Every year, for every convention I attend, members of the press are required to register/pre-register in an attempt to get press credentials to cover the event. It's a painful process, having to repeatedly fill out the same forms in an attempt to justify why you deserve to get a free ticket to give the convention the publicity it desires.
Since the bottom dropped out of the designer toy scene, I can't financially do San Diego Comic Con. It's just a byproduct of companies and online shops dropping out of the scene or going broke. For the last six years, I've been able to swing going to New York Comic Con. It's on the same coast. It's close to where I grew up. And I felt more connected to it since I had also attended a number of Toy Fair events at Javits Center over the years. I was actually a press sponsor of "The Block" section of NYCC way back in 2010(?) and featured on the NYCC website.
In other words...I've never had any problems getting a press badge to cover the show...until this year. For some reason, I was turned down. No reason was given, other than a lot of press applications were received this go-round. ReedPOP, which runs the event, did give me the option of purchasing my own ticket. Thanks. I've always had that option.
I had been on the fence about whether I would attend New York Comic Con or try to give Toy Fair another go. Toy-wise, NYCC has been underwhelming in recent years. The designer scene is running on fumes. The big companies rarely bring exclusives or new products to the show. Other than my annual tradition of running into former WWF superstar Virgil, the event was uneventful. It seems like more of the industry reveals are taking place at Toy Fair.
So...all of this is to say that I won't be covering the events of New York Comic Con 2016 (or likely any year beyond it).
