Daily Variety Ad

After Earth 2 was cancelled, the fans wanted to show our appreciation to the producers, cast, and crew for a job well done. We thought that an ad in Starlog would be the way to do that. However, a fan that is involved in the technical end of show business told us that the way to get people's attention would be to take out an ad in Daily Variety. Variety is the entertainment industry "bible", and an ad would be sure to attract attention.

So, we collected approximately $3500 from all over the U.S. and Canada. We purchased a two-color, full-page ad thanking the producers. In the background were all the names of people associated with Earth 2 that we knew of. The ad itself was designed by a fan in the advertising business. The ad ran on Monday, July 11, 1995. It attracted attention from Steven Spielberg, who sent us an e-mail. Unfortunately, it was not enough to convince Universal and NBC to save E2 from cancellation.

While some may call the Variety Ad a waste of money, E2 fans know better. It taught us that we could work together, and maybe it woke up "the powers that be" that fans deserve a voice in program cancellations. Most of all, it set a precedent. Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Space: Above and Beyond also bought ads in Variety with mixed success. However, E2 fans were the first fan group to have this idea.