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John Macaluso named Wizard World CEO

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Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD) Names John Macaluso to New Position of Chief Executive Officer

Successful entrepreneur elevated to lead one of North America’s most diverse pop culture events brands

NEW YORK, March 26, 2012 – Wizard World, Inc. (symbol: WIZD) (“Wizard World” or the “Company”), one of North America’s most diverse digital entertainment and events companies, announced that John Macaluso, a successful businessman and entrepreneur, has been named the Company’s new Chief Executive Officer.  He had previously been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) in May 2011.

As a Board member, Macaluso has been instrumental in Wizard World’s growth and expansion in the Comic con event space in the last year.  Event attendance at Comic Cons in New Orleans and Chicago have risen, while the Company has refocused on its core assets, added new stars to its events and cut costs.  The latest example of that revamped face was announced last week, with “Thor” and “The Avengers” star Chris Hemsworth added to a star-studded list of Philadelphia Comic Con guests in June, along with headliners such as Stan Lee, William Shatner and dozens of other stars of the pop culture industry.  The Company’s next event will be held in Toronto, April 14-15.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of John Macaluso as Chief Executive Officer,” stated Mike Mathews, Wizard World Chairman.  He continued, “John’s previous experience at founding and building a hundred-million dollar apparel company, contacts and entrepreneurial skills will certainly help the Wizard World brand expand its operations and sales base.”

John Macaluso stated, “I am excited to continue the momentum that the Wizard World Comic Con shows have built, and to help develop new strategies to take us to new levels of success.  We have an outstanding lineup of events on the schedule with highly talented celebrities and artists and an outstanding team of professionals in place to maximize the Wizard World experience.”

A California resident, Macaluso has a long history of startup and entrepreneurial success.  Most recently, his business reputation garment manufacturing company, California Concepts, sold its products to many of the major retailers in the United States, produced a private label for Wal-Mart and Target, sold branded goods to Federated Department Stores, serviced specialty chains such as Charming Shoppes and Maurice’s and purveyed an upscale label to Barneys New York.  He sold the business in 2007, with Wizard World combining his great interest in both an entrepreneurship and the fast-growing world of pop culture and event entertainment.

About Wizard World:

Wizard World, Inc. produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking.  The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

Wizard World’s full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release relating to Wizard World, Inc.’s future plans, expectations, beliefs, intentions and prospects are “forward-looking statements” and are subject to material risks and uncertainties.  When used in this press release, the words “will,” “future,” “expect,” “look forward to,” similar expressions and any other statements that are not historical facts are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements.  Any such statement may be influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Wizard World that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected, described, expressed or implied in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties.  Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur. A detailed discussion of these factors and other risks that affect Wizard World’s business is contained in its SEC filings, including its most recent reports on Form 10-Q, particularly under the heading “Risk Factors.”  Copies of these filings are available online from the SEC or by contacting Joe Favorito, Public Relations, at (917) 566-8345.  All information set forth in this press release is current as of March 22, 2012. Wizard World undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

IDW Announces New Associate Manager of Marketing & PR

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IDW Announces New Associate Manager of Marketing & PR
John Schork joins growing publishing company’s marketing team

San Diego, CA (February 17, 2012) – IDW Publishing, a leader in graphic novel and book publishing, announced today that John Schork has joined the company as Associate Manager, Marketing and Public Relations.

“I’ve known John for a couple of years now, and have always been impressed with his attitude, work ethic, and excitement for comics,” said IDW’s Director of Marketing Dirk Wood, “When the need came for someone new on our team, I thought of him immediately.”

Prior to joining IDW, Mr. Schork served as an assistant editor at Dark Horse Comics for two years, working with the Industry’s top creators on some of their flagship titles, including Dark Horse Presents. In 2009, Mr. Schork graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Humanities, Fine Arts and English, and has had a passion for comics since a young age.

