Heroes of the Shadow World: ‘Shadowhunters’ Con takes Manhattan

If this is your first time visiting Film Daily, welcome! Have you heard of Shadowhunters? If you’ve been here before, welcome! And settle in for more Shadowhunters updates.

You know by now that here at Film Daily we stan for Shadowhunters like Cookie Monster stans for cookies – it’s an all-encompassing passion that has completely taken over our lives. We’ve spoken again and again and again about how Shadowhunters deserves to be saved, about how Shadowhunters is being held hostage by our corporate overlords, and most recently, how The PCAs were rigged against our favor.

Despite Shadowhunters being one of the best fantasy TV shows in the known universe, there’s something else that makes Shadowhunters really special: the Shadowfam.

We’re not just living in #peakTV, we’re also in the age of #peakfans

2018 was an interesting year. We had a royal wedding, the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and NASA launched its $1.5 billion Parker Solar Probe straight into the sun. But what really interested us was the world of TV fandom. That year signaled a change in fan campaigns, where small groups gained momentum and were able to save their favorite shows from the brink of cancellation en masse.

Networks have repeatedly failed to understand the value of some of their best shows and gone for them with the cancellation axe, despite sizable, passionate fanbases campaigning for them to be saved. So far, fan campaigns have proven successful in bringing shows back, or at the very least managed to get a farewell movie to tie up loose ends.

By far the largest and most impressive fan campaign for a cancelled TV show has come from Freeform’s Shadowhunters. Fans have refused to accept that the show end after the third season and have organized a number of impressive grassroots efforts to campaign for Shadowhunters to be saved.

The ShadowFam, much like the rocket that NASA is launching into the sun, is not to be underestimated. For those looking in from the outside, their enthusiasm and relentless resistance in the face of their fave show ending goes to show Shadowhunters just isn’t your average TV show. 

From the ashes of the Shadowhunters cancellation, the Shadowfam has risen phoenix-like, building a strong community and completing massive feats such as:

• Winning the Shadowhunters numerous awards for vote-in polls 
• Raising over $50,000 for charity
• Building strong grassroots communities and networks to help at-risk individuals and provide community for people who feel isolated

Shadowfam, assemble!

We’ve witnessed the awesome might of fandom engagement, and it’s about time they were rewarded for it. 

Heroes of the Shadow World is the first ever Shadowhunters-only convention in North America, and it’s coming to New York City the weekend of April 3rd – 5th, 2020. 

The three-day event takes place at the InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel and is a celebration for the cast, crew, music, and fans of Shadowhunters, with a variety of activities including panels, autographs, photo ops, and chats. Fans get the chance to meet their favorite stars and get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Shadowhunters from the crew who made the Shadow World come to life.

Heroes of the Shadow World will also include a fundraising event benefiting The Trevor Project. 

And if we haven’t made it clear that Film Daily honors all things Shadowhunters all the time, we also managed to chat with the amazing Event Director of Jalmics International Diane about Heroes of the Shadow World. 

When Diane talks all things Shadowhunters, we listen

How did you start your journey creating Heroes of the Shadow World?

Well, you guys know that better than me. It was your passion for the #SaveShadowhunters campaign that led you to contact me in regards to the possibility of an event in North America in relation to the TV show Shadowhunters. I was intrigued by the idea and started to look at all the options – and here we are!

What other events were you inspired by?

I will always remember the atmosphere at the Turn of the Century Celebration on the December 31st, 1999 at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff: an amazing event to plan and put on. It was the best party of all time for attendees and staff alike, and it is that spirit that I always try to bring to every event I run.

Tell us about your history and your team’s history with events.

We have quite a varied history, which means we see things from a lot of different angles. As you can imagine, this results in quite a unique outcome. We put our own Jalmics twist on our events. 

My personal history is with larger-scale events such as concerts and stadium events, but also conventions and exhibitions which range in size. The team’s experience ranges from organizing all kinds of conventions and competitions to education events for 3,000 delegates. 

Why do you believe so strongly that Shadowhunters should be saved?

When I started researching the show, it soon became apparent that it has an exceptionally strong fanbase, which is still growing even though the show was cancelled. The depth of feeling for the show is also mirrored in the people who worked on Shadowhunters. 

This is exceptionally unusual, and upon investigation it appears to be due to the underlying themes of the show, which deals with so many issues that are important to people today. Ultimately, Shadowhunters brings people together with its strong themes of love and hope. 

From my perspective, any show that can reach an international audience and unify across barriers of language, race, sex, colour, religion, and sexual preference should be supported and continued.

