Crypticon, Circus of Terror. The very mention of the name conjures images of fantastic horror celebrities, intriguing screenings, exclusive tattoos, ingenious props and demonstrations, and entrepreneurial vendors. But as I wandered the floor of the 2008 Crypticon having the time of my life, I couldn’t help but wonder what it took to coordinate such a wonderfully smooth and enjoyable event. Who was behind the bloody mask of terror that was this terrific horrific convention?

It was almost at this exact moment that Imogene Kaufman asked me if I was enjoying myself. Roused from my musings, I shook hands with one of the people responsible for the success of Crypticon. Imogene explained to me her significant role in organizing Crypticon and then introduced me to her husband, the legendary Nick “Count” Kaufman, Art Director of the famed Cryptic Magazine as well as one of the founders of Crypticon. I was thrilled to have an audience with the Count of Crypticon himself.

Taking precious time to answer all of my questions, Nick told me all about the underlying logistics of Crypticon, its beginnings, what makes it the successful show it is today, and where he hopes it will be in years to come.

Nick, you are a man of many hats. Besides being the Art Director, what other contributions do you make to Cryptic Magazine?

I’ve started dabbling in some writing. I really am an artist first. Everything else I just try to learn on the job and evolve it into something more. Anything where I can be creative seems to be what I’m best at. Even if it’s something new to me, I’m willing to look into it and try to do my best at it. I definitely enjoy writing articles for the magazine. I did a model kit column, and I’ve done some occasional interviews too. I’m a little bit everywhere. I try to do as much as possible.

Are there any recurring articles you write for Cryptic?

The model kit column I’ve done every issue. I worked with Troy Holbrook, the creator of Body Bag Trading Cards, on his Monster Shop article in the magazine because I’m kind of an effects guy myself. I’ve done some work in that area over the years and I’m trying to get better and better at it. I assisted Troy with ideas and writing the column.

Would you describe yourself as being a horror fan?

I’m a horror fan all the way through and a huge movie fan. There’s never been a convention that I’ve gone to where there were any less than two celebrities that I’ve wanted to meet. There are some that maybe I wouldn’t have been that excited to meet, but I still want to meet them. There are so many interesting stories behind each one of these people. I could sit in on the question and answer panels and never get up. I could watch every single one of the celebrities do their Q&A and be just thrilled with each one. They all have fascinating stories.

How many years has the Crypticon been happening?

The first show was in 2006, so this was its 3rd year. Each year has had its challenges and rewards. We definitely hope to keep that going.

How long did Crypticon exist as an idea before making it an event?

At least a couple of years before that first year. Chazz DeMoss, my partner, and I have done a lot of projects and things together over the years. A horror convention was something that we really wanted to do. My wife Imogene, even before she was my wife, has been a huge help to everything I’ve been doing with the show. We met at a horror convention so it came very natural for her. She was very involved with attending and helping with conventions through her brother. He does a lot of interesting events.

Can you share with us some of the challenges the early Crypticon events experienced?

Getting dealers to come to the first show was very important in order to give attendees more to do than to just get autographs signed. Having some interesting things that people are either selling or people are promoting is crucial. It builds up your location.

The Minneapolis area has never had a horror show and they really don’t have too many celebrity-based events. They might have an occasional athlete doing a signing at some bar or someone might come to town to sign at a bookstore. Just occasional events, but they’ve never really had too many. There’re a couple of sci-fi shows here and there that are having some success, but these shows aren’t that big.

Getting the word out and getting people to realize that this is not just a film festival has also been a challenge. We’re doing live question and answer sessions with these celebrities. Fans are able to meet them and get their autographs. There’s a lot to see and share.

Do you feel you’re still battling that lack of convention savvy being in the St. Paul area? Do people know more of what to expect from the Crypticon after three years of word of mouth?

There are people in the crowd that know what it’s about now. There’re definitely people that have heard of it, but they don’t necessarily come out to see for themselves yet. It’s like they want someone else to jump first time and tell them that it was great.

My wife is surrounded by a lot of women who aren’t into the horror scene. They don’t realize that these celebrities are in more than just horror films. They’re in a great wide variety of films. She’s been telling her friends about these conventions for three years. This year, one of her friends finally came to the show. Now she’s saying how it was the greatest time she’s ever had. She got to hang out with James Duvall from Donnie Darko and Richard Brooker, the first guy to where the hockey mask. She talked with these guys and just had a ball; they’re great personalities.

For the most part, horror celebs don’t do a show unless they like to meet the public. Overall, the celebrities we’ve had over three years have been special people. They’ve all been fantastic and a joy to have around. You wish you didn’t have to send them on their way when the show’s over; you’d like to have some personal time yourself with them.

What challenges will Crypticon face in the future and how are you going to meet them?

I worry about the economy from both sides. These shows are expensive to put on and expensive for people to buy the tickets. I have to keep my eye on that balance. If people are going to be tight on their pocketbooks, I may have to change some things on how the show goes in 2009.

Maybe I can make it more of a film festival with a couple signers or something to that extent. I’m really open to a lot of ideas. There a lot of people I’d like to talk with about being a part of the next show whether that means sponsorship or in some other way. I am listening to ideas and offers and then I’ll take it from there to see what will happen.

On the logistics side, how many people does it take to put on the Crypticon?

It’s a growing number all the time. The more people we can get, the better. This year we had a lot of people who were contacted by Don. He maintains the Myspace page and goes by Don of the Dead. He’s out there recruiting people to help spread the word about Crypticon. We want more people talking about the show all the time.

The main crew of people working the show would probably be around five or six. But then there are so many people who are willing to hand out fliers and forward emails too.

So if people are looking to help you, they can go to the Myspace page and get in contact with Don of the Dead?

Definitely. I wish they would.

Is this help mostly volunteer?

It is mostly volunteer. When the actual convention is going on, we have a lot of people who work security, hang out at the doors, and help out at the booth. My family has been a huge part of the first three years of Crypticon. My mom and three sisters are all heavily involved as is one of my brothers-in-law. I couldn’t do it without them.

This year I rewarded my family in a very odd way. I had a tee-shirt made that featured the cast of people that helped out on the first show all as caricaturized zombies.

This is also a perfect example of how great Crypticon is. My mom and two of my sisters are fraidy cats. They can’t watch horror films without having nightmares. They’re terrified. But at the show, they have such a great time meeting all the celebrities, meeting the people that come to this show, the vendors are a lot of fun… it’s a big party.

We’ve had nothing but wonderful people at Crypticon; hanging out, partying, meeting celebrities. My family meets these people and they realize that they’re nothing like the characters that they portray in the horror films. And of course that they do more movies and have much wider careers than they expect.

How long before the actual date of Crypticon do you start planning the event?

It’s year round. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t spend hours thinking about the show. It may not seem like that’s true, but it’s an unbelievable thing to put on. Once the show gets big enough, I’m hoping that it will kind of take care of itself. We’re getting close to that.

I don’t want to use the word obsessed because it is a business that I always have to be involved with and I can’t take three or six months off, but it’s always in my head. I’m always thinking, “What can I do to make the show better? Who can I invite that everybody would want to see? What would make the show great?”

How do you come up with a date for an event?

The first two years Crypticon was in September. It was before Halloween, but I didn’t like that idea because it seemed that it was too soon for people to be in the mood.

It would be wonderful to do it in October, but the odds of making it work are so much greater. There’s a lot of competition and it’s not just local competition. It’s throughout the states. Celebrities are doing tons of different events all throughout October whether it’s haunted houses or signings. There’re a lot of other big shows and conventions also so it’s difficult bringing in the people you want.

The biggest challenge to booking an event is the location. Venues only have certain days open to work with. Sometimes I can only take what they have available.

If someone with an available venue were reading this, how would you describe your dream layout and venue to them?

The Radisson was a really good place to have a show. A larger movie room or even two rooms for screenings and parties would have been more ideal. Two to three rooms are preferable, one being a large ballroom for vendors and celebrities, with the other big enough for movies screenings, question and answer panels, and parties. Two to three rooms would be ideal. If you know or manage a place like this, please let me know at: count_kaufman@hotmail.com

Do you need to carry any sort of insurance to have a trade show like this?

You do want to have insurance, although the hotel or venue usually has some sort of insurance in case someone falls down or some other minor injury. Traveling around with celebrities though, it doesn’t hurt to have some extra insurance. It’s good to be covered from all angles.

Speaking of celebrities, how do they wind up at the show? Do you seek them out or do they ever seek you out?

