First let me say that I was really excited. Like my-mind-is-numb excited. Jittery-skittery excited.
But I was also seriously confused.
I had purchased the tickets. But what was I supposed to do then? Where was I supposed to go? How early should I get there? Where was the line? Where was the box office to pick up tickets? Where do I park? Can I bring my camera?
So many questions. I turned to the internet for answers. And I found nothing.
Seriously. Nothing. There were no "what to expect at PaleyFest" or "How to do PaleyFest" or "PaleyFest for Fan Dummies" articles, blog posts, etc., that I could find anywhere.
I resolved that I would write one for posterity. Because these answers need to be available. It would've made me a lot more comfortable with the whole thing. So for your comfort and my shoddy memory, here's How To Do PaleyFest - A Guide for Fans
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Location: PaleyFest in LA is held at the Dolby Theater right in the middle of Hollywood. It's next to the Chinese theater, across from the El Capitan theater, etc. It's a magical place.
Parking: a cinch. The great thing about the Dolby Theater is that it's in the Hollywood and Highland Center. The great thing about the H&H Center is that it's right on top of a massive parking structure. Parking is pricey, but that's easily taken care of: just get your parking validated and it's $2! (we forgot to do this...)
Box Office: Once you're in the Dolby Center, hit the Box Office first to pick up your Will Call tickets. (If you got them some other way, then you get to conveniently skip this step.) The Box Office is on the first floor, located right by the Dolby Theater entrance doors.
- If you came in from the parking structure, the box office will literally be right in front of you as you come up the escalator and head into the H&H Center.
- If you came in from the street, don't head up the stairs, but around them, toward the theater doors. It will be on the left of the rotunda.
Lining up / fighting crowds: Ok. You got your tickets safely tucked away. Where's the line? Sadly (and counterintuitively), it isn't by the box office. There are doors there, but that's where the VIPs line up. If you're a normal, only sorta important, person, head up the the second floor (up those famous stairs!). This year (2014), the line of "Paley Center Members" was to the right of the second floor doors, and the line for the rest of us was to the left of those doors.
We got in line about 11:45 since there were a few people in it. The event started at 1, but again I had no idea when they opened the doors because that information was mysteriously absent for the internet.
They opened the doors and let us in at 12. So an hour before our event.
You do have an assigned seat, though, so there's not really a rush to get into line and head into the building. We sat in the Dolby Theater (which was AWESOME) for half an hour before there were many people in it. It really didn't fill up until five or ten minutes before 1.
Don't push your luck, though - they started precisely at 1. Don't be late!
N.B. - for more popular, fan-crazy shows (like the Vampire Diaries) there might be a bigger line and people arriving early. But that doesn't change the fact that you have your seat reserved. So don't wig out.
The event itself: For our Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel they started with an introduction from executive producer Jeph Loeb greeting us, telling us we were going to have an advanced screening of the next Agents of SHIELD episode, but please don't spoil anything or we'll have to kill you.
(He didn't actually threaten us. He said he would be disappointed. We were granted Level 7 security clearance and he was trusting us. Yes, sir!)
After our screening, we had 45 minutes of moderator questions, followed by 30 minutes or so of fan questions.
Meeting the stars: if you're
It sounded awesome. It also sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding along the Serengeti. Not really my thing. I like myself too much.
Cameras: I didn't see a ton of people lugging in DSLR cameras, but everyone had an iPad or iPhone. I had my nice point-and-shoot tucked in my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. messenger bag. That's how I got so many awesome pictures.
They didn't have any "no photography" or "no camera" signs posted, although they did have scary men patrolling the aisles during the episode screening to enforce the no recording policy. Jeph Loeb also mentioned that Marvel takes its security seriously and that they "probably took a blood sample and made you check your camera at the door," which makes me think if you're toting a big ol' camera in, you're not going to keep it. But I don't have any positive information on that.
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I hope someone, someday finds this post when they need it. It should be quite helpful.
You're welcome.
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