Embrace the fandom

Embrace the fandom is the common term for a 1998 essay by Ellen Peck, which has become the de-facto policy at ArgosyMTM Group for dealing with fans. The actual title is “On Fans and Fandom”.

The essay
On Fans and Fandom, by Ellen Peck.

When I first signed up for an ISP in 1994, I discovered whole forums and Usenet groups dedicated to The Aaron Show. I was happy that a show I had meant for children, was also making adults happy. Adults can like cartoons. That’s okay.

I decided to get in contact with these fans. I convinced my higher-ups to register the domain argosymedia.com, so I could set up an email address at “ellenp@argosymedia.com”. (Nobody would have believed me if I used my home email address, which I won’t tell anyone, but it ended in “@psi.net”.)

For all the corporate executives who have just discovered the existence of fan-fiction and fan-art, I have three words: Embrace the fandom. Don’t sue your devoted fans for expressing their creativity, like some companies have tried to do. Fans should be able to make their own stories, drawings, and characters within your universe.

After about a month of talking to fans online, I decided that an official annual fan convention would be a good thing. There were enough people in all these forums and groups to invade a small European country. So, after badgering the televangelist who owned Argosy at the time to let us speak to fans in a cramped room somewhere, we had a date set for the first CatCon in July of ‘95.

It was a massive success, and every con since then has been one of the biggest events in the Pacific Northwest. I love my fans, and my fans love me. Let your imagination run wild! Maybe, you could persuade Robert to sell you a Rotanimation machine, so that you can even make your own episodes! (Actually, don’t do that.)

—Ellen Peck