WEBVTT - Bonus: Scranton Edition 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:08.800 Oh my god, that's it right there, scrant the Electric City. 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:14.680 It's been seven years since The Office Finale aired and 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:18.360 we had the Scranton Rap Party here. I haven't been 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:22.360 back since, really and exploring anything about the Office, I 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:26.040 felt like it was important to come back here to 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.840 scrant It's not really where it all started, but it 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:40.559 somehow feels like it's where it all started. My name 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:43.440 is Michelle Dempsey and I'm a co chair of the 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:46.280 Office Convention in the Office Rap Party. My name is 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:49.400 Tim Holmes. I'm a co chair of the Office Convention 0:00:49.440 --> 0:01:01.280 in the Office Rap Party. Hello everybody, and welcome to 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:06.800 a brand new and very close to my heart episode 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:11.120 of The Office Deep Dive. I am your host, Brian 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:14.640 baum Gartner. Now, I thought we could do something a 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:19.080 little bit different today, alright, something very special. If you've 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:23.080 been following me on Instagram, you know that I just 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:26.119 got back from my book tour, and let me tell 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:30.640 you it was freaking incredible, all right. I went all 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:35.720 the way back to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Electric City, the 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:40.000 hometown of the Office, and I'm not even making this up. 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:46.520 I left Scranton with an honorary certificate in Scrantology from 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:51.600 the University of Scranton. I'm a doctor as far as 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:54.800 I'm concerned. Yes, I think I am the only person 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:58.720 to have ever been bestowed with such an honor. So 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:05.520 take that everybody else. Uh Now, as an honorary Scrantonian, 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.640 I thought I would take you back to Scranton with 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.800 me and introduce you to some of the amazing people 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.359 I have met in the town. I really have not 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:20.400 felt more welcome from any town or any group of 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:26.320 people ever. Scranton has become my second home, and it 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:30.040 is all because of the people. I am so excited 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:35.000 to introduce you to to such people, the incredible Tim 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:40.360 Holmes and Michelle Dempsey. These two were responsible for the 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:44.760 Office Convention in two thousand seven and the Rap Party 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:48.720 in two thousand thirteen. If you read our book or 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:53.320 listen to the podcast, you know how special those events were. 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.160 Tim and Michelle's love for the show and for their 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:01.799 town Scranton is so big that they volunteered to co 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:06.520 chair all of these spectacular office events. They have done 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:10.280 an amazing job every single time I have come, and 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:14.560 they have made those experiences extra special, not just for me, 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:20.120 but for everyone else who was there. Along with the 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:23.600 rest of the town. They keep the show's legacy going 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:28.119 and I could not be more grateful. So on this 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:33.160 very special edition of the podcast, please give a warm 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:39.080 Scrantonian welcome to the true keepers of the office. Tim Holmes, 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:47.920 Michelle Dempsey, and all of the people of Scranton. Bubble 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:55.160 and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and Squeak, Bubble and 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:59.960 Squeaker cooking at every month. Lift over from the night before. 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:15.360 I was driving down the highway here and we got 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.279 off and there was the mural there. I started, no joke, 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:23.480 I started getting emotional when I just like, I just 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:27.039 saw the sign. Honest to God, when Scranton heard you 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.920 were coming, you felt the electricity searched through the city. 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.039 I'm not kidding you. Every my phone hasn't stuffer ringing. 