Burbank Supernatural Convention: Kings of Con Panel and Our Interview with Rob Benedict & Richard Speight, Jr.

Paulina
6 Min Read

Nerds and Beyond attended the Supernatural Convention in Burbank, California this weekend and we were able to connect with the Kings of Con : Richard Speight, Jr. and Rob Benedict.

For many years, Rich and Rob have hosted Supernatural conventions. Ultimately their experiences during these cons is what inspired them to create a comedy series called “Kings of Con”. The first two episodes of the season will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15th on ComicCon HQ. Kings of Conversations (a live talk show hosted by Rob that will air with each episode, at 7pm PST) will also have their premiere event tomorrow and is available to watch on the Kings of Con Facebook, Comic-Con HQ YouTube or @ComicConHQ.

On the final day of the convention Rich and Rob hosted a Kings of Con panel. It was one of the highlights of the entire convention. It truly exhibited the comfort they have with each other in producing quality improvised comedic material. This included great imitations of them as elderly versions of Jared and Jensen while discussing their belief that Supernatural will probably last forever. They also shared their would-be superhero identities as an eagle (Rich) and bucket of water (Rob) that would go fly around putting out fires in small towns. One of the funniest bits included them reenacting what they do when fans awkwardly start talking (and even ask for selfies!) to them when they run into them in the bathroom. They hinted at this being included in an episode now or in the future.

If it’s any indication of what they can do when they have time to create a fully realized project, we are in for an exciting adventure with Kings of Con. They are jointly responsible for all aspects of the show, including the show’s writing, directing, acting, and production.

A few facts about the show were shared during the panel. We learned that Rich will not be in the first three episodes. They jokingly say that those episodes are only “King of Con”, and Rob has to complete his own sentences alone. Rob adorably called the show their “baby” and their relationship allowed for a lot of fun during the creative process, though ultimately they took the project very seriously and wanted to create the best show possible. A few of the guest actors were also shared during the panel, including Ron Livingston, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Rick Gomez, and Kim Rhodes. They are creating a gag reel for the season, and parts of this will be shared each week during the Kings of Conversation talk show!

They ended the panel giving thanks to the team that helped bring Kings of Con to life, saying that none of it would have been possible without them.

After the panel Nerds and Beyond was able to conduct a short interview with Rob and Rich.

Nerds and Beyond: When writers compose novels they dedicate their book to somebody, if you were going to dedicate your first season of Kings of Con to somebody who would you dedicate it to?

Rich: The fans.

Rob: The fans, who made it possible.

Rich: The fans are the reason we can even be at conventions, it’s where we got the stories. They gave us the opportunity to make the show by being part of the crowdfunding, so the fans.

Nerds and Beyond: Do you have plans for watching the show on Tuesday? I’m sure you have already watched the first episode several times.

Rob: We have watched it a dozen and dozens of times, but to watch it with other people will be great. I’m going to be filming the live talk show, and we’ll watch it there with all friends, crew, cast, some fans all gathered, and then Rich is going to be in Vancouver.

Rich: I’m going to be in Vancouver and we’re trying to hook up Ruth Connell, Briana Buckmaster, and I are trying to figure out a way to get together to live tweet it.

Rob: There will be some live tweeting being done.

Nerds and Beyond: Can you tell us a little bit about the Gifs that were created and how that process went down? Everyone is a huge fan of them.

Rich: Oh cool, great. We went to giphy they’re the company that put them out and they’re super cool fun nice people, and we went to their offices, they had ideas, we had ideas, and we just goofed around and came up with some fun stuff I think.

Rob: When you need a gif, go to giphy!

Nerds and Beyond: Last question! If you could give a message, specifically to the Supernatural fandom, right before they watch your show on Tuesday what would it be?

Rich: Thank you, and we hope you enjoy watching this half as much as we enjoyed making it.

Rob: We hope you know that it was made out of love. Love for them, love for each other, and this whole group of people, and this awesome family that we have been able to be a part of.

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By Paulina
Paulina is an advisor for Nerds and Beyond. She was one of two original staff members who helped Briar build the site and make it what it is today.
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