Exclusive Interview with The Walking Dead Escape’s Liam Brenner

The Walking Dead Escape was a huge success at Comic-Con last year and the event returns to San Diego this week. I had a chance to catch up with event producer Liam Brenner, who told me about what they learned from the first event, changes that have gone into the new course, their plan to expand The Walking Dead Escape, and adding more zombies...

With less than a week to go until The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego, are you ready for the hordes of Walking Dead fans that will be headed to Petco Park?

Liam Brenner: We’re thrilled. Last year was just a great event and we’ve put a lot of energy into making this year’s event even better. There are new obstacles, a new course, and more zombies…

Looking back to last year’s event, were you happy with the response that it received?

Liam Brenner: Being a first year event and being on a world stage like Comic-Con, it couldn’t have been better. The reviews from people we surveyed were off the charts and it was pretty clear that we had done something very special. We take this very seriously and want to make sure our customers have fun.

After reviewing the feedback, was there anything you set out to improve or change?

Liam Brenner: Absolutely… it was Zombies. What makes this event special is that Greg Nicotero and the KNB team are transforming people into zombies. People said that they love the zombies and they wanted more of them. We figured out how to generate 50% more zombies on course compared to last year.

You’ve mentioned that we’ll have a new course this year and I’ve heard that we can expect to see locations from the TV series. What can you tell me about the new course?

Liam Brenner: The big change from last year is that AMC has come on as a sponsor. Their involvement allowed us to beef up some obstacle zones. Hopefully, as you’re sprinting for your lives and trying to avoid infection, you’ll notice things that you recognize from the TV show. We want you to be engulfed in the whole Walking Dead experience.

Last year, the event was set up so that someone of any athletic level could participate in the event. Is that still the case this time around?

Liam Brenner: I think part of what we try to do is cater to Walking Dead fans. Some of the obstacles we beefed up a bit so that they’re more demanding, but it’s made so that anyone can do the event. What made this different from a traditional obstacle course is that you can’t just sprint through this. You want to be smart and thoughtful in order to navigate this course. It’s not about pure speed or athleticism.

I was surprised by how much blood was on the course last year. Are we still going to be able to get covered in blood this time around?

Liam Brenner: The zombie smorgasbord was a huge hit with gallons of blood and we’ll certainly have blood again. I’m sure people will not be let down at all.

Have any changes been made to the spectator experience?

Liam Brenner: One of the biggest surprises from last year’s event was that spectators were a big part of the experience. We like to say that they have a front row seat to the end of the world. This year, we’ve made the spectator viewing area even more integrated, so they can see more of the course. We’re also beefing up the escape party. After the event, walkers, spectators, and survivors can participate in photo ops with walkers and watch KNB doing hero makeup. There will also be demonstrations and zombie walker training school. It’s much more robust and very interactive. If you’re any kind of fan of The Walking Dead, there’s a way to participate.

This year, we saw the addition of The Walking Dead Escape: Philadelphia. Do you plan to expand the event to cover other cities soon?

Liam Brenner: We’re already working on a schedule for the fall and early winter of 2013 for ten more events, starting in September. We expect it to run well into 2014.

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We'll be covering The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego live, so check back later this week for our coverage. If you're interested in taking part in the event, check out the official details below:

"The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego, Skybound, Robert Kirkman's imprint at Image Comics, and AMC announced they are joining forces with KNB EFX Group, Inc. and its founder Greg Nicotero to serve as the Special Effects Make-up designer for the zombies featured in this one of a kind obstacle course. In addition to The Walking Dead, Nicotero is the force behind the Special Effects Make-up for TV shows and Movies such as Django Unchained, Sin City 2, Machete Kills, Breaking Bad, Kill Bill, Predators, Transformers, Land of the Dead and Army of Darkness.

The Walking Dead Escape allows fans to live out the events from the groundbreaking, Emmy-award winning and top-rated AMC series, which is based on Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning best selling The Walking Dead graphic novels and comic book series.

There are three ways to participate in this epic adventure. Participants can be a Survivor and race through the zombie infested evacuation zone; a Walker who becomes one of the undead, embracing the inevitable; or a Spectator who watches the apocalypse from sidelines at the Escape Party. The KNB EFX team will transform those who sign up to be Walkers into the most terrifying zombies to grace San Diego. Registration is now open atwww.TheWalkingDeadEscape.com.

Survivors will climb, crawl and slide in an effort to avoid confrontation by hordes of Walkers, while achieving the ultimate adventure on The Walking Dead-themed obstacle course. The Walking Dead Escape is not a race, and Survivors are not timed, but the end is near, and they must move swiftly. If they’re lucky, Survivors will reach the decontamination zone at the end where it will be determined if they have been infected."

For more information or to register for the event, please visit

www.thewalkingdeadescape.com