Apocalypse Rising

Apocalypse Rising Track Schedule for 2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:07:24 GMT

NOTE: This is the full schedule as it stands now. Should any changes (not that any are forseen) occur, they will be posted.

Unless otherwise noted, all panels will take place in Marriott L504/505 (Map to where we are: http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/dr_is_in/atlmqf03.jpg)

FRIDAY

2:30 PM Welcome to the Apocalypse
Just what is the definition of an apocalypse? Come meet this years staff and discuss just what an apocalypse is.

4:00 PM Sign Of The Times Trivia
Think you know everything there is to know about the apocalyptic genre? Come test your knowledge against other fans and win prizes.

5:30 PM How Far Is Too Far: The Ethics & Appropriateness of Apocalyptic Media
The apocalypse has always been a popular theme in movies, television, and literature. But do the creators of the media take the ideas too far? Join us as we discuss the issue from different viewpoints.

7:00 PM Road Warriors, Mad Scientists, & Zombies, Oh My!: Apocalypse Costumes
The apocalyptic genre has inspired some memorable looks... from the Road Warriors of Mad Max to zombies. Come learn how to make you own end of days look and discuss you favorites.

8:30 PM Doomsday Double Feature
Join us for the apocalyptic classics "The Day of The Triffids" and "War of the Worlds". Audience participation, commentary, and MST3K'ing of the movies is encouraged. Independent short films will be viewed throughout the night.

SATURDAY

11:30 AM How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
DragonCon’s favorite son Widge from Needcoffee.com runs a one-time event presented by best-selling author Jonathan Maberry. The Bram Stoker Award winner discusses how to survive a Zombie Apocalypse—things you must know when the dead rise to walk the earth. This is your chance to get close-up with one of the top writers in the field. This panel is must for zombie and all apocalypse fans!

1:00 PM Dead Men Walking: Zombie 101
Whether in literature or film, zombies are an ever popular form of the apocalypse that man can imagine. Come discuss the classics and your favorites with other fans of this part of the genre.

2:30 PM And So It Is Written: Armageddon In Literature
From fiction to non-fiction to even young adult - the apocalypse has become an increasingly popular topic in today's literary world. Join us as we discuss the many facets of the apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic genre, and the works that best exemplify them.

4:00 PM The End of Days On Film: Apocalyptic Cinema
Come join us for a panel discussion of films that portray the world's destruction and the aftermath, from classics like "War of the Worlds" to modern pieces like "I Am Legend".

7:00 PM Aftermath! The Survivors Guide
Come join game writer David Harmer for live demo of the newest supplement for the "Aftermath!" gaming system. There will be sign-ups for the game over the weekend in the track room.

SUNDAY

10:00 AM Oops! How To Survive An Apocalyptic Crisis
Back by popular demand, this panel may save your life! If the world you knew came to an end tomorrow, would you know how to survive? Come learn what to do before, during, and after a crisis to prepare yourself and survive, both emotionally and physically.

1:00 PM 20 Years After (will be held in Hyatt Regency V)
With the post-apocalyptic feature 20 Years After, Torres lends his uncanny genre instincts & seasoned storytelling skills to a compelling, character-driven futuristic fantasy. Join us for the movie before its release in the fall of this year.

4:00 PM 20 Years After: Q&A With Jim & Susannah Torres
Come meet Director Jim Torres and Producer Susannah Torres after seeing the film to hear about the inspiration for the film and stories from the filming.

5:30 PM The Future Looks Grim: Apocalyptic Prophecy
From the Mayans to Edgar Cayce, Armageddon and the end of the world have featured heavily in almost every society and culture's beliefs. Join us for a discussion on the predictions of the end of the world.

7:00 PM The End Of Days As We Know It
It's the end of the world as we know it (in pop culture) and why we are all going to be fine. Join Richard Altstatt for a scientific and funny discussion of the failure of physics, which is at the core of modern entertainment and political wisdom.

MONDAY

10:00 AM My God Is Smitier Than Your God: The Apocalypse In Theology & Mythology
From the Book of Revelations to Ragnarok, the concept of the end of days is a major theme in religion and mythology. Come join us as we look at the different religious views of apocalypse around the world, and compare their similarities and differences.

11:30 AM Meet Mr. Smith: An Hour With Sean Astin (Will be held in Regency VI - VII)
Crazy? Prophet? Come join Sean Astin as he reminisces about his days post hobbits and elves on the popular post-apocalyptic TV show Jeremiah, and shares his thoughts on his character, the mysterious Mr. Smith.

