Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Farr.
Hi Dan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before I started FanX Salt Lake, I spent over a decade in the tech industry and co-founded DAZ3D (DAZ) in the early 2000s. We were able to accomplish amazing things, like the digital tool DAZ Studio and the Genesis Platform. My time in the tech industry was filled with many amazing memories, milestones, and achievements. During this period, I was able to collaborate with the legendary Dick Van Dyke to create a 3-D illustrated Christmas book, Mr. Finnegan’s Giving Chest!
During my time with DAZ3D, we had vendor booths at some trade shows, fan conventions, and industry shows. These fan conventions had amazing creative energy throughout the whole convention hall. I knew I wanted to bring similar magic back to my home state of Utah. In 2013, we had our inaugural event, FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention (at the time named Salt Lake Comic Con). The support from the community was overwhelming, and by the time of the event, we had outgrown the original convention center we had planned. We quickly pivoted and made our home at The Salt Palace Convention Center, where we have hosted FanX ever since. Because of the outpouring of support, we’ve hosted 17 FanX’s since our inaugural event in 2013, and are currently preparing for the next FanX event this September 24-26!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There definitely have been different sets of challenges along the way. I think one universal challenge all live events shared was the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. It was really hard to come up with innovative ways to create that same event magic virtually. It was during this time that we had a lot of attendees reach out to the company, letting us know that they needed the FanX Community now more than ever, but there was also the struggle of trying to follow state safety laws and keeping everyone as healthy as possible.
Coming back together in 2021 brought its own set of hurdles. Masks were mandatory during the event. Which, with an event that sees over 100,000 attendees during 3 days, it was really hard to make sure we kept everyone as healthy as we could. During that time, it was still hard to find large quantities of masks and hand sanitizer, but the team and I all worked together to make sure we had as many supplies on hand as we could to keep the attendees and guests as healthy as we could.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At FanX, we have a really rewarding job of bringing joy, happiness, community, and an escape from everyday life to people. It is truly amazing to watch the moments when fans finally get to meet the heroes they have only been able to connect with from afar through TV, movies, comics, and books. Those moments really mean as much to the actors, authors, artists, and musicians as it means to the attendees. I have found throughout the years of putting together these shows that the relationship between the celebrities and the attendees is symbiotic. The attendees feel a sense of connection to the talent who has, indirectly, made an impact on their life, but the celebrities are also grateful for the support the attendees have shown them throughout their careers. It is really a fun moment to watch as both parties meet and share in that moment.
Amongst the staff and the community, we have come to call these moments “magic moments”. Magic moments are those memories and shared experiences that are just once-in-a-lifetime. Whether it is Rob Schneider crashing Dick Van Dykes panel to ask him a silly question, or Carrie Fisher asking if anyone had a can of soda and her giving a kiss on the cheek to the attendee who brought her one, you just never know what is going to happen at FanX. That is one of the many reasons the staff and I love what we get to do.
One thing I have been told repeatedly about our events is that we genuinely have the nicest attendees. It makes my job a lot easier when the talent wants to come to Salt Lake and FanX because they have heard how amazing and welcoming the attendees are. The energy the attendees bring and their willingness to accept everyone into the community is something you don’t get to be a part of every day. It really does become a family that understands and allows everyone to celebrate their favorite fandoms.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I would genuinely like to thank the community, attendees, and fans of FanX for all the support FanX has seen over the years. It is because of the support that the staff and I get to keep doing what we love. The state of Utah and Salt Lake City have also shown us a lot of support, which we are grateful for.
The first FanX was run out of my house. We didn’t have an office yet, and my family and friends were filling in different roles to make the event came together. Since then (and thankfully for my family), we have been able to move out of my house and into an office, but the same spark and excitement of the first event still remains the same today. The staff and I are forever grateful to the attendees and the devoted FanX community who continue to help us celebrate comics and pop culture. We can’t wait to see everyone again, September 24-26, 2026, at The Salt Palace Convention Center.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fanxsaltlake.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fanxsaltlake/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaltLakeComicConvention
- Twitter: https://x.com/fanxsaltlake
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FanXComicConventions
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fanxcomicconventions
