It was a monumental year for HAVEN as it made its first panel appearance at San Diego Comic-Con. HAVEN not only hosted a fan party in honor of the occasion, they held their 1st panel at SDCC, then rushed over for a 2nd panel at The Nerd Machine’s Nerd HQ — and managed to squish in time for fan scavenger hunt along the way. Everywhere you turned for the first couple of days at SDCC there was a HAVEN event to be had. Fans of the show and newcomers were delighted with the large presence at San Diego Comic-Con and made sure that each appearance was a sold-out, jam-packed, and bursting at the seams event.
The Thursday July 18th party was held for the second year at the Sidebar, nestled in the center of the Gaslamp District in San Diego. It featured cast members from Entertainment One’s Syfy hit HAVEN and other celebrities, who happily posed and chatted on the red carpet as fans gawked from the sidelines on the sidewalk and street. Inside the party got started with the generous supply of specialty drinks compliments of Wild Turkey bourbon as the cast and other VIP guests mingled with fans. There were many beaming faces that night as flashbulbs lit up scene and everyone busted a move on the dance floor.
In attendance were featured HAVEN cast members Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters); Lucas Bryant (Queer as Folk, MVP); Eric Balfour (24, Six Feet Under), Adam Copeland (WWE’s The Edge); Colin Ferguson (Eureka) along with eOne TV’s CEO John Morayniss. Other celebrity guests on the red carpet included: Stephen Lundsford (Teen Wolf); The Femmes Fatales (Jacqueline Annette, Carlee Baker; Tiffany Brouwer (THE HELP), Stephanie Danielson, Kristen DeLuca Madison Dylan, Ashley Noel, and Jen Roa); Nikki Griffin; Ana Alexander; DJ Qualls and more.
The evening ended on a high-note as the cast made sure that every fan seeking a posed photo were accommodated before disappearing into the night.
Then on Friday July 19th HAVEN’s first panel ever at San Diego Comic-Con was a site to behold as fans tried to line the walls of the room. After a brief introduction by myself, Colin Ferguson took the stage to moderate the 1-hour panel which was met with equal parts roaring laughter and exclamations of joy as each fan who asked a question was given a personal hug. Star Eric Balfour had been promising hugs at the HAVEN panel for over a month and each cast member took turns sharing the in the love-fest. It was hugs all around and more than one fan left feeling that their dreams had literally come true that day.
As fans expected, the panel was full of innuendos, teases and side-ribbing amongst the gregarious and affectionate cast. Appearing for the HAVEN panel were cast members: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Adam Copeland and newcomer Colin Ferguson (who was announced to be playing a new character in the 4th season known simply as William). Also joining the panel were executive producers Shawn Piller, Matt McGuiness, Gabrielle Stanton and co-creator Sam Ernst. The lively panel guaranteed that the one-hour event passed all too quickly. But no one will forget it, that’s for sure. (Editor’s Note: Particularly thanks to fans who posted the entirity of the panel on YouTube!)
Announced as the panel was ending, fans were invited to participate in a scavenger hunt which started off with a clue card passed out at the doors directing them to the first clue. The first 50 fans who completed it were then invited to the next panel at Nerd HQ and to get photos with the cast. Even more beaming faces were had as each crossed the virtual finish line later that day!
Finally, HAVEN’s last stop was their panel at The Nerd Machine’s Nerd HQ at Petco Park. Also their first appearance there, the cast of HAVEN was greeted like rock-stars and warmly welcomed by moderator Alan Tudyk (who fans recognized from his work in FIREFLY and SUBURGATORY). With the cast already warmed-up from their earlier panel, it was a free-for-all, slightly ribald Q&A, which the fans just ate up. Things reached a high point when Lucas Bryant and Adam Copeland demonstrated an upcoming scene from the 4th season of HAVEN, which looked to be a bit close for comfort. Intimate or not, that little naughty display only egged the fans on and the laughter never stopped. Another hour was soon gone and with great reluctance, fans and the cast said their goodbyes. But with the aid of modern technology and Nerd HQ’s foresight, that panel was streamed-live and is still available on YouTube for viewing.
HAVEN certainly took San Diego Comic-Con by storm and made some never-to-be-forgotten memories for all the fans in attendance. And here’s to hoping that they will have the opportunity to do it again!
HAVEN’s 4th season returns on Syfy on Friday, September 13th (freaky Friday!) and for fans wanting to refresh or relive the fun surprises of the 3rd season, the Season 3 DVD will be released on September 3rd. Also the new Twitter hashtag for fans joining the global conversation is #DiscoverHaven. (Just as a FYI, the old #EscapeToHaven hashtag has been retired.) Please invite all your friends and new viewers into the #DiscoverHaven fun on Friday nights this Fall for live-tweet events with the cast. We want the entire world to discover the mystery, supernatural oddities, and wonder of HAVEN. 
(Special shout-out to clothing designer Christina Cree who provided the lovely couture dresses worn by myself and Jennifer Schadel at the HAVEN party. Christina’s site and examples of her work may be seen here.
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Photo Credits: Jennifer Schadel and Genevieve Collins
Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).