1:00 PM The Apocalypse Will Be Televised
With shows like "Jeremiah" and "Jericho", the apocalypse and the end of days are popular television viewing. Join us for a panel discussion of the genre on the small screen.

2:30 PM Game Over, Man: Apocalyptic Games
Ever wanted to just grab a bunch of your buddies and run wild across the scenic post-nuclear landscape? Join us as we discuss apocalyptic gaming in all its mutated irradiated forms.

4:00 PM Survivor's Farewell
So you’ve survived til Monday… congratulations! Come talk with the staff about the weekends events, say goodbye to fellow survivors, and discuss what you liked about this years track (or let us know where we need changes).

REMINDER: Call for panelists!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:03 GMT

If you want you name published in the schedule, I must have your name by Saturday afternoon. Schedules are due on Sunday, and once they are turned in, I will not be able to add your name so that it will be listed in the schedule.

http://community.livejournal.com/ar_dctrack/6113.html

CALL FOR PANELISTS!!!!

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:11:40 GMT

It's that time of year, folks. We're looking for panelists for the following panels (And no, this is not the full schedule, this is just a call for panelists...full schedule to follow soon):

Friday
5:30 "How Far Is Too Far: The Ethics & Appropriates Of Apoclyptic Themes In Modern Media"
7:00 "Road Warriors, Mad Scientists, & Zombies, Oh My!: Apocalypse Costumes"

Saturday
1:00 "My God Is Smitier Than Your God: The Apocalypse In Theology & Mythology"
2:30 "Dead Men Walking: Zombie 101"
4:00 "End Of Days On Film: Apocalyptic Cinema"
7:00 "Aftermath! Gaming Night: The Survivors Guide to the Apocalypse" (We are looking for specific people to take part in a live demo of this game, game masters and players both. Please see below the cut for info on game masters.

We are looking for 5 or 6 people who have experience in running RPG games, technology based RPG experience (Cyberpunk, Twilight 2000, Shadowrun, GURPS, and of course, Aftermath!) preferred. You will have to be at the track room by 6pm to meet with David Harmer who wrote the "The Survivors Guide to the Apocalypse" supplement to go over characters, scenarios, and how the sessions will be run. If you are interested, please email both me (apocalypse(at)dragoncon(dot)org) and David Harmer (harmerd(at)earthlink(dot)net).

Sunday
5:30 "The Future Looks Grim: Prophecy & The Apocalypse"

Monday
11:30 "And So It Is Written: The Apocalypse In Literature"
1:00 "The Apocalypse Will Be Televised: Armageddon On Television"
2:30 "Game Over, Man: Apocalyptic Gaming"

If interested in being a panelist, please send an email to apocalypse(at)dragoncon(dot)org with your real name and what panels you are interested in (and a little about yourself and why you'd make a good panelist)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:17:15 GMT

The Apocalypse Rising Track is proud to present...

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong: War, Terrorism, Natural Disasters. Evacuees were ushered from the cities to refugee camps in the surrounding counties. In-fighting, famine and disease took their toll on the survivors. Now, twenty years after the bombs fell and the plagues ran their course the few that remain live in fear and without hope.

Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) and Azura Skye (Red Dragon, One Missed Call, Buffy)star in this Post-Apocalyptic Fairy Tale about a young woman's journey to deliver the first child born in 15 Years.

For more information and to view the trailer, please visit http://apocalypserising.dragoncon.net/20years.html

Announcing the first of this years panels...

Mon, 19 May 2008 03:51:47 GMT

A few new panels, and a few old faves returning....

- The Future Looks Grim: Apocalyptic Prophecy
- Dead Men Walking: Zombie Cinema
- The End of Days On Film: Apocalyptic Cinema
- My God Is Smitier Than Your God: The Apocalypse In Theology & Mythology
- Doomsday Double Feature
- The Apocalypse Will Be Televised

More to come soon....

Apocalypse Rising Needs YOU On Staff!

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:30:53 GMT

Does the end of the world fascinate you? Do you love zombies, Jericho, War of the Worlds, Jeremiah, or I am Legend? Are you looking for a volunteer activity at Dragon*Con that will allow you to share your passion for the Apocalypse with others?

The Apocalypse Rising track needs you!

Apocalypse Rising is in it's second year at Dragon*Con after having a fantastic debut year in 2007. We will be reviving several popular panels this year, including the religion panel, survival seminar, and zombie cinema panel, as well as creating some new panels, including an apocalyptic survival simulation.

