HG and Robotech Debates

[Seto Kaiba]

It's AMAZING in this day and age with the current economic and employment situation, you have a guy that gets to travel across the country (probably at Harmony Gold's expense) [...] to sell to a room with more empty chairs than people the same song and dance that's been done for the last few years. [...] Then said guy goes back to the office to get on a computer to go onto a forum and wants to punk out any dissenting voices like the fat kid trying to take away everybody's lunch money.

Nah, it's not that remarkable... after all, there are innumerable people in marketing and middle management who've all managed to hold onto their phony-baloney jobs through this recession. Harmony Gold clearly doesn't hire people for the Robotech franchise on the basis of their qualifications, but rather on who they're related to (Steve) and who sucks up the most (Kevin). I can't imagine they would have much chance to hire qualified people anyway, since who wants to have an albatross like that dangling from his resume when applying for a job?

What's really the kicker is the "The only way to see this new animated footage is going to cons!"....The only con here is the one the "CAN'T MAN" is trying to pull. You figure a good business move would be to show it to a fandom that is more and more seeing through the facade and sayin' "Eh, no thanks HG."

I've never really been the convention-going type, but to me this policy of only showing promotional materials on the convention tour smacks of an attempt to get someone, anyone, to actually give a flip about the convention tour. Almost every photo I've seen of the panel audience on their little tour has been of a mostly-empty room with a handful of bored-looking 30-somethings, hardly the big, vibrant following McKeever keeps saying Robotech has. Making their promotional materials convention-exclusive is a somewhat underhanded way to get more of an audience than just the people trying to grab a good seat for the panel after theirs; and with the future of the live-action movie looking grimmer by the day, Harmony Gold needs all the help they can get to make it look like going forward with the LAM isn't a massive waste of time.

Kevin can put on a spin on it all he wants with the "OH ROBOTECH IS FINE....ANIMATED FEATURE....LIVE ACTION MOVIE"....Talk is indeed talk. I say let him keep doing it. Especially on the forums where he thinks people ACTUALLY take him seriously.

Y'see... it doesn't seem like McKeever has had any kind of formal education in marketing. He doesn't seem to grasp the idea that lying to your customers only works if you take the time to come up with a believable lie. McKeever's approach to marketing is more along the lines of trying to sell seats on a ship that sank years ago. Trying to spin the facts to make the company look good is just typical PR, but fibs like that only work when it isn't painfully obvious that you're lying through your teeth and your default response to being questioned isn't "WHO TOLD YOU THAT? THEY LIE!".

On a side note...could somebody tell me his OFFICIAL TITLE...Paycheck Collector is obvious, but seriously...and one more thing...did he actually use to troll these parts? Just curious.

According to Kevin McKeever's staff bio on robotech.com, his official title is "Marketing Coordinator". Yes, it is true that he used to try to troll MacrossWorld... IIRC he got the boot when he started in with some unpleasant race-based remarks.

[Keith]

What i want to know is, should we start taking bets on how these guys are going to act when HG eventually boots the whole lot of them, due to any legitimate reason including:

-Finally getting tired of their Shenanigans

-Coming to their senses & getting out of the animation biz

-Going under

-etc.

How hardcore will these guys remain in the robotech fanbase? Or will they go 100% anti-robotech bashing HG and whatnot. Better yet, do you think they'll try to pirate the franchise with their own fanfiction?

The possabilities are endless.

[Jasonc]

Well, to catch Kevin in a flat out lie is funny as can be. I was there at Anime Expo 2010 when Tommy mentioned that due to Shadow Rising being put on hold for whatever reason, Carl gave them the idea to put new story out in other forms. Thus, it was the 2011 prject. Then, from the rt.com Kevin rant, he basically says that isn't true. So, either Kevin is a fat liar, or he's an idiot for not knowing what page everyone else is on, or a little of both. It's an either or question, and while he'll probably read this and try to put a spin on it somehow, maybe they should have a Robotech pow-wow, and get all the suck-up mods in, and figure out what they're doing wrong, and why the fans are pissed (not that it's too difficult). The left hand has no clue what the right hand is doing, and the right leg is trying to walk to the left, while the right is trying to take a few steps forward. That's how their business model looks to me, and has looked like that since well before Shadow Chronicles came out. Part of that chaos shows in the disaster of Shadow Chronicles.

