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Dragon*Con 2000 Delving into the inner workings of this season's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

CityofAngel.com Attends Dragon*Con 2000 Atlanta, Georgia June 30 — July 1, 2000 The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, host to Dragon*Con Dragon*Con was launched in 1987 as an outgrowth/evolvement of a local Science Fiction and gaming group, the Dragon Alliance of Gamers and Role-Players (DAGR). The name "Dragon" for both the club and the convention was derived from the Dragon Computer (a European version of Radio Shack's venerable Color Computer), which hosted a local Bulletin Board System ("The Dragon") that initially served as a central hub for both organizations. The convention, as well as the group and BBS, was founded by Ed Kramer, who still serves as convention chairman. The Dragon*Con Sci-Fi convention draws fans, industry professionals and performers alike. Each Con hosts many different ‘tracks’ of programming, each with a specific focus. Each track can be considered a mini-convention within itself. There were over 18 main tracks under such headings as Presentations, Art Workshops, Gaming/Tournaments and Writers’ Panels. Film was represented by such panels, previews and discussions, as J.R.R Tolkien’s (under production) epic, "The Lord of The Rings," "Star Wars" and a variety of British Programming. Television focused on such favorites as ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Xena’ and ‘Hercules,’‘The X-Files’ and of course, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (a return from last year) and ‘Angel.’ More than 20,000 people were in attendance during the 4 day convention that took over convention headquarters at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Also spreading out their large-scale operations (Exhibit Hall, Dealers Room, etc.) at a modern convention facility called the America's Mart consisting of the Atlanta Apparel Mart, Gift Mart, and Merchandise Mart. D*C is ranked as the fourth largest producer of conventions in the United States. VIPs Chris, Tim and Jane. Tracks typically ran from 10:00am in the morning until 11:00pm with 1hour panels and a 30 minute break in between. Each panel had its main topic but was interspersed with enthusiastic questions from the audience, which consisted of not only aspiring writers, but also fans from all ages and even a few Bronzers! The VIP’s in attendance for Buffy and Angel were, author of Buffy Novels and the Buffy/Angel comic series, Christopher Golden, Buffy writer and producer, Jane Espenson, and Angel writer and producer, Tim Minear. Chris was also featured in a panel to showcase his new up coming novels "Straight on ‘til Morning" (non-Buffy related) and "Pretty Maids All in a Row", a novel about the vampires Spike and Drusilla. CoA attended the Friday and Saturday tracks and we hope you enjoy this look into the nooks and crannies of what makes these two shows so special and unique. We also hope you come away with a better understanding and appreciation for all the thought and talent that goes into them, as we did! Dragon*Con 2000 (Friday) Panel II The Complete Angel, Writing for Everyone’s Favorite Vampire Chris Golden / Tim Minear (Friday) Panel III Angel: First Year in Review Tim Minear (Friday) Panel IV Angel: The Comedy Within Jane Espenson / Tim Minear / Chris Golden (Saturday) Panel I The Pitching Process Jane Espenson (Saturday) Panel II Buffy: Year in Review, Season Four Jane Espenson (Saturday) Panel III How to write a Script / Deconstructing Buffy & Angel Jane Espenson / Tim Minear A Spotlight on the Fans Their Thoughts on ANGEL