Interested in learning more or volunteering? You can find more information out about us at ar_dctrack, our website, or at our MySpace page.

Interested parties should e-mail artrackdcatgmaildotcom.

Thanks for all of your support!

(X-posted: ar_dctrack, dragon_con, dragoncon)

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:31:23 GMT

Hey all, this is Tami, the track director...under a new username now.

New website is launched!

http://apocalypserising.dragoncon.net/

Panels and a call out for panelists will be going up soon.

Thank you from the Apocalypse Rising staff.......

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:51:39 GMT

I know one of my staff members has already posted something, but I wanted to take a chance to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who spent time with us on the third floor of the Hilton this year. We were blown away by how many of you showed up (especially 10 am on Saturday morning). We loved putting together the programming for you, and look forward to next year (ideas and brainstorming and work has already begun). Please, let us know what you loved, what you didnt love, what you'd love to see next year. We've gotten some great feedback already, and are always happy to hear more.

To the guests and panelists who played with us all weekend, a standing ovation to all of you. We couldn't have done it without you, and invite you back to work with us again next year.

Again, thank you to all of you for giving this first year track a chance!

Tami Brown
Apocalypse Rising Track Director

We survived!

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:36:28 GMT

Our first year has come and gone, and we survived! Damn, guess we were wrong about that end of the world thing, huh? Well, there's always next year...

We think this year went great (you like us, you really like us!) and the Apocalypse Rising Track would like to thank all of our guests, panelists, and attendees for making us such a huge success. We filled several panels to bursting, and even had security close one off because we had reached capacity. Where as this might be a bit of an inconvenience to some, we revel in it! It tells us, and Dragon Con, that people are interested in what we're doing and that we need to come back. That you want us to come back. It also screams, "For the love to the apocalypse, give us a bigger room!"

But you know, the Dragon Con PTBs have a LOT of people screaming at them. Both literally and figuratively. So the best way to make sure we come back next year (and hopefully in a bigger room) is to send a sweet little email to them saying how much you loved us and that you would like to see us back next year. You'd be amazed at how much difference just a few sentences from each of you would make.

Also, the AR staff is looking for feedback. We want to hear it all: what you loved, what you hated, what you want to see again, what you wish you could erase from your brain, and everything in between. We're all big girls and boys, so don't be concerned about hurting our feelings. In giving us criticism, either good or bad, you help us give you a better track and that is a win-win situation for everyone. If you don't feel comfortable posting your comments here, please feel free to email us at artrackdc[at]gmail[dot] com with the subject line of FEEDBACK.

And again, a big ole THANKS to everyone who came out to see us. It was an amazing first year and we look forward to bringing you many more in the future.

Shannon
AR Staffer and one tired peon

[x-posted]

Archetypes panel?

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:59:52 GMT

Does anyone remember the name of the book mentioned at the archetypes panel? I tried to find panelists in the exibitors hall to ask them, but I couldn't find anyone.

Also, to everyone who worked on the track this year- Great job!

Thank You!

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:11:15 GMT

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the track directors, the panelists on the My God is Smitter... panel and the people who attended. I was on a couple panels at DragonCon this year (My God is Smitter... being one of them) and I was VERY impressed at the level of thought and the depth of discussion we had at this panel.

You guys really prove that just because we might be "geeks" we're capable of in depth and deep thought and discussion.

I had a really good time in this track and was very impressed at how professionally it was run and how awesome everyone was! So big thanks!

Call For Panelists!

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:50:25 GMT

The Apocalypse Rising Track is looking for panelists for the following panels. If you're interested please email us at artrackdc[at]gmail[dot].com!

Life As We Knew It: Season 1 of Jericho In Review
Friday 8/31/2007 2:30 PM

I Don't Wanna Grow Up: The Tribe In Review
Friday 8/31/2007 4:00 PM

A Generation Lost: Jeremiah Series Review
Friday 8/31/2007 7:00 PM

What Went Wrong? Tribe Discussion
Monday 9/3/2007 10:00 AM

Jericho: Where Do We Go From Here?
Monday 9/3/2007 11:30 AM

Come on you TV watchers, I know you're out there!

Reminder! Zombie Walk

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:43:48 GMT

Just a reminder that you can still sign up for the Zombie Walk. Though we prefer to have a rough count ahead of time, we WILL be taking sign ups Friday and are even welcoming of those who just can't seem to sleep (or never went to bed) and decide they want to come out and play Saturday morning.

