[christphern]

I know, ages past, there was a group here in Mid-Tenn, based I believe in Nashville. If memory serves, they disbanded back in '03.

I've been toying with the idea of trying to start up a local franchise, amd wanted to post here, and see if there would be any interest. Additionally, anyone from the original group that would like to join up, or offer any advice, feel free to contact me, either by PM, or by email at: christphern(at)gmail(dot)com .

As of this posting, I've got myself, and possibly two others that are interested. So, if you're from the Mid-Tenn area, such as Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Shelbyville, to name a few, than feel free to contact me if you're interested.

Chris

[Smits]

Hey you! I ran into you very briefly in the Sunday afternoon chaos of MTAC during the flood. (Uh...I was the Mudkip Lady. ) I'm still disappointed that I never could find you that Friday while I was in my Janine costume. It would've been perfect!

I've been thinking heavily on a Middle Tennessee GB franchise myself, so count me in as definitely interested. I'm hoping to have some equipment by year's end. *fingers crossed*

[Ketchum]

The old MTGB havent been around for quite some time.

[christphern]

Yeah, that was disappointing. Terrible luck that we were both running around in Ghostbusters costumes on the same day, and never crossed paths. I heard there were a couple of other Ghostbusters running around, too. Not sure, though. I think they were wearing the Rubies costumes.

Yeah, it's been a while since the MTGB have been around. I'd like to contact some of them, if they're still around, and see if they'd be interested in joining up again.

I'll have to see if I can get us a meeting place, or something, where we can work out possible future event appearances, and the like. Maybe work on equipment and such. I've got a friend who's definitely interested, and a couple of others that might be. So, with you, Smits, that should give us a fair number. Maybe we can do recruitment drives at events.

Chris

[Smits]

That entire weekend was off-kilter in a way. (I now refer to it as swiMTAC: Floodyssey. Ugh.) I can't believe that I couldn't find a proton pack in that crowd! Ah well...I'm still glad I spotted you on Sunday. If the Radisson is cleaned up in time for GMX, maybe we can schedule a meet-up, especially now that there might be a small number of us already. Woohoo!

Maybe we can all brainstorm over meeting places and whatnot. The 501st has armor-making parties; we could have equipment making parties, who knows? I'll ask my friends in the Ga GB about how they go about organizing these things and getting the word out about the franchise. I'll be trooping with them this weekend. I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to help. They're great folks.

If you get in touch with any of the former MTGBs, let me know. I don't know if I could take on the expense of another web domain (my personal one is about all I can handle right now), but I'd be more than glad to help handle a Facebook page and/or a Wordpress blog, even a Twitter, so there would be a definite web presence.

To say that I'm excited about this is an understatement.

EDIT: I have to ask--Is that Vic Mignogna in your avatar?

[christphern]

Yep, it most certainly is Vic. And, yes, he is wearing a proton pack, and it's not photoshopped. He was kind enough to pose for a picture while wearing my pack. It's sort of a tradition I started with FMA voice actors at OMGCon last year, with Greg Ayres.

Not sure how many will be at GMX, but, we'll see. Also depends on whether it still happens, as you said. I should have lights installed by then, too, which I'm very excited about.

I figured for recruitment, and all that, the best way to do it would be at, say, a booth, or something, if we're doing a fundraising event or something along those lines. I thought with cons and such we could do fundraisers for charities, and such, rather like some of the other franchises do. We could print up pamphlets or something to hand out, and, if someone wants to join, help them assemble gear and an outfit.

I was thinking a facebook account would be a definite, and I could look into setting up a site, with one of my friends (who may also join up) running the design and such. It'd more than likely be pretty basic, with maybe a photo gallery, some information, and links to contact us for events, or whatnot.

We'll see. Still very much in the planning stages at this point. If I understand the prerequisites of the GB franchises, I believe that, with my friend (who's got a flightsuit), you (I believe Janine costumes count), and the equipment I built, we're pretty much at the point where we can join up, if we start a facebook page (I believe those are allowed to count as a site). I'll have to look into applying for membership soon, if you're definitely in, which it sounds like.

