Lost Q&A: Michael Purcell of Los Angeles finale event

This VW van is the grand prize in the "Lost: How Will It End" video contest.

Michael Purcell, who sponsored a “Lost: How Will it End” video contest, is continuing his “Lost” fandom with a “Lost” finale party blowout in the Orpheum in Los Angeles. The winner of the video contest will receive a 1970 VW van converted into a “Dharma Van.”

Purcell, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Global Cash Card, sponsors “The LOST Podcast with Jay and Jack.” This led into hosting a “How Will it End? Video Contest” and the production of Sunday’s soiree featuring Michael Emerson. According to a release, fans are flying in from all over the U.S., and as far as Australia, to attend the event and view the final episode together at the historic theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The event, which could be the largest LOST fan party to date, is not affiliated with ABC-TV or the producers of the show. Purcell answered some questions for Nerdage about the party and about his “Lost” fandom.

Nerdage: How did you decide to put together a major Lost finale party?

Michael Purcell: Just in kind of doing the contest we held, for how it would end … basically in talking to Jay and Jack, we kinda said, here at Global we’re just really big fans of the show, and since we were doing kind of this how will it end video contest, where we’re reconstructing a DHARMA van, we thought maybe we could get a few people together to fly out here and watch it all together.

We figured OK, the Orpheum is going to be way too big, but it’s downtown, and it’s kind of old-school theaterish, and they could actually do it. Next thing I know, tickets were grabbed up in 30 minutes, and it was like, whoa, we’ve got 2000 people. And we could probably actually get another 1000 that are dying to come to this.

I wanted to put it on for the fans. It seemed to me that Lost fans travel around the world to meet a star or someone from the show. And it dawned on me that these fans are so special and so unique, that I’d like to see if we can get a space where we can show it and allow them to watch it on the big screen with other fans. I figured that would be a fun party to have, and lo and behold there are people from around the world coming to this thing.

Nerdage: And Michael Emerson, who plays Ben Linus, will be there?

Michael Emerson (AP)