[Sca-cooks] SCA media relations

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Tara Sersen Boroson <tara at kolaviv.com> wrote:

> Have there in fact been bad stories about us? 

> -Magdalena
> 

I have heard of two.  Not because of a reporter
going to an event and dissing us, but because of
the actions of others, one of whom happened to be

a member of the SCA.

1) Some years back, Duke Aonghais dubh MacTarbh,
hereafter known as Duck Fungus, committed a
murder for hire, killing a woman and her baby. 
During his trial, IIRC, his lawyer tried to blame
his violent behavior on the SCA. [His Grease's
heritage is Sicilian.] This was written about in
the Florida papers.  I would consider this very
bad press.

2) Also some years back, in Texas, a man sued the
SCA and there was some negative press in the
local Texas papers.

There was another time that we could have had a
bad showing, but the Caidan Kingdom Seneschal at
that time managed to suppress it and later turn
it into a reasonable showing.

Many years ago, some of you might remember a TV
show called "Real People".  Before the network
approved the show for the Fall season, they put
on a few shows during the summer to test their
audience for this show.  During this time our
Kingdom seneschal, Duke Armand de Sevigny, who
mundanely is the Deputy District Attorney for
Orange County, was contacted by the show and
asked if they could come and film us at one of
our events.  His Grace told the show that they
could come and film, but that he would not sign
any releases allowing them to show their footage
until they showed the footage to him first.  They
came and filmed and later showed him their take
on us.
Apparently, from what Armand has said, they made
us look like kooks and idiots.  So Armand refused
to sign the permission form.  

Sometime later, after the show was put on the
regular schedule, a new producer replaced the old
one.  He came across the footage that had been
shot and wondered why it had not been shown. 
After being told that permission had not been
granted, the new producer called Armand and asked
what it would take to get him to give permission
to show the footage.  Armand said that they
needed to reshoot and reedit the piece.  So they
came to another event, shot more footage,
reedited everything and gave a more positive take
on our activities.  Armand liked it better,
signed the permission forms and the show aired on
primetime network TV.  I thought it was a tad
cutesy, but then it wasn't all bad because they
had a two second shot of me sitting and fanning
myself supposedly watching the war.  The footage
of me was shot at the first event and the war
footage was from the second event which I wasn't
even at!
The wonders of editing!

Huette


 



=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.

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