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Oni Press Announces Multiple New Hires and Companywide Promotions for 2025

Oni Press has announced a series of new hires and internal promotions for key roles companywide in key departments, including Accounting, Editorial, Marketing, Operations, and beyond. 

Beginning next week, Oni Press will attend this year’s annual ComicsPRO Comic Book Industry Meeting in Glendale, CA, where it will reveal a series of major announcements about future publishing initiatives for 2025 and beyond. 

Spencer Simpson | VP, Marketing & Sales

Publishing industry veteran and former VP, Sales Spencer Simpson has been promoted to the new role of VP, Marketing and Sales.

Simpson began his career in publishing working in bookstores before joining the corporate offices of Books-A-Million in Store Operations. He became a Buyer for American Wholesale Book Company in 2011, curating for over 200 stores the selection of graphic novels, manga, and other categories. In 2014, he spearheaded a periodical comics program in 2nd & Charles and Books-A-Million, launching the Fried Pie variant imprint and 2nd & Charles’ annual comics convention program. In 2018, he joined BOOM! Studios as Director of Sales and, in 2021, moved to DC Comics, where he served as Director of Sales and then subsequently Director of Channel Strategy, Book Market before joining Oni Press in 2023. 

Spencer Simpson

Jung Hu Lee | Associate Editor

Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in Washington, DC and Maryland, Lee graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s English Writing program. Post-university, they worked as a library page, bookseller, newspaper intern, substitute teacher, special ed. tutor, EMT recruit, TV production technician, and research assistant before moving to Portland in 2010. They started at Oni Press in 2013 as a Warehouse Assistant, and then as Logistics Coordinator in 2018. Starting in August 2022, they began as an Editorial Assistant, then as Assistant Editor in 2023. 

Presently, they help edit the EC Comics line, Adventure Time, and Rick and Morty and previously worked on such titles as Cemetery Kids Don’t Die, Night People, XINO and Let Me Out.

Jung Hu Lee

Sara Harding | Administrative Manager

Harding (she/her) joined Oni Press in February 2022 as the Entertainment Executive Assistant before being promoted into her previous role of Executive Coordinator in October 2023. While having an extensive history in administrative and legal fields, she also flourishes in the creativity of the comics/publishing world. Previously, she has provided her editing talents on .SELF by Christopher Sebela and Cara McGee (Comixology/Dark Horse), All the Devils are Here by Jarred Lujan and Matt Harding (Scout Comics), and various creator-owned anthologies such as Not Forgotten, A Cold, Dark Universe, and Big Hype: Volume One. Additionally, she has written for the horror anthology From the Static (Band of Bards).

Sara Harding

Kaia Rokke | Marketing and Communications Manager

Formerly Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Rokke joined Oni Press in October 2023 after graduating from Sweet Briar College and will be managing marketing, publicity, and social media efforts for Oni’s growing slate of comics and graphic novels.

Kaia Rokke

NEW HIRES

Allyson Gronowitz | Senior Editor

After interning with DC Comics, Gronowitz joined BOOM! Studios in 2019, where she brought her talent and enthusiasm to a variety of BOOM! Studios and Archaia projects, from single-issue series like Darcy Van Poelgeest’s Lotus Land, Christopher Cantwell’s Briar, and Jude Ellison S. Doyle’s Maw to original graphic novels such as Eighty Days by A. C. Esguerra and Better Angels by Jeff Jensen. As a six-year veteran of BOOM!’s Editorial team, Gronowitz helped spearhead the Jim Henson Company license and was the lead Editor of the acclaimed and long-running Power Rangers comics, launching the all-new Power Rangers Prime series in 2024.

Allyson Gronowitz

Elyse Raimo | Director of Reporting & Special Projects

Previously Finance Manager for BOOM! Studios for five years, Raimo joins Oni as the Director of Reporting & Special Projects. In this specialized role, Raimo manages royalties administration and accounting, internal and external reporting for multiple distributors and vendors, as well as strategic oversight of Oni’s growing direct-to-consumer operations through channels including OniPress.com and Kickstarter. 

Elyse Raimo

Megan Christopher | Director of Operations

A veteran of BOOM! Studios and TKO Studios, Christopher brings nearly a decade of experience in project management, efficiency, and expansive logistical thinking to Oni Press as Director of Operations. While at BOOM! she managed fulfillment on record-shattering Kickstarter projects, including BRZRKR and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Complete Comic Book Collections, and drove internal initiatives to set future projects up for success.

Megan Christopher

Azat Sayadi | Assistant Editor

After interning at Warner Bros. and DC Comics, and graduating from Chapman University, Sayadi joined Oni Press in May of 2024 as Assistant Editor and, in the first eight months of her tenure has helped pioneer numerous projects, such as The Autumn KingdomGoat MagicPlague HouseAgent CupcakeOut of Alcatraz, and more.

Azat Sayadi

Melanie Ujimori | Prepress Lead

Ujimori began her career as a silkscreen t-shirt designer before moving on to print publication. Prior to Oni, Ujimori worked at Seven Seas Entertainment for three years doing prepress on manga, Korean webtoons, and Chinese danmei. Part of the Eisner and Ignatz-winning Elements: Fire Anthology, her previous lettering clients include Vault (She Said Destroy), Difference Engine (The Makers Club), HarperAlley (Up to No Ghoul), and DC (Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story). Decades ago, a tiny Mel in Hawaii pointed at the jet planes flying overhead and said “I want to be a pilot in Top Gun and fight giant robots in space!” She now finds working in print much more fulfilling and far less hazardous.

Melanie Ujimori

Oni Press Announces New Hires and Promotions

Oni Press has announced a series of new hires and promotions for key positions throughout the company’s Editorial, Operations, Production & Design, and Administrative divisions. 

Oni new hires

First, Oni is proud to welcome several new additions to its ranks, including:

Karl Bollers, Editor

Karl Bollers is a veteran editor with more than 25 years of industry experience at Marvel Comics, Valiant Entertainment, and Bad Idea. Additionally, Bollers is a well-known writer, having earned an Eisner Award nomination for his series Watson & Holmes and contributing to series including Marvel’s Emma FrostMachine Man, and What If?, as well as Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog and Valiant’s Archer & Armstrong

Megan Brown, Editor 

Megan Brown is an editor who, during her time at IDW Publishing, helped spearhead their original graphic novel initiative and worked on licensed titles including Marvel Action: Captain MarvelGLOWDungeons & DragonsStar Trek, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and more. When she’s not editing, you can find her writing comics, writing novels, or scouring local antique stores for VHS tapes to add to her growing collection.

Andy McElliott, Operations Manager 

Andy McElliott became part of the Oni Press family as the Operations Manager in June 2023. Having dedicated the past 8 years to logistics and operations management, Andy operates behind the scenes–basically the wizard behind the curtain. He diligently works to ensure that Oni titles make their way onto shelves and into the hands of enthusiastic fans. He likes to drink hot black coffee, even in the middle of the summer.

Winston Gambro, Graphic Designer 

Winston Gambro is a comic creator that previously created the cyberpunk mystery, Overflow, the all-ages mystery Gumshoe City, the horror-romance, Haunted House: A Love Story and is currently drawing Lights in the Sky. He’s currently designing Dwellings by Jay Stephens, The Man from Maybe by Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane and the upcoming Invasive by Cullen Bunn and Jesús Hervás. He lives with his cat, Hazel.

Matt Harding, Pre-Press Technician 

Matt Harding has worked in comics production for over ten years at companies like Black Mask Studios and Madefire Motion Books and now Oni Press. When he’s not working, he can be found writing and illustrating comics like All the Devils Are HereNot ForgottenFrom the StaticLower Your Sights, and Hyperdrive.

Chris Robinson, Consulting Editor

Chris Robinson is the editor of All-Negro Comics 75th Anniversary Edition, and previously edited Black PantherMoon Girl and Devil DinosaurGhost Rider, and much more for Marvel Comics.

Kaia Rokke, Marketing & Communications Coordinator 

A recent graduate of Sweet Briar College, Kaia will help manage marketing, publicity, and social media efforts for Oni’s growing slate of comics and graphic novels.

Oni staff promotions

Additionally, Oni is proud to recognize multiple members of its team for recent promotions:

Troy Look, VP, Publishing Services

A veteran of Oni Press since 2011, Troy Look came to Oni from Dark Horse Comics, where he had previously served as Prepress Technician and contributed to series including HellboyBuffy the Vampire SlayerConan, and Star Wars. Over the course of the next decade, he was subsequently promoted to Production Manager and later Director of Design and Production. As VP of Publishing Services, Look oversees all production, manufacturing, operations, and logistics on Oni’s behalf. He is extremely grateful to work with one of the most talented teams in the industry. 

Jeremy Colfer, Director of Development

A veteran film and television executive based in Los Angeles, Jeremy Colfer has two decades of experience in content development with globally recognized media organizations, including MGM, and Sony Pictures Television. In his new role, he oversees development of Oni’s extensive library of comics and graphic novels.

Angie Knowles, Director of Design & Production

Angie Knowles began her career at Oni Press as a Prepress Technician in 2016 and climbed her way up to the role of Director of Design & Production. She applied fresh out of college with a degree in Digital Arts, dreaming she could work on graphic novels all day. Now, she’s worked on hundreds of books and comics by compositing and quality-checking artwork, sending files to print, and designing books and logos.

Grace Scheipeter, Senior Editor

A veteran of Andrews McMeel Publishing where she worked on series like Big Nate and Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Grace Sheipeter joined Lion Forge Comics in 2017. In the six years she’s been with the company, she has worked on titles like Brenna Thummler’s best-selling Sheets series, Jarrett Melendez and Danica Brine’s award-winning graphic novel, Chef’s Kiss, and Austin Paramore and Sarah Bollinger’s Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song. Grace is passionate about working closely with creators to bring their stories to life and is eager to continue acquiring and editing compelling, beautiful stories for Middle Grade and Young Adult audiences.

Bess Pallares, Senior Editor

Bess Pallares previously served as Editor and Editorial Assistant at Oni Press, and holds a Master’s Degree in Publishing and a certificate in Comics Studies from Portland State University. She edits licensed titles such as Rick & Morty, as well as creator-owned series and graphic novels including the upcoming Invasive by Cullen Bunn and Jesús Hervás, and I Feel Awful, Thanks by Lara Pickle. Pallares lives in the Midwest with her husband and daughter, where she likes to brew specialty coffee and knit with a cat in her lap.

Carey Soucy, Senior Graphic Designer

Over the last 13 years Carey has lent her talents to countless books such as: Skottie Young and Jorge Corona’s Eisner-nominated Middlewest (Image Comics), Skottie Young & Aaron Conley’s Bully Wars (Image Comics), Jim Zub & Troy Little’s Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu (Oni Press), and Cristian Castelo’s Wild! (or So I Was Born to Be) (Oni Press). She is excited for the upcoming release of her latest design project, Matt Lesniewski’s Faceless and The Family (Oni Press), hitting shelves November 2023. When not in front of her computer, you can find Carey working on her tiny house or playing with her enormous dog.

Sarah Rockwell, Senior Graphic Designer

Sarah “Rocky” Rockwell has been designing at Oni Press since 2019 and has collaborated with fantastic people on great (and a great many) things, including the Eisner Award-nominated Chefs’ Kiss, the award-winning Sheets Trilogy, Invisible Differences, Pink Lemonade, Cindy & Biscuit, Silk Hills, Lamentation, Rick & Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, and XINO. She’d love to tell you more about her non-pixel pushing hobbies, but the list is much too long, so keep an eye (and a tissue) out for Brenna Thummler’s Lights, in stores now!

Gabriel Granillo, Editor 

Gabriel Granillo worked as journalist, multimedia director, and editor for newspapers and magazines for several years before joining Oni in 2022. Notable titles he’s edited include Dega by Dan McDaid, the sci-fi anthology XINO, and Dwellings by Jay Stephens. He also co-edits many of Oni’s licensed titles, including Rick and Morty. In addition to his work at Oni Press, he is also a writer of prose and nonfiction, a somewhat-decent photographer, and an on-again, off-again musician.

Jung Hu Lee, Assistant Editor

Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in Washington DC/Maryland, Jung Hu Lee graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s English Writing program. Post-university, they worked as a library page, bookseller, newspaper intern, substitute teacher, special ed. tutor, EMT recruit, TV production technician, and research assistant before moving to Portland in 2010. They started at Oni Press in 2013 as a Warehouse Assistant, and then as Logistics Coordinator in 2018. Starting in August 2022, they were introduced to editing work and assisted on such titles as Action Journalism, Let Me Out, Rick and Morty, and XINO. Outside of work, Jung enjoys building Gundam models (known as Gunpla), watching 80’s/90’s anime and Hong Kong films, reading Cormac McCarthy and a good bowl of noodles.

Sara Harding, Executive Coordinator 

Sara Harding joined Oni Press in February 2022 as Entertainment Executive Assistant. Previously, she has provided her editing talents on .SELF by Christopher Sebela and Cara McGee (Comixology/Dark Horse), All the Devils are Here by Jarred Lujan and Matt Harding (Scout Comics), and various creator-owned anthologies such as Not Forgotten, A Cold, Dark Universe, and Big Hype: Volume One. Additionally, she has written for the horror anthology From the Static (Band of Bards). When she’s not working on several novels of her own, Harding can be found wandering the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest.