Editing The Pen Addict 401/transcript (section)

== Coronavirus Impact ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't think it is absolutely wild for people to understand that we're about to bring up the big C word right now, which is coronavirus. The Atlanta pen show is in three or four weeks time. Events are being cancelled all over the place right now due to coronavirus. So, we are currently having to evaluate contingency plans for the Atlanta pen show. We are working on them. I think where me and Brad feel right now is pretty good about what we will do. But we might have more to say about that in the coming days. But I would just suggest to people to really be thinking about us not potentially being at the Atlanta pen show this year, if there even is one.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This escalated quickly, right? Yes. I mean, all around the world. It's been around the world for months, but it keeps popping off in different areas. And now it's affecting travel. It's closing down countries. It's starting to pop over here in the US. Because the day I launched the Kickstarter, it didn't come across my mind to put something in there about a contingency plan. But by the next day of the campaign, I was like, I need to send out an update saying that there could be an issue. That's how quick things are moving. So Myke and I have been talking in the background. We have some ideas if we have to skip the live show at the Atlanta pen show. But we're not ready to make that decision yet. We're going to keep monitoring. But it's going to be like, I mean, the show's in three weeks and the way things are escalating. We're definitely concerned about everyone's health and safety and would be concerned about bringing everyone together and being responsible for that. And it's just sometimes the discretion is called for, even though nothing may be wrong specifically and we would all rather go and do this thing. We're very much looking at what other options we have if we have to make that decision. So I would expect like a, we're almost at a go, no go point here in the next several days, right? I would think that's fair.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yes. And kind of to make it clear with the plans that we're currently working on, the only people that this will affect are the people that would be coming to the pen show. So like we will create additional video content for backers only in the case that we can't do the live show in Atlanta. So we're working on some stuff, which honestly, like I think some of the plans that we have for what we would produce in its place, people would actually enjoy more. So, you know, so we're working on some stuff. We laughed at ourselves. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So we're taking this seriously, you know. We have to and we should. Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because ultimately we're responsible here, you know. Yeah. If we are encouraging people to travel long distances to come and sit in a room with us and record a show shoulder to shoulder with 90 to 100 other people, you have to consider that. And so we are and we're currently looking at that. And it would be really upsetting if we couldn't make the Atlanta pen show. But we will make good on the campaign. I can guarantee you.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, yeah, for sure. For sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But really, you should be backing for the pen anyway this year because the reward is so frigging good.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I think everyone's kind of OK. They're like, oh, yeah, but look at this pen. And like, that's going to be pretty cool. Yeah, that'll be fine. But I think the best thing we can do now is tell you all to pay attention to all of our feeds, social medias, my blog, things like that in the Kickstarter campaign for updates. I would think we will have a yes or no by this time next week. Yeah. Without question. Just because the way things things are moving very fast. So I'm sorry.

'''Myke Hurley:''' We had to start the show in such a somber way. It should be a happy time. Yeah. Yeah. But we had to consider. Yeah, we had to. We had to talk about it. But if you have backed the campaign already, like, thank you so much. It's, you know, this one has really blown my mind. The amount that we have done so fast.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Quick update on the design itself, which you mentioned before. I'm going to try to finalize the design with Retro 51 this week so we can say, hey, here's the final layout. Let's send it to get the prototype made. So I will have a physical prototype before I sign off on the project. But I need to get it to that point. So once I get a final artwork, that'll be in an update to the campaign. And then we'll go from there.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That's nice. Nice, nice, nice. Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So hopefully by next week, I'll have that too.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So last week was our 101 episode.