That’s A Wrap: HomeCon 1.0 Review

There you have it folks, the very first HomeCon wrapped this past weekend and like yours truly – many have post con blues. This unsavory feeling seems to be magnified ten fold, given the current worldwide situation afoot. Be that as it may – HomeCon couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Usually about now, convention season would be well underway across the US and abroad. But erring on the side of caution and to obey all applicable regulations, several conventions have cancelled/rescheduled their shows for later dates. …Interesting times most definitely.

Some weeks would pass before a most intriguing announcement from Lost Girl alums Paul Amos (Vex) and Rachel Skarsten (Tamsin) dropped on Twitter.

Photo Credits: Paul Amos/ @PaulRogerAmos & Rachel Skarsten/ @RachieSkarsten

Two weeks later, HomeCon went live across the world via the streaming platform, Twitch. A collective 44,000 people worldwide tuned into the two day virtual convention, all from the comfort of their own homes. It was quiet the sight to see just so many people from all four corners of our planet – chatting it up and having well earned fun. It’s a pretty safe bet to say that HomeCon has started something revolutionary.

Not only have they provided a much needed reprieve during these uncertain times – thus becoming a shining beacon of hope – they’ve also opened the door to those fans who may or may not have been able to attend a convention before. It’s no secret that there are often several hurdles in the way of physically attending a convention in person. Said reasons could be due to finances, accessibility, transportation, nerves, – the list goes on. /And/ who can forget the long, long, and did I mention very long lines?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of conventions such as these – still though- it’s pretty awesome having the convention come to you. Speaking of sans long lines for autographs/meet & greets; HomeCon introduced the rather personable opportunity to have a one on one Zoom video call with the guest of their choice. For what would be the typical cost of an autograph, fans were able to have a truly memorable time. Granted there were a few unforeseeable bumps along the way – i.e the server temporally crashing due to the massive traffic surge or other technical difficulties – the ride was otherwise fairly smooth.

I…I still find myself simply enamored by just what exactly happened over this past weekend. HomeCon has done something truly – well- magical, as it has given not just fans, no, but people across the world something to look forward too. That spirit of camaraderie which serves as the very foundation of fan conventions worldwide – so threatened and temporarily disrupted by the ensuing pandemic – was passionately saved. This served not only as a reprieve from the darkness for fans, it has done the same for those who create the arenas of entertainment that we all know and love.

And wouldn’t you know – plans are already in the works for a HomeCon 2.0 very soon. Very exciting times to be had, indeed.

On behalf of the fans and First Responders everywhere – thank you HomeCon, thank you.