Con Trek, the new episodic series on the Microsoft XBOX Video Marketplace covering the world of conventions and festivals, is the result of innovation, vision, and persistence. Conceived by Nashville's dynamic duo of Stephen and Suzie Lackey, who produced the successful documentary feature "Fans and Freaks" on the world of Fan Cons, Con Trek is quickly gaining momentum, becoming a shining example of independent content development and strategic usage of emerging new media markets.
With two vibrant and very talented show hosts (Brittney Eskew and Alan Smith), several episodes under their belt, and a distribution model that offers alot of possibilities for growth, Con Trek is poised to become a true independent hit. In today's indie adventure, we will be visiting with Stephen and Suzie Lackey to get some background on Con Trek; what it is, what's been done so far, and where it's going. It has some great lessons for independent content developers regarding persistence and planning.
Nowhere else will you get the kind of inside coverage of science fiction, fantasy, and horror events and conventions that you will with Con Trek. Be sure to check out an episode on the XBOX Video Marketplace today!
-Stephen Zimmer for Indie Movie Masters Blog, July 26,2009
SZ: Tell us a little about your respective backgrounds as it pertains to indie filmmaking.
Stephen: Well, I thought for years I was going to be a rock star, or at least work in the music business. While I was in college I switched my focus to TV production. While I was in college I worked at the local television station and did some student video projects. When Suzie and I were married was the first time I worked on a feature project.
Suzie: I have been a film fan for as long as I can remember. I went to film school at Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. Instead of tackling a short film first, my husband Stephen and I jumped headfirst into a feature documentary film entitled Fans and Freaks: The Culture of Comics and Conventions. After being in production for two years, the film was completed in 2002 and has played several film festivals and won a few awards along the way. It still plays conventions and genre events. I know I learned more from making the film versus sitting in the classroom. Since that film, Stephen and I have directed several short documentary films.
SZ: Tell us a little about what Con Trek is, in terms of format and style.
Stephen: Con Trek is a documentary television series that visits different conventions or festivals each episode. The show is brief at less that a half hour but it goes a little beyond the typical sound bites that most other shows that try to cover the subject stick too. The show is earthy and deep in the middle of each event in an attempt to really draw the viewer into the proceedings. If you're a fan of the particular convention or subject you'll feel right at home and if you aren't you'll get to see some things you may never get to see any other way. The show is currently available exclusively on the the XBOX 360. The show can be found in the Video Marketplace under Gamer TV. The series is also listed under Independent programming.
Suzie: Each episode is approximately 17-25 minutes in length, but don’t let the run time fool you: we pack a lot into a short amount of time.
Here is a preview of one Con Trek's first episode from season one.
SZ: Who are the main players on the Con Trek team?
Stephen: Stephen Lackey (me) producer/director/editor
Suzie Lackey producer/director
Brittney Eskew host
Alan Smith host
Mike Young photographer/production assistant
Julie Trull Publicist
SZ: How and when did you come up with the concept for Con Trek? What were the main inspirations?
Stephen: Well, our first feature was a film called "Fans and Freaks: The Culture of Comics and Conventions". It was a documentary about the world of fandom. We had really good success with that film and over the years have been constantly asked when and if we would do a sequel. I never wanted to do that unless we came up with a unique format to show more conventions and meet more fans. So, the idea for Con Trek was born.
Suzie: We are fans and attendees of these events first and foremost. We fly our “geek flag” proudly.
SZ: Tell us a little about the relationship between Con Trek and MicroSoft. When did you first pitch the show to them, and how long did it take before the first episode was aired on Xbox? Describe the road that you took.
Stephen: I'm a tech fanatic so I saw a couple of years ago during coverage of the Consumer electronics show that Microsoft would be starting up an IP (internet protocol) TV program for broadcasting television programming over the net and that the XBOX 360 would be doing television shows for streaming or download. So I started researching and found a contact. I pitched a number of ideas to them and sent in all of our previous work which included "Fans and Freaks" and a number of additional short docs we had done. They liked the "Con Trek" pitch and a couple of others so we began to move forward with the process of getting the series rolling. We encountered a number of speed bumps which slowed the process down a good bit but two years later the first episode hit the XBOX Live service.
SZ: How many Con Trek episodes do you project in a given year?
Stephen: This year we hope to do six to eight episodes. Based on how well they do we'll decide about the numbers for next year. The show will soon be available to a wider audience so that may change everything but it's too early to announce anything there yet.
SZ: What are some of your highlight moments so far from the first few episodes? Any specific guests that really surprised you? Any particular wild events that you would like to share with us?
Stephen: Well, the big thing is all of the fans that we've met. We've made new friends throughout this process that we'll hopefully have for years to come. As far as guests Dana Snyder (Master Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force) was a real blast, and many of the professionals we met while covering Wonderfest were great. The big thing is the fans. For instance at Lebowski Fest (our most recent shoot) we didn't have to buy a single beer at the after party. Everyone has been really great.
Suzie: Nothing rivals Dragon Con for unabashed cool events and guests and wild attendees.
SZ: On that note, who are a few of the more notable/recognizable guests that you have interviewed so far?
Stephen: We interviewed Nichelle Nichols (Star trek), Steve Niles (author of 30 Days of Night) Jovanka Vukovic (editor of Rue Morgue magazine), just to name a few of my favorites.
SZ: How did you go about selecting your hosts, Alan and Brittney? What kind of hosts were you looking to cast?
Stephen: We held a number of casting calls and decided on them after meeting with man people. We wanted hosts that were open minded and energetic. We needed a duo that had good chemistry together too. We wanted one hardcore fan and one less than hardcore fan so we could show two perspectives on the subject. Brittney and Alan are truly exactly what we were hoping for when we began casting.
SZ: The Xbox channels, with shows like Con Trek, represent a model for new media content delivery. Do you see signs that this model will be successful for independent developers/filmmakers?
Stephen: I believe that yes this system of downloading or streaming TV and film is the future of media and it should really offer more opportunities to indie creators. The only problem is that it's so early in the evolution of this new system that only die hard creators ready to stick with it will see any success. In other words, there's not much money in it yet.
SZ: Have you gotten any feedback yet from your contacts at MicroSoft?
Stephen: They love the show and are very enthusiastic for us to stick with it.
SZ: Do you foresee Con Trek making a jump to broadcast at some point? Or will it remain a Video on Demand-style episodic program?
Stephen: We hope to see the show jump to network or cable TV or to see it expand to a much greater level within the new media model. This fall the show will be available wider for sure in its current set up but we hope to take it much further.
SZ: Where has Con Trek been over the past few months, and what are some of the places and events that you will be visiting in the near future?
Stephen: We've stuck with mostly southern shows and events in Atlanta ,Georgia, Louisville, Kentucky, and Metropolis,Illinois. We'd like to of course expand further out into the country next year, perhaps even do some real coverage of San Diego Comic Con. We want to do the smaller more quirky shows all over the country too.
SZ: How does one find and access Con Trek on the Xbox?
Stephen: Just log in and go to Video Marketplace, then to Gamer TV, and choose Con Trek to see all of the episodes. Again, we're also listed under the Independent Programming section too.
SZ: How does one connect to Con Trek on the web (Facebook, Myspace, website, etc)?
Stephen: We're all over the place. We have articles, blogs, pictures and more at the official website at http://www.contrek.com/, we have a fan site on Facebook too, just search for Con Trek, on Myspace we're at www.myspace.com/contrek, and see video tralers, clips, and previews at www.youtube.com/contrektv
I think that's about it. If I missed anything, it's linked on the main Con Trek website.
Here is a preview of episode 2 from season one of Con Trek
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