Where did the concept come from for Heroes of the Shadow World?

There have been a lot of midnight candles burning when discussing the concept for this event, as we wanted to give Shadowhunters the celebration it deserves, and in keeping of our mantra, make it fun for everyone who attends. 

We have therefore created a three-day event featuring some evening activities that doesn’t just focus on five to ten actors, but is dedicated to the whole show. That includes the cast and crew, the music and the fandom. For us, they all are “Heroes of the Shadow World” – hence the title of our con! 

For us, it is really more of a celebration than a convention. We wanted to put together a unique event with a different concept. With that in mind, the convention is in part a fundraising event benefiting The Trevor Project, an organization close to the heart of the fandom. And as for location: from our perspective, it just had to be based in New York, the home of the Shadowhunters storyline.

Why should people attend Heroes of the Shadow World?

First of all, it is going to be a huge celebration of the show and the people you love. 

If you are a fan of Shadowhunters, then this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to mingle with the cast & crew and the Shadowfam over three days. Who doesn’t want to hang out with the Vampires, Warlocks, Werewolves, Demons, Seelies, and Shadowhunters? You will also get to chat with the people who brought Shadowhunters to life and ask all the questions that you have always wanted to but never had the chance to.

Of course there will also be the traditional convention elements such as autograph and photography opportunities, but that is really just the start of this adventure in the Shadow World with us.

Do you have an online streaming option for fans?

We haven’t planned an online streaming option at this point, however, we will be sharing photos & video snippets and livetweeting the event.

What have been your greatest successes in the past?

This is always a hard one to answer as it depends on your definition of success. A lot of my business successes are surrounded in confidentiality agreements, which is exceptionally frustrating in this instance. But I can say that when you bring parties together in negotiation where resolution appears impossible, it brings an undeniable amount of joy. 

Every event is an equal success, and it may sound trite but I really do get a buzz from seeing people enjoying themselves. In my personal life, sending my son off into Snowdonia to wild camp for four days without worrying about him, knowing I have given him the skills to cope, was my most recent success. I see success every day from giving a new employee confidence and new skills, to closing a successful deal for a client. 

Talk us through your creative process.

At Jalmics our motto is merging mindsets, and it is about merging the logical and business side of our brains with the creative aspects. This is always at the forefront of our creative process, which really is a joint effort.

Our team is based around the world and we really do work 24/7, so our creative process flies around the world faster than the speed of sound. Ideas bounce around and sense and logic are tested simultaneously.

It is amazing to watch, as one person will have an idea and by the time they wake up again, it has been fully worked through and a decision has been made as to whether it will work or not.

What tips do you have for Shadowhunters fans who want to save the show?

Be patient, stay calm, remain committed, and most importantly, unite together. These are very strong business ideals for success, and they apply equally in this situation.

What part of Shadowhunters do you geek out about the most?

Well, I have watched the show as part of my research, however I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, and really don’t want to pretend that I am. There are a lot of dedicated fans out there who could get a university degree on their knowledge of Shadowhunters! I especially like the interplay between Asmodeus, Magnus, and Alec towards the end of season three, and thought that was an interesting storyline that could have gone even further.

Do you run any other projects we need to know about?

One of the unique elements of Jalmics is that we really do dedicate ourselves to the projects that we take on. We turned down a crowdfunding project in order to be able to really give Heroes of the Shadow World our focus and do it justice. 

Have you worked with mentors in the past? How would you recommend people go about finding them?

I have worked with some quite amazing mentors in the past, and good ones are exceptionally hard to find. It is very difficult to get to meet them in person, but using social media you can find people from whom you can learn. I am a great believer in reading autobiographies of people you admire and philosophies that interest you as well.

I will share one of the things an early mentor in my life taught me that has stayed with me ever since: “You can have everything you want in life, but not always at the same time.” It is amazing how many times this has helped me make difficult decisions.

What’s the five-year plan for Heroes of the Shadow World?

Without getting ahead of ourselves, if the Shadowfam likes what we do, then we will host further events in different locations – but always with a twist, and we will of course return to New York in the future. There are so many possibilities here! Our minds are bursting and we can’t fit all of our ideas into this event.

Can you tell us about any surprises you’ve got in store?

Okay, if that’s what you want. Spoiler alert! 

We noticed there is a photo booth strip of Magnus and Alec that is commented on a lot, so we thought it would be a great idea for the Shadowfam to be able to take photos with the family they have made through the fandom. Included in the price of each ticket will be a strip of photobooth photos for each fan.

— 

Shadowfan! Connect with the event to end all Shadowhunters events, Heroes of the Shadow World now! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.