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.120 I'm sure Tim has been the same way it has 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:38.960 been and everybody and anybody who thinks they might be 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:43.560 you know, they it has just been on fire since 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.560 you're since your tweet. Yeah, we were trying to keep 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:52.560 it under the bottles. Were like yeah, and then your 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.800 tree went out. We're like, okay, it's on Well, John 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.240 just kind of he was because I talked to him 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:00.839 yesterday and then he was like, will you send me 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:03.159 a photo? Will you send me a photo? And I 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.839 sent John the picture. And the true story is I 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:08.640 like put my phone in my pocket and then it 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:13.040 like buzzes what seems like fourteen seconds later, and it's 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.280 I don't know if you guys remember Steve Socks. I 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.159 think he was here at the rap party. He was 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:22.560 like the long time stand in, like like he was 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.440 like Steve stand In anyone standing on the show. And 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:29.960 I look at my I'm like Steve Socks and he goes, hey, 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:32.279 if you're with Krasinski telling me it was a hundred 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.159 dollars for the fantasy football buy in this year because 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:37.760 he's like a missioner, and I'm like, how does he 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.400 know with Presinsky? And then suddenly my phone went like 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:43.200 you're with John tell him this you're blah blah blah, 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:44.960 and I was like, oh my god. He posted it 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:49.400 like so quickly after he got his hands. Yeah. And 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:53.560 now how did you first find out about the Office? Well? 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:56.160 I was a huge fan of the British version of 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.359 the Office, Okay, so when I heard that The Office 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:02.560 was coming to America, yea. And then when I heard 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:06.600 was Scranton. I actually panicked. I panic, I was. I went, 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:09.200 I didn't know the mayor well, but I like, like 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:11.520 march to city Hall, like this is not a good thing. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:13.840 This is not a good thing because Slough. They're not 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:16.040 kind to Slough in that show. And the mayor was 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:17.880 trying to turn Scranton around and we were on this 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:21.560 upswing and and so I thought, you know, slow was 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:25.040 really the road to nowhere in that show. And um 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.160 and Chris Staherty, who's the mayor at the time, He's like, well, 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:31.000 I talked to Greg Daniels and who's the creator of 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:33.200 the American version, and he said, he's you know, it's 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.000 it'll be different, like he's going to be good to 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:37.640 the city. And I took a deep breath, like, okay, 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:42.360 that sounds good. And I hope this Greg Daniels everything 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:46.240 he told you he is, And like, could I think 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:49.560 higher of Greg Daniels, I don't think so. Like he 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.680 he made Granton like another quirky, lovable character on the show, right, 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:57.200 he captured the essence of who we are. And that, 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.400 you know, to me is because it's forever change the 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:04.560 perception on the outside. It finally let people like the 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:08.479 perception wasn't what the reality was to us, and now 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:11.360 they match, right, Like the perception is the reality, and 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:13.760 the Office was the springboard for that. Like it really 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.080 had an impact on Scranton, like huge, And I know 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.840 we'll talk about that a little bit, but there's the 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:22.480 before the office and after the Office for Scranton and 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:26.320 for when you leave Scranton and tell people where you're from. 0:07:26.360 --> 0:07:28.640 What used to happen is like I'd say I'm from Scranton, 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:32.119 people be like, oh, I'm sorry, right right right, like really, 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.360 And I always I never knew what they were sorry 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.040 about because I always loved to hear and thought it 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:38.640 was a great place. But um, now it's I'm from 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:41.160 Scranton's like I love the office and it's your instant 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:44.680 bond across the world with everybody, and you'll hear from 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:47.960 all these people the connections and the love and the 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:52.800 interesting moments that they've had outside of the area telling 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:55.400 people that they're from Scranton. Right, And I think there's 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:58.960 a cool story about how Greg picked Scranton to that 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.320 folds into pace. Go ahead. Um so actually Tim tells 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.160 us better than I do. So so this is Greg's words, 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:08.000 not ours. And we're obviously paraphrasing, but it is our 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:12.440 understanding that he chose, you know, basically, when he's looking 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:14.560 where he's going to do a philosophically speaking, it's a 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:16.760 it's a satellite brand, so it's got to be a 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:20.520 kind of a smaller city. Uh. He felt it had 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:23.000 East Coast sensibility, so he was kind of looking at 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:26.040 the East coast. When he decided the home office would 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:28.960 be in New York City, he began to look at 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:31.680 cities with with our with with with our, which in 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:33.800 might be a two hour driving distance. So he looks 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:39.080 at Grand Pennsylvania, Stanford, Connecticut, Utica, New York, Nashua, New Hampshire. 