+

[Freight]

Frick.

Who retained their position?

[Hcoregamer00]

I only know that I got a split 50/50 vote, so I got half the yes votes and half the no votes. That is not a majority which means I don't get elected.

I won by one vote last time, and I lost by one vote this time. Kind of ironic how things went this time, especially after I saved AX from all that crushing debt.

[Hakaider]

Hcoregamer00:

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Considering that you helped to get rid of AX's tremendous debt, one would think that a little gratitude & thanks is in order. (When Micheal Lattanzio left AX, AX was $1.2 million in debt, and not many people would have been able to erase that debt within a few years.) You were one of the Board members who really cared about us fans & you worked your arse off when the AX con was in full swing. (While Marc was absent at the con.)

I daresay that it was your efforts that helped saved AX. (Many people will thank you for that. You have my thanks & gratitude as well.)

It's sad news indeed.

Did Marc Perez also got re-elected?

[El_Duque]

Damn, this isn't right. Kris, I know you gave it your all and this is what you get in return. It's sad to be honest that within a short time span that the SPJA has become a revolving door. Best of luck to you bud and I'm sure you'll get many support wherever you go.

[Hakaider]

Well, I just found that Marc Perez will be back as "El Presidente" for AX next year.

Maybe he'll make a sequel to his no show 2012 panel with a "More & More Bad Jokes By The CEO" panel in 2013. I also wonder if he'll cosplay as the "Invisible man" again when the con is in full swing next year. (And get paid with a large salary again for not showing up at AX.)

[Resident-chick]

Originally Posted by Hakaider

Well, I just found that Marc Perez will be back as "El Presidente" for AX next year.

Guys, we're so fucked.Im sorry but in all honesty,in so disappointed Marc is back.No offense , but that alone makes me pissed as well as the fact someone who sees AX as a fan convention and not just profit for money didnt get elected.

I rather have you Hcordgamer00 then Marc "El presidente" Perez as president anyday.

[El_Duque]

Ugh, that's not good. Isn't he also still qualified to have another term if re-elected? The next few years will make or break AX. I will be interested to see how AX 2013 will do with no X-Games under Perez.

[Resident-chick]

This is it for AX.Make or break will happen in the next few years which will determine where AX will be heading in the years to come.Or as Perez calls it,just a source of income.I really truly believe he doesn't care for fans from what Iv seen.

[Resident-chick]

Here's a crazy discussion;I heard a few people fainted this year?Anythibg about health concerncs?

[Hakaider]

Ugh, that's not good. Isn't he also still qualified to have another term if re-elected? The next few years will make or break AX. I will be interested to see how AX 2013 will do with no X-Games under Perez.

This is it for AX.Make or break will happen in the next few years which will determine where AX will be heading in the years to come.Or as Perez calls it,just a source of income.I really truly believe he doesn't care for fans from what Iv seen.

Well, yes, it certainly will be interesting how "El Presidente" will take AX for the next two years. This is the same guy that hired Micheal Lattanzio, and incurred a $1.2 million debt during his administration. (Since 1992, AX has NEVER incurred a debt that large.) This is the same guy that fired Jason Pier from the "AX Live" show. And this is the same guy who didn't show up at AX at 2012, and had the "Bad jokes by the CEO" panel. (Which he didn't bother showing up either.)


The next few years for AX is going to be interesting indeed.

That must be some cushy job though as the CEO. You get paid with a huge salary year after year, and you don't show up for work.

Here's a crazy discussion;I heard a few people fainted this year?Anythibg about health concerncs?

Unfortunately, people DO faint ever year at AX due to the heat or for other reasons. (It's pretty much a given that it will happen every year.) This is why it's important to carry bottled water, and keep yourself hydrated, and stay in the shade or inside the building as much as possible. (LA can be brutal in the summer heat. At AX 2009, the temperature once reached over 100 degrees.)

In short, do take appropriate measures to protect yourself from the heat. You really can't rely on Marc Perez to watch out for you. (Heck, he wasn't even at the con this year.)


Back at AX 2007, (When it was in Long Beach) we were at a cosplay gathering, and a person (With a completely red face) collapsed from the heat just 20 feet away from us. (The Paramedics came within a matter of minutes.) An AX volunteer collapsed in front of us when we were waiting in line to see the Transformers movie premiere, and both my friends and I assisted her, (Along with the fans in the line) before the rest of the AX staffers came rushing in. (That was the year when the yellow shirted "Staff Pro" security was there, and gave the fans & some of the AX staffers a hard time.)

When the AX volunteer collapsed, my friend was giving her bottled water to drink, while the fans in the line were busting out their umbrellas to give her some shade. We signaled for help to one of the "Staff Pro" personnel who was only standing a few feet away, and he turned his back and walked away. (I never forgot how much of a jerk he was for doing that.)

[Access]

Originally Posted by Resident-chick

This is it for AX.Make or break will happen in the next few years which will determine where AX will be heading in the years to come.Or as Perez calls it,just a source of income.I really truly believe he doesn't care for fans from what Iv seen.

If they did not appreciate the work that someone like Kris did, or the insight into the fandom that he could give, it already is broken, more it has been broken for a time much longer than two years.

SPJA is a 501(c)(6), not a 501(c)(3) like most of the fandom type organizations that put on conventions.

When I googled it, this was one of the first links to come up. It seems to explain the difference pretty well.
http://askville.amazon.com/differenc...uestId=2400614

"Here's a crazy discussion;I heard a few people fainted this year?Anythibg about health concerncs?"
One quick thing to add, here is something a lot of people miss when it comes to hydration. The best way to avoid it, or at least give yourself something of a buffer, get hydrated the night before or the morning of the day when you will be standing out in the heat. If you wait until you start to feel dehydrated or overheating, then you're just "chasing" the problem or playing catch-up.

[Freight]

Add into the above that the AX is traditionally on one of the hottest weekends of the year in Los Angeles and that cosplays can involve multiple layers of heavy cloth if not non-breathable cloth like polyester or pleather, and it can be really bad if someone is caught unused to the environment.

It's always worthwhile to have a small bag with you that has water and a snack.

Did the SPJA used to be a 501(c)(3)?

[Hcoregamer00]

Here are the results of the SPJA Board Elections:

Board Incumbents

Cecilia Amo
31 Yes, 5 No

Paul Wilson
17 Yes, 19 No

Hank Wong
25 Yes, 10 No

Kris Zoleta
18 Yes, 18 No

Board Candidates

Yohannes Fadillah
28 Yes, 8 No

Emiko Kiyochi
25 Yes, 10 No

Mark Manansala
31 Yes, 5 No

Here is my parting statement that is for the voting membership and general public:

Dear SPJA Membership and General Public,

It has been an honor serving as SPJA Board Director for the past two years.
When the Board was elected in the 2010 cycle, we were immediately informed of the deep financial issues. The Board of Directors developed a strategy to pay off this debt. It took two years to pay off the legacy debt that has plagued the SPJA, and we have laid the groundwork to enter another period of success and growth.

Anime Expo, Anime Conji, and Project Anime exist because people passionately love the hobby and wish to create a venue to communicate our love for this hobby. I am a strong believer that the SPJA is a convention by the fans, and for the fans. A central tenant when I was director was to connect more with the staff, attending members, and industry. We can connect more by being more transparent and improving the accountability of the organization. I challenge my successors to continue pushing the organization in this positive direction.

For a healthy organization, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation needs a vibrant and proactive membership. Whether you supported my candidacy or opposed it, please do not end your participation with the SPJA now that the voting has ended. An organization is as healthy as the members participating in it, so demand answers for important questions, participate in open board meetings, join a committee, and make your voice heard on a regular basis. Complacency and disinterest should have no home among the voting membership.

Never forget that this is your organization, and your participation determines the organization’s future direction.

With love and respect,
Kris Zoleta
Former Board Treasurer and Interim CFO

[Freight]

So, are the new people cronies of Perez?

Also, what is the SPJA's current financial outlook?

And I'm going to be at the PMX this weekend if you wanted to meet up and talk for a few.

[Hakaider]

So, are the new people cronies of Perez?

That's probably a question that should be answered privately, and not publicly. It's a question that could get even ex-staffers into big trouble for answering that question publicly.

I know that Marc Perez is not happy with this Cosplay.com thread, or with the people who would post here, and some of them have been wanting to shut this thread down for some time now for daring to question or criticize Marc's policies. The big difference here between the official AX forums, and the CC forum here is that, they can't censor or control what the fans really think here.

To this day, Micheal Lattanzio's departure /dismissal from the SPJA has not been officially mentioned on the official AX forums. People found that he left through this forum or through the Anime News Network. People also found out about the X-Games several months here before AX 2012 began, and for the longest time, the X-Games was not mentioned at the official AX website. (It was only mentioned at the AX forums a few months before the con started.)

Many people also found out about Jason Pier's sudden termination by Marc Perez from the AX Live show at this forum, but it was never mentioned or explained in the official AX forum why he had left suddenly. It was in this forum that people found that Marc Perez didn't show up at AX 2012, even though he had scheduled a "Bad Jokes By the CEO" panel.

It was also here that we found first that Kris did not get re-elected in the 2012 election.