Chris

*Edit*

There's now a facebook account. Anyone interested in joining the Middle Tennessee Ghostbusters, please go here.

[Kissimmee_Buster]

My Brother just moved to Marshall and he would go nuts if I were to tell him about a forming Ghostbusters Franchise in Tenneessee. He doesn't own a uniform yet, But the next time he calls me; I'll get him started by ordering him some patches. And I'll Convince him to join facebook so that contacting him would be simpliar.

[Smits]

*fistpump* Yes! I would think Vic's enough of a geek that he would embrace the Ghostbusting fun. That's a neat idea you've got there, I like it.

I feel like GMX is very much up in the air for everyone right now. After the flood, I think the indoor pool was extended upward a couple of floors. D: There will be plenty other things we can plan for, though.

I've already requested membership over on Facebook. *giddy* My profile photo there is the same as my avatar here, so that should help. (Real name "Jaime" should pop up too.) Let me know if you guys need help with anything. Site-wise, keeping it simple is a good thing. Might even think about a forum/message board eventually...?

I think we just might have enough to qualify. Got my fingers crossed. I'm hoping to get started on my own uniform over the summer and eventually get a proton pack. (I'm not sure I quite have the skills to assemble my own, so I'm saving up and sniffing around.) I am hoping to work on a PKE meter, maybe a gigameter and most definitely a ghost sniffer.

I can't wait till we're official. Patches! We'll need Mid-TN patches...

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely in. Knee-deep at this point.

[DarkSpectre]

Hey guys, I hope you guys can get this to happen. As former head of the Knoxville Ghostbusters, it's good to see more Tennessee groups popping up. Good Luck!

[christphern]

I'm really hoping to get the ball rolling on this. I was so sad to see the MidTenn GB's go away. Right before I was going to submit for membership, too. I was just waiting until I had equipment squared away. I'd been meaning to start up a group before now, but, I just didn't really see enough interest until I started going to Cons. Most people had seemed to just forget about the films around here, but, once I went to MTAC last year, I saw how much love there still was in this burned out 'Burg (yes, I went there). GMX would be a great place to debut, assuming it still happens. Otherwise, we may have to see what other cons in the area we could hit up. We missed the JampCon and AdventureCon boats, I'm afraid. Too short notice for AdventureCon, and JampCon's this weekend.

Vic totally geeked out over the pack. lol He was all "Can I? Really? That's awesome!!" lol He looked like a kid at Christmas. And Greg Ayres was about the same. Not that excited, but he loved it. He even flipped the bird wearing it (sort of an inside joke for Greg fans), and got a new group photo for his facebook group, Greg Ayres Flipped Me Off. It's still the group photo after almost a year. He seemed to think his brother Chris would get a kick out of it, as well, but he'd gone to run another panel at that point. Maybe this year...

I accepted you into the facebook group, so, now we're two. Didn't want to make it open to anyone, since, it'd be a bit confusing to have our group lost in a see of random people. I wish I could open the wall to anyone, while restricting membership, but, if I can, I haven't figured it out yet.

A forum would definitely be possible. My friend set up a forum a while back for us to use, and it was pretty nice, layout-wise, while I believe being free.

As for patches, we'll have to get a decent logo drawn up. Nothing involving the TN flag that I can come up with looks good. Maybe the shape of Middle Tennessee, sort of like the Alabama GBs and the logo for the group, but, then it wouldn't be very recognizable once the rest of the state's removed.

I'd wager that GMX is either going to get relocated, or postponed to next year at this point. I don't see the Radison being up and running in time for an October con, considering the first two floors were completely underwater, though I could be (and I hope I am) mistaken.

I think Goggles may be next on my list of equipment since I have a set of Javamonkey frames, alongside possibly a PKE meter. I'm waiting on Exoray's kit for the Gigameter, as I'm sure it'll be amazing. I kicked around the idea of scratchbuilding one, but, I think I'll go with a kit for at least one prop on my costume. lol

Chris

[Smits]

Same here. I thought I read somewhere that there are franchises in Knoxville and Chattanooga, but sometimes you can't drive quite that far for as many events as one wants to attend. Besides, if there's a MidTenn group, we do have Nashville, the hub for nearly everything around here! (Heh, "Honky Tonk Division".) I didn't know that there was such love for GB until I started hanging out with the Georgia Ghostbusters last year. It's all their fault I'm hooked.

I'll see what I can find out from con staff re: GMX. Everyone seems confident it will still take place in the same location, but I'm not so sure. If they relocate or or whatnot, I'll definitely let you know. For now, my con budget is rather limited, so I have to plan carefully. I'm toying with the idea of a couple days at Dragon*Con, but nothing's set in stone yet.

Awesome! Vic's a total geek, I love it. Last I knew, his cell phone ringtone was the Enterprise transporter noise and it made the communicator sound when he flipped it open. <3 Greg Ayres Flipped Me Off? I have to check this out now. XD

Hooray, thanks! There should be a way to make it public so that other GBs and friends of GBs can find us. If some jerk posts something bad on the wall, we can always delete it. There's got to be something fairly reasonable in that sea of settings over on Facebox. (Navigating their settings is sometimes akin to slogging through mud.)

Mind if I try out some ideas for the logo? I've had a couple in mind for a while, even before MTAC. If any of them work, great. If not, I'll keep trying.

Oooo, I need to add goggles to my to-do list. Most of my stuff will have to go the "poor man's" route since both my funds and knowledge of electronics and lights are kinda limited. Still, I'm determined and I'm creative--Points in my favor. I envy your building abilities!

Now I need to talk to my friends and see who else might be interested.

P.S. Thanks for being at MTAC. This is--for lack of better phrasing--awesome.

[Smits]

Hey guys, I hope you guys can get this to happen. As former head of the Knoxville Ghostbusters, it's good to see more Tennessee groups popping up. Good Luck!

Thank you! If you have any suggestions and/or advice, we're all ears. We hope to do you guys proud!


EDIT: Hey Chris, this might help: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=826 Group settings and privacy and all that good stuff there.

[christphern]

I'd toyed with the idea of going to DragonCon, myself. But, some friends of mine are going to AnimeWeekend Atlanta, which is in the same place, 2 weeks later. I can't afford 2 trips that close together, so, I'm going to AWA, assuming nothing prevents it.

I believe there's still a Knoxville group (they're still listed on the GBI website. But, I think they're the only current TN group. As it stands, atm, we don't meet the prereqs for the franchise, going by the rules listed in the franchise thread. Need another person with uniform/equipment. I can have that in a few weeks, I think. But, at the moment, it's going to still be planning stages until I can get that sorted so we can apply for membership.

I'm not sure I'd say I have building abilities, per se. Just patience. lol If we can get the ball rolling, we can group up to help tackle equipment. So you needn't worry about doing it all yourself. That way everyone's strengths can compliment each other's weeknesses, if that makes sense.

I'll have to see just how many people I can get interested in my area. I think I've got 4, atm, myself included. But, that's not a guarantee. One of my friends is definitely interested, and the other two are tentative.

Feel free to tackle the logo. I'm decent at graphic work, but, I'm rubbish at designs. lol

And, yes, thank you, DarkSpectre. Any advice or suggestions would definitely be appreciated.

Chris

[Smits]

I totally understand--I've had that dilemma more than once, D*Con vs. AWA. AWA would always win. If I did make it to D*Con this year, it would be my first and mostly just to muck around and get a feel for it and how it works.

There's no rush and hey, we're planning! That's a huge step in my opinion. Get the ball rolling and keep it rolling, fun and amazing things will happen. We could probably get quite a few things organized and settled and built in that time. No worries. As long no one has to mortgage their house in a hurry, we're totally golden.

Any help, advice, voodoo spells, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I'm good with pretty much everything except electronics. At the moment, that ability only goes as far as rewiring a lamp. It's a start. Getting several folks together who are knowledgeable in different areas is great. We shall be a super brain!

