Comic-Con is in full swing in San Diego for the weekend, but just across the street at Petco Park is Nerd HQ, a much smaller but very fan-oriented event that has plenty of entertainment and branding within its walls. It’s an interactive, up-close-and-personal space that is billed as “free nerdy hangout during the annual pop culture convention.”
Actor Zachary Levi of “Chuck” founded The Nerd Machine and its Nerd HQ as a place where fans and non-Comic-Con badge holders could go to see their favorite actors and onscreen stars speak, and get some hands-on experience with their favorite games and TV shows. This year, Nerd HQ is sponsored by SEGA, Maker Studios, Intel and the game “Catan Anytime.” The event also has heavy Facebook and Instagram integration that lives across its booths and sponsors.
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The event’s Conversations for a Cause series features panels open to anyone for a small fee, with all of the ticket proceeds going directly to Operation Smile. TV stars Evangeline Lily, Jared Padalecki, Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln have planned appearances. A photo booth called Smiles for Smiles also holds brief chances each day to get a shot with a celebrity.
Other TV-related appearances planned for the weekend are below:
“The Last Ship” – Thursday, July 24, 5:45pm.
Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Stoodios – Friday, July 25, 11am
IFC’s “Garfunkel and Oates” – Friday, July 25, 12pm
“The Walking Dead” – Saturday, July 26, 10am
“Intruders” – Saturday, July 26, 12pm.
“Sesame Street” – Saturday, July 26, 1pm
“Orphan Black” – Saturday, July 26, 2pm
“Resurrection” – Saturday, July 26, 3pm.
Stephen Amell – Sunday, July 27, 9am.
The cast of “Supernatural” – Sunday, July 27, 2:30pm
Onsite, Maker Studios is sponsoring a stage at Nerd HQ, featuring Internet talent including KassemG and Amy Pham, with content to be posted later on Maker.tv. Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Stoodis has a demo of how they make their stop-motion animated shows for TV:
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SEGA highlights “Alien: Isolation” and “Sonic: Boom,” both of which have playable booths at Petco Park all weekend. Intel has a green screen photo booth with a chance to add superhero elements to a shot before sharing the final results online. “Catan Anytime,” the digital version of the board game “Settlers of Catan,” is onsite and available for curious gamers to try out courtesy of Internet Explorer.
Facebook and Instagram have a major presence at Petco Park, with Instagram stations set up encouraging people to take photos and post with the #NerdHQ hashtag for its Instagram wall, updating constantly throughout the day. The Facebook Fan Question Station will provide fan-submitted questions to panelists in the green room, where they can answer via video responses for the Nerd Machine page.
Nerd HQ is at Petco Park July 24-27. The event is free and open to the public.
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