Vaping Diaries #123: ECC 2013 Wrap Up

All my ECC 2013 videos (please watch them!) have been edited and all but one has been posted. Now that all the work is done, it’s time to reflect on the first annual Electronic Cigarette Convention. Before I get to that, I wanted to thank Dulce and Steve from ECC for making the show extremely media-friendly. Big-time thanks to RPadholic N8R for filming my interviews. Now onto the ECC 2013 wrap up.

In a nutshell, ECC 2013 greatly exceeded my expectations. From my perspective, the show was well organized and several exhibitors had impressive booth setups. I was expecting a basic room with simple vendor tables from local companies. Instead, some exhibitors had really elaborate booths and there were companies from all over the world (China, Finland, the Philippines). Of course the show wasn’t as elaborate or flashy as E3 or PAX, but for a relatively young business, ECC 2013 was vibrant and well attended. The show organizers and exhibitors did way more than I expected them to.

That’s not to say that everything was perfect. While the ECC web site was much better looking than the one for the competing Vapefest show, it didn’t have a lot of useful information. My coverage plans would have been a lot easier with an exhibitor list and a map of the show floor. Hell, I had to go to the ECC Facebook page to find out what time the convention started each day. There were a lot of products that debuted at ECC 2013 and some attendees had no idea that they were there. It would have been nice if the conference stage was used to unveil products and have the creators talk about them. (Dulce, I’m available for hosting duties if you want me to moderate panels or announcements. Use me!)

From the people I spoke with online and IRL, ECC 2013 reactions were largely positive. Most of them enjoyed the show and were happy to attend. Some complained about nothing new being at the show, which wasn’t true, but as I mentioned earlier, the show could have done a better job highlighting new products. Some people complained that there wasn’t enough free stuff. That complaint seemed whiny to me. If you pre-registered for ECC 2013 then you paid a grand total of $0. How much “free stuff” do you expect from a free show? Besides, lots of people posted photos of fairly hefty hauls of free juices and drip tips. I didn’t get too many freebies because I was busy working, but I got some and it looked like you could get a lot if you were aggressive about it.

For people that aren’t familiar with my work in tech and gaming, keep in mind that I’ve attended a lot of trade shows, expos, and conventions. E3, CES, Comdex, Comic-Con, NAMM, CEDIA, Anime Expo, Toy Fair, and BlizzCon are just some of shows that I’ve attended for work. I’ve attended impeccably organized shows and ones that were run horribly. Aside from an overzealous security staff (totally the Anaheim Convention Center’s fault), I was quite pleased with my ECC 2013 experience.

For a first effort, ECC 2013 was a great show and I’m sure it will be even better next year. There were lots of hardware and juice companies displaying goods for attendees to try. New items debuted at the show, as well as a few ECC exclusives. The vibe was fun and the work was productive. Congratulations to everyone that worked on ECC 2013. If any of you plan on going next year, I hope to see you!

RPad.TV ECC 2013 Videos

This Week’s Videogame Releases

With the Yankees 2013 season ending in failure, I’m ditching baseball and getting psyched for the 2013-2014 NBA season. NBA 2K14 should be a great help. I have no idea how this season will end, but when I play, the Miami Heat will not win another title. I know that many of you regular RPadholics aren’t big on the Nintendo 3DS platform, but there are a pair of lovely JRPGs hitting the Nintendo handheld this week: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl and Rune Factory 4. Lastly, Ubi Soft has a pair of trilogy bundles for those looking to maximize their gaming dollars: Assassin’s Creed Ezio Trilogy Edition and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Trilogy Edition.

So, any of you picking up new games this week?

Vaping Diaries #122: Grand Vapor Gab Villapana Interview

As a Filipino-American, I was thrilled that Grand Vapor owner Gabriel “Gab” Villapana came all the way from the Philippines to attend ECC 2013. I’m a big fan of Grand Vapor mods and atomizers (currently rocking a red Sentinel 3.5 and a gold-plated Trident). Gab had several goods on display at the show — the Prometheus Genesis-style atomizer, the Trident 2 dripping atomizer (ECC debut!), the limited edition gold-plated Sentinel, the limited edition sand-blasted Sentinel, the Sentinel v4, and more. Gab talks about the products he had on display, upcoming products, and the hot-button topic of Chinese clones in this ECC 2013 video interview.

Grand Vapor Sentinel gold plated ECC 2013

Vaping Diaries #121: Five Pawns Rodney Jerabek Interview

Out of all the booths at ECC 2013, Five Pawns had the most impressive setup. The company’s booth was made from reclaimed prune crates and the employees were decked out in black vests. It made the booth feel like a saloon from Old West. Five Pawns had several things going on at ECC 2013. The successful Castle Long Reserve e-liquid got a second release and the upcoming Mixology line was teased. Five Pawns president and founder Rodney Jerabek talks about all the booth, the second release of Castle Long Reserve, what to expect from the Mixology line, and more in the video interview above.