Here is the original post.

The route has been finalized and will be posted to the web site tomorrow, along with final information about make-up, starting location, and parade interaction.

Looking for panelists.....

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:41:54 GMT

The Apocalypse Rising track is looking for panelists for our "My God Is Smitier Than Your God: Apocalypse in Theology and Mythology" panel on Saturday at 4pm. If you are interested, email us at artrackdc[at]gmail[dot]com.

x-posted

Zombie Walk!

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:49:01 GMT

Get out the fake blood and start shredding your Sunday best, because Zombies are coming to town!

The Apocalypse Rising track, in conjunction with Atlanta HorrorFest are proud to present...

Dragon Con 2007 Zombie Walk

All information is posted on the Apocalypse Rising web sites's Zombie Walk page, but in short here are the details:

When: Saturday, September 1, 2007
Time: approximately 10 AM, with make-up assistance available starting at 9 AM
Registration: email your name and, if a minor, age and name of accompanying adult (18+) to artrackdc[at]gmail[dot]com. We will contact you with further directions/instructions as we get closer to Dragon Con.

[Note: We do realize the Zombie Walk is at the same time as the parade, and that this may cause a conflict for some, but please visit the FAQ on our site for our reasoning (if it's not up there yet, it will be shortly)]

We hope to see you there!

FINAL SCHEDULE!

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:28:35 GMT

The final schedule has been completed. If you are interested in being a panelist, please email us at artrackdc@gmail.com telling us what panel(s) you are interested in.

Friday
1:00 - Welcome to the Apocalypse!
2:30 - Where'd They All Go: Jericho Season 1 In Review
4:00 - I Don't Wanna Grow Up: The Tribe In Review
5:30 - Game Over, Man: Apocalyptic Gaming
7:00 - A Generation Lost: Jeremiah Series Review
8:30 - DeathRace 2007: Apocalyptic Cinema

Saturday
10:00 - We've Got A Twitcher: Zombie 101
11:30 - Zombie Squad: Are You Prepared?
1:00 - Zombie Squad: Are You Prepared? (Part 2)
2:30 - To the Bat Tank! An Hour with Lori Petty
4:00 - My God Is Smitier Than Your God: The Apocalypse in Theology
5:00 - Making A Monster: Zombie Cinema
7:00 - Don't I Know You From Somewhere: Archetypes In Post-Apocalyptic Media
8:30 - The Signal: Do You Have The Crazy?

Sunday
10:00 - Extinction Chronicles: Apocalyptic Literature
11:30 - Oops!: How To Survive An Apocalyptic Crisis
1:00 - Mad Max: Beyond Georgia Dome
2:30 - Meet Mr. Smith: An Hour with Sean Astin
4:00 - Apocalyptic Family Feud
5:30 - You Dropped A Bomb On Me: Music For The Apocalypse
7:00 - How Far is Too Far: The Ethics/Appropriateness of Apocalyptic Themes in Modern Media
9:00 - Apocalyptic Shorts

Monday
10:00 - What Went Wrong? Tribe Discussion
11:30 - Jericho: Where do we go from here?
1:00 - The End of Days: Track Review

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 03:24:49 GMT

Mark your calendars for July 24th at 9:30 Eastern time to listen to me on the Quiet Earth radio show.

http://blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=35309

I will be promoting the Apocalypse Rising track at Dragon*Con. We'll be talking about apocalyptic media and what we have planned for this year.

Support Zombie Squad!

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:56:59 GMT

Hot, Spicey...

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:55:09 GMT

Schedule! And looking for panelists.....

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:22:29 GMT

YAY! We have our schedule (note: times could change for panels, if they do, they will be updated)! We'll be asking for panelists in the next couple of weeks, so if you are interested in a panel let us know.

Friday
1:00 - The Begining of the End: Welcome to the Apocalypse
2:30 - Where'd They All Go: Season 1 of Jericho In Review
4:00 - I Don't Wanna Grow Up: The Tribe In Review
5:30 - A Generation Lost: Jeremiah Series review
7:00 - Game Over Man! Post-Apocalyptic Gaming & Beyond
8:30- Deathrace 2007: Apocalyptic Cinema

Saturday
11:30 - We've got a Twitcher! Zombie 101
1:00 - Zombie Squad
2:30 - Zombie Squad
4:00 - My God Is Smitier Then Your God: the Apocalypse in Theology
5:30 - An Hour with Lori Petty (currently pending scheduling approval)
7:00 - Making a Monster: Zombie Films
8:30 - Don't I Know You From Somewhere: Archetypes In Post-Apocalyptic Media

