Backstage at KC's Planet Comicon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four different voices squeal through the phone’s speaker, followed quickly by Clare Kramer’s laughter and an enthusiastic hello. Kramer is in Kansas City to serve as host for Planet Comicon, while her four kids are at home. She needed to check in and say happy birthday to her daughter, River, over FaceTime before the whirlwind of the convention began.

The preparation for moderating more than ten panels in three days is not something that can be procrastinated. “I watch a lot of tv,” said Kramer. “Fortunately, I love to watch TV and film.”

It’s a fact corroborated by one of the convention guests, Mark Sheppard. “She watches a lot of the shows and a lot of the movies,” Sheppard said with a laugh. “She’s fabulous. She knows her stuff. She always does her research.”

That research continues on the day of the convention. Fueled by “copious amounts of coffee,” Kramer, sits down with a thick stack of branded notecards, her phone, and a black Sharpie. Kramer’s stylist for the weekend carefully applies makeup and curls her hair, while Kramer scribbles out notes on each of the guests she will share the stage with that day.

“Some people think, yeah, you just go up on stage and talk to the guests and take audience questions, but really, to be a proficient interviewer, you have to be familiar not just with their most popular of the actor's work, but really their whole career,” Kramer explained. “Sometimes, the least popular things are the most interesting to talk about, especially how someone gets their start in the business or how they create the character that is now so beloved by so many fans.”

While Kramer spends the time making the cards, chances are, you won’t see them on stage. She calls it more of a security blanket. “I never really have to refer to them because once I write it, it just kind of mind melds into my head,” Kramer said.

Kramer flipped through the cards backstage in the few moments between panels. “Today for example, I'm on stage for five hours straight,” Kramer said. “I don’t’ know if there will really be a chance to do anything in those times, except prepare for the next.”

Once on stage with the celebrity guest, Kramer spends the first chunk of time in a conversation to make things more comfortable for the celebrity, and answer some of the frequently asked questions in order to move on to more unique moments.

”The fans are so passionate at events like this, and so, so invested in the stories and the actors,” Kramer said. “I want to bring out something different than what they've heard a thousand times. There's a lot of information out there that's the same. What I like to do is bring out the lesser known facts and the more genuine, interesting tidbits that make, not just the character, but the actor relatable to their fanbase.”

The sessions at Planet Comicon accomplished just that. Sheppard repeatedly left the stage to hug fans. Kramer recorded as former Power Rangers Jason David Frank taught Amy Jo Johnson how to break a board with her hand, and turned to include the cheering crowd in the video.

“If you truly are excited and share that sort of interest, that’s the common denominator between myself, the guest and the audience,” Kramer said. “I try to bring everyone together through that shared love.”

That skill is why Planet Comicon’s Chris Jackson keeps hiring Kramer. “She’s knows how to keep it moving, keep the action going,” Jackson said. “She knows that what questions to ask. She knows how to bring the audience into panels. She just provides a professional touch to all my celebrity panels. Celebrities are very comfortable with her. That’s one of the very important aspects.”

It’s a belief supported by guests, like legendary rock musician and actor, Alice Cooper. “Clare’s the only one I trust to interview me,” Cooper said. “There are certain people that are just naturally fun. They just have it. They don’t make it look hard. They make it look like it just flows and that’s what she does. She flows.”

For Sheppard, staying on stage with Kramer is different from his normal convention behavior. He prefers being in the crowd to pick on his fans. “I don’t have other moderators. Most moderators I dismissed and send away. I love Clare, though. She’s fantastic.”

But Kramer’s day doesn’t end when the five hours of panels wrap up. She also took time to meet with fans of her acting work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Bring It On.”

“That part is just so relaxing and fun, versus on stage,” Kramer said. “That’s just adrenaline-filled.”

For Kramer, traveling the country to moderate panels is the best of both worlds. “I truly, truly love being an actor, but I love watching all sorts of content,” Kramer said. “I could easily just be on the other side and just be in the audience for some of these things. Having the chance to express my passion and to share that with not just the actor, and facilitate that community feeling around the project or around the actor in general, that is what I absolutely love.”

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