[ps99042]

Kevin just called me out to prove when HG lied, namely the "hiatus" issue and when Tommy and Steve said SR was on hold pending LAM. Anyone have the links to some of the youtube vids? I'm too busy watching the good Robotech to search right now. No rush though cause I replied to Kevin that I wouldn't show him proof until he could spell my name write - it's ahchu with 2 "h"s. Thanks in advance.

[Keith]

Given t hat no one but robotech fans care to put up vids of Yune, chances are he already put the call in to remove any relavent content.

[Jasonc]

You could look at the Anime Expo 2010 footage on Youtube. If it's removed, then there maybe others. I suggest finding a way to save the files onto your hard drive. If it did go down, then it's many, many people's word against one or two. In either case, Tommy should be pissed that Kevin is stirring up trouble amongst the ranks, and putting them more in a hole than they were the day before.

[taksraven]

The possabilities are endless.

What the hell are "possabilities"?? :P

Taksraven

[Keith]

What the hell are "possabilities"?? :P

Taksraven

They're robotech endowed potentiality matrix's.

[ps99042]

You could look at the Anime Expo 2010 footage on Youtube. If it's removed, then there maybe others. I suggest finding a way to save the files onto your hard drive. If it did go down, then it's many, many people's word against one or two. In either case, Tommy should be pissed that Kevin is stirring up trouble amongst the ranks, and putting them more in a hole than they were the day before.

Thanks Jasonc, I just found it and posted the link.

[Moly_Sigang]

Looks like that thread is finally locked. Anyway, if what Mckeever said is true, then this 2011 project should have been SR.

[Legioss]

There must be no boss at Harmony Gold. Either that or is Tommy Yune the CEO or president now? How can Kevin keep his job after throwing a tantrum like that to the public?

[Seto Kaiba]

What i want to know is, should we start taking bets on how these guys are going to act when HG eventually boots the whole lot of them, due to any legitimate reason

Hm... if I were you, I'd hold off a little longer before I started taking bets on how the Legion of Dim (Tommy, Steve, Kevin) and their cheering section (Maverick, MEMO) will react when Harmony Gold either tires of their BS and fires them, or comes to their senses and decides to stop wasting time and money on Robotech when most of the world stopped caring about in 1987. So long as the prospect of a live-action Robotech movie by Warner Bros isn't a completely impossible prospect, Harmony Gold is going to keep clinging to the idea that Robotech isn't dead and that they can make it relevant again.

How hardcore will these guys remain in the robotech fanbase? Or will they go 100% anti-robotech bashing HG and whatnot. Better yet, do you think they'll try to pirate the franchise with their own fanfiction?

Oh, I expect that most of them will probably remain hardcore even after Robotech has finally fallen apart.

Steve might actually get to stay on after Harmony Gold axes the Robotech team, since he's apparently also involved with managing their licenses somehow. Tommy and Kevin will almost certainly do exactly what Carl Macek did after the collapse of Robotech: the Untold Story and Robotech II: the Sentinels, and hit the convention circuit to exaggerate their involvement in the creative process, to try to convince people that all of their mistakes were really part of some greater artistic vision, and to tell a couple of extravagant lies about how influential their work is in the Americas and how well-regarded it is in Japan.

The Legion of Dim's cheering section will probably continue to "keep the faith" by running RTX (into the ground), censoring anyone who criticizes any aspect of Robotech and promoting the show as being the single greatest cinematic achievement in all of human history. It's a safe bet they'll probably also string the most hardcore fans along with self-made rumors and false anecdotes about how other companies are eyeing Robotech as a highly successful property and intend to pick it up and resume the story.

So, either Kevin is a fat liar, or he's an idiot for not knowing what page everyone else is on, or a little of both.

I'm inclined to say it's a little from column A, a little from column B... he doesn't seem to be all that aware of what's going on, and he probably doesn't like having to come in and try to cover up the occasional bouts of honesty from people who outrank him.

