Interview with Vic Wertz of Paizo & The Fan Club!

[JediMAC]

JediDefender has just posted on it's main page an exlusive interview with Vic Wertz, who is the Director of Product Development at Paizo Publishing, which is in charge of the Official Star Wars Fan Club.  So head on over and check out our interview with Vic Wertz!   Then feel free to discuss the interview in this thread, and perhaps even pose a sensible comment, question, or suggestion or two to Mr. Wertz here while you're at it.  He's a member here at JD, so would most likely be able to give you some feedback on your thoughts, or some thoughts on your feedback...  

Another big thanks to Mr. Wertz for taking the time to talk with JediDefender and all of our readers!  

[dustrho]

That's a great interview there!  

[JediMAC]

OK, I'll start this off here.  Vic, I caught a comment from you on another board quite a while back regarding your (personal) potential interest in possibly trying to offer to your members some of Hasbro's "foreign" exclusives that never made their way to North America, if I recall correctly.

Obviously at the forefront of this great idea would be the Episode 1 Bonus Pit Droids and the Eopie, and more than likely the upcoming Wave 2 Cantina sets.  I know you can't comment on future product ideas, but is this something the Fan Club is even considering at this point?  Or should we all continue to keep looking to the much pricier respective alternatives on eBay and the various e-tailers out there?

[jadesfire]

There's no point in quoting Matt but his question is the main reason I read through the article.  I wanted to see about the Fett figure (and thanks for stepping in to help those of us that are unable to go to the conventions actaully have a shot at getting the figure at the normal price) and what would be offered down the road in that general area.

It was also interesting to read about the breakfasts at Disney.  I hope that we'll see more of the fan club representation at gatherings next year since I really enjoy the photo's and stories of the 'fans' in the magazine.
I know I've said this in other threads in other forums but it bears repeating, "Thanks for giving the Insider a new hope for becoming what it always was suppose to be, a magazine for the fans....by the fans.."

[Morgbug]

Yep, nice interview.  I must confess though, it doesn't compare to having one of your rants corrected in an open thread though.  Ahem.  

I guess like everyone else my main concern is with the Fett.  Of course there are no guarantees with anything, but is production of the figure being adjusted to suit demand?  By corollary, is there a set number produced and what is not sold at conventions is what becomes available at the fan club?  In other words, will I be spending 4 hours starting at 2 am trying to refresh the page like I did with toyfare Vader?

Regardless, appreciate the participation in a site like this.  Cheers.

[Snively Bandar]

I agree, thanks for spending some time chatting with the fans and collectors here Vic!  That really means a lot to see a person in your position making the effort to communicate with us.    Some informative, interesting, and amusing information in that interview.  Great job all around guys!  I feel better about the state of the Fan Club, as well as the silver Fett figure, among other things.

I'm guessing that due to a timing issue this particular question wasn't asked:

How will the Fan Club be involved with the Official Site's upcoming Hyperspace pay site?

I've heard a rumor that there will be the possibility of paying a "combined membership" for the two, thus saving ourselves $10 on the website's annual fee (assuming we're already Fan Club members).  Is this true?

I also love the idea of those several foreign exclusive items mentioned above finding their way to the Fan Club as well.  That would be an excellent product to sell to your members for sure!  Hopefully it's at least a possibility, since 95% of the collectors have missed out (or will miss out) on them.

Thanks again for your time Vic.

[Vic Wertz]

> I caught a comment from you on another board quite a while back regarding your (personal) potential interest in possibly trying to offer to your members some of Hasbro's "foreign" exclusives that never made their way to North America, if I recall correctly.<

This topic came up in a discussion with Lucasfilm just last week.  All I can tell you know is that a lot of people - including Lucasfilm - are interested in increasing the availability of such items in the future; unfortunately, I can't go into more detail at this time.

>It was also interesting to read about the breakfasts at Disney.  I hope that we'll see more of the fan club representation at gatherings next year<

You won't have to wait that long.  Keep an eye on http://starwars.paizo.com later this week to learn about the next Fan Club Breakfast, and keep checking back over the next few months for even more!

>is production of the figure being adjusted to suit demand?<
The run size has not been finalized, and could possibly be adjusted after the convention season.

>In other words, will I be spending 4 hours starting at 2 am trying to refresh the page like I did with toyfare Vader?<

We're still working out the process for that, but we'll try to avoid causing a mad rush on our servers.  ;-)

>How will the Fan Club be involved with the Official Site's upcoming Hyperspace pay site?
I've heard a rumor that there will be the possibility of paying a "combined membership" for the two, thus saving ourselves $10 on the website's annual fee (assuming we're already Fan Club members).  Is this true?<

There will be a package price, which includes a year of Hyperspace, Fan Club membership, and eight issues of Insider.  If you're already a member, buying that package will extend your subscription by eight issues.

I'll check this thread again later today, but after that, I won't be on until next week, because I'm goin' to Disney World!

-Vic Wertz
Scruffy-looking Nerfherder,
The Official Star Wars Fan Club
http://starwars.paizo.com/

[JediMAC]

Well, that sounds somewhat promising Vic.  Thanks for the input, as always!

I'm within a couple weeks of re-upping my Fan Club membership.  I assume this package price with the "Hyperspace" will be in effect already at that point, right?  As in, it will be ready when the site officially opens (for pay) on June 10th?

If it's only $10 extra with my Fan Club membership, I'll probably be inclined to go for it (the "Hyperspace" site).  Do you know if all of the video content will continue to be in Quicktime format, or if perhaps there might be some other options?  I suppose that's likely a question more suited for the Official Site.  Quicktime basically ruins any computer that I try to load it onto.  It's an Apple program (no offense John and Brad  ) that is often not too PC friendly...  

P.S.  Have fun at DisneyWorld, and say "hey" to Mickey and the gang for us Vic!    (I'll be visiting Mickey out here on the West Coast this weekend myself...)

[Vic Wertz]

Sorry for the delay in responding - but the bundle was available starting June 10, and you're right that the multimedia format is a question for the folks at starwars.com...

-Vic.
.

[RJP]

Great to hear news about the fanclub. I just joined and was wondering about the Fett as well as more upcoming events