EggCon 2009 was the first annual convention hosted by Cracked Egg Studios where employees, customers, and fans gathered to network, learn about the company's current projects, and have a good time. EggCon 2009 was held on September 5, 2009. Video coverage of the event was posted on October 3, 2009.
Planning
Although general plans were in the works since February 2009, nothing was put into motion until Ted Phillips asked Rich Falantano for permission to host the convention on his estate in Bronx, NY during the second week of July 2009.
At the beginning of August, information about EggCon 2009 was posted in a Facebook event. Because of venue rules, only a small number of people were informed about the event and the venue would not be revealed until the day of the convention. There were multiple issues with the venue where it was changed and changed back several times. The most notable change was the reversion to Rich Falantano's estate one hour before the convention's start.
At the beginning of August, information about EggCon 2009 was posted in a Facebook event. Because of venue rules, only a small number of people were informed about the event and the venue would not be revealed until the day of the convention. There were multiple issues with the venue where it was changed and changed back several times. The most notable change was the reversion to Rich Falantano's estate one hour before the convention's start.
Panels
Many activities had to be canceled due to budgetary restrictions. The panels were added to fill these holes after a consultation between Ted and Nick Phillips and James Corbett about must-haves for the convention on August 8, 2009.
General Panel
Ted Phillips began by welcoming the guests to the convention. He proceeded to summarize the history of Cracked Egg Studios with emphasis placed on how it had changed in the previous few years. It was announced that several classic videos would be uploaded to the web site: The Twisted Mile, The Big Crunch, All Cat, Christmas Crisis, Mortal Combat. Ted also announced the development of The Chronicles of Bahud and the Narcoleptic Llama with Steel Leg Braces, Isles of Fortune, the upcoming remakes of animated classics Skelly and The Adventures of Bongo and Nakita, and the imminent production of Bean of the Dead and Life in Edgewater.
Then Nick Phillips, Joe Justus, and Rich Falantano led the panel discussion. Topics that came up included Cracked Egg Studios's substantial general diversification and marketing strategy.
Then Nick Phillips, Joe Justus, and Rich Falantano led the panel discussion. Topics that came up included Cracked Egg Studios's substantial general diversification and marketing strategy.
Bongomon Panel
Nick Phillips gave an overview of the first episode of Bongomon and its place in the wider 3D Movie Maker era. He announced the upcoming second episode and gave information about its new villains.
In the panel discussion, Nick Phillips revealed information about the variety of Bongomon types and species, including the legendary Bongomon. He also responded to allegations of animal fighting, satanism, eugenics, and racism in Bongomon. He disputed animal fighting and offered racism as an alternative. He defended the inclusion of satanism and racism in the show as a way of educating children about diverse points of view.
In the panel discussion, Nick Phillips revealed information about the variety of Bongomon types and species, including the legendary Bongomon. He also responded to allegations of animal fighting, satanism, eugenics, and racism in Bongomon. He disputed animal fighting and offered racism as an alternative. He defended the inclusion of satanism and racism in the show as a way of educating children about diverse points of view.
Nick Phillips said:
The Twisted Mile Panel
Nick Phillips described the confusing nature of The Twisted Mile and announced the spin-off series as a solution, along with exciting new characters.
In the panel discussion, Tom Fulgione discussed his involvement with Cracked Egg Studios and his inspiration for the teaser for The Even More Slightly Twisted Mile. He proceeded to provide an origin story for his character of Pizza Guy.
In the panel discussion, Tom Fulgione discussed his involvement with Cracked Egg Studios and his inspiration for the teaser for The Even More Slightly Twisted Mile. He proceeded to provide an origin story for his character of Pizza Guy.
Ni-Ki-Oh! Panel
Ted Phillips defended the web release of Ni-Ki-Oh! from criticism, promoting it as a solution to the hiatus. He presented a clip show of the top 5 Ni-Ki-Oh! moments, chosen by fans via poll on the web site in the weeks leading up to the event. He described the upcoming season 4 and displayed a trailer for it.
In the panel discussion, Nick Phillips discussed the connections between Ni-Ki-Oh! and Isles of Fortune. Nick and Ted Phillips responded to allegations of speciesism against cats, citing evidence of a balanced treatment. Ted Phillips continued to discuss other potential foes for Niki Moto in future seasons.
In the panel discussion, Nick Phillips discussed the connections between Ni-Ki-Oh! and Isles of Fortune. Nick and Ted Phillips responded to allegations of speciesism against cats, citing evidence of a balanced treatment. Ted Phillips continued to discuss other potential foes for Niki Moto in future seasons.
Guest Speaker
Ted Phillips introduced HoJeong Park with a brief fictional biography. HoJeong then spoke to the guests, expressing his happiness to have returned. He described his feelings as a reluctant celebrity, and predicted success in the future of Cracked Egg Studios.
HoJeong then answered questions about his military experience, his knowledge of dragon-slaying, his opinions on the songs about him, and his corresponding characters on popular television series.
HoJeong then answered questions about his military experience, his knowledge of dragon-slaying, his opinions on the songs about him, and his corresponding characters on popular television series.
Concert
In honor of HoJeong Park, the band Gorath-Ur and the Riding Yaks made a live performance. The band almost cancelled the performance because of a scheduling conflict. They were able to attend, but were forced to eliminate several songs from the set list due to time constraints. The final set list consisted of:
Despite these issues, all three songs were well-received. The improvised remix of "You Don't Fuck with HoJeong" was considered to be "better than the original".
- The brand new song Three Trials, which the band had never even practiced before.
- Remixes of You Don't Fuck with HoJeong and Basically, set to music the vocalists had never heard before.
Despite these issues, all three songs were well-received. The improvised remix of "You Don't Fuck with HoJeong" was considered to be "better than the original".
Special Guest Awards
Ted Phillips presented Ni-Ki-Oh! T-shirts to whom he called the "honorary cast members," David Collura and HoJeong Park.
Closing Remarks
Billy Helfrich gave his closing thoughts in the form of a review of EggCon. He said that EggCon answered all his questions and left him with a feeling of total calm. He stressed the epic nature of Cracked Egg Studios and advised viewers to buy into Cracked Egg Studios in order to avoid a life of poverty, loneliness, and despair.
Critical Reception
Some attendees admitted that they attended EggCon with very low expectations upon arrival, but were pleasantly surprised to enjoy themselves, despite much of the festivities not having come to fruition.
Video Coverage
Web site administrators planned to upload video coverage of EggCon 2009 as soon as the following weekend, but several factors delayed the release until October 3, 2009. Earlier deadlines for other projects made scheduling editing time difficult, and imminent hard drive failure made the encoding process take longer than necessary.
Because the source was over four hours in length, editors decided to upload the video in separate clips, but the existing EggPlayer was not fully capable of playlist functionality until October 5, 2009. Although available from October 3-5, the videos saw much downtime during this period.
At the time of its release, the EggCon 2009 coverage was the highest resolution video published on the web site at 1920 x 1080 pixels (progressive scan).
Because the source was over four hours in length, editors decided to upload the video in separate clips, but the existing EggPlayer was not fully capable of playlist functionality until October 5, 2009. Although available from October 3-5, the videos saw much downtime during this period.
At the time of its release, the EggCon 2009 coverage was the highest resolution video published on the web site at 1920 x 1080 pixels (progressive scan).