Looks like that thread is finally locked. Anyway, if what Mckeever said is true, then this 2011 project should have been SR.

Nah, if you take Tommy's original remarks on the note at face value (which IIRC were later "Clarified" by McKeever as being just a rough estimate), RTSR should've been out in '09 or thereabouts.

There must be no boss at Harmony Gold. Either that or is Tommy Yune the CEO or president now? How can Kevin keep his job after throwing a tantrum like that to the public?

Frank Agrama's still CEO, as far as I can tell... Tommy's just the creative director for the Robotech franchise. I'd assume that Kevin's kept his job despite his tantrums because Tommy's even worse at lying than Kevin is, and nobody in senior management gives a flip about Robotech... (especially since their perpetually low budgets seem to reflect a distinct lack of confidence in Robotech on the part of senior management).

[ps99042]

wow what a crazy day at the rt.com site. i was asked to provide proof to support my statements and did so. then, when that proof upset Kevin he goes on a tirade and doesn't even give me a chance to respond? and worse, i'm threatened with banning for simply doing what i was asked to do. i'm sorry everything i write appears negative regarding how HG is handling the robotech franchise but i can't change what was said in the past. perhaps HG staff should follow a script for when they're in public in the future or just say "we can't comment" - this would go a long way in preventing even non-intelligent fans from coming to conclusions which aren't true. doesn't mean i don't still love robotech and want it to succeed. Still, since I know Kevin is reading this, perhaps we could ask all the rt.com fans how they interpret the video comments? afterall, even Memo agrees with the idea that SR is being held up because of the LAM.

[Einherjar]

Meh, must be the tiger blood and Adonis DNA talking.

Whatever they're trying to do, they better move along with it since people have other crap to do. The Macross 30th anniversary is coming, and you know what they say about timing. This side story might actually be competing with something vastly superior if and when it gets released.

[Jasonc]

wow what a crazy day at the rt.com site. i was asked to provide proof to support my statements and did so. then, when that proof upset Kevin he goes on a tirade and doesn't even give me a chance to respond? and worse, i'm threatened with banning for simply doing what i was asked to do. i'm sorry everything i write appears negative regarding how HG is handling the robotech franchise but i can't change what was said in the past. perhaps HG staff should follow a script for when they're in public in the future or just say "we can't comment" - this would go a long way in preventing even non-intelligent fans from coming to conclusions which aren't true. doesn't mean i don't still love robotech and want it to succeed. Still, since I know Kevin is reading this, perhaps we could ask all the rt.com fans how they interpret the video comments? afterall, even Memo agrees with the idea that SR is being held up because of the LAM.

If he's gonna go on another tirade, it usually is a clear sign that he's been put between a rock and a hard place. I mean, c'mon. Tommy has mentioned Shadow Rising being on hold a few times, and here comes the underling to disrupt what has been a well known fact. Then, to do it in an attempt to try to ridicule "fanboys" and people who may even enjoy the franchise, but have concerns, way to disrespect and ridicule fans, HG. And you wonder why you're only stuck doing convention tours.

Oh, you guys should screen capture that drama.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Jasonc

[Beltane70]

I'm actually disappointed that the Robotech convention tour isn't hitting any of the cons that I'll be attending this year. I'd love to experience the BS first hand just once.

[jenius]

wow what a crazy day at the rt.com site. i was asked to provide proof to support my statements and did so. then, when that proof upset Kevin he goes on a tirade and doesn't even give me a chance to respond? and worse, i'm threatened with banning for simply doing what i was asked to do. i'm sorry everything i write appears negative regarding how HG is handling the robotech franchise but i can't change what was said in the past. perhaps HG staff should follow a script for when they're in public in the future or just say "we can't comment" - this would go a long way in preventing even non-intelligent fans from coming to conclusions which aren't true. doesn't mean i don't still love robotech and want it to succeed. Still, since I know Kevin is reading this, perhaps we could ask all the rt.com fans how they interpret the video comments? afterall, even Memo agrees with the idea that SR is being held up because of the LAM.

RT.com is a lost cause with fewer and fewer visitors every month. McKeever banned me from the site when I reported that Tommy said at Comic-Con that Shadow Rising would be released after WB got the Robotech name out there more. Tommy Yune was perfectly reasonable about the whole thing at Comic-Con with a "Look, we could do it now with limited resources or we could wait for WB to really put Robotech out there which would allow us to put out a better product with more support." Unfortunately, while that might be a reasonable thing to discuss at convention stops it's absolutely not something HG allows on their website.

So, if you want to post on Robotech.com any more you should probably just leave Kevin alone, he is apt to just decide you're opinions are valid but not something he wants others to hear and delete your account. I guess the real question is, why would you need to post on Robotech.com? It's not like the site provides a wealth of information on anything. -

[Smegalot]

From what I am reading, it nearly sounds like the death coughs of Robotech......It is vainly trying to hold on but has no real life yet.

I wonder how long the BS from HG will last an how much longer even the fans care.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway

[Seto Kaiba]

wow what a crazy day at the rt.com site. i was asked to provide proof to support my statements and did so. then, when that proof upset Kevin he goes on a tirade and doesn't even give me a chance to respond? and worse, i'm threatened with banning for simply doing what i was asked to do.

So... business as usual then? Really, I have no idea what you were expecting if having McKeever threaten you with a ban and then shut the thread down came as a surprise. The last thing the idiots in authority at robotech.com want is for someone who's halfway knowledgeable to come along and puncture the wishful thinking and unwarranted optimism of the Production forum with a dose of realism and unpleasant facts.

So, if you want to post on Robotech.com any more you should probably just leave Kevin alone, he is apt to just decide you're opinions are valid but not something he wants others to hear and delete your account. I guess the real question is, why would you need to post on Robotech.com? It's not like the site provides a wealth of information on anything. -

Yeah, robotech.com really isn't a decent source of information. Then again, there really isn't any Robotech site out there that could honestly claim to be a wealth of information about it. It's sad, but the best site I've found so far for actually talking about Robotech without having to deal with the spin and the fandom politics has been the Palladium Books forums.

[Renato]

...and one more thing...did he actually use to troll these parts? Just curious.

Indeed. I believe he was the genius who came up with the infamous (hell, near-legendary) epithet "Lying Macross Purist".

Maybe he just put that on his resume and HG hired him on the spot, no interview no nuffin'.

[chrisk]

I was there at Anime Expo 2010 when Tommy mentioned that due to Shadow Rising being put on hold for whatever reason, Carl gave them the idea to put new story out in other forms. Thus, it was the 2011 prject. Then, from the rt.com Kevin rant, he basically says that isn't true. So, either Kevin is a fat liar, or he's an idiot for not knowing what page everyone else is on, or a little of both.

Hah...

wow what a crazy day at the rt.com site. i was asked to provide proof to support my statements and did so. then, when that proof upset Kevin he goes on a tirade and doesn't even give me a chance to respond? and worse, i'm threatened with banning for simply doing what i was asked to do.

There must be no boss at Harmony Gold. Either that or is Tommy Yune the CEO or president now? How can Kevin keep his job after throwing a tantrum like that to the public?

Hahahahaha...

If you are going to run around and say I'm lying offer no proof to back up your claim then run to another website asking for anything to help back up our claim then yeah you are just trolling.

Also when you mock NDA's and call them "excuses" well you are vastly ignorant of what they are,how they work and what happens if you violate them.

Your posts have been along consistently negative and now you are accusing me of lying.(yet cant come up with a even one example and have to run to another site to find one)

If you are going to run around and say I'm lying offer no proof to back up your claim then run to another website asking for anything to help back up our claim then yeah you are just trolling.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Frist off your video of Steve does not show any lie. Secondly I have to find the quote where Steve says WB has blocked any animation.

To us ALL Robotech animation is important. Y

In trying to accuse me of lying yet you are now changing your statements around to try to give some sort of cover to your trolling.

You simply cant do that here. I'm going to lock this thread.

If you continue to troll like this you will be banned.

HAHAHAHA HO HO HO HO HO HO HEE HEE HEE HAR HAR HAR HAR!!

