The pop culture event “The Hollywood Show” is more than just a fan meet-and-greet

“When I was young I never thought I would actually be able to meet someone you see on TV, someone you think of as a hero, so to actually do that is pretty special.”

This is Ed Kaminski, a supply chain manager from Chicago, who talks about his experience participating The Hollywood Show.

Started in 1979, The Hollywood Show is a major pop culture event currently held four times a year in Los Angeles where actors, writers, artists and various celebrities interact with fans, sign merchandise and take photos. The fair also features memorabilia vendors selling everything from posters to props to costumes. and more.

The events are led by the married couple David and Ester Elkouby.

David explains: “I was a salesman at the shows for many years and things were going great for a long time, but then the person running the race started having a bit of trouble. The problem was that he kept bringing the same people and the audience started saying, ‘We’ve met all these people, so we don’t have to go anymore.'”

To change this, the Elkoubys began recruiting new celebrities to participate and also focused on staging television series and film cast reunions.

“We had one Back to the future Goodbye, that was really great. “Michael J. Fox even came as a surprise guest, which everyone really enjoyed,” says David. “Not only were the fans really shocked to see him, it brought a lot of them to tears.”

“We are really known for two things,” says Ester: “We bring in classic celebrities, and no one organizes more reunions than us.”

David points out a recent reunion of the hit ’80s series Dallas as an example of the success of these meetings. “We brought together 20 actors, including Priscilla Presley, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy and Charlene Tilton.”

Kaminski, who is regularly present Hollywood show Events, agrees that this reunion was very meaningful for fans and says: “Meeting Patrick Duffy and seeing the whole cast together was very special for me. It’s one of my favorite experiences since I arrived The show.”

To take part in the Dallas At the reunion, David said people had flown in from 21 countries, including Ireland and Australia.

Planned reunions include television series Baywatch, Beverly Hills 90210, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek, And Lost in space.

Ester notes that one of her current initiatives is to connect the cast of other shows from the ’80s and ’90s with fans. “We really want Generation X to be able to meet the stars of the shows they grew up with.”

In addition to the TV and film stars on camera, Ester says the show is always looking to expand and hopes to bring in voice actors, reality stars and sports stars, among others, at future events.

But to be clear, the show isn’t just about having conversations with the celebrities. Fans can also bring personal items to be signed and even have professional photos taken with their loved ones through an on-site portrait studio.

A recent event also included panel discussions with several cast members and a props gallery from hit ’70s shows. The Six Million Dollar Man And The bionic woman. “We work really hard to add news aspects to the show whenever we can,” says David.

While the home base for The Hollywood Show is Los Angeles, there have been events in Las Vegas and Chicago, with David and Ester considering possible expansion into other cities such as Atlanta and/or Nashville. According to David, current shows attract between 2,000 and 3,000 fans.

There is an entry fee to attend each show. Additional services such as the portrait studio and early entry options as well as other amenities are available for purchase. Each celebrity sets their own price for autographs and personal photos.

Ester is quick to point out, “We don’t charge for things like the panels and when we bring a souvenir gallery from a particular show, and our tickets are actually really cheap.”

Above all, says Ester, “the cool and fun thing about our shows is that they really are a great experience.” At some other fan events you get rushed, but we don’t do that. Here you have time to talk to your favorites and I can tell you, they are very happy to talk to their fans. “So this is the right place for a nice, relaxed exchange between people who show great respect for each other, and who doesn’t want to be part of that?”

For more information on “The Hollywood Show,” visit this pageand her Facebook page Here.

Some photos from a current one Hollywood show Event: