By Bill Watters, Editor/Photographer

With less than a week to go before nearly 60,000 fans descend on downtown Atlanta for the largest fan-operated and fan-focused event in the country. As people continue to post their costume lineups, panel schedules, party plans, and making their packing lists and checking them twice, the excitement continues to build.

It’s been a year of drama and adventure for the staff and fans of Dragon*Con Dragon Con, but with the dust having settled, the nearly 1,700 volunteers have been tireless in getting the doors ready to open and the curtain to go up.

I’d been fortunate to make the acquaintance of Dan Carroll, Director of Dragon Con’s media relations last year and have since become friends. I’ve met many media relations folks at events around the country, and many of them are really wonderful people, but Dan’s a rare sort. He’s a genuine member of a wide range of fandoms, knowledgeable about his job and the industry, and connected enough with the Powers-at-Be, that we can get some great insights.

I caught up with him the other evening for an interview to talk about the upcoming event, some of the changes to the show this year, and what to expect as we all start arriving later this week.

Click here to listen to the interview

To read about more of Dan’s writings and adventures, check out his website at Seriously Dan