Popular culture influenced Giorgio A. Tsoukalos at an early age, as one of his cherished childhood memories was attending a Star Wars exhibit with his father in Germany in the 1980s. He would later learn that the replicas of costumes and sets were not actually used in the films, but it was a small introduction into the world of conventions.

When the film magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland invited Tsoukalos to their booth at San Diego Comic Con in the 2010s, his television series Ancient Aliens had already amassed a significant following in the few years it had been on the air. It was his first real taste of meeting fans of the show in a controlled setting and made for a wonderful first convention experience.

Since then, Tsoukalos has appeared at numerous conventions and given fans behind-the-scenes accounts of his career as a sports promoter, television host and magazine publisher. The chance to interact with his audience is something that still astonishes him to this day, especially when he can immediately tell they are fans of Ancient Aliens.

“I can’t tell you how many times people at conventions like this have come up dressed as me,” he said. “That’s still to this day very surreal, very awesome. If you would have told me that 15 years ago, ‘one day they’re going to dress up as you as a cosplay’ I’d be like, ‘yeah, yeah, whatever’. I love my fans. I really think that I’ve got the best fans in the world. What more can I ask for?”

Attending conventions also gives him the opportunity to do two of his favorite things: reunite with old friends and add to his various collections. Tsoukalos said that he is a “collector of creatures” and loves searching for masks or busts to add to his treasure trove.

“If I see something like that, chances are I’m not going home empty-handed,” he said.

At Nightmare Weekend Chicago, Tsoukalos shared space with actor Butch Patrick, best known for his role as Eddie Munster on The Munsters. Tsoukalos and Patrick have known each other for more than a decade, having met through mutual friend Kevin Burns. Burns, who produced Ancient Aliens until his death in 2020, was a massive collector of The Munsters merchandise and struck up a friendship with Patrick while growing his collection. Getting to see each other throughout the weekend was just as special as seeing his fans.

From aliens to monsters and everything in between, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos can trace his interests back as far as he can remember. Getting to share those interests at conventions, with people equally as interested, can easily be considered as the best part of the job.