IDW continues to be on the move with the hiring of three executives. Most newsworthy, former DC executive editor Mark Doyle is joining them as Editorial Director of Originals.
Doyle had a 14-year stint at DC where he spearheaded many acclaimed titles for Vertigo and Black Label; most notably he helped Scott Snyder rise to become one of the biggest names in comics and ran the Batman group. His wealth of connections and savvy editorial judgment is a huge get for IDW, and already has industry folks talking.
Also hired: Jonny Gutman as Vice President of Series and Cassie Conaway as Director of Development, both at IDWE, the company’s media arm.
IDW hired Nachie Marsham as publisher last year, and has added many more high-level personnel as they move to grow both publishing and media for broadcast and streaming. Their recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin series has been topping sales charts, and yesterday’s first reveal of the Locke and Key/Sandman crossover created a lot of buzz. Locke and Key is currently streaming on Netflix, with a second season set to air at some point in the future.
As part of their growth strategy, Doyle will be responsible for acquiring and developing original materials for comic books and graphic novels. He will also help to drive the Publishing team’s original content by directing the strategic brand positioning and leading the editorial strategy of its portfolio, as they say in buzzword speak.
“I’ve been making comics for more than 14 years and have always been an avid IDW fan,” said Doyle in a statement. “My passion has always been working with talent and telling original stories, so I’m excited to be a part of this growing team. I know we’re going to make great things together.”
Gutman was formerly the Senior Director of Longform Premium Content at Funny or Die, where he developed their scripted, non-scripted and animation projects. He was also TV Literary and Packaging Agent at William Morris Endeavor Agency.
Conaway will handle developing IDWE’s media programming to develop, package and sell a variety of formats for streaming, cable, broadcast networks and other platforms. She comes to IDW from AGBO Films, where she developed material and worked with shows including SYFY’s Deadly Class and Amazon’s Citadel.
“In their short time with us, so far both Jonny and Cassie have made an incredible impact on IDW Entertainment,” said Lydia Antonini, President of IDWE. “Adding Mark into the mix as a collaborative partner on Originals will no doubt allow the company to continue its tremendous growth as a creative force.”
IDWE also promoted Andy Behling to Senior Coordinator, Development and Production.
As we just mentioned yesterday, the comics industry seems to be in hiring mode, and we expect even more moves as people gear up for pandemic-era lockdowns to ease.
