Despite winning more Emmy nominations than any other basic cable channel in 2012, Dish Network decided to black out AMC over a contract disagreement, which meant fans of their most popular show—The Walking Dead—were left to roam this world deprived of their weekly flesh-eating fix. Since the hit series was no longer welcome at Dish, AMC unleashed its ghastly stars on New York City with the message that zombies belong on TV, not on the streets of Manhattan.
ZOMBIE FOR PRESIDENT
But our zombies didn't just escape onto the streets of Manhattan; they infiltrated other aspects of public life. As an extension of the campaign, AMC capitalized on the 2012 Presidential election by entering the race with a candidate that Walking Dead fans on both sides of the aisle could support. That candidate was A. Zombie. Of course Mr. Zombie needed a campaign tour bus to spread his message—one that embarked on a cross-country tour involving public events and press conferences in six major U.S. cities including the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
But our zombies didn't just escape onto the streets of Manhattan; they infiltrated other aspects of public life. As an extension of the campaign, AMC capitalized on the 2012 Presidential election by entering the race with a candidate that Walking Dead fans on both sides of the aisle could support. That candidate was A. Zombie. Of course Mr. Zombie needed a campaign tour bus to spread his message—one that embarked on a cross-country tour involving public events and press conferences in six major U.S. cities including the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
We hired trained actors to play the role of our undead candidate, his first lady, and a small detachment of secret service agents. Since Mr. Zombie's moaning and growling made his speeches somewhat difficult for crowds to understand, his first lady, Patty Morgan-Zombie (seen below), typically did most of the talking. Each stop on the cross-country tour involved campaign events with press conferences, brass bands, food, flags, signs, and other fun politico-promotional items. We invited local zombie clubs in each city (apparently a big thing!) to come out and show their support by interacting with the public and press. Some of them even brought their little zombies and undead pets.