Sunday
10:00 - Extinction Chronicles: Apocalyptic Literature
11:30 - Oops!: How To Survive An Apocalyptic Crisis
1:00 - An Hour with Sean Astin (currently pending scheduling approval)
2:30 - Mad Max Beyond Georgia Dome
4:00 - Apocalyptic Family Feud
5:30 - You Dropped a Bomb on Me: Music for the Apocalypse
7:00 - How Far is Too Far: The Ethics/Appropriateness of Apocalyptic Themes in Modern Media

Monday
10:00 - What went Wrong? Tribe panel discussion
11:30 - The Signal panel
1:00 - End of Days: Track Wrap Up

We should make one of these at event at Dragon Con, no?

Sun, 27 May 2007 12:54:27 GMT

Zombie Walk:

Zombie Walk Atlanta: Oct. 27, 2006

They started out at Historic Oakland Cemetery and continued on through Georgia State, downtown and then made their way through Underground Atlanta and onto Marta for an escape.
Here's a teaser video:

Here's a link to a 9 minute documentary about it:
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-4698854827826566812&hl=en

ZOMBIE SQUAD AT DRAGON*CON!!!

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:21:19 GMT

The Apocalypse Rising Track is proud to present:

ZOMBIE SQUAD!!!

Appearing at Dragon*Con 2007 as part of the Apocalypse Rising track.

What is Zombie Squad?
From their website, http://zombiehunters.org/:

Zombie Squad is an elite zombie suppression task force ready to defend your neighborhood from the shambling hordes of the walking dead. We provide trained, motivated, skilled zombie extermination professionals and zombie survival consultants. Our people and our training are the best in the industry.

When the zombie removal business is slow we focus our efforts towards educating ourselves and our community about the importance of disaster preparation. To satisfy this goal we host disaster relief charity fundraisers, disaster preparation seminars and volunteer our time towards emergency response agencies.

Our goal is to educate the public about the importance of personal preparedness and self reliance, to increase its readiness to respond to disasters such as Earthquakes, Floods, Terrorism or Zombie Outbreaks. We want to make sure you are prepared for any crisis situation that might come along in your daily life which may include having your face eaten by the formerly deceased.

Random Panel Ideas

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 02:00:17 GMT

You could

* find scientists/survivalists to talk about actual end-of-the-world survival scenarios
* host an open discussion panel -- the world will end in 24 hours, what will you do on your last day?
* have a Mad Max homemade armor costume contest ;)

Survivors Wanted.

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:26:43 GMT

Out of the ashes of the North American Tribal Gathering Track rises a whole new breed of programming: Apocalypse Rising: Apocalyptic Themes In Popular Media. Making our debut at Dragon*Con 2007 we offer a contemporary look at the end of days and all that will follow.

And as we all know you can't have a good Apocalypse with out such fandoms as Jeremiah, Jericho, The Tribe, zombies, and more! So we need to hear from you, the people who know the most. We're looking for topics for discussion panels, who you would like to see (no worries, A-listers are already being pursued), and in general what makes your fandom so great. And if you are attending Dragon Con and want to be on a panel, all the better! Afterall, we need all the survivors we can get.

If you'd like to learn more about our track, are interested in being a panelist (remember, you have to be coming to Dragon Con), or just have ideas to share please contact us at:

Email: artrackdc@gmail.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/artrackdc
LiveJournal: http://community.livejournal.com/ar_dctrack

The Apocalypse is here... can you survive?

[x-posted]

And so it begins....

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:25:55 GMT

Brace yourselves, we are here.

What we're all about can be found in the "About Me" section on our main page. But basically the end of the world is coming, and we're going to be there to discuss it. However it's a bit away, so until it arrives you can come here to keep tabs on how the planning is going, what guests will be participating in our track, what panels are in the works, and other juicy little tidbits.

We do know that Livejournal isn't for everyone (how sad), and as such you can also keep updated in the various ways:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/artrackdc
Email: artrackdc@gmail.com
Various Fan Boards

OR

You can be a joiner and contact one of our illustrious staff directly at our Livejournal pages. Remember, there's always safety in numbers.

Director: Tami Brown ( tami_brown )
Assistant Director: Samantha Zuniga ( princessbride24 )
Public Relations: Shannon Chesnut ( calzephyr )

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas. And we hope to see all survivors come Dragon*Con 2007.