Tag Archives: james killen

Binc Welcomes Three New Board Members

Posted on by

Three book and comic industry leaders have joined the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation board of directors. They bring a variety of experiences, from book buying and store ownership to manga expertise. In addition, Chris Morrow, former owner of Northshire Bookstore, will continue to serve as president and historical fiction author Jonathan Putnam as treasurer.

Kimberly (Kim) Brock is a book buyer for Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, OH, where she has worked for 11 years. Kim currently serves on the American Booksellers Association’s Education Task Force and Binc’s BincTank committee. She is working on a masters in publishing from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

James Killen joined the Barnes and Noble buying group in 1987 after nearly a decade in the stores. He was a buyer for their categories of SF/fantasy, graphic novels, and manga for 21 years. James is now acting as director of retail operations for the Manga Spot stores for Kadokawa World Entertainment.

PK Sindwani is an accountant with an MBA in finance. After 11 years in the corporate world, he decided to pursue his passion and opened a bookstore in 1990. With nearly 35 years of experience in the book industry, PK has spent 29 years as a bookstore owner and six years with the American Booksellers Association.

Three board members completed their service to Binc. Annie Philbrook, longtime bookstore owner, was on the board for 10 years and served as vice president and president. Calvin Crosby, co-owner of The King’s English Bookstore in Utah, served as secretary, and Rockelle Henderson, owner of Rock Inked, Inc., was on the board for 10 years in several roles.

New members of the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation board of directors from left to right: Kim Brock, James Killen, and PK Sindwani. Courtesy photos.
New members of the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation board of directors from left to right: Kim Brock, James Killen, and PK Sindwani. Courtesy photos.

Comic Industry Vets Launch Endpaper Entertainment

Posted on by
Endpaper Entertainment

A group of vets in the pop culture industry has formed to launch Endpaper Entertainment. The company is focused on developing new content for novels, comics, graphic novels, film, TV, podcasts, SVOD, audiobooks, and merchandise.

The new venture began to form a year ago and was co-founded by CEO Rich Johnson. Johnson is a former executive at Lion Forge and DC Comics and co-founder of Yen Press. Syndee Barwick is the other co-founder and president of the company. Barwick was the founder of Mythic Media Management and also a former DC executive.

Rounding out the team are chief creative officer Jonathon Gilbreath, a producer and director of immersive theater and VR; chief content development officer James Killen, longtime Barnes & Noble buyer for graphic novels, sci-fi, and fantasy; and chief business development officer Kris Longo, formerly with DC and founder of Geek Riot Media.

Content will produced through partnerships with freelance creators, book packagers, and media production houses.

In the announcement, the most interesting aspect was a focus on finding the right platform for the story. The company won’t just place stories in any and every format available, instead things will be tailored for where they work best.