This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake Comic Con is taking its FanXperience brand international in a deal with the makers of the much-loved Funko Pop! figurines.
Pop Life Entertainment, the company that makes the big-headed Funko Pop! figures, is forming a global partnership with Salt Lake Comic Con that will bring the FanX events to China, Thailand and the Philippines this year. The deal was announced Monday; financial terms were not disclosed.
The partnership has been in development for the past couple of years, said Bryan Brandenburg, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Salt Lake Comic Con. Pop Life brought its traveling Funko Pop! exhibit to Salt Lake Comic Con last year and was impressed with what it saw, Brandenburg said.
"They want to bring that flavor to Asia," Brandenburg said, noting that the company already has a foothold with toy conventions.
The deal will see Salt Lake Comic Con developing three FanX events this year: June 10-12 in the Philippines, Sept. 14-17 in China, and Dec. 9-11 in Thailand. Locations and other details are still to be worked out.
Brandenburg said Pop Life has also made a deal with a major Hollywood talent agency to bring A-list names to the events in Asia. He said Salt Lake Comic Con will benefit from that deal, too.
"We'll be able to bring the next level of guests to Salt Lake City," he said.
As part of the deal, Salt Lake Comic Con has been granted exclusive merchandise rights in the United States to most Pop Life items. Brandenburg said this means Pop Life will offer Funko Pop! products to be sold only at FanX and Salt Lake Comic Con.
For example, Brandenburg said, at FanX, set for March 24-26 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Pop Life will sell a figure of Daryl Dixon, the crossbow-wielding survivalist played by Norman Reedus on "The Walking Dead."
The "exclusive" label is a big deal among collectors. Last September, a figurine of C-3PO, the gold-plated 'droid from the "Star Wars" saga, was sold exclusively at Salt Lake Comic Con for $70. The figures now are being sold on eBay for between $200 and $300.
For more on the upcoming FanX, visit saltlakecomiccon.com .
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