Time for another round of people on the move!
§ Over at Skybound they have hired Katii O’Brien as senior editor in the comics division and promoted Blake Kobashigawa to VP, Publishing Operations.
O’Brien’s editing slate includes the Invincible spin-off Capes, as well as developing a new slate of original and licensed projects from the comics’ top creators. She was previously at Dark Horse for 11 years, where she workedon Hellboy, Lands Unknown, Outerverse, and related titles. In her eleven years at the publisher, O’Brien distinguished herself from her time as assistant editor to become one of the creative leaders at the company.
“I’m so thrilled to join Skybound, home of some of the greatest comics ever made, and to be part of a team that is committed to telling incredible stories by expanding legacy titles in exciting ways as well as launching original, new books.” said O’Brien. “I look forward to many years of working with this passionate team and a host of amazing creators.”
Kobashigawa has been promoted to VP, Publishing Operations of Skybound’s comic arm. In his three years at the company is accomplishments include epanding Skybound’s licening program, growing the Energon Universe’s global publishing footprint and expanding partnerships with Universal Studios, LEGO, and Marvel. His new role will focus on operational efficiency and publishing planning, as well as strategic growth through traditional and non-traditional distribution channels, new product development, crowdfunding, and foreign licensing.
Reent Skybound hits include of course the groundbreaking, sales shattering Energon Universe, as well as Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley’s Invincible Universe: Battle Beast, which remains a fixture in the reprints schedule, and the Eisner-nominated original series, Ghost Pepper by Ludo Lullabi. They’ve also taken on the Universal Monsters franchise, with Blood of the Wolf Man launching in June. And of course, the Invincible franchise is going strong, and The Walking Dead is still out there…so a lot going on at Skybound!
§ Over at Prana Direct Market Solutions, Chris Yates and Trevor Richardson have come on board to handle their newly formed Crowdfunding division. Yates will spearhead the department as Crowdfunding and PR Manager, and Richardson steps in as Lead Graphic Designer and Producer of Prana’s YouTube channel, Comic Industry Insiders LIVE.
A crowdfunding division suggest that Prana will be moving into handling campaigns for their clients, and that is indeed the case.
As part of this, Yates will oversee strategy, planning, execution, and creator interviews across all of Prana’s clients’ crowdfunding projects and PR relations. His background includes working in the crowdfunding space since last year and stints at The Walt Disney Company and United Talent Agency (UTA), specializing in comic book adaptations, non-traditional IP media rights, and creator representation.
Prana founder Atom Freeman was on hand to give a glowing quote: “I can’t speak highly enough of Chris, or his work. If I’m being honest, before he came to work with us, we watched what he did in public for ideas to steal. I’m looking forward to folks watching what Prana does for our clients with the same plunderous intentions.”
Richardson willprovide graphics and produce Prana’s YouTube channel Comic Industry Insiders – which if you aren’t watching, you should be! It’s one of the few YouTube comcis shows that deals in facts and not angry guys shouting. Richardson has a background in working on crowdfunding, and co-founded Starburns Industries Press, developing projects with creators including Dan Harmon, Dino Stamatopoulos, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeff B. Davis. In 2022, he helped launch Massive Publishing, and was previously a brand manager at Diamond.
Freeman once again stepped in with praise: “Ever work with someone and never forget what a joy it was and you never stop looking for a chance to do it again? That’s Trevor. His talent and drive to experiment made him a valued vendor rep and I can’t wait to see how Prana grows with him leveraging it for our team and clients. Tune in every Tuesday at 2pm EST to watch it happen LIVE!”