Vaping Diaries #124: Space Jam ECC 2013 Interview

Space Jam is a Southern California e-liquid company that makes some creative juices and uses a fun sci-fi theme. At ECC 2013, I met up with Space Jam co-founders Aaron Pederson and Mike Crawford to learn more about the company. Being a nerd, I love the branding and names that Space Jam uses. Several of its juices feature the type of complexity that I love in e-liquids. For example, Omega is a mix of spiced peaches and cream that uses real California peaches. Aaron and Mike talk about how the company started in Aaron’s garage, how the “Flavor Bible” is used to make Space Jam juices, why a sci-fi theme was chosen for these products, and the timeless battles between Star Wars and Star Trek.

Vaping Ape Los Angeles Chi You Raffle Drawing

Here’s a fun video I hosted for the excellent people at Vaping Ape Los Angeles. The store held a raffle for a stainless steel Chi You mod by Style of Mojo. I was at Vaping Ape Los Angeles to host the raffle drawing. Customer Guillermo Cabrera won the raffle and gets a free Chi You. If you’re not familiar with the Chi You, it’s a hard-to-get mechanical mod from Korea. If you’re a vaper living in the Los Angeles area, be sure to drop by Vaping Ape Los Angeles or hit up the store’s web site for future raffles.

Please note that I’m available for store openings and hosting your daughter’s 18th birthday party.

Also, I couldn’t help but think of this while I was filming the video:

Vaping Diaries #120: Juice By Numbers Eric Silverman Interview

Juice By Numbers is a Southern California e-liquid company that eschews fancy names for numbered juices. The company’s first five products are #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5. Guess what the company’s next product will be called? If you said #6 then you’re a genius! In this ECC 2013 video, Juice By Numbers co-owner Eric Silverman talks about how a pair of friends started the company, his thoughts on crafting e-liquids, and his lineup of flavors.

Juice by numbers e-liquids are available at Vape Revolution, but I’ve noticed a handful of SoCal vape shops carrying the juices. Check out the video above to learn more about the company, its juices, and its upcoming flavors.

Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter Pull Mariano Rivera

Here’s an awesome video of Mariano Rivera’s last game at Yankee Stadium. Manager Joe Girardi sent Rivera’s longtime teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter out to the mound to pull him from the game.  Rivera initially reacted with an amused smile, but was quickly overcome by emotion. He has spent more than two decades in the Yankee organization, including minor league stints with Jeter and Pettitte. Knowing that he has thrown his last pitch in the Bronx and seeing two people that were with him every step of the way hit him harder than his vaunted cutter. The smile quickly turned into long hugs and lots of tears.

This was an awesome baseball moment. If you disagree then you’re either an irrational Red Sox homer or completely heartless. Watch the clip (please), love it, and get misty.

Vaping Diaries #119: Rehab Vapors William Spallino Interview

One of the more unique companies I met with at ECC 2013, Rehab Vapors has some cool flavors and an interesting business model. The company donates 10 percent of its profits to detox-and-recovery programs. It’s awesome seeing a vaping company with charitable donations built into its business model. As for the flavors, Rehab Vapors has several interesting combinations that appeal to a broad range of vapers. Watch Rehab Vapors COO William Spallino talk about the company’s start, its approach to crafting e-liquids, the current flavor lineup, and more. You’ll also see one of the largest vaping devices made by man in this video interview.

Rehab Vapors e-liquids are available exclusively at Vape Revolution.

PaulSemel.com Babe Interviews: Melissa Joan Hart, Pauley Perrette

RPad.TV ally PaulSemel.com has posted a pair of interviews that you should definitely check out. First up is a vintage conversation with Melissa Joan Hart, who is famous for…you know, I’m not really sure what she does or did. I think she was on a sitcom when she was a teenager and did some Lindsay Lohan-type stuff back in the day. What I do know, is the she was a celebrity at a Sega Dreamcast event I went to back in the late ’90s and people are still talking about her, so she must be doing something right.

Paul also interviewed the super-cool Pauley Perrette, one of the stars of NCIS. The first part of a PaulSemel.com exclusive, this is a great interview that touches a wide variety of subjects. Pauley is an interesting person and Paul is a fine interviewer that developed keen investigatory journalism skills from his days working at Gene Simmmons’ Tongue magazine. That formidable combination made for an entertaining interview. Please check it out!