...holy CRAP that was a long rant on his part. That was farting mind-blowing!! LOL.

You've got to remember that Kevin started out as a forum troll back in the early days, so it'd make sense that he would continue that. Someone once sent me a bunch of links to Aint it Cool News where he'd rant like crazy, telling everyone how much he hated Miramax (I never got why), and THEN he'd put his email address at the end requesting people send him hate mail.

And one thing you notice is that when he stresses SR is still in development - we're coming up on FIVE YEARS of this being in development (RSC was completed in 2006 even though it was released in 2007). This five years has surpassed RSC's development of approx 4 years (2002 - 2006).

HAHA---*faints from exhaustion*

[Jasonc]

Is it just me, or do I find it funny that most of the people in HG staff, or mods always want proof of their stupidity? Instead, people should be asking them, "what proof do you have that you didn't say/do that?" Then follow it up by "If you're only proof is going to be your word, that's what's being questioned here." I've noticed that they just take off their muzzle, and just rant, bitch, yap, whatever, and it's supposed to be straight up truth. But when someone points out the inconsistencies, it's always "they're lying", "they're wrong", or "where's your proof to back up your claim".

There were several people on rtx.com who were bringing up the subject of HG staff not being upfront, and lying about stuff before, and they were met with the same response of showing proof. The last 2 pages here are quite clear, and give just another example.

Oh, and Chrisk, I totally agree, I laughed so hard at all this when it first came to my attention, I nearly had the water I was drinking get spit out.

[DarrinG]

Just checked back at Robotech.com after a long while and saw this thing about a new Mospeada project.

Maybe about Wolf and Lancer etc? I mean, on one hand I thought 'Boob Chronicles' blew and I find it almost unwatchable, but part of me must be an eternal optimist! Because I'm still somewhat excited.

I'm a big Mospeada fan so seeing any new animation SHOULD be better than nothing - right? Unless its so bad it actually desecrates my beloved memory of the show.

Which is possible - look at Jar Jar binks - people, even talented people, can blow it on huge scales. And you end up wishing they had just stayed in bed rather than messing with the things you're a fan of.

But again back to hope - I hope that they learned something from Shadow Chronicles and will provide a product more aimed at adult minds and less at 14 year old male crotches. Harmony Gold - please see Votoms Last Red Shoulder or Roots of Ambition OVAs - this is how you do a follow up to a great series.

But I do understand that not many on this site, especially this thread have hope in something put out by HG...

Edited March 10, 2011 by DarrinG

[Smegalot]

But I do understand that not many on this site, especially this thread have hope in something put out by HG...

I don't think it that we have hope. It's that for year HG have gone on about new stuff and nothing has come out. And HG aren't really contributing to RT at all except for BS.

And the main reason of this topic is the licensing for ditribution of Macross and how HG hold the one in the US and how they are stopping any release of the newer series to the USA and further.

On teh run have to go to work

[chrisk]

Oh, and Chrisk, I totally agree, I laughed so hard at all this when it first came to my attention, I nearly had the water I was drinking get spit out.

In the end, all this drivel of demanding proof is moot. What matters is if Harmony Gold can deliver anything NOTABLE on time! I hate to break it to you McKeever, but people make up "conspiracy theories" because none of the three stooges in Harmony Gold has a shred of integrity and honesty

(All this distrust stems from all the decades long legal troubles with Japan as well)

In 80's revival news, thanks to rtsurfer (one of the few active, sane fans):

The Feb 11th series premiere of Transformers Prime was the HUB's best-ever series premiere with a huge rating increase for its time period. G.I.Joe Renegades also delivered solid rating gains. Both series had strong rating increases the following week.

Transformers Prime is reaching over 1 million viewers each week.

Each week the first airing of Power Rangers Samurai is reaching around 3 millions viewers. Repeat viewings during the week are drawing similar viewer numbers.