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:41.520 These may all sound familiar because they all wind up 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:45.480 being the branches and so and that's when he sends 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.199 out these teams to go check out, and Johnny Kay 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:50.760 happens to be one of them coming into Scranton. So 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:52.920 you know, from what we understand, there was a lot 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.120 of little happy circumstances because it wasn't only pinn Paper. 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.720 There was another place here called paper Magic, which is 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.400 also a place that John visit. And paper Magic is 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.880 the one that had a like Greg remembers getting a 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.800 greeting card that had paper paper magic Scranton p A. 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:11.640 So he kind of had that in mind, you know, 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:13.480 and he's he he did say, you know, he might 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:15.520 have just been being nice to us, but he felt 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.160 Scranton was kind of the one to beat because he 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.200 felt it was a big enough name just because of 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.320 how big we were during the investoral Revolution and a 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.079 bunch of things, you know, for a little town, we 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:29.040 have a big name, um, you know. And ultimately everything 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:32.160 fell into place and it and it worked out wonderfully 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.160 for the show, for us, for everybody involved. Magic makes 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.800 all those Valentine's that used to give out in grades 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:42.160 magic scrant p A on the back of all of them, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:45.559 and he remembered that. So it was a confluence of things, right, 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:49.280 and that was one of them. Yes, And he also 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:53.000 thought the name Scranton was a funny thing to say, 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:56.560 and it is. There's a lot of consonants all in 0:09:56.600 --> 0:10:00.760 a row, and it works around in your a little bit. 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.240 And so that's that was the one thing. And if 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:12.480 you're from here, you don't pronounce the te right, so 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:16.200 so you, um, you were born here. I was born here. Yeah, 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:19.240 So that was how I heard about the office. And 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:22.959 then probably a few years into the show, I have 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:25.560 an architecture firm, and I was at work and I 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:28.200 opened up my web browser and there was just an article. 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:30.440 You know, they all populate. There was an article about 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:35.120 President Idaho getting this little economic boom from people who 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.439 were fans of the cult classical, the cult movie Napoleon 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:42.400 Dynamite going there to see all the sites, like we're 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:46.000 the fictional home of Donder Mifflin, right, Like that seems 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:49.560 like cooler. Um, we should invite everybody to come here 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:52.600 and like have like invite the actors to come here 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.640 and see the city and show people what it's like here, 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:57.640 and they'd have a great time. They'd meet with the fans, 0:10:57.679 --> 0:10:59.439 the city you know, would be on displayed. Be a 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.319 win win win, which is what we ultimately That's that's 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.280 what we ultimately pitched, right, like the win win win, Right. 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:07.280 But that's where the idea came from, and it literally 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.559 went nowhere. And this is where Tim comes and went nowhere. 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:11.920 I I met with like three groups of people until 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:13.960 somebody was finally like, I have to introduce you to 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:18.080 Tim Holmes, right right, I didn't know you. I didn't 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:20.480 know each other at all, which is crazy to think 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:22.640 of a time I didn't know Tim and the Homes 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:26.839 family right right, uh. And so we were introduced, and 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:31.000 Tim instantly saw the you know, he was got it. Yep, 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:32.679 all right, here's what we're gonna do. And then he 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.080 went into Tim mode right right right now? Did you 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:37.160 know the show? Were you watching the show? So I 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.360 was definitely familiar with it, but I wasn't as immersed 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.719 in it as Michelle was, so I certainly saw the 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.719 value in it, but it was definitely something that we 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.600 were all beginning to see license plates from Ontario and 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.600 South Carolina and everything driving from town that doesn't happen 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:54.800 in Scranton, but it began to happen, and we're all like, yeah, 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:56.520 I guess what you're saying. Michelle is making an awful 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:58.960 lot of sense. So, and like we were doing things. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.360 And just to be clear, Tim worked for the local 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:04.080 newspaper and I was an architect. We had no background 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:09.880 and anything like okay, like like Tim did planning events locally, right, 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:11.400 so he knew how to put an event together. But 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.079 this was going to be bigger than anything I think 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:16.080 you'd ever done, right, And so here I am an 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:17.640 architect and he's a marketing We come up with this 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:19.640 big idea. We got all these partners on board, I 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:22.000 remember at one point. Then then we had to go 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:26.360 through everybody's act like agents and managers, right, Like for 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:30.679 everybody I'm calling, I'm like, I don't hello, Hi, I'm 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:36.120 representing office convention, right, I'm I'm putting together contracts. I'm like, 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.320 I'm like, what am I doing staring at a piece 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:44.559 of paper? And I like negotiating Like this was crez 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:46.320 Like we had to do it all right. It was 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.120 like Tim and I had to do all of that, 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:51.840 which is exactly why I think Greg liked it because 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:53.680 he could see it wasn't like some outside group that 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:55.880 was coming in and trying to monetize this thing. It 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:57.720 was not set up to be a, you know, a 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.880 for profit thing, which is why you guys gave us 0:12:59.880 --> 0:13:02.280 a ACN talent fees and you know, and they helped 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:04.320 with travel and all this other kind of stuff. They 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:06.000 could see right from the get go that it was 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.440 it was a partnership. The partnership was with the city 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:10.280 of granted, it was with the county. He was with 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.920 the Visitors Bureau. We weren't selling, you know, sponsorships where 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:16.480 you had to put a shirt on that said somebody Sunjoko. 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.240 We were gonna, you know, we knew enough not to 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:21.440 do any of that stuff. And I think, you know, 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:24.760 we would have conversations with to Wann Park and the 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.360 NBC Universal folks, and and truly they were kind of 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:32.480 put they were put on the sc Yeah, they didn't 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:34.880 open the door to the producers of the show and 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.880 to Greg and tell what they realized we really had 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.640 something that they're like, Okay, I think these guys have 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:43.920 their stuff together, right, so we're going to now make 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.040 this connection because we had to dream up the entire 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.400 like all the the office Olympic Games. The writer's blocked, 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:51.480 Like that just came out of our heads, right. That 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:54.800 was like it was maybe about seven or eight of 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:58.200 us that did it. Tuck our house, Matt Smith, you know, 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:00.920 Eric Devi and all these guys are building our websites 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:03.920 and everything. Uh, all of that stuff was critical because 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.160 they all played a certain role in it. And then 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:08.080 all the partners, the University of scrant and all these 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.880 guys tapping into all that. Once we had it all, 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:12.920 you have one of these conference calls. We had already 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.360 had a number of them, but I later found out 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:17.120 that at one of the big ones, when they were 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:20.360 deciding whether we're in or out, Kinsabornack had told me 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:22.520 when he came to Scranton that he was listening in 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.560 on the one and he just looking to hear if 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:28.240 we're just a bunch of fangirls we're gonna lose their 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:30.040 minds when you guys get to town, or if we're 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:32.000 actually going to hold this together and keep you guys 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:33.880 safe and have it lined up with the University of 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.040 scrand police and you know in the scrand Police and 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:39.480 the State police, and the Marshall's office. Like Michelle's brother 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.120 in laws a he's a worked here in downtown. We 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.280 had all of that, but it's such a small town 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.440 you can do something. And our whole pitch to Greg was, 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:52.200 you know, office fans are are unique. They need to 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.800 come together like Allah's Star Trek convention. But it can't 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:57.760 be done in l a. It cannot be done in 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:00.400 New York. It has to be done in scrant Because 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:03.720 it was such a part of the show interesting afterwards 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:05.520 became even more part of the show, which I thought 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.200 was was interesting because Greg had the foresight to bring 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:10.840 the writers here too. But but I think, but not 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.280 to get ahead. I think, so here we have we've 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:16.720 like sort of put this this agenda together. We have 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:19.400 this thing. The only thing we didn't have were the actors. 