount of people being underserved began to grow, family by family. A one day, a smaller show popped up out of nowhere, seemingly, and of course I attended. The cost was in the five dollar range and it had comic and toy vendors as well as artists and original art. It was truly a great experience that actually inspired a thought; since I was part of the Fred Aguilar Promise Center board (a blood, sweat, and tears working board), which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free services for our community at large and beyond (grade school tutorials, leadership camps, art and science camps, cultural nights, poetry nights, concert series, backpack giveaways, health fairs, computer literacy for grandparents, English for Spanish speakers, and also… a comic book convention called The Eastern Rim Funny Book & Vintage Con). I figured, “why not have our own show, except, we’ll charge no fee to get in to the event!” We held it at our community center. It has a lot of space because it once was a lumberyard in a previous life. We had 150 people come through the door that day, which for a small show is a grand success. We immediately planned our next show which was about four months later. With that iteration, everything seemed to blossom from a collector’s showcase to an actual con with panels, a cosplay contest, and our vendors types grew to include writers, movie makers, and even a tarot card reader. That time, over 400 people walked through the door and half of them were from out of town. We knew that if we wanted to continue with this convention, we would have to find a bigger place. That place ended up being at our local community college, where we used one of the bigger buildings. Before that show, since we are partnered with our local library, we held a con preview there that was well attended. I brought some toys and pops and the like to give away. While I was busy giving away the items, my wife overheard a little boy lamenting how he never wins anything. Of course, we had many, many items, and sure enough, he won. What came next I did not experience. My wife told me the story in detail: a little boy jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped for joy because, he had won a Star Wars pop. The pop he won was that of the character named Finn. Finn is an African-American character, as well as the boy who won. The boy soliloquized, “I never got anything like this before, I’m so happy, when we go to the store we mostly just buy groceries because, that’s all we can afford, and now I have this, and he looks just like me, and he can take out two storm troopers with one shot!” When my wife told me the story, I began to cry. That little boy saw himself, and because, representation matters so much, he truly felt a part of the event; he saw himself in the culture and knew it belonged to him, also. This is why the con will always be free, so as to always serve the underserved! This wonderful little boy’s family couldn’t afford to buy their children toys, the least that can be done is to not charged an entrance fee to the show. By granting these families access, they can come in, walk around, see the sights, and have a great time without the worry of money getting in the way. For a family of four to get into a bigger con the charge would be nearly $400; mind you, that fee is just for the “privilege” of walking in the door. Our show, on the other hand, is purposely free and has vendors with varying price points, so maybe the parents can find a few great toys for their kids with a very minimal cost. That sweet little boy paid me for any hard or intense work I’ve done or will ever have to do for the con, by his happiness and for the fact we let his parents know that the show was free. They had the best time and and were served the way all people should, unfettered and with open arms.
Jerry, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am on the board of a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit called The Fred Aguilar Promise Center that provides free services for our community at large and beyond (grade school tutorials, leadership camps, art and science camps, cultural nights, poetry nights, concert series, backpack giveaways, health fairs, computer literacy for grandparents, English for Spanish speakers, and also…a comic book convention called The Eastern Rim Funny Book & Vintage Con). The Eastern Rim Con, for short, is a FREE world class Comic Book Convention has the best vendors, guests, and patrons, anywhere!
www.easternrimcon.com
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
The way I built my reputation in the comic book show market was by going to comic book shows, to as many as I could possibly attend. Going to shows is a great strategy, yet it is only one part of the process. The next part is, not only going to a comic book show, it is also supporting it from within as well as from without. What that means is, you have to be willing to help promote these shows in what ways you are capable, support the vendors that are there by making purchases, and as Neil Gaiman said, “be a pleasure.” I’ve stayed after when shows had closed to help vendors break down. In fact, I’ve spent hours helping vendor’s load their cars and their vans. Honestly, it’s the only right thing to do, if you really want to be a part of a grander market and you want to be well known as a good person. In the end, any benefits you get from helping other that you may be passed on to your business, pales in comparison to the feeing you get from helping your fellow comic book show travelers make their time a success. Ultimately, the tide raises all boats. Therefore, prosperity for one can definitely be prosperity for all.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Being a comic book show director Is a hell of a lot of work. You have to be ready for almost any situation that can occur. One way that I’ve had to pivot as a director was when the headliner of our show did not come in on the scheduled time. The night before the show I got a call from a number I did not recognize, it was our headliner telling me that the plane upon which he was booked had been canceled due to weather issues. I thoroughly apologized for the problem and asked what I could do. He said that there was nothing to do, and that the Airline was handling it. He just hoped that he didn’t have to sleep in the airport. Luckily he was able to get a hotel room for the night. This, of course, caused much worry on my part because, as the comic book show Director I had promised that this guest would be there, on time, in the flesh. Well, that was not the case. As it turned out he had to switch flights several times and on the last one where he might have made it to our town with at least several hours of the first day left, a strange weather pattern disallowed him to land, and he and the plan had to circle the city for several hours until it was safe. He finally landed 30 minutes before the end of the con. We had already sent someone else to pick him up and when they found out that the plane was delayed they came back. Now, it was my turn to pivot and go pick him up. When I say pivot of course I meant providing him with excellent guest services. We left the airport and I mare sure to have a conversation that put him at ease and let him know that he was going to be well taken care of regardless of what had happened. We stopped at a local Chinese bistro, had a wonderful dinner, an amazing conversation, and I took him to his hotel for what she was very grateful. The next day of the con, I picked him up, took him to the art supply store, where he bought pencils and erasers and a pad of paper. Then, I ferried him to the show. Whereupon entering the venue, he became the star of the ball. Dealing with Vendor issues, unwanted attendees, guest situations, Patron questions, arranging volunteer processes, making sure that food is stocked for the guests as well as for the patrons, last-minute cancellations and postponements, will teach you how to truly pivot in order to make the show work, And work well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.easternrimcon.com/
- Instagram: @easternrimcon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easternrimcom/
Image Credits
Jerry Shafer