Some celebrities do seek me out. The bigger the show gets, the more they want to come because they know there will be a lot of fans. Michael Berryman called me this year. He was with us our first year of Crypticon. He had a good time and wanted to come back. There were plenty enough people that were expressing an interest in him returning that it was our fortune to invite him back. He and Tom Sullivan were the first to come back from the first three years. The booking agent for our friend Charlotte Kemp from Frankenhooker sought us out as well. I was happy to have her on board.

Do you pay the celebrities to table Crypticon?

Most of the time. They receive a per diem, or food money, and a good place to stay in a nice hotel. They’re not just hitchhiking here and showing up at the door; they get taken care of. Occasionally they pay their own way because they know that they can make decent money and it’ll be worth their while.

The cost of celebrities is one of the reasons these shows can be expensive. You can’t get Doug Jones and Chris Sarandon to just come out to your show because you say “Hey, I’m having a celebrity-based show, so could you come out?” Usually, you don’t even talk to the celebrities; you talk to their booking agent who’s looking out for their client’s best interest as well as their own.

Part of the challenge of a large show is trying to keep within the budget. The bigger the stars, the more money and the more demands they may make. Depending on the star, it can really vary. It could be first-class air fare, limo service, paying for their parking while their car is at the airport. It could be a lot of stuff that really adds up. It’s all about what they can command as a celebrity.

What happens if a celebrity cancels on you?

You try not to cry. I had a lot of turnover this year and it did affect the show. Celebrities have clauses in their contracts that release them from their obligation if work comes up or even if personal issues arise. You can only hope that you haven’t already bought their airfare. If you have already, then you’re stuck.

The biggest issue is finding a replacement for the cancelled celebrity because you’ve already promised people that are buying tickets or have already bought tickets that a guy like Tom Savini is going to show. He and Michael Bailey Smith and P. J. Soles were all signed for this year, but cancelled. They all wound up with other gigs going on where they couldn’t make it. There’s nothing you can do but hope the fans will forgive you and still come to the show. And that can be tricky. Fans do have their favorites. You can have ten guests and a fan might only want to see one of them.

What’s your favorite story dealing with all these celebrities to come out of the horror genre?

The first year of Crypticon, Sid Haig was at the show. It’s not very often that a celebrity gets excited to see things at the show, but that year we had brought in some choppers from a local chopper club. They had designed these really neat monster bikes. One was a Frankenstein bike that had a great paintjob. On the last night, I was taking a picture of this coffin bike and Sid Haig looked over at me and was like “I gotta get me one of these things”. These guys are very personable.

Chazz and I go to a lot of conventions across the country promoting the magazine and our comics. I see a lot of these people on the circuit. They get to be your friend too. They know you more than just some fan; you’re somebody that puts on these events, not just some stalker.

They do get their share of freaky people though. Michael Berryman was talking about how this guy who wanted a The Hills Have Eyes poster signed so he could hang it over his bed. That’s a pretty peculiar spot to hang that, to wake up every morning and look at Michael Berryman.

And what have you found to be your most enjoyable part of not only organizing the Crypticon, but also being a part of it?

Part of the fun is to find out that all these celebrities are not just known for doing one thing. Take Tom Morga who was at the last show. He’s a stunt man and has worked in so many films. You might know him as Halloween’s Michael Myers or Jason from Friday the 13th Part V, but maybe you didn’t know that he was a pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean and that he’s been in countless films.

You don’t realize it, but he’s the guy that’s falling off the building. He’s the guy that’s getting crushed in a car accident. He’s the stunt man. He’s the guy that’s stepped in for Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sly Stallone when they’re getting beat up. They’re stand-ins. They’re stuntmen. They do the dirty work. They’re unsung heroes. The cool about being a stunt man, whenever there’s a mask like Michael Myers, a guy like Tom Morga can get the chance to play the part and be a fulltime actor.

Here’s another good example of not being able to judge a book by its cover. Charlotte Kemp is a playmate best known for her Frankenhooker movie, but she was also in a clever movie called Repossessed starring Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen. Just because someone has had a wild part in a cult film doesn’t mean that they weren’t active in other areas of acting.

There’s a lot to these people that you and I might not realize when we’re meeting them. There’re a lot of great Hollywood stories behind each one of these people. I learn so much about them. When I sign these actors to the show, I try to learn what other achievements they have besides their main draw. And that’s what makes the Crypticon great. Not only do you get to meet them, but now can you go catch their Q&A and find out that these people have had fascinating careers.

What’s been the craziest thing that’s happened at a Crypticon ?

I can’t think of anything that I can say would be remotely dangerous or bad. It’s been just good clean fun. This crowd can look pretty mean sometimes, but it’s been nothing but a joy from the start. No problems whatsoever. I have yet to even have an argument at a Crypticon. One of the worst cases that I’ve seen has been people drinking a little too much and that can happen anywhere.

That speaks really well of horror fans and specifically the Crypticon crowd.

Like I said, my mom and my sisters have had such a good time that they want to continue to help me with the shows. They’ve felt very comfortable at the shows, met some new friends, and have enjoyed meeting the celebrities. It’s become a fun family business.

You had a wonderful mix of interesting vendors at Crypticon 2008. There were artists, producers, filmmakers, authors, and so many more. Is it usual to get such an interesting variety of vendors?

It has really changed from year one to year three. We’ve had quite a few return vendors, but there’re so many new and interesting companies out there as well. This year we had Zombie Ammo as a new vendor. They were selling zombie targets. It’s a very unique idea and it really went over well at the show. They were very happy with the results.

Transylvanian Television was also a unique vendor with a booth at the show this year. They do horror puppets and are trying to get their show sponsored on a network. They have a pilot that worth’s checking out.

I just never know who’s going to contact me to be a vendor. People from across the country will travel a long way to do our show. I always hope a vendor will offer something different and unique and most the time they do. We really haven’t had that many people trying to sell the same thing which has been an advantage for Crypticon.

I go to lot of conventions where there are too many vendors of the same kind. If I attend a show as a vendor wanting to sell something and there are four or five other vendors selling the same thing that I’m trying to sell, it makes it tough. Even if it’s a bigger crowd, then vendors start undercutting your prices. It’s nice for shoppers but not for the vendor. Why would a vendor want a return to a show if there’re that many people selling the same thing they’re trying to sell?

Are vendors and sponsors two different people?

Yes, there is a difference. A sponsor receives a package deal to be involved in Crypticon. It could involve having a table at the show, advertising through the web sites, fliers, and other notices. Sponsors aren’t generally interested in selling items at the show, but they are interested in being advertised.

What does being a sponsor of Crypticon entail?

Sponsors are given a lot for what they contribute to Crypticon and we definitely accept anyone who wishes to sponsor. Sponsors are put on all Crypticon flyers that are distributed. I personally handed out 10,000 fliers this year for the show. We had fliers in all the Halloween stores and a lot of mall stores so anyone that was purchasing items were also grabbing fliers. Some of the heavier sponsors are put on the Crypticon website. We advertise in the city pages and had a four page ad in local papers.

We offer all sorts of sponsorship options. Some sponsors donate prizes for the competitions like for the effects contest. Others provide services. Darkness Radio did some on-air talk for us. I was introduced to Kelli Maroney through Darkness Radio and she came to the show. Kelli’s a local celebrity who’s known for Night of the Comet and Chopping Mall which horror fans appreciate.

I’m open to talking to anyone who’s interested about different sponsorship ideas. The more sponsors we can get, the better off the show is. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, please email me at count_kaufman@hotmail.com

What can a vendor expect to pay for retail space?

There are two different spaces available at Crypticon. There are tables and there are booths. The tables that usually go to directors, painters, illustrators, comic book artists, and other entrepreneurs are just tables and rent for $150. The full dealer booths are 8’ x 8’ square booths that support a backdrop and allow people to browse around in it. It’s much bigger and runs for $200. If you’re interested in becoming a vendor, you can email me at count_kaufman@hotmail.com

Those are surprisingly reasonable prices!

They are. The vendors often do very well at our show. We want to have a variety too. That’s something we work hard at. For instance, Garret from Monster Ink has been given the exclusive tattooing rights to the show. We could certainly sell more booths to tattoo artists, but I want to have that variety of vendors at Crypticon. Because “Monster” is in the name of Monster Ink and he specializes in doing horror tattoos, it makes sense to have them there as the exclusive tattoo shop.

Were there any Crypticon tattoos this year? People getting ink of “Circus of Terror ‘08”?

I didn’t get to see everything that was done in the tattoo room. They do a lot of live tattooing during the show. There’s so much networking. Sometimes people don’t want to get a tattoo at the show so they interface with the tattoo artists, then go to their shop to get the actual tattoo later. It’s a great way to meet new clientele.

