ViewerCon, a new entertainment and fandom experience founded by NBC News entertainment contributor and PopViewers CEO Chris Witherspoon, will launch July 18 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, with STARZ serving as presenting sponsor. The day-long event blends fan convention, entertainment summit, and cultural festival, drawing thousands of attendees alongside journalists, critics, and executives for a lineup that includes Joy Reid, Taye Diggs, Bevy Smith, Patina Miller, and an early screening of 50 Cent’s STARZ drama Fightland.
The programming runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and opens with a fireside chat between Joy Reid and Witherspoon on the state of media and entertainment. From there, a dual-stage lineup features Taye Diggs discussing his new vertical drama studio MicroHouse Films, Bevy Smith on her career path from Harlem to Hollywood, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones sharing his experience portraying Bill Bray in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic. At 4 p.m., the event shifts to NJPAC’s Victoria Theater for a Power Book III: Raising Kanan panel featuring Patina Miller, Mekai Curtis, and other cast members, followed by the night’s centerpiece: an advance screening of Fightland.
For Witherspoon, ViewerCon is the product of more than a decade spent watching a widening gap between audiences and the entertainment industry. “ViewerCon is designed to put audiences at the center of the conversation,” he said. “I wanted to create a space where fans, talent, creatives, and industry leaders can come together for meaningful conversations about the culture, creativity, and where the industry is headed.”
The event also lands at a key moment for Newark, which has become one of the East Coast’s fastest growing entertainment hubs thanks in part to Lionsgate Newark Studios and other media investments. ViewerCon is partnering with local organizations including the Newark Office of Film & Television, Newark Film Works, and Newark Alliance, alongside industry partners like Audible and MicroHouse Films, to connect the convention’s programming with community-level economic opportunity.
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 12, via Ticketmaster, with more details available at viewercon.co and on Instagram and TikTok @viewercon_.