Picking up Your Press Membership Badge at Anime Central
Press Membership Badges are not eligible to be mailed and must be picked up in-person in the Registration Hall during the convention. Press Membership Badge pickup will begin on Thursday afternoon, at the same time member pre-registration opens. Bring your confirmation e-mail and your government-issued ID.
The Press Membership badge must be carried at all times. Without your Press Membership Badge, you will not have access to the convention, access early seating where applicable, or the ability to request interviews with Guests.
Press Interviews
Anime Central prides itself on making interviews with Guests of Honor available to the Press, either as Press Sessions/group, or individual 1-on-1 interviews.
1-on-1 interviews are open to qualifying Press Members by prior approval only. Any Press Member who wishes to conduct 1-on-1 interviews should indicate their interest on the registration form. Qualifying and approved Press Members will receive an Interview Request Form which must be submitted prior to the convention. Interview requests received at the convention will be subject to Guest availability. Anime Central reserves the right to approve/deny requests and/or questions submitted.
Since guests’ time is limited, Press Members are asked to refrain from requesting autographs or personal photos with guests at the close of an interview. Photos of guests to accompany coverage will be allowed, subject to the convenience of guests and time constraints.
These sessions are made available exclusively for members of the Press. Violation of this arrangement may disqualify your request for covering Anime Central in future years. This will be tracked and enforced.
Video & Audio Recording
Any video or audio recordings of Anime Central-sponsored events such as the Masquerade, fashion shows, concerts, etc. are not to be uploaded to the Internet, or made available to the public, in their entirety. (Please note that use of the term “public” includes release to any private or subscriber-based channel you may post to such as Patreon, YouTube, OnlyFans, premium/sponsored channels, etc.) If you wish to use recordings of such events, only “highlight” or “quote” clips may be used. Any use otherwise is in violation of the Rights held by Anime Central, and will result in disciplinary action of the outlet in question.
1-on-1 Interviews may be recorded for later release in their entirety, but are not able to be livestreamed.
Please keep in mind that any video recording containing audio of third-party content (such as a song, audio track, movie/show clip, etc.) must have audio removed prior to posting, as its usage is governed by copyright rules of the artist, production company, or label.
NO 18+ EVENT AT ANIME CENTRAL MAY BE RECORDED IN ANY CAPACITY.
Industry & Musical Guests
**Musical Guests & Performers**
Rights to record live musical or performance events held at Anime Central are governed by the agents & Labels that represent the entertainer(s) and Anime Central honors their requirements. Any additional requirements for an event will be made available at the time of Press Membership Pass pick-up, or as information becomes available. These conditions are subject to change without notice. Violations of any arrangements in regards to our live event Guests are responded to with disciplinary action up to and including legal action depending on the infringement.
**Industry Guests**
Rights to record Industry Guest panels or exclusive Previews are governed by the Agent and/or Production Company representing the Guest(s)/Preview and Anime Central honors their requirements. Any additional requirements for an event will be made available at the time of Press Membership Badge pick-up, or as information becomes available. These conditions are subject to change without notice. Violations of these conditions by any outlet will be responded to with disciplinary action up to and including legal action depending on the infringement.
Reserved Seating Policy
Certain Anime Central events are highly attended and as a result, space is limited. Reserved Press seating, if available at an event, is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed at any event.
Press members are required to follow the guidelines set by Anime Central Programming Staff for each event. These guidelines may include pre-registration of Press for an event, additional coverage requirements, etc. In the case of additional requirements for Press attendance at an event, Press members will be notified as information is available.
- The Masquerade will have limited seating which will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For outlets with a Press membership, access to Main Programming may be made available prior to the start of attendee load-in for the event.
- If room space is available for a given event, it will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and may include a specific Press area for tripods and cameras. Press access to the event room is typically made available prior to attendee access, for this purpose. If you have questions about seating or space for a given event, please ask the Press Department Manager or Assistant Manager.
- In any event that does not have dedicated Press seating or space, space is given solely at the discretion of the Anime Central staffer in charge of the room.
A Press Membership Badge does NOT qualify one for preferential treatment at autograph/sketch sessions. Any Press Member found violating this rule or acting in a disrespectful or unprofessional manner will be subject to immediate disciplinary action, up to and including badge revocation
Quality Control Check-ups
During the convention, the Press Department staffers will be tracking coverage/mentions posted to social media and your site(s) where applicable.
After the convention, the Press management team will be performing post-convention follow-ups via email with all attending Press to review coverage and verify if minimum at-con requirements were met. Any outlet who does not meet minimum at-con requirements may need to meet additional coverage requirements following the con.
All convention coverage must be submitted to the Press Department Head upon release, or no later than 3 months following the convention, for archival, marketing, and quality control assessments. For print & broadcast media, digital scans/copies are acceptable.
Any outlet who does not meet the minimum at-con requirements and post-con coverage requirements may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including removal of comped Press Membership Badge privileges (requirement to purchase in future), publication ban from Press, outlet member ban from Press (with any outlet), or full ban from convention.
Your Rights & Information
Anime Central reserves the right to list your company/publication’s name on digital and print material. In some cases, Industry and certain guests/talent may require release of information such as email address, name, and publication name prior to any press session. While Anime Central does not sell or make public individuals’ private information public, publication information may be provided to agents or labels representing our Guests of Honor upon request.
For further questions, contact the Press Department Manager at eric.leitzen@acen.org
Abuse of Press Privileges
As a member of Anime Central Press, you are expected to conduct yourself in a professional, courteous manner while attending the convention as Press. A Press Membership Badge does not qualify a member of the press for preferential treatment at any event over the course of the convention, and Press Members are subject to all stated convention policies.
Anime Central takes the behavior of its Press very seriously, and will review carefully any reports of abuse of Press privileges. If after review an abuse of privileges is found, such behavior may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including revocation of badges or expulsion from the convention. Violation of any conditions of coverage (such as events, musical entertainment, etc.) or any of these arrangements may disqualify requests for covering or attending Anime Central in future years.
If an outlet feels that their membership is revoked unjustly or that they were unfairly disciplined, they may discuss it with the Press Department Manager. The revocation of a membership is a last resort, and the Press Department will do all they can to be certain that members of the Press understand why such actions are necessary and how to avoid them. Please do not hesitate to ask if there is some part of these policies you do not understand.
Press Members may discuss any questions/disputes regarding these policies with the Press Department Manager and/or Assistant Department Manager.
Please note: Anime Central reserves the right to modify our rules & regulations at any time without prior notice, and may deny you a Press Membership for any reason. Submitting the Press Membership Registration Form does not guarantee you a Press Membership for Anime Central.