As Associate Manager, Marketing and Public Relations, Mr. Schork will work alongside IDW’s Dirk Wood, and Marketing Coordinator, Chloe Zuanich. Together they will continue to grow IDW’s consumer marketing and outreach while expanding the company’s exposure and presence, with Mr. Schork having a large focus on comic industry press and social marketing.

“I’d been very impressed with a lot of the moves IDW had been making and the opportunity to join the team and get involved was an incredibly strong one,” said Schork, “and taking on an expanded role in an industry I love was also something that appealed to me a great deal; but, at the end of the day, I just like being on the same team as The Rocketeer.”

Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

 

About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, while Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.

Who Are the Marvel Fans On Facebook?

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Marvel is celebrating they’ve crossed 3 million fans on Facebook.  So, that motivated me to find out exactly who their fans are.  Using some magic I looked at their statistics for over a dozen countries from all over the world (though a third of their fans are from the United States) comprising a data set of 2,315,300 individuals out of their fanbase of 3,200,000 (covering 72.35% of the total).

Gender

Comics are thought of as being the entertainment for men and 98% of the data set let us know their gender.  As expected men dominated with almost 77% of them being male.

Education

As far as percentages of those who answered, men were a higher percent of college graduates but the women were better represented in college and high school.  The overall majority with a little of 70% are college graduates.

Age

The largest chunk of fans are between the age of 18 and 30 and interestingly there’s an uptick in men 18-21 before a drop off while women drop off right from the beginning.  In the end we can say, comics aren’t just for kids.

Relationship Status

The stereotype is that comic book fans are single dorks who have issues with the opposite sex.  The majority of those in this data set are single, but men skew more so than women and women tended to be in relationships more.

Studio 407 Appoints Ivan Salazar To Head Marketing!

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Official Press Release

January 4, 2011 – Los Angeles – Innovative comic publisher Studio 407 proudly announced today the addition of Ivan Salazar as the company’s new PR & Marketing Manager. Salazar is joining Studio 407 as they gear up to unleash a bevy of new comic book and graphic novel releases in the coming year.

“We’re extremely thrilled to bring Ivan aboard to lend his marketing talents in a time where Studio 407 is looking to make some waves in the comic book industry,” said Managing Director Alex Leung of Studio 407. “We’ll be relying on his tenacity and ingenuity to really put our brand out there and make sure that our books get the huge marketing push they deserve!”

Most Recently the Marketing Manager at BOOM! Studios, Salazar was an integral part of the company’s power house marketing department, helping create and implement campaigns that captured the imagination of comic fans everywhere. Salazar was essential in the success of the “Stan’s Back” campaign which created tremendous buzz & speculation online, culminating in an internationally covered press conference with Stan Lee himself at Comic Con International 2010. The “Stan’s Back” campaign saw BOOM! debuting their highest selling #1 issue in the history of the company.

Additionally, Salazar also helped spearhead BOOM!’s Digital Initiative – helping to expand the publisher’s presence across top digital vendors such as comiXology, iVerse, Graphicly, Panelfly and mydigitalcomics.com. Salazar designed the branding on BOOM! Studios Comics App in conjunction with comiXology. At BOOM!, he most recently designed and managed a number of BOOM! Studios web comics including the RISE OF THE PLANE OF THE APES free online comic that tied into 20th Century Fox’s major motion picture release this past Fall.

Dark Horse Announces Matt Parkinson as Senior Director of Marketing!

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Official Press Release

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES

THE PROMOTION OF MATT PARKINSON

TO SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING 

DECEMBER 30, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse is pleased to announce the promotion of its former director of online marketing, Matt Parkinson, to the newly appointed title of senior director of Marketing.

Parkinson, who celebrated his sixth year with the company in 2011, will be moving into new responsibilities in overseeing the Dark Horse Marketing Department.

In his time at Dark Horse, Parkinson has been an instrumental part of the brand’s growth online, through the development and execution of advertising, cross promotions, and social-media strategies.

Along with Dark Horse’s senior managing editor, Scott Allie, and director of public relations, Jeremy Atkins, Parkinson helped to develop the company’s first foray into original online content with MySpace Dark Horse Presents. Following that, he managed and developed the DH:HD program, showcasing original eight-page stories from top Dark Horse properties on the USA Today comics web page. Additionally, he had a big hand in the development of the Dark Horse Digital comics strategy and website, and has acted as the company’s spokesperson for the initiative thus far.

“My time at Dark Horse has been one of the most satisfying experiences both personally and professionally,” said Matt Parkinson. “I have enjoyed working with Mike Richardson and the entire Dark Horse team, and look forward to new challenges and opportunities. I am truly proud to have played a part in the company’s rich history, and look forward to having a larger role in carrying Dark Horse’s message to the world.”

“We’re very excited by the vision Matt brings to his new position,” said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson. “With his experience, leadership ability, and knowledge of the comics market, he’s uniquely qualified to make an immediate impact on our marketing efforts.”

Richardson also praised the efforts of former VP of Marketing Micha Hershman, who leaves after a two-year stint to pursue opportunities in the field of animation. Richardson was quick to wish Hershman well in his new endeavor.

Please join us in congratulating Matt Parkinson on his past accomplishments, and wishing him luck in his new role in the company.

IDW’s Greg Goldstein Named Company’s President

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Official Press Release

IDW’s Greg Goldstein Named Company’s President

Will remain Chief Operating Officer and continue managing company expansion

IDW co-founder Ted Adams remains as Chief Executive Officer and Publisher

San Diego, CA (December 12, 2011)—IDW Publishing, an award-winning leader in graphic novel and book publishing, announced today that Chief Operating Officer Greg Goldstein has been promoted to the position of president in recognition of his successes in helping grow the company’s business and presence in the industry. IDW co-founder Ted Adams will continue to drive overall strategy in his role as chief executive officer and publisher.

“With Greg’s help, we’ve been able to expand both the front list and back list of IDW’s publishing program,” said Mr. Adams. “I am excited about what the future holds for the company with Greg as president.”

With more than 20 years experience in entertainment, sports and video game publishing, Mr. Goldstein as president will continue to help expand IDW’s business, while maintaining oversight of the company’s day-to-day operations. Mr. Goldstein joined IDW in 2008 as the company’s first COO.

“Helping bring IDW to new heights has been very rewarding, both personally and professionally, and I am honored to take on this new role,” said Mr. Goldstein. “Each year at IDW has been better than the last, and I know we will continue that trend for many years to come, through our strategic expansion into new and growing categories, while increasing our core business of print and digital comics and books.”

As a company, IDW has grown impressively in recent years, expanding both its comics and book catalogs, and continuing its leadership in the digital space. Mr. Goldstein’s increased responsibility as president is part of the company’s strategy to explore potential acquisitions for growth.

“IDW has grown during each of the twelve years we’ve been in business to become one of the most successful publishers in the industry,” added Mr. Adams. “To further our success as a company, we are exploring new markets and potential acquisitions, and Greg’s role as president will allow me more time to focus on these avenues of expansion, while we continue to elevate our publishing program.”

The 2011 Eisner Award winner for Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips, Mr. Goldstein is a veteran transmedia entertainment executive with extensive experience in the publishing, interactive, and collectible categories, and tenures at Topps, Activision and Acclaim. A lifelong comics fan, Mr. Goldstein celebrated his 40th year of collecting last month, having attended his first comic book convention as a youngster in November 1971.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and comics and trade collections based on novels by bestselling authors, Joe Hill, Anne Rice, George R.R. Martin, and James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Who Are the Digital Comic Book Fans on Facebook? – 10/27/11

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A few hours ago I posted statistics of the self-identified comic book fans on Facebook.  During this same time period, I also looked at who the fans of digital comics are.  Are they different from the regular comic book fans?  The answer is yes, yes they are.  Using the same method, but different search terms I pulled the exact same data for comparison.  The universe is much smaller to search from, but there’s enough that only at the extreme edges are there issues with the reporting.

