RALEIGH, N.C. — Tens of thousands of fans are flocking to the Raleigh Convention Center for GalaxyCon Thursday through Sunday.
Still, two of the biggest draws — TV and movie actors — cannot promote their projects due to writers strikes and the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“We are victims here, we are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” Fran Drescher, actress and SAG President, said in a speech on July 14. “If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble.”
Actors like Giancarlo Esposito, Vincent D’Onofrio, Karen Gillan and couldn’t talk about any of their current projects, but were still allowed to attend the event, as it was part of Personal Appearance contracts.
Those contracts are not affected by the strike, according to a statement provided by GalaxyCon organizers.
“Celebrity guests will still be appearing at our events as advertised. The only thing that can potentially be affected is what the guests can discuss. As SAG-AFTRA only affects Theatrical Contracts, members are not permitted to participate in the promotion of/services for work, So while they may not be able to talk about current projects, they can still discuss their personal life, hobbies, background, etc with you! As our celebrities appear under Personal Appearance Contracts, the provision forbidding appearances does not apply to events like GalaxyCon.”
Many actors took the time to speak about the strike at GalaxyCon and why it was necessary.
“We’ve worked hard in our craft to understand how to use our voice and understand our character and all the time and money and effort it took for us to become an artist,” Laura Banks, SAG member and star of ‘Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan,’ said.
As AI continues to grow and evolve, Hollywood actors and writers are concerned that they are not compensated fairly for their work.
Noel MacNeal, a puppeteer and member of SAG-AFTRA and WGA best known for his work on the children’s show “Bear in the Big Blue House,” said that AI could not replicate the human touch that actors and writers bring to their work, and the fans are the reason they come to these conventions.
“The fans appreciate the writing and the acting and the effort that went into creating these characters and these stories they love is an appreciation for the people who brought it to you, MacNeal said. “An AI can’t do that, and an executive sure as heck couldn’t do this.”
Some Hollywood executives have said that the demands of the picketers are unrealistic. These demands include addressing how artificial intelligence (AI) will tap into the money made from streaming their likeness and creations.
“I can tell you I’m not getting paid like Tom Cruise. Trust me,” MacNeal said.
Steve Whitmire, the former voice of Kermit the Frog, said that he still receives residual checks from The Muppet Show.
“I get residual checks from the muppet show from way back that are in the five-cent category and I get 80 of those but it’s still a couple of bucks.” Whitmire said.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is still ongoing, and Raleigh native and Village People icon Randy Jones, “YMCA,” encourages people to think more critically about the media consumed.
“I think until people become more and better educated about where they’re spending their money and how they’re exercising their economic influence,” Jones said. “I think we’re just going to have to strike continuously periodically.”
Geek business continues to boom, despite the strikes
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While the strike may prevent booked celebrities from talking about current and future projects, it’s not preventing fans of the con from coming to the Raleigh Convention Center to support their favorite actors, puppeteers, voice actors and cosplayers.
In 2021, there were more than 22,000 people in attendance for GalaxyCon, VisitRaleigh anticipates that number will have more than doubled this year
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Here are the numbers in terms of attendance since 2019 and its economic impact for Wake County, according to VisitRaleigh:
- 2019: more than 37,500 attendees and $7.5 million direct economic impact in Wake County
- 2020: virtual event due to Covid
- 2021: more than 22,000 attendees and $6.3 million direct economic impact in Wake County
- 2022: more than 35,000 attendees and $8.5 million direct economic impact in Wake County
In 2023, Visit Raleigh is estimating over 50,000 attendees will have made their way through the convention center and Wake County will have a direct economic impact of $8.5 million.
“As GalaxyCon has continued to grow over the years being in Raleigh, it has continued to grow in both attendance numbers and impact as well,” said Jessica Holt with Visit Raleigh.
For Michael Griffin, owner of MikeNice Empanadas, the boom means more support for his food truck and other local businesses.
“This is one of the biggest events,” Griffin said. “With the amount of people we’re able to get bigger check sales and it really supports us [and] continues to help us flow.”
