This weekend I was in Dallas for one of the greatest Comic Conventions in the US. The Dallas Fan Expo. If you don’t know what Fan Expo is, Fan Expo HQ is one of the largest entertainment convention groups in the world. Collectively it hosts almost 500,000 fans annually at Fan Expo Canada, Fan Expo Dallas, Calgary Expo, Fan Expo Regina, Megacon Orlando, Fan Expo Boston, Edmonton Expo, Megacon Tampa Bay, Dallas Fan Days, Toronto Comicon, and Fan Expo Vancouver. Basically, it’s one big Comic-Con.

Vendors, or exhibitors as they are called, set up in a small area where they can showcase their talent. It could be art such as paintings, books they have written, clothing they have created, blankets or quilts they have made, etc. Any number of talents can be shown off. Of course, there are those exhibitors that just sell toys and different gadgets. All in all, the entire expo is set up around one thing…comics.

One of the coolest things about an Expo is the fact that you can meet celebrities there. This could be movie actors, voice actors, comic book creators or artists, authors, and a number of other celebrities. Now, this is where it really gets sketchy for me. It’s not that I don’t think that celebrities shouldn’t be there. I actually like the fact that I can meet some of the people that I admire and enjoy watching on TV or in a movie. Getting to talk to these people is something that I think is really cool. My issue is money.

Now of course this isn’t about my money. This is about how much money these celebrities want to get out of their fans.  It does get just a little bit deeper than just money so hold tight and let me explain.

Every celebrity that makes an appearance at one of these expo’s is invited. Now they have the power to accept the invitation or decline it. In most cases if they accept the invitation, they are paid a certain amount of money for making an appearance. Most are willing to at least sign autographs and others are even willing to take pictures with their fans. Now here’s where it gets tricky when it comes to money.

Some celebrities will not even say “Hi” to you unless you buy a ticket to see them. That’s right, you have to pay them to speak to them and even then it’s like a 15 second conversation before they move on to the next person. Some celebrities will charge you for their signature. I’ve seen then charge are low as $25 and as high as $100. Then on top of that some will charge those same amounts for a picture with them. So, depending on the celebrity, you can spend a good $300 just to see them, get their autograph, and take a picture with them.

Now this is the one time that I believe that celebrities should be giving back to their fans since their fans have given so much to them. The amount of money that fans spend on celebrities is absolutely stunning when you look at the whole picture. Fans spend their time to pay for the cable to watch them on TV or they pay for a movie ticket to watch them in a theater. They dedicate their time to these people. Fans buy their DVD’s and in some cases merchandise that supports these people. Fans follow these people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat. Fans tell others about them and get other people to become fans. Fans do so much to support these people.

When they find out that their favorite celebrity is coming to an Expo, they take the time off from work to go see them. Many travel many miles to see them and have to book hotels. They pay for gas to come and see them. They pay for a ticket into the expo and ultimately when it comes down to seeing their favorite celebrity, the celebrity wants more money from them. Haven’t fans spent enough money already?

This is where I believe that celebrities can give back to their fans when their fans have given so much to them. Sadly, I believe that celebrities have lost touch with reality and have made it more about them than anything else. It wouldn’t take anything to make these people more of a fan than they already are than by giving their signature away for free or taking a photo with a fan for free. Not charging fans just to simply meet them. It’s something so little but it can make a world of difference to a fan.

One other thing that I saw that really bothered me was the fact that some of the celebrities acted like they didn’t even want to be there. They actually treated their staff and fans like garbage. I was in shock because nobody made them come to the expo. They were invited and they accepted that invitation. If they didn’t want to be there then they should have declined the invitation. There is nothing worse that a fan that spends the time, effort, and money to come see someone that they admire and then be treated like a piece of garbage.

So, in the end, it’s my belief that celebrities should be giving back to the fans that have given so much to them. Without the fans they wouldn’t be living these multi-million dollar lifestyles. Without fans they really wouldn’t be anybody at all. It’s the fans who make them and it’s the fans who can break them.