SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Newport's Ty Shute' used to be a vendor at local fan conventions, now he owns one.
In 2020, the first Smoky Mountain Fan Fest was held in an abandoned Save-A-Lot building in Newport.
Shute' organized the show in an attempt to help out his fellow vendors what had been affected by the pandemic.
The convention quickly outgrew the grocery store and has since been held at the Gatlinburg Convention Center and this year, is being held at the Sevierville Convention Center.
As the event expanded, so too did the workload.
“It gets a little daunting, especially those last few weeks leading up to the event. It’s 24/7 work near the end. You’ve got 40 flights, all the travel, the contracts with agents, the hotel bookings and the floor layouts,” Shute', owner of Smoky Mountain Fan Fest, said.
With the help of Ty's family, Smoky Mountain Fan Fest has welcomed thousands of visitors and has brought in numerous stars from all aspects of entertainment.
“I never thought there would be moments where my favorite celebrities would literally call me. Eric Stuart, who played Brock in Poke'mon, having him call me directly, I never would have dreamed it. It’s been a fun ride,” he said.
The community has responded well to Smoky Mountain Fan Fest and Shute' is appreciative for the support.
"We put our heart and soul into it because we want to blow this up for this community,” Shute' said.
Shute' says that putting on an event of this magnitude is a year-long endeavor and will begin work on next year's Smoky Mountain Fan Fest as soon as this year's convention is over.
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