2020 was a bad year for many of us, but there is someone who got the ultimate 2020 karma hit, James Frazier. The name might sound familiar to everyone as the owner of Walker Stalker and Fan Fest conventions. We’ve been reporting on these conventions for years, first as fans and then as journalists. When these conventions first came out, they were new, and fans loved them. Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. We reported for most of 2019 about how the convention circuit was going downhill and fast. Conventions tickets were being sold, but no convention ever happened. Fans, vendors, and even some celebrity guests were out a lot of money, and Fan Fest refused to answer any emails or social media comments. By the time we got into 2020, Fan Fest was getting compared to Fyre Festival and the damage was done. James Frazier was hit with a federal lawsuit. The rest of the world was thrown into a COVID world, and we silently forgot about the man who stole nerds’ money.
While waiting for the Attorney General and the case to go to court, James successfully sold Walker Stalker to 3fams Production. They announced on Facebook that 3fams Production would be taking over and even talked about refunds in October 2020.
“As fans ourselves, we know how important it is to regain the trust of the amazing Walker Stalker community, and that is why it is Walker Stalkers LLC’s first priority to reimburse every fan who purchased tickets for cancel ed events, and vendors who were impacted as well,” continued DeVito. “To that end, the monies Walker Stalkers LLC takes in will be used immediately to refund those parties until all are reimbursed.”
Walker Stalker Facebook Page
While there were promises of refunds, there were no actual details of how the company would give out these refunds. Most of the comments on the post weren’t very positive. While they thought they were funny by dropping the pun “bringing this event back from the dead,” fans were the first to start flooding the comments with “yeah right” and “we don’t believe you.” Fans essentially have zero faith in Walker Stalker or 3Fam Productions. They state they will have virtual cons in October 2021, but only time will actually tell if those events will actually happen. The Walker Stalker Con webpage is back up with a refreshed look that’s clearly from the 3Fam production team. They tried to keep up all the “good” press they could. As a fan and journalist, I found it hilarious that they listed all the canceled events in the Events section like they actually happened. As my husband said, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
On December 2nd, 2020, a deal was reached with the Attorney General of Tennessee, Walker Stalker LLC, and its CEO. James Frazier may have been able to sell Walker Stalker in an attempt to run from his problems, but the Attorney General wasn’t going to let him slide. He was prohibited from owning or engaging in a business similar to Walker Stalker LLC and must refund all money owed. If you are owned money whether you are a vendor, fan, or celebrity, you can apply for your refund here. Payments will start being processed on March 1st, 2021, and must be completed within 180 days.
I do want to make an important note here. While it is exciting that we are finally getting justice, there is still some shady stuff going on. The blog, Crooked Llama, that’s been pushed on Walker Stalker Facebook posts is essentially a blog page owned and ran by James Frazier. He is still listed as editor and magically is now on Social Media after hiding the last year. Now going by James Frazier Jr, he started his own podcast called What James Loves. On multiple pages of the blog, the following disclosure is seen, “Thank you for being part of CrookedLlama.com – a website that is slightly off-beat! Formerly FanFest.com but still for fans!” So, friends, James Frazier is still associated with Walker Stalker LLC and making money off you. Frankly, it doesn’t seem right nor legal. I’ll keep you updated as always.
