Doctor Who’s Companion, Adric, Being a “Doctor Who Fan Appreciation Society” Member

Doctor Who is not just a beloved series that has been running in England for over 50 years, it’s practically an institution. It might actually be easier to count how many people in the UK aren’t Doctor Who fans rather than the alternative. This love affair with the series (which has now spread to it being praised nearly to the same degree in America, too) has resulted in a very vocal relationship between the makers of Doctor Who and their fans. The “all Dalek” inclusive episode, “Asylum of the Daleks” even saw many fans submitting their own fan-made Dalek replicas to be used in the episode.

One of the most prominent examples of fandom breaking through to the other side would come in the form of the Fifth Doctor’s companion, Adric. Adric was a young boy, so the series decided to cast Doctor Who mega-fan and prominent member of the “Doctor Who Appreciation Society” (also, non-actor), Matthew Waterhouse, in the role. While the character of Adric and his casting might have not won everyone over, it’s still pretty incredible to see a fan get put in this degree of spotlight.

AMC Hiring Dyna Moe to Handle Mad Men’s Season 3 Promo Materials

This is a reaffirming little story that reminds you that you never know how you’re going to find work, or how much some fun side project might resonate with someone else.

Graphic artist Dyna Moe is a friend of Rich Sommer, who happened to play the character of Harry Crane on Mad Men. Naturally, Dyna was also a huge Mad Men fan. So when Sommer asked her to illustrate a Mad Men-inspired Christmas card, she jumped at the opportunity. Dyna Moe’s style and artwork in her Christmas card happened to be such a hit that it caught the eyes of AMC executives. Not only did they give Dyna a job to handle the promos for the show’s upcoming season, they also put her in charge of their website’s online avatar generator. Don’t pretend you’ve never logged on and Draper-ified yourself.

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s: “The Bonding”

You’ve maybe noticed at this point that one of the more common examples to happen here is a devout fan actually getting a script of theirs sold to a show, or even promotion in the area. So while by conventional standards this example might seem a little tame, the sheer amount of variables present in it—not to mention all of the formative work that has taken place because of it—is a little hard to ignore.