It's Time We UNITE for Nerd HQ and ensure its survival!
This year, The Nerd Machine - the fine people who organize Nerd HQ - seeks support from fans to contribute just USD 5 each via an Indiegogo crowdfunding project, so that they can secure venues and production teams prior to the event date.
For those who are not aware, The Nerd Machine consists of actor Zachary Levi ("Chuck"/ "Tangled"/ "Thor" The Dark World") and his good friends David Coleman and Courtney Coleman.
Since 2011 (the unfortunate year Red Dot Diva was unable to make it to San Diego), Nerd HQ has operated as an off-site event during San Diego Comic-Con.
Having Nerd HQ continue to operate this year means a great deal to Red Dot Diva as well as to many fellow geeks and nerds out there. Why is this so?
Here is Red Dot Diva's run-down of the reasons why:
Comic-Con is an annual mega geek event that literally takes over the city of San Diego for a week.
The main convention is held at the San Diego Convention Centre but the venue is not enough to contain everything that Comic-Con has to offer. The convention's schedule is packed back-to-back and that has spilled out to some events being held at satellite venues, like Indigo Room at nearby Hilton Bayfront the Mariott, and Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza.
Ever since Nerd HQ began at a Gaslamp venue outside of the San Diego Comic Convention, it offers attendees with and without Comic-Con passes, an alternative, fun and safe place to hangout.
The entire setup has always catered to the needs of a nerd, in terms of its logistics, programming and ambience. It was a good place to meet your friends or contacts who did not have a pass to Comic-Con (for that particular day or the entire event), to catch a quick meal or drink, charge up your gadgets, try out and play some games, and also, not to mention, to party away in the evenings!
2. Nerd HQ gives fans accessibility to celebrities and creators
A main segment of Nerd HQ's programming is a series of intimate panels with guests called "Conversations For A Cause". This has ranged from people like Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Zachary Quinto and Before The Door, Jensen Ackles and Jared Paralecki, Tom Hiddleston, the cast from "Chuck", creators of "Tomb Raider" game, Nathan Fillion, Seth Green and more!
These 1-hour panels are held in a smaller hall with tickets limited to about 200 or so. This way, fans have a more accessible time with their favourite actors, writers or producers as they are more likely to be chosen from the small crowd, and they could pose that burning question they have always wanted to ask in person.
Out of three panels that Red Dot Diva has been to in 2012 and 2013, she has managed to ask questions in two of the panels. And these were also recorded on video streams! (See if you can find her for these panels.)
Nerd HQ 2012 Tomb Raider panel
Nerd HQ 2013 Richard Madden panel
Many of the celebrities too, love the smaller and less hectic way of interacting with their fans. And some of them have shown their strong support for #IWantMyNerdHQ.
Here are a few familiar faces that you already love:
Tom Hiddleston
with bonus video!!
Yvonne Strahovski
Josh Dallas
Jared Padalecki
3. Nerd HQ contributes to charity
Nerd HQ provides an opportunity for fans and the public to contribute to Operation Smile, a charity organization which assists healing children with cleft palates and other facial deformities. The event combines Nerdom and doing good - which is what most geeks believe in, right?
Every The Nerd Machine merchandise purchased, "Conversations For A Cause" ticket bought goes straight to Operation Smile. In fact, the guests also donate their time and appear without fees for the cause. Tickets bought for photo opportunities with guests and special autograph signing sessions also help with the donations. In previous years, there was a photo booth where you could contribute USD 20 for each session of fun photos with your buddies.
Last year, Nerd HQ raised USD 215,000 for charity and USD 415,000 to-date. That's really awesome!
And if you are intending to be at San Diego, you also get the thrill of having been there and seeing this sort of thing happens while knowing that you have contributed to a good cause:
4. Nerd HQ brings positivity to Nerdom in general
Even since its inception, The Nerd Machine has tried to breakdown stereotypes and the often harsh judgements placed on the term "Nerd". It has helped make people feel less alone and less awkward about their passions, and many have found friends through The Nerd Machine and Zachary Levi.
Through Nerd HQ, the venue has brought fans from different parts of the world together. Fans can volunteer to assist with the running of the event during the week. And Red Dot Diva, who is from Singapore, has met cool folks from USA, UK and Germany while popping by Nerd HQ or talking about it on Twitter. By having a mutually shared Nerd HQ experience, she has also strengthened her relationships with many of her geek friends.
5. Nerd HQ is FREE
Because Nerd HQ has been provided FREE experience to all who wander into the venue (which would be Petco Park again this year), there are higher costs to be defrayed. Even as The Nerd Machine continues to seek for sponsorships, some costs need to be settled upfront.
And here is where Nerds All Over The World can help contribute to make Nerd HQ happen in 2014. Events will be live-streamed to everyone, all round the globe for FREE if funding is reached! So you can share in the joy of a united Nerd voice.
Here's Zachary Levi himself summing up what the #IWantMyNerdHQ campaign means:
Here's what you can do to help:
1. Contribute USD 5 or more to #IWantMyNerdHQ at Indiegogo
2. Spread the word around on social networks or by word-of-mouth
3. Put a Twibbon on your Twitter account to promote the campaign. Click link here.
4. If you are savvy enough, run a auction of specialized items to benefit #IWantMyNerdHQ
Red Dot Diva strongly supports Nerd HQ in addition to a strong respect for Zachary Levi and for what he believes in and has done for us Nerds.
Remember Red Dot Diva mentioned about the one year she couldn't make it to SDCC? Zac made that one year equally special with this wonderful video message. :)
And in other instances where she has met him, he has made each time equally as special (And that's not even counting how awesome he was to fans who came to support his work in "First Date" on Broadway recently.)
Here are some of her personal stories:
Article 1
Article 2
So what will Red Dot Diva be doing for #IWantMyNerdHQ???
For starters, this:
She will be tweeting this article on Twitter, and for every Retweet, she will contribute USD 1 up to a limit of USD 100.
Link to her tweet: https://twitter.com/syzzlyn/status/445258580506079232
And she will also be considering running an auction or two on this blog and her Facebook page to benefit the campaign, which she will then announce later as well.
So do consider hopping onto the #IWantMyNerdHQ bandwagon. It will help ripple off a chain of goodwill.
Viva la Nerdolution!
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UPDATE
18 March - After about 34 hours of my own RT campaign, thanks to all of Nerdom, the limit of 100 RT's was reached!
19 March - As promised, Red Dot Diva has contributed USD 100 to the #IWantMyNerdHQ project
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