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Stephen J. Sansweet

Stephen J. Sansweet, born on June 14, 1945, currently holds the positions of chairman and president at Rancho Obi-Wan. This nonprofit museum is renowned for possessing the world's most extensive collection of Star Wars memorabilia. Before his April, 2011 retirement, Sansweet dedicated 15 years to Lucasfilm Ltd. as Director of Content Management and head of Fan Relations; he continues to serve as Fan Relations Advisor. He has either authored or co-authored eighteen books, with sixteen focused on Star Wars. Following his move to Northern California to be closer to his new office at Skywalker Ranch, Sansweet acquired a former chicken farm, renovating its barns to accommodate his collection, subsequently naming the property Rancho Obi-Wan.

Biography

After a lengthy and fruitful career in the field of journalism, Stephen J. Sansweet took a significant career change in 1996, pursuing his passion by becoming Director of Specialty Marketing at Lucasfilm Ltd. His role later evolved to Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations. Sansweet transformed his deep affection for the Star Wars saga into a second career, serving as both Lucasfilm's representative to fans globally and the fans' representative to the company. He delivered presentations at over 100 conventions within the United States, as well as numerous international events spanning from the U.K., France, Spain, and Germany, to Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Finland.

During the latter half of the 1990s, he made appearances on QVC for over 50 hours of Star Wars collectibles programming. Furthermore, he has accumulated the largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia worldwide, which is housed in a converted chicken barn spanning 9,000 square feet (840 square meters) located in Sonoma County, California. Sansweet has also authored eighteen books, including sixteen about Star Wars, such as the 1.2-million-word Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia published in 2008 and Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection released in 2012.

It was revealed on October 20, 2010, that Sansweet would be resigning from his position as Head of Fan Relations, effective April 2011. As stated in a press release: "Almost 15 years ago, I left my position as the Los Angeles Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal to pursue my passion and accept a 'one-year job' as Lucasfilm's Star Wars ambassador. Now, it is time for another shift and new challenges, while still playing an active part in the Star Wars fan community."

Works

Bibliography

Filmography

Sources

  • Star Wars Insider 11
  • " From the Publisher: The Force of Steve Sansweet " — Star Wars Insider 29
  • The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
  • starwars.com at Celebration III - Fans in Force: Inside Heart of an Empire on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
  • A Visit to Rancho Obi-Wan on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
  • " Blaster " — Star Wars Insider 110
  • Steve Sansweet Talks 1,000 Collectibles on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
  • Steve Sansweet To Start A New Chapter on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
  • The Star Wars Show: Brand New Alien From Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Meet Babu Frik on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • " 200 Reasons Why We Love Star Wars " — Star Wars Insider 200
  • SWCA 2022: Meet Marietta Ivanova, the Cosplay Competition Winner Who Brought a Geonosian to Life on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

  • Steve Sansweet on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Official Rancho Obi-Wan
  • Stephen J. Sansweet on Wikipedia
  • Stephen J. Sansweet at the Internet Movie Database

Appearances

This article uses content from Wookiepedia, under CC-BY-SA 3.0.