Tag Archives: michael matthews

Wizard World, Inc. appoints John Macaluso to Chairman of the Board

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The Wizard World, Inc. board of directors elected John Macaluso chairman of the board, effective October 10, 2012, succeeding Michael Mathews who is stepping down from the board to pursue his passion of early stage technology ventures.  Macaluso will continue to serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Macaluso has overseen Wizard World’s impressive growth in its pop culture Comic Cons in 2012, including enjoying its most highly-attended and successful events in Philadelphia, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.  Macaluso has shifted the company away from the prior management’s singular focus of being the purveyors of the new next thing towards a more fan-centric and balanced approach of delivering a great experience for all constituents – the talent, the sponsors and the attendees.  With this shift in strategy and business practices, Wizard World is experiencing growth in all areas of its business, from attendance, to viewership of wizardworld.com, to sponsorship sales and activations, and merchandise sales.

This broader vision has also helped Wizard World create a number of “once in a lifetime experiences” for attendees, including meet and greets with first gathering of the Captains in all five iterations of the “Star Trek” franchise, as well as the first U.S. reunion of the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”  Wizard World comic cons are now attracting the next generation of global film stars such as Marvel’s The Avengers headliners while continuing to secure industry legends like Stan Lee and William Shatner, and industry favorites like Will Wheaton, Eliza Dushku, Scott Bakula, Gillian Anderson and WWE® Superstar CM Punk®.

John Maatta, COO of the CW Network and a director of Wizard World, Inc. stated “As CEO, John has worked tirelessly to instill best practices in the company’s operations, and we look forward to having his leadership and vision at the board level.”

Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD) Appoints Michael Mathews As Chairman Of The Board

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Official Press Release

Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD) Appoints Michael Mathews As Chairman Of The Board

Mathews Brings to Wizard World A Track Record of Multiple Private to Public Successes in the Digital Marketing Space


New York, NY (March 23, 2011) – Wizard World, Inc. (symbol: WIZD) today announced that Michael Mathews, former CEO of interclick, inc. (ICLK) and a successful entrepreneur in guiding hyper-growth for companies in the digital marketing space, has joined Wizard World as Chairman of the Board. Mathews will help facilitate the planned growth and strategic direction of Wizard World, with the goal of developing digital properties that become the leading destinations for Pop Culture enthusiasts. Mr. Mathews will begin his new position effective immediately.

“Michael is one of the most innovative, creative and accomplished executives in guiding young, private-to-public digital marketing businesses to the hundred million plus revenue mark,” Wizard World CEO Gareb Shamus said. “Given Michael’s success with digital marketing firms CKS Group and Agency.com and most recently at interclick the past 3 years, I’m excited that he will now bring his strategic and critical thinking skills and his institutional investor relationships to Wizard World. I’m looking forward to him guiding us through our planned hyper-growth over the coming few years.”

“Gareb Shamus and his team at Wizard World have built tremendous momentum as a leader in the pop culture space with fans, celebrities, media and entertainment firms, both in their ever-growing event business and in their new digital properties. I am excited to help accelerate this momentum and increase its velocity on the digital side,” Mathews said. I believe that the Company is poised to fuel that passion with its compelling and inclusive digital platforms and that the potential for growth is profound.”

Mathews joins the board of Wizard World after serving as Chief Executive Officer at interclick, inc., one of the leading technology companies in providing data-driven advertising solutions for major digital marketers. He served as CEO from August, 2007 through January, 2011, and remains as a Director on their board.  Mathews also serves as a Director at 5to1, Inc. (FTOH.OB). He helped grow digital businesses while holding senior management positions at Agency.com (President), World Avenue, CKS Group, and BBDO Worldwide. Mathews began his career in the 1980’s in Sales & Marketing at Intel Corporation, and is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in Marketing. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from Golden Gate University.
About Wizard World, Inc.

In addition to the new online publication Wizard World, the company Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”) is a producer of Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America. These events feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists, writers and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, exhibitors, retailers, panels, and costume contests. The Company began its 2011 Comic Con Tour in New Orleans in January 2011, and has scheduled 10 additional Comic Cons in 2011 in large cities such as Anaheim, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Austin, and Boston.

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 our business is contained in our SEC filings, including our reports on Form 8-K, particularly under the heading “Risk Factors.” Copies of these filings are available online from the SEC or by contacting Joe Favorito, Public Relations at (646) 308-1390. All information set forth in this press release is current as of March 23, 2011. Wizard World undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.