tim gardner that had something to do with Tiki Con hmmm I had dealings with him last year on some things that ended up ok but now I found this stuff he kept tryin to tell me that tiki con was his show and
his company is
plant superhero
400 WOODLAND TRL
SAN MARCOS, TX 78666
512 392 2530
planetsuperhero@gmail.com
This recent newspaper article is about Tim Gardner, formerly "extremetoys-2008" on EBAY:
By AMANDA SMITH-TEUTSCH
Tribune Chronicle
AUSTINTOWN -- Criminal charges were filed in the Screaming Tiki comic convention case in which a man is accused of keeping money intended for celebrity guests, including 1960s "Batman" cast members Adam West and Julie Newmar.
Austintown detective Kathy Dina filed charges of grand theft, a fourth degree felony, in Mahoning County Court in Austintown against Tim Gardner of San Marcos, Texas.
The charges are based on a complaint filed by promoter Peter Smith of Austintown. Smith, the local promoter of Screaming Tiki Comic and Pop Culture convention, filed a police report claiming Gardner stole $14,000.
Gardner counters that Smith breached their contract by contacting the celebrities and trying to negotiate with them directly instead of going through him.
Gardner denies diverting money from the celebrities, saying he forwarded the payments to them as per the contracts.
Wednesday, Smith denied contacting the celebrities himself and said he only negotiated new contracts after their agents called or wrote him and said they'd not been paid for their services.
"I have everything, all of the evidence", Smith said. "No contracts were renegotiated until after I learned (Gardner) didn't follow through with his job."
Smith said he was forced to pay the celebrities a higher rate to appear at the convention, held Oct. 18 and 19 at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles. Julie Newmar, Yvonne Craig, Peter Mayhew, Adam West and Lee Meriwether all appeared at the convention.
Smith said all of the celebrity guests said they enjoyed their stay, and said he's already working on next year's show. This year, 3,000 people attended, he said.
Gardner said he has retained an attorney in Mahoning County to answer the charges. He also said he is planning to file a civil lawsuit in Texas over the matter.
Court dates have not been set in Mahoning County Court.
few more articles
City of Metropolis Claims Tim Gardner “Did Not Fulfill Obligations” With Regards to $82,000 In Grant Money
Promoter: Metropolis comic, toy show offers escape
By Steve Vantreese
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
METROPOLIS, Ill. - The promoter for the renamed, independently sponsored Metropolis Comic Book and Toy Show isn’t concerned about taking on a new production under the present grim economic climate because fantasy trumps reality.
“Comic books, movies and those kinds of entertainment tend to do better during an economic downturn,” said Marc Ballard, who will host the show March 14-15 at the Baymont Hotel Theater.
“During the Great Depression, about the only thing that did well was movies,” Ballard said. “During bad times, they can go and forget their worries. Movies and comics are a diversion.”
Ballard’s production is a diversion, possibly keeping the show from being dropped altogether after the Metropolis City Council followed a Metropolis Area Tourism Commission recommendation to deny another’s request for grant funding to support the show.
The city over the past two years provided Texas promoter Tim Gardner with grants of $44,000 and $38,000 to bankroll a similar show as a tourism tool. City officials, however, reported dissatisfaction with Gardner’s accounting, leaving them at least uncertain that they had gotten their money’s worth.
Ballard picked up the reins after Metropolis resident Catherine Busbee had asked for $20,000 to take over promoting and running the show for 2009 and was turned down on the heels of the dissatisfaction with Gardner.
Ballard said he agreed to take on the show, adding it to about a half dozen he does annually, so as not to lose the momentum with comic and movie camp followers that two shows in Metropolis had developed.
“I’ve had no problems organizing the show and have gotten along fine with the city,” Ballard said. “I didn’t need and didn’t ask for any of their money,” he said, noting that he underwrites all the expenses for all the similar shows he promotes.