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:40.960 You and Angela had come in like that in May 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:43.640 to to say, hey, we're gonna there's gonna be the 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:47.400 office convention, like you sort of generously because at the 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.360 time all this could have backfired, right, kind of put 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:54.280 yourselves out in front. But come like a month before, 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:58.440 still there was nobody officially signed up to come of 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:02.000 the day that we got our first actual country, we 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.160 were panicking. We're like, we're gonna have a party no 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:07.560 matter what. And I remember you called me. You did, right, Brian, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:09.560 And you called me when night You're like, how's it going? 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:12.720 And I was like, well, you know, it's going pretty well. 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.040 I'm trying to keep up the front, like it's come 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:17.440 pretty well. You know, all the planning seems to be happening. 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:20.040 You know, we got this, that got that, and um, yeah, 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.800 we just you we don't have any of the actors yet. 0:16:22.800 --> 0:16:26.880 And you said something that made my stomach drop. First, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.080 he said, I just want to start by apologizing I'm 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:34.360 just so sorry. And I was like, I'm like, okay, 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.960 it's cool, um trying to keep up, you know, with 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:39.840 the front again, and You're like, I've talked to my people, 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:46.280 and um, I can I can only convince thirteen of them. 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.040 I think I'm pretty sure. I started crying ran on 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:52.520 the phone, right, I was like so emotional. I don't 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.360 even know what I said after that, I just lost it. 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.440 And I was just like, because that was that, I 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:00.480 knew it was gonna happen. It was gonna be this thing, 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.880 and it was going to be unprecedented. You know. That 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:06.119 was everything that moment to me with with you on 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.439 the phone, it was just too much. It was awesome. 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:10.960 So just to put a timeline on this, So this 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:13.600 is two thousand six, so you're already in season three 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:16.280 at this point. We hosted it in October, late October, 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:18.840 but that was we all remember that day when you're like, 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:21.320 we got twelve. Now, the beauty of that. So you 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:25.040 may remember that none of the Fab four could make 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.440 it that year, right, So Steve, John, Jenna, and uh 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:30.880 and Rain could not make it, you know, just conflicts 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:33.359 and all that other kind of stuff. What we felt 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:36.560 from the very beginning is the actually convention was so 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:40.480 special because it celebrated the ensemble cast. Everybody else was there, 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:43.439 all the writers were there, so it really you know, 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.879 we you know, we're glad that we didn't want to distracted. 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:49.600 Jenny Tan was there, like Danster was there. But we 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:51.320 you know, we were able to build it and get 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.440 our hands around it, you know. And the people who 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:55.560 were they were truly office fans, you know, they weren't 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:59.000 four year old virgin fans. They were office fans. And 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:01.879 that was why the first one was so special, and 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:05.840 it was packed. It was packed. I was actually there, yes, 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:09.600 and I thought like it was one of the moments 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:11.320 to me because I was up in the balcony kind 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.439 of looking down and just enjoying it so much. And 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.440 each writer told episode that they wrote and and people 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:20.960 were like cheering for the episodes like I, you know, 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:24.639 I did the Baconator with the George forming girl that 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.959 was failing. And but the cool moment too, was at 