Sterling and Earl have been friends since childhood and in 1996 the hobby of collecting autographs found it's way into our lives. At first we only collected by mail, but soon realized it was more exciting getting them in person and the rest is history. Autograph collecting is a very enjoyable hobby and hopefully we will be able to re-create the excitement and joy we experience on these autograph hunts.
We have protected our identities the best we can to preserve our collecting in our city, which explains the silly smiley faces on our pictures (I guess we're really happy meeting these celebrities). The city we live in is not a celebrity hotspot, like California and New York, so this leaves us with a disadvantage because of the few opportunities we have. Besides this point, both of us have managed to meet some pretty big name celebrities from all walks of life and it proves that you don't have to live in Hollywood to collect autographs in person! Both of us would like to give a big THANKS to Mj for teaching Earl how to create this website! Without his assistance "Sterling and Earl's Celebrity Encounters" wouldn't have been possible.
We have certainly learned a lot about this ever changing hobby and are constantly surprised with each new encounter. By keeping these "web blog" stories personal and detailed, hopefully others will learn how to meet their favorite stars as well. The in-depth stories should contain more than enough information for the novice collector about the hobby and appeal of meeting celebrities. Even though it could be embarrassing, we've included our failures as well because failures and even repeated failures are fingerprints on the road to success. It really is a sad and disheartening experience when your favorite star turns down your request. Better to "trust the art and not the artist" as Bruce Springsteen said.
Our stories about meeting celebrities are only our particular experiences with them and it doesn't mean they will act the same way when confronted by another person or in a different situation. But at least we can spread the word about some celebrities signing habits and inform people that some celebrities may preach "I love my fans", but their true feelings away from the camera may be different.
When surfing the web we weren't able to find any in person autograph sites that were completely devoted to this hobby and instead found only dealers and by mail sites. We felt the World Wide Web needed a site that contained experiences with celebrities and so our site was born. As time passed we were starting to forget our celebrity stories and by creating this website we have now preserved our memories and they will live on forever.
We also thought that by mail collectors and buyers would find our authentic autograph scans useful in determining their autographs authenticity. The site has been a great success and we've been pleased to hear from our many visitors that we have helped and entertained them. Helping others is one of our main goals and we hope that this site continues to be a great resource for anyone wanting to learn about this hobby.
Autograph collecting is more than just getting an autograph from that celebrity. It really is the mystique of who the person is more than it is the writing itself. Whether you get it in person or by mail, you know that by interacting with that person and letting them know you're a fan, you are creating yourself a moment in life you will never forget- especially when the celebrity is friendly and appreciates the attention. We've had a lot of fun collecting autographs and we hope that our stories will intrigue and inspire you in your own adventures, enjoy!
