"You guys put so much talent and effort into the suit (and you do a lot of the work in your living rooms!). It was really touching to see KPH's nephew climb into that suit, too."

I was really nervous on Saturday- I was dying to know how the event was going. As it turns out there was another problem with the backpack. The backpack was held to the suit using rare earth magnets embedded in the suit. Carl told me when Jamie went to give his sister a hug the backpack became detached and crashed to the floor, landing right on the cannon. I was mortified. Carl assured me that it was OK since it happened after the suit up on stage and it in no way affected the outcome of the event. Other than a bent bracket there didn't appear to be any other damage.From Carl:"We were all up by 8:00, ran over to the Marriot, skipped breakfast, and started setting up the room. The sound man had the Predator music Jamie gave him, the video and still camera crew were in place, and the suit was ready to go. Before long Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff, Shannon Shea, Matt Rose and Steve Wang had entered the room and were loving all of the pred parts gathered on the stage. I remember remarking to Alec that I had a new-found appreciation for the long hours he and his compatriots have put in on projects over the years.Matt Winston was our emcee, as he and the rest of the guys recounted their experiences with Kevin Peter Hall. They were great. They truly are the salt of the earth. Jamie talked about his uncle and his desire to help boost awareness of the Predator. With that wish, he was in good company. Lastly, Gene and Damon took the mic and described the genesis of the Jamie Predator Homage Suit Project, followed by my involvement, with shout outs to Julie, Clay, and Jerome who couldn't be there…and of course, Andrew - who started this crazy place (The Hunter's Lair) where members come together to make lasting impressions like this one. Then, it was time to get Jamie dressed. But, it wasn't going to be just us, Matt had the FX guys help out, reliving their experiences helping KPH get dressed 26 years ago! It was awesome.After the ceremony, Jamie - still fully dressed, couldn't take two steps without getting swarmed by people and cameras. Sure there were some really good costumes and made-up people walking around, but when the 6' 10" Jamie-Predator came into view, that's all she wrote. "Look! The Predator!" Hearing little kids go, "Wow! Look Dad!" was as gratifying as it gets.The other noteworthy event was when Jamie approached the Stan Winston Studios booth and Matt announced to the crowd, "This is Kevin Peter Hall's nephew Jamie Hall, following in his foot steps - as the Predator!" The crowd cheered. In those hours at Monsterpalooza all of the work, the scheduling, the running around, etc. was worth it all."From Gene:"It all came down to teamwork, and desire to see Jamie's dream become a reality, which everyone here on the Lair is a part of. For me it was amazing to be in the company of these Icons of FX, Matt Rose, Steve Wang, Shannon John Shea, Tom Woodruff Jr., Alec Gillis, Matt Winston and of course Jamie Hall. To receive compliments and shake their hands, to see them laugh and have fun with Jamie putting the suit on him, and seeing Jamie transform before our eyes into Predator. Matt Winston didn't stop smiling all day I think, seeing Jamie with his sister who was there with him, and knowing his Aunt was very excited for him since it had been a dream of his since he was a child to wear a suit like uncle Kevin. To see him bring our suit to life was priceless."I wish I could have been there to see it. Everyone was just floored by Jamie in the costume. Everyone remarked that when they saw Jamie suited up he was the Predator. And that is exactly what we were shooting for.Jamie wrote me:"I'm blessed to have been given the opportunity to honor and uphold my Uncle Kevin's legacy by performing in this incredible P1 suit that was created by a team of talented craftsman, artists and engineers from across the United States. I will be forever be grateful to each one of them for making my wildest dreams become reality!"I later exchanged emails with Alec and Tom of Amalgamated Dynamics and they wrote:So thank you Carl, Jamie, Gene, Damon, Julie, Shawn and Glen (as well as other Lair members that contributed!) In the end we, as costume creators, can build a costume to the best of our ability. But it is still just a costume- the suit performer is the person that brings the costume to life and by all accounts Jamie excelled in this regard. He made an awful lot of people very happy that day. I think his Uncle Kevin would have been a very proud man watching Jamie on stage and Stan Winston would have been thrilled that his iconic film creature would still inspire so many individuals after all these years.