Summary

• I worked alongside Dan Jeannotte all day Saturday at STLV: Trek to Vegas and had a blast.
• Getting to know Dan personally, I gained even more respect for him beyond his role as Sam Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• I also had exclusive interviews with Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, and Jess Bush at STLV.

I loved working with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Dan Jeannotte at Creation Entertainment's STLV: Trek to Vegas. Dan plays Lt. Sam Kirk, the mustachioed older brother of Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Jeannotte is also well-known for his roles as Brandon Russell in Good Witch, James Stuart in Reign on The CW, and the various Hallmark movies he starred in, as well as voicing Arno Dorian in the Assassin's Creed: Unity video game. I attended STLV as a fan and to cover the con for Screen Rant, never dreaming that I'd be so lucky as to get the opportunity to be paired with Dan Jeannotte for a day.

Dan Jeannotte was at STLV on Saturday and Sunday, August 3 and 4, to sign autographs and meet his fans at the Vendor Room, as well as a on Sunday morning with his Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast mates Christina Chong, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Jess Bush, and Bruce Horak. But Dan needed someone to work with him at his table on Saturday, a job (paid, of course) that was unexpectedly offered to me at dinner on Friday night by my friend, Ryan T. Husk, who was running STLV for Creation Entertainment. After a moment to consider how it would impact my Saturday, as I had interviews lined up, it was an opportunity too good to up, so my answer was obviously yes.

Dan Jeannotte's Lt. Sam Kirk is a xenobiologist on the USS Enterprise. It's a recurring role, but Sam is always memorable, and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) dislikes him, which is a great source of comedy.

I Had A Blast Working With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Dan Jeannotte At STLV

It was Dan's second time at STLV

I reported for duty at 9:30 am on Saturday, August 3, for my new job as Dan Jeannotte's handler, i.e. Guy At His STLV Table. I was surprised and happy Dan ed me; I introduced myself to him at last year's STLV when he was walking the Vendor Room incognito (i.e. clean shaven). I also learned the proper pronunciation of "Jeannotte," which is a French surname (Dan is from Montreal). Backstage in the green room, as Dan and I met with his agent, Joey Flaherty, I said hello to Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, and Babs Olusanmokun, who was attending his first STLV. I also greeted Yetide Badaki, who I'd interviewed for Screen Rant, and saw Marina Sirtis, Nana Visitor, Michael and Marion Westmore, Tim Russ, Eugene Cordero, and Tawny Newsome.

What does a handler at a convention, i.e. Guy At The Table, do? My job was to stay with Dan Jeannotte at his table and field every fan who wanted autographs and photos. This requires taking and safeguarding money, checking off a sheet that tallies how many autographs, photos, and combos were sold, occasionally being a camera person, and taking care of Dan's needs, such as getting new sharpies or ing Creation for coffee, and making sure Dan was comfortable. This was only Dan's second STLV, and I'd never been a handler before (although I've been on the other side of the table at numerous conventions), but we figured it all out as we went as a team.

After we got to Dan's table, which was right next to Christina Chong's lively, dance party table, the morning's business was brisk and exciting. As I handled the money and sorted various requests, Dan met with dozens of fans for autographs and selfies. All were kind and complimentary, knowing Dan not just as Sam Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but also from his Hallmark movies and Reign. Besides a couple of kids who repeatedly dropped by to ask Dan and Christina if they know Paul Wesley, many fans told Dan they preferred Sam Kirk to James T. Kirk. Elias Toufexis, who is friends with Dan from Montreal, also dropped by our table to say hi to him.

Paul Wesley was also at STLV: Trek to Vegas but only on Thursday, August 1, so he didn't get to his Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast on stage on Sunday morning.

Getting to know Dan as we chatted throughout the day was the best part of the job. Dan is a very funny and thoughtful guy. His wife Heidi was in Vegas with him but enjoying herself away from STLV, and when he had a spare moment, Dan read a script for a new Hallmark movie he might star in on his phone. Dan was also genuinely curious about me and my work as the head of Star Trek at Screen Rant. My biggest flex of STLV was when Ronald D. Moore walked by our table, and I introduced Dan to the legendary writer of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and creator of Battlestar Galactica. Not only is Ron a huge Strange New Worlds fan, but he fanboyed out about the show to Dan!

At 5 pm, I brought Dan to Photo Ops for his last STLV event before he was done for the day: posing for fan photos with Connor Trinneer, Nicole de Boer, and Eugene Cordero. Dan and I also got to watch Kate Mulgrew and John de Lancie pose for fan photos together. At 5:30, Dan was wrapped for STLV Saturday, and we parted ways in the green room. I did make sure to drop by Dan's table to say hello on Sunday after he and his Strange New Worlds cast mates killed it at their . I was already a Sam Kirk fan before getting to spend STLV Saturday with Dan Jeannotte, but I walked away with an even greater respect and iration for him.

I'm grateful Dan used my photo from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in his X post thanking everyone at STLV:

I Interviewed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Actors At STLV

Thanks to Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, and Jess Bush for our exclusive interviews

Although Dan Jeannotte was my number one priority on STLV Saturday, I also had interviews with Christina Chong and Ethan Peck. We were able to squeeze both interviews in around 1 pm while Dan was on his lunch break. When I met Dan in the morning and told him I was interviewing Chrissy and Ethan, he kidded that maybe he'd run camera for me - a joke I took way too seriously and repeated to Ethan and Christina, embarrassing myself. But no, Dan didn't run my camera. My friend, Emmy award-winning meteorologist Katie Nickolaou, volunteered as my camera person. Katie dropped her own STLV plans to help me out in a pinch and did a fantastic job.

Ethan Peck sings on Christina Chong's album, which also features vocals from Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, and Melissa Navia.

I interviewed Christina and Ethan back-to-back for Screen Rant, and both talks were just terrific. We've all interviewed many times before, and I'm so pleased we have rapport. Chrissy is always sharp, witty, and a delight to talk to, and she is especially chuffed about her music career. I'd just interviewed Ethan about Strange New Worlds at Comic-Con, but in a group. In our one-on-one at STLV, Ethan was warm, gracious, funny, and eager to chat. During my interview with Ethan, Doug Jones and David Ajala entered the room for a meeting. Once the interview wrapped, Ethan was kind enough to be our camera person as I took photos with David and Doug.

On Sunday morning, after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' , Jess Bush met me for our interview. Because the room we were in felt like an interrogation room, I randomly launched into an improv sketch accusing Jess of shoplifting. Jess was incredible; she got what I was doing right away, said, "I didn't do it!" and bolted out of the room when I told her we caught her red-handed on camera. Jess and I had a fantastic interview about her ion for space and NASA, her art, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. STLV: Trek to Vegas is a special con, and getting to know Dan Jeannotte, Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, and Jess Bush even better is an experience I'll never forget.

Special thanks to Dan Jeannotte, Ryan T. Husk, Christina Chong, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, and Creation Entertainment.