"A Bidding War Breaks Out to Finally Make a Big-Budget Voltron"

At Vulcan, http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/03/voltron_movie.html

Voltron facebook announced some new merchandising deals today. VIZ Media will create Voltron Force Manga Comics, Dynamic Forces will create Classic Voltron Comics & Graphic Novels, and Rubie's Costumes will create Halloween Costumes. Clothing, swimwear, and sleepwear is also in development.

Wow, how times have changed! I thought What was McKeever saying about their competition all filing for bankruptcy?

Anyone taking bets on whether this brave new, allegedly full-length animated "sidequel" will be released in 2011??

Edited March 11, 2011 by chrisk

[mrhillz]

So,let me see if I understand this right. Over the last few years, the SC sequel was kinda in development, they let the hype spin a bit. Then, they got with WB to do a movie, so the SC sequel got "on hold" quietly, so they can spin the hype on a live action movie, which has once again been quietly put on hiatus. Now,they want to put the pr hype spin on this side story? This kind of reminds me of the tale of Duke Forever, how when any new technology came out the lead designer would have everything be put on hold so they could incorporate it into the game.

Edited March 11, 2011 by gaiden

[Darkwater1]

In order to understand what Kevin is talking about, you have to understand his history. If you don't know his history, consider yourself lucky.

As best I can tell, Kevin went from having a background in production, not marketing, and sort of fell into it when he took the opportunity to analyze old Nielsen ratings from the 1980's for Harmony Gold. Having worked with Nielsen ratings every single working day of my life for the last 12 years, I can safely say I've never seen an analysis such as his.

Kevin's next accomplishment was creating "Robotech Convention Tour" which in itself was no small feat. Getting conventions to fly you out (or convincing the company you're working to do it) is not easy, and I think there is a certain amount of credit to be given for that.

But that also seems to be his crutch. Not only is he defending the company that signs his paycheck, he's defending what seems to be the biggest accomplishment he's made at that company. He's defending the marketing model he's built. When a fan talks about there not being enough buzz, it's a standard fan thing said online that he takes as both a personal and professional attack.

That, and he's left defending a model that itself is horrible, way of actually getting your product exposure (in my professional opinion).

When Kevin mentions his competitors from 2006, that's actually a direct referral to stuff I said back then. I mentioned how Superman Returns actually showed stuff online, did a ton of viral stuff and really got people excited and talking. Kevin then loved to point out how the movie bombed. The movie didn't get the money they wanted from the box office, but through the international box office, home video , TV syndication and merchandising - it made crapload of cash.

Also, when he refers to people who "know this business," he's referring to me. And he likes to point out how wrong "they" (me) were back then. He took my criticisms back then as extremely condescending and really personal. But then again, I must have no idea what I'm doing, seeing as how I've been promoted three times since I've met Kevin and make as much as his boss (from what I've heard).

The funny thing is, back when I was wided-eyed fan who just wanted to help the franchise, I actually sat down to dinner with Kevin and Tom once to tell them things like "use your website" and "try viral marketing" and "post things online" and "yeah, conventions aren't going to reach as many people as online."

And I'm betting there is a real insecurity there because there is an uncertainty about his job. My company has forums, and people bitch about the work I do all the time. Granted they don't know my name or face, they just rant about what they see and what they don't like. I know for a fact how my company is doing and not once have I felt the need to to jump in and defend myself of three or four fanboys. Not only that, my bosses would be saying to me "What the hell are you doing, this is totally unprofessional" and "Never do that again"

[Roy Focker]

Kevin's history also started here as some what civilized troll. We actually had to ban him at least once. He was a very vocal defender of Harmony Gold. Came across a complete suck up. When I had to contact him as a Moderator I could reason with him. When I heard he got hired by HG I thought is was a bad idea. Nothing wrong with hiring fans but pick from the moderates. Taking a zealot is a risk.

[areaseven]

Kevin's history also started here as some what civilized troll. We actually had to ban him at least once.

"At least once"? You mean that whole racist comment back in 2002 wasn't the only time he was banned?

[Keith]

Kevin's history also started here as some what civilized troll. We actually had to ban him at least once. He was a very vocal defender of Harmony Gold. Came across a complete suck up. When I had to contact him as a Moderator I could reason with him. When I heard he got hired by HG I thought is was a bad idea. Nothing wrong with hiring fans but pick from the moderates. Taking a zealot is a risk.

