As fans, we decide how much value something has. Whether it’s a band or a TV show, a movie franchise or a book series, a fan’s love is what transforms an artist’s work into a conversation between artist and audience. And sometimes, fans become so deeply connected to the art that they become leaders in bridging the gap. There are so many fun examples of fans who become insiders and part of the artist’s personal orbit by working hard to make sure that gap is always filled. Whether it’s a fan club president who connects with the object of the club’s affection, or a dedicated fan leading a charge to make sure a series isn’t cancelled, fans who become ambassadors for a brand are vital.
We put together a few examples of fans-turned-insiders, whether through fan club leadership or other means. What are your favorite stories of fans becoming insiders to a franchise or brand? Tell us in the comments!
Star Trek
Science fiction fan Betty JoAnne Trimble, also known as Bjo, saved the television series Star Trek from cancellation when she and her husband John organized “Save Star Trek,” a letter writing campaign in 1967-1968. She and fans, it is rumored, wrote more than 100,000 letters to NBC to urge the network to continue making episodes. The effort worked and it brought her into contact with Gene Roddenberry, who created the series. Seeing how she had organized such a herculean effort, he hired her directly to help with the fan mail the show received. She compiled a reference guide to the series, The Star Trek Concordance, and, with Roddenberry, helped manage up a mail-order merch business, Lincoln Enterprises. As a passionate fan turned insider, she helped shape convention culture as we know it.
Joan Winston is often compared to Bjo as another giant fan of the franchise. Winston helped organize the very first Star Trek convention, and even secured Roddenberry’s appearance at the con. In 1975, she co-wrote the book Star Trek Lives!, about the original series. Two years later, she solely authored the reference book The Making of the Trek Conventions, which details the work and planning that went into the conventions.
Without Winston, superfan Richard Arnold might never have become an insider. Arnold attended the first Star Trek convention in 1972 where he also met Roddenberry. He moved to Los Angeles and became a tour guide at Paramount Studios, where his deep knowledge of the show impressed Roddenberry enough that he gave him an official position as “Star Trek Archivist.” He became a research assistant for Star Trek: The Next Generation and vetted all the material proposed for licensed tie-ins like books, comics and more on behalf of Roddenberry.
The Beatles
A young Irish girl named Freda Kelly became one of the earliest fans of The Beatles when her family moved to Liverpool and she saw them play at the Cavern Club. She went to so many shows–even attending afternoon shows on her lunch break–that she became known to the band and other fans. When the band’s management came under Brian Epstein’s control, he asked her, only seventeen years old at the time, to take over secretary duties for the official fan club. She responded tirelessly to fan letters, often well into the early mornings. Freda also became responsible for a monthly fan club magazine. A documentary about her devotion to the band and the fans, Good Ol’ Freda, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013–but you can watch it on YouTube.
Blondie
If you love the song “Hanging on the Telephone” by Blondie, you can thank Jeffrey Lee Pierce. A massive fan of Blondie and Debbie Harry, Pierce became president of the Blondie West Coast Fan Club, eventually becoming friends with Harry and the band. In 1978, Pierce gave Harry a cassette of the song, originally performed by the band The Nerves. In an incredible story, the song hadn’t done well, the band had broken up, and writer Jack Lee was completely broke. His electricity was about to be disconnected when the phone rang: it was Debbie Harry asking to cover the song. The song of course became a hit, saved Lee from financial ruin, and the rest is history. All because one dedicated fan became an insider close enough to get a tape to an artist.
Elvis Presley
Gary Pepper became close to Elvis Presley through a simple act of kindness. Gary had cerebral palsy and made a living with a clipping business, meaning he would clip articles about people out of newspapers and mail them the clips, asking for a donation in return. He clipped articles about Elvis, and sent them to Elvis’ mother, Gladys Presley, who, he learned, kept a scrapbook of her son’s achievements. The two became friends. Eventually, Gary and Elvis himself became friends, and Elvis not only bought him and his mother a house, but hired his father as a gate guard at Graceland. Gary founded the Elvis Presley Tankers Fan Club.
Patti LaBelle
We know Luther Vandross for his soulful voice and R&B hits. But he started as a fan, specifically of Patti LaBelle. After a performance of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles at the famed Apollo Theater in New York, a teenaged Luther Vandross got himself backstage, claiming to be a clothing designer bringing them clothes. He somehow found beautiful outfits for the women, and they happened to need costumes. Vandross asked to be president of the fan club, but one didn’t even exist, so he founded it himself. He eventually began singing at the Apollo Theater for amateur night. He joined Listen My Brother, a singing group formed at the theater in a workshop. The group went on to perform for bigger crowds and sang on the pilot episode of Sesame Street, and his career blossomed from there. You could say that his fandom got him into the business.
Fandom insiders help fans gain a deeper connection to the things they love. Are you a fan-turned-insider? We would love to hear all about it. Tell us your story in the comments!
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