I know one or two people who might be interested, I've just got to see how interested. Keep your fingers crossed.

Woot! I'll get on that as soon as I can. I may PM you when I finally get some ideas together.

(BTW, my closest friend in the Georgia Ghostbusters is VERY happy to hear about all of this. We'll have their support!)

[Dan AKA]

I know Austin and I will be in TN next week for Adventure Con, hope to see some of yo there. Also, Dragon Con is still the location for PKE Surge 2010, the largest gathering of Ghostheads on the east coast, don't miss out on it!

[christphern]

Well, for me, it's more of a matter of which will be cheaper for me, overall. AWA, since several of my friends are going, is going to be cheaper, both transportation-wise and room-wise. I do have some friends going to Dragon*Con, too, so, if it's at all possible, I may try and swing both. But, at this point, it seems unlikely.

As for AdventureCon, I want to go, I really do. But, at this point, there's simply no way for me to get off of work to make the trip. If I could, I would so be there. I even get paid the day before.

I'm contacting a group of 501st members, to see if they'd mind some GBs tagging along with them to events, and such. Might be able to get us a few events lined up for the future. No promises, though. My mom does work for Comcast, though, so, there's an in for most of the local events in MidTenn.

Can't wait to see what you can come up with on the logo, Smits. Hopefully something a good deal better than what I could. Mostly, I either couldn't come up with something different enough to justify doing a custom logo, or it just looked tacky or gaudy.

Glad to see all the support going around. I was beginning to worry that I was the only one in the area anymore that was interested in doing this. lol I thought, 'Oh geeze. It's been a month, on the largest Ghostbusters Fan forum on the net, and no one's replied.' Glad to see I was getting prematurely anxious.

Chris

[Smits]

Hey Chris, if you can't swing both, don't sweat it. I tried doing two weekends of cons in a row one time and it was just too much, in both the physical and monetary sense. My attendance at D*Con is still sort of up in the air anyway. (And there's Dan AKA tempting me with talk of PKE Surge! You are wicked, sir. XD ) In the end, you've just gotta do what's best for you.

The 501st might be able to help! They're great people. Most of my Georgia GB friends are also in the 501st, so there's a possibility some of the Midsouth Garrison might want to be Ghostbusters too, you never know. Whatever events your mom could help us find, that'd be great. Another way to build interest.

Glad to see all the support going around. I was beginning to worry that I was the only one in the area anymore that was interested in doing this.

Quoted because that was my train of thought exactly. I spent a lot of time too embarrassed/shy to even ask (which was rather silly of me) and now I'm so glad I finally got over here and started getting involved. Sometimes all it takes is a little push, huh?

[christphern]

Well, after talking to one of the Midsouth 501st members, there are a few events coming up, primarily in September, that would be good for getting our feet wet. There's a ComicCon in late September, as well as an autism walk either in early September or August (trying to figure that one out, as the flooding cause some scheduling changes). The 501st seemed pretty open to us tagging along for the non-Star Wars-centric events, so, it might be a good route to go until we can start to branch out on our own, as we get more established, and get things more ironed out and finessed.

Comcast is always doing charity events and stuff during the year, so, I don't think it'd be a problem to find some that they'd let us participate in, in some way shape or form.

Yeah, I was a bit nervous making this thread. lol I thought, 'Oh god, I'm going to look like a fool, because no one here is going to care.'

Chris

[Kissimmee_Buster]

You guys have the support of The Leftovers Group Here in Florida. We can also be found on Facebook, as The LeftOvers and also at http://leftovers.vndv.com

[enchanted unicorn]

You guys have the support of The Leftovers Group Here in Florida. We can also be found on Facebook, as The LeftOvers and also at http://leftovers.vndv.com

well that was a shameless plug if I ever heard one.

If the nursing school doesn't work out, you can chase ambulances and give them your business card!

on topic, good luck with your franchise, if there were kids in my neighborhood with gb packs, we'd make a club too.

[Chace]

Ya know....we've been chatting in Ga Div. about doing another photoshoot day, but we don't necessarily HAVE to do it in Ga....My point being maybe we could arrange an appearence/membership drive in TN sometime. I love doing car shows with the 1-G in the southeastern region (doing one in South Carolina next weekend) If we can schedule it out right, have you guys pick some locations and maybe have an event in mind also, I'm sure I could get some of the gang to come along. Just let me know!

[christphern]

I'd definitely be open to it. We'll have to see about doing it. We may want to wait until a few more of us have gear, though. Possibly sometime pater this year, or early next?

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for their support. It means a lot.

Chris

[Smits]

And that, friends, is another reason why Chace is One Awesome Guy.

Thanks!!!

[Petreak]

Hello everyone.
My name is Patrick. I live in Antioch and I have been a fan of Ghostbusters since it was first released. I would love to be a part of the Middle Tennessee Ghostbusters. What would I have to do to join? I don't actually have a uniform or any gear yet, but I plan to try putting stuff together in the future. I just got into cosplay a couple years ago at Dragon*Con.
*Smits* I think you said you have never been to Dragon*Con, is that correct? If so, it will blow you away. You might think you have been to a convention until you go to Dragon*Con. It's unlike any other convention you will attend. It is AWESOME! I have been going to D*C since 1998 and haven't missed a year yet.
The costumes I wore last year were the Skipper from Gilligan's Island and Oliver Hardy. I'm still looking for someone to be Stan Laurel to my Oliver Hardy.

Well, I look forward to chatting to you all in the future and hopefully hanging out with you at a future convention or event.

Patrick "Petreak"

[christphern]

If you'd like to submit a request to join the facebook page, the only real requirement I've set up is that you live in Middle Tennessee (which you clearly do) and want to be a member.

Nothing has really materialized as yet, so I wouldn't be overly concerned with a costume at this point, as we're still not a full-fledged franchise. Although I'd like to make an event that I learned of recently, Paranormal Scarefest our first official gathering as a group, for any Middle Tennesse members that are able to attend. It'll be on August 27th and 28th at the Clarion Convention Centre in Murfreesboro Tennessee. And, best of all, Ernie Hudson will be a guest! So, come if you can, as it should definitely be a blast.

Chris

[Petreak]

Sweet! I haven't heard about the Paranormal Scarefest. Do they have a web page?
I am into the paranormal myself. I even have real ghost hunting equipment. My Brother and I have only had the chance to do a couple of investigations so far. We need to get together a team and do more investigations. I would love to make a PKE Meter with a real EMF detector inside. I think that would be so cool!
I sent a request to the facebook page. You should be able to recognize me by my picture and name.

Patrick

[christphern]

Here's there website.

http://www.parascarefest.net/

The horror theme isn't really my thing, but, having Ernie within 15 minutes of my house kind of made it a "must go" event, you know?

That's cool that you and your brother do investigations. They're going to have a few guests from the local paranormal investigators communities, which should be interesting. And an EMF PKE would be sick! I used to have an EMF years ago that my sister's ex gave me. No clue where it is now, though, unfortunately.

[Petreak]

I wonder how hard it would be to make an EMF PKE? That might be something to work on for sure.
Thanks for the link to the site. I'll check it out. I'll also see if I can make it to the show. I would love to see Ernie Hudson. I haven't had the chance to meet any of the Ghostbusters cast before.

[turkisproverb]

I might be interested in joining. Barely started my gear though.

looks at parascarefest.net.

Looks like Ernie Hudson pulled out.

[christphern]

There's actually an issue with Ernie's old agent. He defaulted on a contract, or something. They're trying to reconfirm Ernie, with his new agent, but, I'm not sure if they have yet or not, and just haven't updated the site, or something. I'll update everyone when I know more.

As for joining, feel free to sign up on the facebook group. We'll be glad to have you.

We've almost got the prereqs to become a fullfledged franchise. Just trying to get some uniforms for our other members squared away, and well be able to apply.