SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – April 1, 2015 – (Gephardt Daily) – Organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con held a press conference this morning to make their first announcements of celebrity guests that will be attending, as well as other big plans for the third annual convention, which will be held in September.
The biggest announcement today was that actress Alex Kingston, who portrays the iconic character of River Song on the BBC’s “Doctor Who,” will be a guest. Other guests announced were Joel Hodgson, the creator and original star of “Mystery of Science Theater 3000,” Austin St. John (a.k.a “The Red Power Ranger,”) Scott Wilson (“The Walking Dead) and Ian Somerhalder from “The Vampire Diaries.”
“We’re going to have a really great line-up,” said Dan Farr, founder and show producer of Salt Lake Comic Con. “It’s going to be one of our best line-ups we’ve had. We’re anticipating our biggest and best event ever.”
Bryan Brandenburg, the co-founder and marketing director, promised over 200 hours of programming and hands-on workshops, and emphasized that even more exciting guest announcements were yet to come.
Brandenburg also announced some side events in running simultaneously in conjunction with the convention, including a “Super Hero Run and Walk,” a 5K run that will raise funds for a new hospital being built on the site of the former South Davis Community Hospital. There will also be a film festival, the Tumbleweed Film Festival, a film festival aimed directly at kids, run in conjunction with the Salt Lake Film Center.
Brandenburg also addressed the legal issues between Salt Lake Comic Con and San Diego Comic Con. (On July 25, 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International sent Salt Lake Comic Con a cease and desist letter over the use of the words “Comic Con.”
“We’re in the process of negotiating a settlement that we think will be beneficial for both parties,” Brandenburg said. “And the more we interact with them, even though there are lawyers involved, the more we like them, so we hope and anticipate that that’s going to be solved, certainly by July.”
Salt Lake Comic Con is scheduled for September 24-26 at the Salt Palace.
