June 06, 2006
Power to the People: Fans in Boston Succeed in Demanding Performance by Author & Actor Wil Wheaton through New Web Tool
Free Service by Eventful.com Enables Fans & Performers to Connect
SAN DIEGO--June 6, 2006--Fans in Boston have used a new free web service, Eventful Demand, to mount a grass-roots campaign to "demand" an appearance by actor/writer Wil Wheaton. Eventful Demand, provided by the leading online events site Eventful.com, helps connect fans, performers and venues to create events based on consumer demand. Wheaton's Boston program, planned for July 2 at the Brookline Booksmith bookstore, is the first event to be generated by Eventful's new service.
Since a fan initiated an Eventful Demand for the former Star Trek actor on March 13, more than 2,800 individuals in 138 cities have "demanded" Wheaton, including over 200 Wheaton devotees who have pledged to attend the Boston event. The venue in Boston was selected based on a fan's suggestion at the Eventful.com website, and the demands in all cities have been publicized using Eventful's spread-the-word tools.
In response to the Eventful Demand, Wheaton scheduled the Boston appearance to coincide with his arrival in Boston after CruiseTrek 2006, a Star Trek-themed cruise in which he will be featured because of his portrayal of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is also trying to arrange an appearance before he boards the cruise in Montreal, where over 120 fans have "demanded" his presence.
In addition to his Star Trek fame, Wheaton played the teenage Gordie LaChance in the film Stand By Me, has acted in numerous other films and television episodes, published the memoirs Dancing Barefoot and Just a Geek, has established himself as a world-class poker player, and writes a popular blog (http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/). Wheaton's Boston appearance is scheduled to include a reading from Just a Geek and a tentative screening of Stand By Me.
"Eventful Demands really work!" Wheaton wrote in his May 8 blog when announcing his Boston engagement. "I was able to confidently contact a few bookstores and tell them that I was coming to town, with about 200 people who would come to their store, spend some money, and freak out the regulars."
"The Eventful Demand service helps build community around shared interests and provides a powerful mechanism for fans, performers and venues to create events in local markets throughout the world," said Jordan Glazier, CEO of Eventful.com's parent-company EVDB, Inc. "The Wil Wheaton event is a great example of how Eventful Demand empowers fans and performers."
Eventful Demands can be initiated by clicking on the Demand tab on the home page at Eventful.com. Performers can also encourage fans to create requests by posting "Demand me!" links in their blogs, websites and emails. Once a demand is created, Eventful offers tools to promote the request, including emails inviting friends to sign on, e-stickers for use on personal blogs and websites, and links to social bookmarking sites where users can further publicize the Demand.
About EVDB and Eventful.com
San Diego-based EVDB, Inc. operates Eventful.com, the leading online events site that enables users to discover and promote local happenings throughout the world. EVDB utilizes Web 2.0 technology in developing its search engine and web services platform for global event and venue data. Investors include Draper Fisher Jurvetsen of Menlo Park, California; eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's Omidyar Network, EDventure Holdings founder Esther Dyson, PersonaLogic founder Tom Sammon, half.com founder Josh Kopelman, Trusonic CTO Daniel O'Neill and Tribe Networks founder Mark Pincus. Additional information is available at EVDB.com and Eventful.com.
Posted by brian at June 6, 2006 11:30 AM