SPEAKERS

Gary Sohmers, CEO, Interactive Meet And Greet Entertainment LLC

Gary Sohmers is known in the media and collecting world as the "King of Pop Culture." He is a 35 year veteran producer, promoter, antiques and collectibles dealer, musician, and radio talk show host. He often appears as a celebrity appraiser for charities and sells at numerous antiques and collectibles events each year, as well as appearing in his tenth season as an appraiser of Toys, Collectibles and Memorabilia on the five time Emmy Nominated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

He has been a featured guest on many television and radio programs over the past 35 years, and quoted regularly in national print for his expert knowledge of the value and history of collectible objects.

Interactive Meet And Greet Entertainment (IMAGE) was the inspiration of Gary Sohmers. In the 1980s and 1990s, Gary produced about a hundred collectible shows with Celebrities signing autographs and saw the possibilities of new technology supporting an industry needing help with authenticity.

Gary feels he is lucky for having had the opportunity to work with some of his heroes over the years, including "Buffalo" Bob Smith, Adam West, Pete Best of The Beatles, the Munchkins of the "Wizard of Oz" and the casts of "Lost In Space," "The Munsters," "My Three Sons" and "Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory."

After attracting over 10,000 people to see each of his "Lost In Space" 25th and 30th cast reunions in 1990 and 1995 in Boston, and producing the 1999 "Lost In Space Return to Earth Celebration" in Hollywood, he used the Internet to reach out to a worldwide fan-base attracting a community of fans who attended the event and communicated as a online social network.

This led to his invention of the Interactive Meet And Greet Entertainment patent-pending "Video Queue" and the "MAGA-Q" Operating System that enables a consumer to get an autograph from a celebrity from the comfort of their own home, witness it being signed and receiving the "Autothentex Authentic Autograph Experience" DVD as their proof of authenticity.

The IMAGE technology is built to create a unique interactive social networking community, based on the niche that is attracted to the specific celebrities or their genres. Viewers can socialize with others while waiting in queue, and have advertising and programming of interested directed to them.

The goal is to create a brand name of credibility in the autograph business using the experience as "proof of authenticity."

IMAGE technology is distributed through Cable, Satellite or Mobile phone providers and through the Internet on websites. Each distribution service may have their own unique events within their own communities and we intend to keep consumers aware of any authorized IMAGE autograph signing events.

And IMAGE intends to use this technology to raise funds for Charities as often as possible . we are about helping the world, and we know our communities of fans will help make the world a better place.

Gary is an expert in Pop Culture, and available for appraisals, consignments, appearances and consulting in the fields of Pop Culture, Television and New Technology. As a lecturer, he speaks at historical societies, schools, libraries, corporations, antiques shows and other special events: