NERD HQ Returns To San Diego For Sixth Year In 2016

LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Zachary Levi and David Coleman's uber brand The Nerd Machine is bringing fan favorite NERD HQ back to the New Children's Museum.  This marks the sixth year for NERD HQ to set up camp in downtown San Diego for the annual SDCC weekend.  NERD HQ brings the nerd community a four-day haven to connect, recharge and enhance their Con experience.  This year's guests can look forward to a return of the preeminent "Conversations for a Cause" panel series, as well as over 160 hands-on gaming experiences on both PC and console brought to you by AMD and Xbox, and a VR experience brought to you by Oculus.

NERD HQ is excited to announce a reteaming with gaming partner AMD and this year's new co-headline sponsor, Xbox. This new sponsorship will bring combined 13 playable titles which includes Battlefield 1 courtesy of EA and DICE, playable on 64 PC's powered by AMD, and Xbox One hands-on gameplay experiences including Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, Titanfall 2, Dead Rising 4, ReCore and Minecraft: Xbox One Edition and many more. Fans will also get to experience several new PC games from The Square Enix Collective including The Turing Test & Black the Fall.

NERD HQ will see the expansion of the fan experience with a new VR gaming lounge, in partnership with Oculus and AMD. Located on the upper level, players can get hands on with a range of VR experiences all playable with the new Oculus Rift.

The fan favorite philanthropic panel series "Conversations for a Cause" will once again be positioned on the lower level in a dedicated enhanced auditorium. The annual panel series has given fans unique opportunities to have sometimes surprising, intimate experiences with their favorite celebrities.  Previous panels have played host to some of the biggest names in pop-culture like Joss Whedon, William Shatner, Tom Hiddleston, Tatiana Maslany, Nathan Fillion, Sophie Turner, Andrew Lincoln, Jeff Bridges, Seth Green, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Guillermo Del Toro, Vin Diesel, Kellan Lutz, Dylan O'Brien and Norman Reedus, just to name a few. Tickets for panels are $22, and all proceeds raised through ticket sales go directly to non-profit Operation Smile whose mission is to help improve the health and lives of children across the world. For 2016, all of the panels will be streamed live on multiple platforms, including Facebook, IGN, AMD & the Nerd Machine YouTube Channel, NerdMachineTV.

The NERD HQ APP and website have undergone a complete rebuild. Guests will be able to pre-register for Nerd HQ, secure gameplay sessions, and link to Brown Paper Tickets to purchase seats for  "Conversations for a Cause" panels. Fans who cannot make the event can watch the entire lineup through an integrated NERD HQ YouTube channel. The Nerd HQ website has also been updated and features all of the same functionality as the Nerd HQ App.  ( thenerdmachine.com/nerdhq ) The Nerd HQ app will be available to download on iOS and Android in early July.

NERD HQ welcomes newest sponsor Johnson & Johnson in 2016.  The merging of the company's popular 'Donate a Photo" app and NERD HQ's popular "Smiles for Smiles" campaign, will offer fans a new opportunity to raise funds for Operation Smile. Whether it's through the APP or onsite at NERD HQ for every photo uploaded, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to Operation Smile*.

Live.Me will also be on board as a brand partner for NERD HQ. Live.Me is the live broadcasting app that has found its home in the top 10 app list after only launching in April of 2016.  It allows fans to share virtual gifts to broadcasters, which can be redeemed for cash.  The App will give fans exclusive access to celebrity interviews from the "Conversations for a Cause" green room, along with an insiders look at all action at NERD HQ.  In an effort to raise more awareness and support for Operation Smile, all proceeds raised on the official NERD HQ Live.me channel from July 21-24 will go directly to the organization.  Be sure to follow all the excitement at NERD HQ by downloading Live.Me and following The Nerd Machine.

NERD HQ will also partner for the first time with Hallmark, which is debuting its new pop-up shop experience, PopMinded, This experience will offer a curated selection of Hallmark's most popular products, including Keepsake Ornaments, featuring iconic pop culture brands. Fans can also purchase a limited edition exclusive Classic TV Series Batman, part of a new line called Squeelys®, pick up free limited edition buttons from the itty bittys® line, and can participate in building a live mural during the four day event. 

