RollBots Premiere Recap

I should say up front that I suck at interviews. I have seen many, but I have never done one in any serious way. On Saturday night, I had to crouch next to a RollBots poster for about 45 minutes while trying to look authentically cheerful while we fought to get the right angle for an Ottawa Citizen article that's running this week. If it's actually in the paper, please have mercy on me. My legs were numb, and I was being told to "laugh naturally". I can't even laugh naturally, naturally. Especially not when my toes are tingly. Though I should say the photographer was really great about it all. He was very patient with my stiffness.

Anyway, on to the premiere: I arrived about 3 hours early to help set up the theatre for the show. We had a bunch of giant posters on foam board which was nice. Everyone started filing in and eventually the line-up began. I believe we had about 500 people in there (only a seat or two were free, and the theatre seats 520). Everyone seemed happy with the result. No children openly vomited. The world was a better place.

Afterwards, Andy from YTV made me stand up so the crowd would know who I was. Gah! That was not fun. Marked for death, as it were.

I floated around the room for the next hour, getting congratulated by people from all over. The best moments were when kids would stop me to tell me they really liked it, saying things like "Spin is my favourite. And Captain Pounder. Oh, and Penny. But Spin is cool. Who do you like?" as if I were a fan of the show and not the one who made it up. I haven't felt like that about the show for SO LONG, it was great to be able to say "Oh, Spin for sure. I want his boots." A few younger kids told me that Vertex did NOT scare them AT ALL. I have a feeling I'm going to need to do a blog post soon about "the making of Vertex" to help calm some fears.

Midway through the schmoozing, Craig and Chantal (producers) cornered me and started acting very suspicious. At first, I thought Craig was not actually drinking straight apple juice as he claimed, but then I realized what was going on: YTV's camera crews were closing in. I was going to have to do an interview with Andy. It might even air on YTV. I was completely unprepared.

If you see it some day, note this: I have seen enough interviews to know how to talk a roundabout route around any topic. I can sound authentically artificial if I try. And I think I nailed that part. But I'm really aiming for a Neil Gaiman kind of interview, where I can say things that don't sound like marketing copy. [as an aside... when it comes to WRITING marketing copy, I get stumped. But I can apparently speak it effortlessly. poop.] So please be aware that I do not like the way I was talking there. Made me a little sad inside. And horribly embarrassed outside.

The worst part was where they asked me "what's coming up on RollBots", and I was like... "uhhhh... there's... uh.... roll...rolling?" There are SO MANY subplots and reveals and secrets that are coming up, but I had never before thought of which one I would mention as a hint of a spoiler. I was rushing through my memory, thinking: "Nah, too subtle. Nah, too obvious. Nah, that happens in 121. Gah!" So rather than making a good comment, I mentioned a special reveal to do with Penny. [::headdesk::]

In the end, all went well. Though I didn't get a single slice of pizza because I was being interviewed when it was being given out. But I probably would've thrown it all up anyway. Nerves is bad.

I may have to do more press for RollBots in the coming weeks, and I sincerely hope it gets easier. If not, I may have to change careers again :

[photos to follow once I get home and find my card reader]