Facebook Digital Comic Book Fan Population: Over 7,540 in the United States

You can see the number is much smaller than the 2.6 million population for the general comic book fans.  The terms are much more narrow, searching for brands instead of generic terms.  Keep in mind, these are the fans of Graphic.ly, comiXology, iVerse, etc., not web comics.  That’s a whole other population in my opinion.  The goal here is to try to figure out who buys digital comics.

Below you’ll see the breakdown of the population as well as a comparison to the general comic book fan population.  You’ll see there’s some significant differences, much more than the smaller Spanish speaking population (only 1.59%, compared to the general’s 2.14%).

Gender and Education

Interestingly enough, digital fans skew much more male and are more educated than their mass fan brethren.  The average population is 29.12% college grads while digital fans are 54.38% college grads.  Men dominate as well, making up a little over 81% of the population.

Age

Age is the second area you absolutely see a difference.  The general population is primarily under the age of 40 and mostly under the age of 30, digital comic book fans are between 26 and 41 and peak in the 34-37 age.  This is over a decade difference compared to the general population.  The size of the populations are much evenly distributed between ages 22 and 45.

Notice the digital peak.

Now compare the two data sets:

Relationship Status

With an”older population” you’d expect there’d be a greater chance they’d be married and that’s reflected in the data.  41.33% is married compared to 21.19% of the general comic book fans.  In digital, the married population has primarily grown out of the”single” status and partially out of the”in relationship” status.

Gender Interest

You can see the digital has a pretty decent shift from the general comic book fan base.  They’re interested in the opposite gender in greater percentages.


Who Are the Comic Book Fans on Facebook? – 10/27/11

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After a break, I’m back with the latest demographic data of comic book fans on Facebook.  The method of getting the information is pretty simple, explore over 30 self-identified “likes” on the social network and record the information.  Generic terms, like “comic books,” as well as publisher names were used.  Individual writers, characters or series were not.

Since last posted in June, the comic book audience has exploded.  However to really compare the two data sets would be apples and oranges.  Facebook has made some changes to how I go about these searches and as much as I’d like to be able to compare it all to what’s come before, I can’t as the methodology is slightly different.  Previous results will be mentioned but the fact there’s a slight difference in how the numbers were achieved should be kept in mind.

Facebook Comic Book Fan Population: Over 2,600,200 in the United States

The population in the United States has grown by about a million.  Was this real growth or the change of the search method in Facebook is unknown, but in a future study, I’ll again focus on DC.  If there’s a significant increase in their fans, we can come to a conclusion that there’s been growth in the  fan base.  Until that’s completed it’s a bit hard to say.  There’s also 55,720 or 2.14% of the fan base that’s Spanish speakers.

Gender

Women have made some gain percentage wise.  Since the last reporting their percentage of the fan base population has incresed by 3% moving up to 36.5% compared to 63.06% male.  They’re still well outnumbered by almost 30% points, but there’s some gain it would seem.

Age

Interestingly, while there’s been a change in the gender percentages, the age percentages have held steady in the few months since we’ve last reported.  The peak is still early with those in the 18-21 age and the overwhelming majority of fans under the age of 30, and almost all under the age of 41.

You can see the massive dip.

Relationship Status

There’s been a shift in this area too.  The “married” percent is higher, drawing from the other three statuses.  Could comic book fans be settling down and finding love?

10.27.11 Relationship 2Gender Interest

Some took this as meaning the sexual interest of the individuals.  Someone could be interested in people for friendship, business, etc., so take it as you will.

10.27.11 Gender Interest

This is just the first part of the data update.  The second part will look at this same demographic data for fans of digital comics, and it’s definitely different.

Kevin Kelly Joins Wizard World, Inc. as Managing Editor

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Official Press Release

Kevin Kelly Joins Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD) as Managing Editor

Former G4tv.com Editor to Direct Content and Social Media on WizardWorld.com

NEW YORK, October 18, 2011 – Wizard World, Inc. (symbol: WIZD) (the “Company”), a digital entertainment and event company, today announced that Kevin Kelly has been named Managing Editor for its Website, social media and digital content endeavors. Kelly was most recently the Senior Features Editor for G4tv.com, the popular tech and video games site for the TV network G4.