Fan's can expect NERD HQ to once again be the destination for the best dance parties in town. This year NERD HQ will bring back the popular Fan Party on Thursday, the exclusive NERD PARTY on Friday, and a final "Dance the Night Away" farewell party on Saturday night to wrap up the weekend. 

For the latest information on Nerd HQ 2016 at the New Children's Museum in downtown San Diego, tune into http://www.thenerdmachine.com/nerd-hq/  

ABOUT THE NERD MACHINE - The Nerd Machine is a multimedia company dedicated in bringing its global clientele the best of apparel, accessories, and long and short form video content. We not only put a premium on customer satisfaction and input but also collaboration, as we believe that some of the very best ideas may come out of the very community we serve. Our goal is to nurture an environment where community interaction thrives, creating the best and most forward thinking products available on the market. And, philosophically speaking, spearheading a "mission of redefinition" that changes the global perception of what a nerd is, and thereby allowing everyone to celebrate the nerd in themselves. The question is: What are you nerdy about?

ABOUT OPERATION SMILE – Operation Smile, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is an international children's medical charity with a presence in more than 60 countries, whose network of more than 5,400 medical volunteers from over 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 220,000 free surgical procedures for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. To build long-term self-sufficiency in resource poor environments, Operation Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their local communities. Operation Smile also donates medical equipment, supplies and provides year-round medical treatment through its worldwide centers.

ABOUT AMD
For more than 45 years, AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.

ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Caring for the world one person at a time…inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson.  Johnson & Johnson embraces research and science- bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well being of people.  The 127,000 employees at more than 265 Johnson &Johnson operating companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people every day, throughout the world.

ABOUT Live.Me
Live.Me is the fastest growing live video app, launched in April 2016.  Live.me lets you discover new content, build a community and earn cash rewards, no matter who you are. Whether you're a viewer or broadcaster, or both, Live.Me is geared towards surfacing daily entertainment and makes the most of being live, in the moment.  The mobile app is available on both iPhone and Android (http://streamlive.me) Follow us on Twitter (@streamLiveme) for the latest news and updates.

ABOUT SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE
SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE, and the SQUARE ENIX COLLECTIVE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. SUSHEE and GOETIA are trademarks of Sushee. BULKHEAD INTERACTIVE and THE TURING TEST are trademarks of Bulkhead Interactive. CHERRYMOCHI and TOKYO DARK are trademarks of Cherrymochi. SAND SAILOR STUDIO and BLACK THE FALL are trademarks of Sand Sailor Studio. TITUTECH and OH MY GODHEADS are trademarks of Titutech. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

ABOUT HALLMARK
For more than 100 years, privately held Hallmark has been dedicated to creating a more emotionally connected world.  In the U.S., products offered by Hallmark Greetings, Hallmark Retail and Hallmark Home &Gifts can be found in more than 40,000 retail accounts including mass retailers, Hallmark Gold Crown® stores and online. Hallmark's family of companies also includes Crayola®, maker of creative art tools and toys, Crown Center, a mixed-use entertainment, office and residential district in Kansas City, Hallmark International which offers products in more than 30 languages available in 100 countries and Crown Media Holdings,Inc., which owns and operates cable television's Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.  Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Hallmark employs more than 27,000 people worldwide. For more information visit www.Hallmark.com. PopMinded by Hallmark is the company's new, pop-up pop culture shop experience and video series. 

ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
The New Children's Museum is a new model of children's museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art. Serving San Diego for 30 years, the Museum opened in 1983 in La Jolla as the Children's Museum/Museo de los Niños and reopened in downtown San Diego in 2008. The Museum brings families together in a rich educational environment that fosters creativity — blending elements of children's museums and art museums. The Museum collaborates with contemporary artists on an ongoing basis, both for large-scale thematic exhibitions, individual installations and educational programs for children. The New Children's Museum is a non-profit institution funded by admissions, memberships and community support. To learn more, visit www.thinkplaycreate.org.    

VIVA LA NERDOLUTION

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