Just returned home from a weekend at Crypticon Seattle and have to admit that this was my very first Con. Not only that, but I got to go as a guest. Wow! What a really great time we had.
It all began when Calvin McCarthy of 7th Street Productions contacted me to ask if I would do a small cameo in his film Bedtimescarries.com and I, of course, said yes, as I do. He then asked to interview me on camera and again, I acquiesced. He drove to my home in Western Oregon from his in Vancouver Washington. I did my part for his film, we had a nice talk, he left and I forgot about it. Months later I'm again contacted by Curtis. "Hey, that interview we did a while back? Well. I submitted the documentary, 'Manos: A Conversation with Jackey Neyman to Crypticon and guess what? We're in the short film festival." He went on to ask if I would like to attend. Well, yeah, I would like to attend. The second thing I said was "Documentary? What documentary?" Long story short, three weeks later, my fabulously supportive boyfriend, John and I arrive in Seattle with me dressed in the Manos t shirt that has my dad, The Master emblazoned across the front, and postcards with a little info about who I am for anyone who showed recognition of the shirt design or said anything about Manos. I didn't have a table and wasn't listed anywhere as a guest since it was short notice but although I was there for just one event, I had entry to the Con for all three days so I took advantage of the amazing opportunity to meet people and find out how the whole thing works. It was beyond any expectation I could have had when a little buzz began that the little girl from Manos was wandering around.
It was even more fun when Rachel Jackson creator of Manos: The Hands of Felt, came to hang out with me and brought The Master puppet with her. We enjoyed causing a little stir.
As a result, I am invited back next year as a celebrity guest and I know they want to see Rachel and The Master again too. I also connected with a couple organizers of other Cons who want to talk about their upcoming events and on top of all that I had a chance to meet some of the wonderfully talented guests. I have special gratitude for the time that Ken Foree (best known for Dawn of the Dead) and Michael Berryman of my personal favorite "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" each gave to answer questions and to offer advice. Charming men indeed.
The short film festival was very well attended and had a really interesting line up of films from documentary to animation to gut wrenching horror. It was an honor to be featured in a chosen film and I want to thank Calvin McCarthy and the rest of the 7th St Production crew, Arianna Kindsfather, Natalie Lucia and Josh Dietrich for inviting me and for being such enthusiastic young film makers. Great job.
As you might have surmised, I am gearing up for next year and the 50th anniversary of Manos: The Hands of Fate. 2016 will see both Ben Solovey's HD Bluray Restoration of the film and my book "The Untold Story of Manos: The Hands of Fate". Who knows what other projects could arise by then? I vote for a ManosCon, but that will have to be up to people much more organized and funded than myself. If anyone is up to that task, please be sure I get an invite. In the meantime, check out my new website www.debbiesmanos.com and thanks for reading.
It all began when Calvin McCarthy of 7th Street Productions contacted me to ask if I would do a small cameo in his film Bedtimescarries.com and I, of course, said yes, as I do. He then asked to interview me on camera and again, I acquiesced. He drove to my home in Western Oregon from his in Vancouver Washington. I did my part for his film, we had a nice talk, he left and I forgot about it. Months later I'm again contacted by Curtis. "Hey, that interview we did a while back? Well. I submitted the documentary, 'Manos: A Conversation with Jackey Neyman to Crypticon and guess what? We're in the short film festival." He went on to ask if I would like to attend. Well, yeah, I would like to attend. The second thing I said was "Documentary? What documentary?" Long story short, three weeks later, my fabulously supportive boyfriend, John and I arrive in Seattle with me dressed in the Manos t shirt that has my dad, The Master emblazoned across the front, and postcards with a little info about who I am for anyone who showed recognition of the shirt design or said anything about Manos. I didn't have a table and wasn't listed anywhere as a guest since it was short notice but although I was there for just one event, I had entry to the Con for all three days so I took advantage of the amazing opportunity to meet people and find out how the whole thing works. It was beyond any expectation I could have had when a little buzz began that the little girl from Manos was wandering around.
The short film festival was very well attended and had a really interesting line up of films from documentary to animation to gut wrenching horror. It was an honor to be featured in a chosen film and I want to thank Calvin McCarthy and the rest of the 7th St Production crew, Arianna Kindsfather, Natalie Lucia and Josh Dietrich for inviting me and for being such enthusiastic young film makers. Great job.
As you might have surmised, I am gearing up for next year and the 50th anniversary of Manos: The Hands of Fate. 2016 will see both Ben Solovey's HD Bluray Restoration of the film and my book "The Untold Story of Manos: The Hands of Fate". Who knows what other projects could arise by then? I vote for a ManosCon, but that will have to be up to people much more organized and funded than myself. If anyone is up to that task, please be sure I get an invite. In the meantime, check out my new website www.debbiesmanos.com and thanks for reading.