I like variety in vendors and I try not to let them step on each other’s toes. I don’t want too many toy dealers or too many movie dealers. The one area I encourage is directors of small films. I’d fill the whole ballroom with independent filmmakers if there were enough of them. I’d love to see them all have a chance to sell their original movies.

What are your plans for future Crypticon shows?

I’m exploring all different kinds of ideas. I do want the show to be more about moviemaking, the thrill of what it takes to make movies. During the convention, besides the effects competition, we have also demonstrations. Christian Hanson did two phenomenal effects demonstrations during the show Saturday and Sunday. He showed how you can make some cool props and such. It’s easy to do, but depending on your level of skill, it’s how far you can take it.

The Crypticon Myspace page has really been a big success this year. I love to listen to what people have to say. The Myspace page is a great way to get direct feedback. I’m on there on a daily basis to see what responses people are having. Don is posting questions and celebrity names so we can see how people react to them. It’s become my ear to the wall to see what people are thinking, what they want to see, what would make Crypticon better for them.

This year we added some great things to the show. We had our first costume contest. And it went over pretty well. We had an effects contest too. I wish I could’ve been involved in the actual competition part, but my wife told me that would be bad thing as an organizer. (laughing) No one would believe that I wasn’t rigging the competition. But I did make a very cool trophy that I’m very proud of so I did get to be involved there. I sculpted it and put it together. It was a lot of fun.

The trophy went to the winner?

It went to the first and second place winners. We didn’t get the number of entries that I was hoping this year. We only got a couple. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the word out soon enough. We had a lot of moviemaking people at the show but they didn’t feel like they had anything they wanted to enter. That’s too bad because they could’ve won some nice prizes and had some good exposure. Hopefully it will catch on and word will spread.

I try to add a little more every year. It’s always on my mind. We’ve talked about adding music, maybe a band or two. Just making it a huge, huge event. We’ll see what the next show has to offer.

Given your passion for filmmaking, are you involved in any other events throughout the year that involve filmmaking?

We have an indie film festival on Friday nights for people who want to get their movies out there and recognized. They want to get people talking about their movies. We play the film and do a small question and answer session afterwards. These filmmakers want to hear what you have to say or what you liked or didn’t like about their film.

What advice do you have for any potential horror filmmakers in our audience?

This is what I’d really like to stress… If you’re involved in film, you’re attending film school, you’re editing movies, if you like to make small films… there’s really a lot to learn from our show.

Crypticon is more than just a bunch of horror killers and slashers showing up. The Minnesota Film Board was at the show for the first time this year. They were really excited about Crypticon and how things went. They’d like to be a part of next year’s show.

A lot of people attending and working at Crypticon are really tight in the horror industry. If you really want to be in the horror industry, come out and talk to the people that are doing what you want to do. Talk to the Minnesota Film Board and anyone else who’s experiencing the challenge of putting together their own film.

Jerry Griffin, who films the question and answer sessions for us, is in film school right now. Every single film student should want to attend Crypticon to meet these people that make movies, act in movies, are special effects artists, prop makers. There’s fantastic networking going on all over. People interested in film should come out to Crypticon and hang out for a day just to see what the film industry is all about.

Even if you just want to be a zombie extra for fun, there are people that could most likely fix you up with that at Crypticon. We’ve had some of the very best zombies at Crypticon. We’ve had Howard Sherman who played Bub in Day of the Dead. Great guy. Eugene Clark, Big Daddy in Land of the Dead, was at last year’s show. These are iconic zombies.

I’ve been there and done that, donned all the makeup. I went down to the Zombie Pub Crawl here in Minneapolis. It’s a fantastic day of dressing up and getting drunk as a zombie. It’s a lot of fun. I’m surprised more of the Pub Crawl people don’t come to Crypticon and see what we’re all about. We zombie-party here too!

What message would like to give the current fans of Crypticon and all of our Chateau Grrr guests who might just be hearing about it for the first time?

I’d like to say that I really appreciate all the fans who have supported the first three years of Crypticon. They keep spreading the word and it’s getting better with each show. The crowds are getting larger, the venue is getting better, the celebrities bigger. I’m learning what people want to see through their input. Please keep telling me what would make the Crypticon better for you.

Nick, thank you so much for taking time away from Crypticon to speak with us. I know I am thoroughly enjoying myself and will be back for 2009 and with more friends!! Guests, keep tabs on Crypticon through the official website and let Count Kaufman know what’s on your mind through the Crypticon Myspace page.