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:30.439 the end. First everybody was so into it, but then 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:32.159 at the end they did a little clip of a 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:34.480 piece of a show that hadn't been seen yet, and 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:37.679 the crowd got to watch it live, and the actor 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.480 or the writers later told us they'd never like they'd 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.680 never gotten to see the fans watch the show and 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:47.639 get the reaction in real time, and that that was 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:50.560 like a really cool moment for them to hear them 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:52.360 laughing where they hope they would get a laugh and 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:56.800 like just so appreciating the beauty and the joy of it. 0:18:57.000 --> 0:19:03.320 You know, well, I remember, I remember, I mean from 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:06.800 my side, and I don't even think that I was 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:12.360 aware that it was like a tryout. I remember coming 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:16.040 There was this brunch and I remember Tim saying, yeah, 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:18.159 you know, this was like for v I P things 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:20.199 and you know, I'm not sure how many people are 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:22.600 going to be there, but you know, then we've got this, this, this, 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:25.199 and Angela and I show up and I don't know 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:30.200 if you remember this, but like something happened and we 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:34.080 were walking into a room that was way over fire 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:39.080 code capacity of people and us walking in and like 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:43.400 you just like you feel a wave of heat from 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:47.480 bodies just walking into this room, and I like I 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:51.320 remember like my breath like being taken away, and like 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:57.520 where the fuck am I and I could say whatever 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.800 we want. I could say whatever I want I and 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:04.480 I I mean, I will never I will never forget. 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:06.520 I mean, I'll I will tell you right now. There 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:10.399 was a plan in place of the V I P. 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:13.040 And they were gonna be able to have a picture 0:20:13.119 --> 0:20:15.199 with us. And then so many people came in. You 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:17.359 were like, okay, so here's the plan. You're gonna go 0:20:17.480 --> 0:20:19.879 around to each table and they were like banquet tables 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:22.399 of like ten or twelve people. You're gonna go around 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:24.480 to each table and you're gonna say hi to each table, 0:20:24.520 --> 0:20:25.919 and then they'll take a picture with you, and then 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:28.360 you'll move around to the next table. And what happened 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:31.359 was there were so many people that you you begin 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:34.840 I mean, this is a percent what happened. People started 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:38.280 thinking they're not going to get to us, like they're 0:20:38.280 --> 0:20:41.720 gonna leave before it's our turn. And so then the 0:20:41.840 --> 0:20:45.639 plan went awry and everybody stood up and started just 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:51.280 like descending into this corner. And I had Gen Garrity 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:57.720 police officer, police officer Gen Garrity four ft ten and 0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:00.520 I was told could take me over her back if 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:06.120 she needed to body slam me um. And I remember 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:10.520 I was taking napkins off the table because it was 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.159 so hot and there were so many people and I 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:18.120 was like white base and she's like her eyes are big, 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:20.280 like whoa. And I turned around to her at one 0:21:20.320 --> 0:21:23.000 point and I said, okay, and I, I mean, you 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:27.120 have to understand, I'm just a theater guy from Atlanta, Georgia. 0:21:27.200 --> 0:21:29.520 Like this is I was like, what is going on? 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:31.680 I turned her at one point, I looked, I looked 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:34.080 in her eyes, and I said, okay, I just I 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:36.959 need I need to make sure you know you're watching 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:40.160 my back because I feel like I'm going to die. 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:43.400 I feel like I'm not going to make it out 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:47.200 of here. If I know you got my back, we're good. UM. 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:51.000 And just that whole trip, the um, you know, the 0:21:51.080 --> 0:21:54.720 roof party and everything. So when we came, you had 0:21:54.760 --> 0:21:57.000 this idea to do the convention, and then we came 0:21:57.200 --> 0:22:00.879 and it was clearly I mean, I feel feel like 0:22:00.960 --> 0:22:06.000 even then it was surpassing your expectation. Were you surprised 0:22:06.040 --> 0:22:09.960 by people's reaction or was that had you come to 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:12.160 know that this was how it was going to be. 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.120 I think from your visits, we knew if everybody came 0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:20.240 it would be something epic. It was even more epic. 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:24.480 It was just beyond like you can't imagine those things, right, 0:22:24.600 --> 0:22:27.719 Like even when you try, it's like it's just because 0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:30.679 there are so many stories from that visit. So the 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:34.040