In his new role, Kelly will oversee and produce content across all of Wizard World’s digital media platforms, including WizardWorld.com, Facebook, twitter and mobile device initiatives.

Kelly is a transplant to Los Angeles from Texas, where he spent his formative years studying radio, television and film production, as well as writing and children’s literature at The University of Texas in Austin.  After heading to the West Coast he had an extended stint at The Jim Henson Company, working in development on everything from MirrorMask to Farscape.  Since then he’s sought solace writing about everything from video games to the entertainment industry at Gawker’s io9, AOL’s Moviefone, Cinematical, Joystiq and other outlets that accepted his geekery.  At G4, he produced Feedback! and produced and organized extended written features.

“I am very excited to bring my love for pop culture to Wizard World, which has long been part of the drip that feeds the addiction in my veins,” said Kelly.

“We are excited to have one of the stars of the industry on board at Wizard World,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO.  “He brings a vast knowledge of the space and respected skills to the position as we grow our digital media business.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World, Inc. produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests. Wizard World, Inc. also produces Wizard World Digital, an online publication covering new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world, and is distributed on a weekly basis to online and iPad users worldwide.

Wizard World’s full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

ComiXology Names Chip “Cuddles” Mosher as Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations and Business Development

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Official Press Release

ComiXology Names Chip “Cuddles” Mosher as Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations and Business Development

 “Cuddles” Mosher Opens comiXology’s New Los Angeles Office

October 10, 2010 – New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA – ComiXology, the leading distributor of digital comics, has named Chip “Cuddles” Mosher to its management team as Vice-President of Marketing, Public Relations and Business Development. “Cuddles” Mosher will be heading up comiXology’s new Los Angeles office, expanding the company’s reach across both coasts.

“We’re doubly excited to add a tremendous asset like Chip to our team, while also expanding our physical presence to the West Coast,” said David Steinberger, CEO and co-founder of comiXology. “Chip has one of the most imaginative and aggressive marketing and PR minds in the business, and his diverse background in comics brings a unique perspective to comiXology. And while comiXology’s presence is already felt worldwide, having a physical presence in the entertainment capital of the world has become a must for us!”

“Cuddles” Mosher most recently acted as Marketing and Sales Director for BOOM! Studios, serving as part of the team that took BOOM! Studios from promising upstart to top-tier publisher. Known industry-wide for his innovative marketing — like the “Mark Waid is Evil” viral campaign, which helped launch Mark Waid’s series Irredeemable as one of the most successful new series in the past five years — “Cuddles” Mosher’s hands have touched every major product launch at BOOM! since mid-2007.

In the digital realm, “Cuddles” Mosher provided early industry leadership when he helped mastermind the first same-day-as-print release of a digital and print comic with BOOM!’s North Wind series. He also oversaw BOOM!’s digital initiative, including the launch of BOOM!’s iPad application in association with comiXology.

On the publishing side, “Cuddles” Mosher helped launch and oversee BOOM!’s new lit-comix imprint BOOM! Town. “Cuddles” Mosher edited BOOM! Town’s first release, Shannon Wheeler’s I Thought You Would Be Funnier, which won the Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication this past summer.

“Cuddles” Mosher also was selected this past summer as a judge for the prestigious Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award competition.

About comiXology

Since 2007 comiXology has been developing the technological infrastructure to bring comics into the digital mainstream and expose new audiences to the rich history and culture of the industry. Through partnerships with top comic book publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Archaia Entertainment, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment and Image Comics as well as their own mobile and web apps which host over 14,000 digital titles, comiXology has become a leader in digital comic book proliferation. Also focused on creating strong ties with retail stores through its technology solutions, comiXology continues to transform the previously fragmented comic ecosystem into a vibrant and cohesive marketplace.

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