RCC 2018

Rose City Comic Con 2018 — Sasquatch Syndicate in Portland, Oregon

Rose City Comic Con is something special. Founded right here in the Pacific Northwest by Ron and Paula Brister, RCCC has grown from a scrappy one-day event into one of the premier comic conventions on the West Coast — and it has done it while maintaining something larger conventions sometimes lose along the way: a genuine soul. Portland's creative community runs deep, and it shows in every corner of the Oregon Convention Center during RCCC weekend. The cosplay is inventive and occasionally extraordinary. The artist alley is one of the largest on the West Coast. The energy is unmistakably Pacific Northwest — warm, weird, and completely welcoming.

The Sasquatch Syndicate was invited as a nonprofit exhibitor, and that invitation meant the world to us. Having our booth provided by the event was an incredible gesture of support from the Rose City Comic Con team, and it's one we don't take lightly. To the organizers — Ron Brister and everyone who made our participation possible — thank you. Genuinely. Providing that space to a Bigfoot research nonprofit says something about who you are and what you believe this community is for. We showed up ready to make it count.

The Booth
This was a different booth than the one we'd been running at Bigfoot-specific conferences. Rose City Comic Con demanded a pop culture presence, and we brought one. Sasquatch Syndicate figurines and collectibles shared table space with our full merchandise lineup — apparel, hats, mugs, podcast promotions, the works. The figurines were a particular hit. There is something about a well-made Sasquatch figure that stops people mid-stride regardless of how familiar they are with the research side of this world. One moment they're on their way to the Doctor Who autograph line, and the next they're holding a Sasquatch figure asking where Bigfoot has been sighted near Portland. That's the magic of the right object on the right table.

We also brought something we were genuinely excited to get feedback on: early sketch concepts for the Sasquatch Syndicate cartoon and print direction. Getting those ideas in front of a pop culture convention crowd — people who live and breathe comic art and animation — was invaluable. Convention audiences don't sugarcoat. They tell you what they think immediately and completely, and the feedback we received over three days pushed our creative development in directions that internal conversations never quite reach. Every reaction, every suggestion, every "have you considered this?" was fuel. We came away from Rose City with a significantly clearer picture of where the cartoon and comic concept is heading, and that clarity was worth the trip on its own.

Sunday With Wes Germer - Sasquatch Chronicles
One week after crossing paths with Wes Germer of Sasquatch Chronicles at the International Bigfoot Conference in Kennewick, we invited him to come spend Sunday with us at the booth. Sasquatch Chronicles is based out of the Vancouver, Washington area, which puts Portland squarely in home territory — and having Wes come down to hang with the Syndicate crew for the day was exactly as good as it sounds.

We cracked open some beers, settled in, and just spent real time together. Two weeks in a row with Wes was an added bonus we hadn't anticipated and thoroughly appreciated. Getting that extended time to hear more about his journey — how he built Sasquatch Chronicles into one of the most listened-to Bigfoot podcasts in the world, what the early days looked like, what he's learned about this community over years of doing this — was genuinely valuable. Chuck continues to build the Sasquatch Syndicate project with all that entails, and sitting across from someone who has already traveled a significant portion of that road and is willing to share what he found along the way is something you don't take for granted. Wes is a great guy. Easy company, generous with his time, and a genuine pleasure to spend a Sunday afternoon with.

Tombstone at Rose City — A Gift for Wes from us and the Bigfoot Community
Anyone who listens to Sasquatch Chronicles knows that Wes Germer is a devoted fan of the 1993 film Tombstone. The poker quotes, the Doc Holliday references, the general deep appreciation for that particular piece of cinematic history — it's woven into the fabric of the show. So when we found out that Rose City Comic Con 2018 had Michael Biehn — Johnny Ringo himself — and Martin Kove in the building, we didn't hesitate for a second. We got Wes the ticket and a VIP photo op with the Tombstone cast. Our treat.

Watching someone who quotes that film the way Wes does get to stand next to the man who played Johnny Ringo — the ice-cold antagonist to Val Kilmer's legendary Doc Holliday — was one of those convention moments that transcends the convention entirely. It became a memory. The kind you tell people about. We were glad we could make it happen, and from the look on Wes's face, we're pretty sure he was too.  

The Convention, The City, The Community
The broader RCCC 2018 guest lineup was exceptional — David Tennant, Karl Urban, Michael Rooker, Ralph Macchio, Billy Zabka, the Star Trek: TNG reunion of Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, and Gates McFadden, and many more filling the Oregon Convention Center with the kind of energy that keeps Portland hotel rooms booked solid all weekend. We stayed at the Portland Marriott downtown and rode the MAX Light Rail to and from the convention each day — a genuinely pleasant way to move through a city that has figured out some things others are still working on.

The final night cosplay event was something we hadn't fully anticipated and fully stayed for. If you've never seen a Pacific Northwest crowd in full costume celebrating at the end of a convention weekend, it's an experience that's hard to describe and easy to remember.

Throughout the weekend the Bigfoot community showed up for us in the way it always does — curious, enthusiastic, and full of stories. New faces discovered the Syndicate. Familiar ones stopped to catch up. Every conversation added something, and we left Portland with more momentum on the creative side of this project than we'd arrived with.

To the Rose City Comic Con team — thank you for the invitation, the booth, and making us feel like a genuine part of this event. To Wes Germer — two weekends in a row and we'd do it again without a second thought. To Michael Biehn and Martin Kove — thank you for making a Sunday in Portland unforgettable for a fellow podcaster who really loves that movie. And to every member of the Bigfoot community who came out to find us at the Oregon Convention Center — this is always for you.
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We'll see you out there.

By Chanelle Elaine, Chief Marketing Officer Sasquatch Syndicate Inc.