Ok, I've got a plan. We all disguise ourselves as hardcore robotech fans, follow in with whatever B.S. these guys sasy for about a year, and try to get hired at HG. As soon as one or more of us get in, we userp power and convice Agrahma (SP, do I even care!) to sell the company to Bandai Visual Also, we steal Tommy & Kevin's lunches, and hide them in their respective cubicles. It'd be hilarious!

[chrisk]

Kevin's next accomplishment was creating "Robotech Convention Tour" which in itself was no small feat. Getting conventions to fly you out (or convincing the company you're working to do it) is not easy, and I think there is a certain amount of credit to be given for that.

But that also seems to be his crutch. Not only is he defending the company that signs his paycheck, he's defending what seems to be the biggest accomplishment he's made at that company. He's defending the marketing model he's built. When a fan talks about there not being enough buzz, it's a standard fan thing said online that he takes as both a personal and professional attack.

Attack the cons, attack McKeever. That explains a lot.

That, and he's left defending a model that itself is horrible, way of actually getting your product exposure (in my professional opinion).

So you're saying that filling up a convention hall doesn't always translate to high sales?

When Kevin mentions his competitors from 2006, that's actually a direct referral to stuff I said back then. I mentioned how Superman Returns actually showed stuff online, did a ton of viral stuff and really got people excited and talking. Kevin then loved to point out how the movie bombed. The movie didn't get the money they wanted from the box office, but through the international box office, home video , TV syndication and merchandising - it made crapload of cash.

Also, when he refers to people who "know this business," he's referring to me. And he likes to point out how wrong "they" (me) were back then. He took my criticisms back then as extremely condescending and really personal. But then again, I must have no idea what I'm doing, seeing as how I've been promoted three times since I've met Kevin and make as much as his boss (from what I've heard).

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it, darkwater. You're saying that his tirade against one fan is actually directed as some petty professional grudge against you? And despite being redeemed by the evidence you presented, and he ignored it and went ballistic? Wow. I guess some people don't change.

The funny thing is, back when I was wided-eyed fan who just wanted to help the franchise, I actually sat down to dinner with Kevin and Tom once to tell them things like "use your website" and "try viral marketing" and "post things online" and "yeah, conventions aren't going to reach as many people as online."

It's no secret McKeever has done a lot to "fight off" the internet. There hasn't been ZERO effort to update their website since its inception. No integration of social media, no significant new content, nothing. One could easily give the argument that "if it ain't broke, don't fix", but that's bull in 2011. There have been threads where he stated that the internet represents a minuscule part of their marketing operations. Well, look at Kevin Smith and the empire he's grown with his podcasts. Look at self-marketed properties throughout Youtube, twitter, etc. As Tom Bateman said earlier, Robotech has become one big wasted opportunity. Dated business models, narrow minded marketing and creative directors, the list goes on.

Nothing wrong with hiring fans but pick from the moderates. Taking a zealot is a risk.

This may be true, but why haven't they officially put Memo or Mav_LSC on their payroll yet? Both have done more than their share of free promotions...

[Seto Kaiba]

So,let me see if I understand this right. Over the last few years, the SC sequel was kinda in development, they let the hype spin a bit. Then, they got with WB to do a movie, so the SC sequel got "on hold" quietly, so they can spin the hype on a live action movie, which has once again been quietly put on hiatus. Now,they want to put the pr hype spin on this side story?

More or less. It was only a couple of months after Shadow Chronicles dropped that Tommy made the announcement that a sequel was already in production at the 2007 New York Comic Con. News of the live-action movie licensing deal came out soon after that, and from then on the hype focus was on the live-action movie rather than Shadow Rising. Then, once it became apparent that they had royally screwed the pooch by indefinitely suspending work on Shadow Rising while they waited for Warner Bros to act on those live-action movie rights and improve the animated Robotech's standing by association, the focus of their hype shifted first to having Carl Macek back on board in an advisory capacity, then to his untimely death, and finally to this side-story project that was allegedly Carl's last big idea for Robotech.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that most of the hype they've been throwing out regarding this side story is meant to distract Robotech fans from the lack of forward motion on Shadow Rising and the LAM.

As best I can tell, Kevin went from having a background in production, not marketing, and sort of fell into it when he took the opportunity to analyze old Nielsen ratings from the 1980's for Harmony Gold. Having worked with Nielsen ratings every single working day of my life for the last 12 years, I can safely say I've never seen an analysis such as his.

Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. I guess just decided to massage the numbers a little so he could tell his new employers what they wanted to hear, eh?

It's no secret McKeever has done a lot to "fight off" the internet. There hasn't been ZERO effort to update their website since its inception. No integration of social media, no significant new content, nothing. One could easily give the argument that "if it ain't broke, don't fix", but that's bull in 2011.

Nah... they got themselves a Twitter feed, but that's about it. I've spoken to McKeever about the lack of updates and modernization over on robotech.com a few times, and the answer I've received has always been the same. It's always something to the effect of "Why would we spend money on something that doesn't make us any money?".

This may be true, but why haven't they officially put Memo or Mav_LSC on their payroll yet? Both have done more than their share of free promotions...

Why pay for what you can get for free? Maverick_LSC has never really given any indication that he's after a job, all he wants it to get the inside track on whatever's new with Robotech so he can use it to get the respect he's not getting for being a moderator. MEMO's the one who fancies a job at Harmony Gold. Neither one really has any relevant abilities to offer to the franchise. McKeever can at least pretend to be qualified for his job because of his production experience, but Maverick and MEMO's only qualifications to work on the Robotech franchise are being shameless suckups and fanatic followers of the company line.

[Legioss]

Ok, I've got a plan. We all disguise ourselves as hardcore robotech fans, follow in with whatever B.S. these guys sasy for about a year, and try to get hired at HG. As soon as one or more of us get in, we userp power and convice Agrahma (SP, do I even care!) to sell the company to Bandai Visual Also, we steal Tommy & Kevin's lunches, and hide them in their respective cubicles. It'd be hilarious!

Acting like you've had a lobotomy is a bit hard to sustain for that long but if they could pull it off they'd be my heroes.

[Dynaman]

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that most of the hype they've been throwing out regarding this side story is meant to distract Robotech fans from the lack of forward motion on Shadow Rising and the LAM.

Which would make sense only if the side story required less work then SR, which is hard to imagine. (unless they really are using Love, Live, Alive footage, which is equally hard to imagine doing now).

[Darkwater1]

So you're saying that filling up a convention hall doesn't always translate to high sales?

Have you seen the size of the convention halls? With the exception of AX and Comic-Con (and probably NY Comic-Con), there's like 20 people sitting in those rooms.

Now if HG were getting all expenses paid and an appearance fee, it might be one of those things where they could say "sure, why not?" and get some extra money. But as an effective marketing tool, it is not.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it, darkwater. You're saying that his tirade against one fan is actually directed as some petty professional grudge against you? And despite being redeemed by the evidence you presented, and he ignored it and went ballistic? Wow. I guess some people don't change.

It's been like 4 years since I shut down my blog (and later banned from RT.com) and this dude still holds a grudge. Granted, I didn't ever really dignify anything he said with a direct response, but what I did do was continue to criticize Robotech's business model. It wasn't personal, I just happened to be a fan who hated seeing the franchise going in the direction it was going.

Once on the forums, like 5 years ago I said "From what I know of this business, this is not the norm." He's since used the phrase "People who 'know this business'" over and over since then. A while back, someone on the forum even asked "Why do you keep saying that and who are you talking about?" It's really odd, but he still takes professional jabs at me. Kevin took over my old blog (robotechnews.blogspot.com), which is bizarre onto itself, and there are subtle professional jabs at me there.

Ironically, there have been a few times in my professional career where, had I gone out of my way, it would have been beneficial to the Robotech franchise (I have to stay vague on that), but why on earth would I at this point?

Typically, in my experience, when a fanboy becomes a professional, they learn to shed things like taking forum posts personally and the need to troll back. Apparently, Kevin never got that.