Six figures earned signing autographs? Yes.

[timmy2442]

The convention game is a-changing, and the stigma of has-been actors taking home a convention paycheck is all but gone.  So says the Hollywood Reporter of a certain cadre of popular actors who are willingly cashing in on the con scene of late.

"If somebody wanted to do a convention every weekend, they could make more on the convention circuit than their episodic fee," says Arrow star Stephen Amell, who became so enamored of the festival business that he started his own talent agency, WFA Entertainment, to help other actors navigate the space (and score a buck for himself). The actor, who is said to have irked traditional agents by competing with them, says he "wanted to control the whole front- and backend of my operation. I didn't see a need for representation." One source deeply involved in the convention circuit estimates that Amell walks away with $250,000 a weekend — more than he makes per episode for Arrow — though he denies that figure.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/stars-getting-rich-fan-conventions-933062

[Warpig]

Yeah, I saw that, how about that?

'Garbage bags full of $20's' were referenced.

What a game.

[crow]

The King mentioned that everyone in that article should expect a call from the IRS in 3..2..1.. KNOCK KNOCK!

[jdv]

Well, there's also the fact that once you've seen a B-movie star once, the need to see them agayn is mightily diminished.

That's why, typically, you won't see year round STAR WARS actors at cons - the novelty just wears out.

And it wears out even faster when someone who's only ever done a WB show is charging what Shatner chrages.

The article is spot on about one thing though - any stigma is long gong (if there ever was one).  Some personalities legitimately like their fans, and those cats have always done shows.  But now that the day of the "mega-con" is upon us, those who would normally rather cut off a pinky then be surrounded by fans suck it up to make some major cash....

Ernie Hudson... not so much

[timmy2442]

JDV, did you see where they were saying photogs were making $10 a pop of these things as well?  Depending on the volume, you could make $5000-$10,000 easy.

[jdv]

JDV, did you see where they were saying photogs were making $10 a pop of these things as well?  Depending on the volume, you could make $5000-$10,000 easy.

Oh, there's no doubt that if the person is in demand that they can make a very nice paycheck.  What I'm saying is that the market can (will) dry up if the "star" returns to the same market time and again.  And I'm sure those photogs kick some back to the stars too....

A lot of the appeal of these sort of things is "My God, when will I ever get another chance" - kinda why a lot of us dropped a dime to see Carpenter.   That appeals disappears if the guy is in town 2-3 times a year.  It's one thing to meet David Prowse when he's in Detroit once every 10 years; quite another if he's at 3 cons in the D a year.  The King learned this lesson the hard way with Tyler Mane when he had him in town twice within months.  Great turnout the first time; almost zero interest the 2nd.  There's just so much appetite for these D-list guys...

One other thing - if these guys come through as a block, the way the ST:NG gang did about 10 years ago, then the money is even more magnified, because they can charge for groups shots and the like (not to mention really soaking the guy putting on the con).

I'm sure this is already happening, but as these things get bigger, they get less fun.  Too much money, too many people, no parking, no chance to really connect with any of the "stars" because it's just a cattle call. Yet the little ones - like Monroe this weekend - have huge pressure on them to bring in bigger names, so a major catch-22.

The King mentioned that everyone in that article should expect a call from the IRS in 3..2..1.. KNOCK KNOCK!

If the IRS starts auditing every star at a con, that would put a stop to them coming real quick.

[Little Ref Riding Hood]

I also imagine that with there being basically a new con almost every weekend in the area, the market is getting flooded. Eventually the market will dry up. Motor City Comic Con, which has been a larger con for several years, has already tried to shut down most cons out there but now they're just creeping up constantly. They're becoming pop culture events and have nothing to do with comics anymore, even the ones that DID have a comic book focus. Then you have fringe cons, like certain fandoms or things like ConClave which is a general sci-fi and literary convention that is more 'old school' in what it is and involves several informative panels going in multiple rooms from like 9 AM until 2 AM the whole weekend instead of these pop culture circlejerks that panels have become.

As superhero and comic movies get more and more popular and flood the market more and more, so will the conventions. Then suddenly the genre will be dead and cons will dry up. Those that had been doing fairly well will suddenly flounder and go under and only a few will last through it and will likely have a glut of people nobody is quite AS interested in seeing anymore.