Catching up on all the promotions and hires we’ve spotted out in the wild over the last few weeks:
• First and foremost, former Beat managing editor/ new media editor Alex Lu is now a full time editor at First Second! Congrats, Alex! Don’t forget the little people.
https://twitter.com/Waxenwings/status/1508843930963660810
• Tara Lehmann has been promoted to publicity director at Oni-Lion Forge, she tweeted, promoted from publicist.
https://twitter.com/shadesofink/status/1511853063539085312
• Among many promotions at DC Comics of late, Amedeo Turturro has been promoted to senior associate editor, up from associate editor.
• Marvel has also been promoting folks, with Danny Khazem ranked up to associate editor.
https://twitter.com/DannyKhazem/status/1508983744174120964
• And the very popular (based on the Twitter reaction) Lauren Amaro has also been promoted to associate editor.
https://twitter.com/lauren_amaro43/status/1508920475405193228
• In full PR mode, over at Valiant Comics, Nic Osborn has been promoted to Marketing Manager and Cody White has been hired as Sales Communication Coordinator.
Joining the team last year, Nic Osborn has been promoted to the role of Marketing Manager following his success promoting the Valiant brand in comics with the debut of The Year of Valiant lineup including the upcoming launches of ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER, BOOK OF SHADOWS, BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED and X-O MANOWAR UNCONQUERED alongside Valiant‘s entrance into the metaverse, Kickstarter initiatives and more. Nic will be focusing on continuing to expand the Valiant brand while having a larger presence in the publishing of Valiant comics.
Stepping into the new role of Sales Communication Coordinator is Cody White. After a lifetime of reading, writing about and talking comics with anybody who would listen, Cody White is joining the Valiant team and eager to promote the Valiant brand.
With a Masters Degree in English from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Cody has spent the last four years working in freelance comics press. Now, as the Sales Communication Coordinator at Valiant Entertainment, he brings all of that experience to help bolster the already stellar reputation of the Valiant Universe.
• Of course, that means former Valiant director of marketing Gregg Katzman is moving on…to a job in the comics press? He tweeted that he’s “accepted a dream opportunity” to return to the comics media. I think I have an idea what it is but I won’t spill the beans. (But I wrote it on an envelope just in case.)
Personal news: I started my career in comics as press and I've accepted a dream opportunity to return to that side of the industry!
I'm truly grateful for my time at Valiant & look forward to following the comics as press and a fan.
More about what's next in my career soon… pic.twitter.com/qHEo7auIIa
— Gregg Katzman (@GreggKatzman) April 14, 2022
• Finally, Sandy Resnick has joined Webtoon as Head of Rights. Resnick was formerly at DC as Director – Global Affiliated Publishing & Business Development. In this role he negotiated tons of money making deals such as Batman/Fortnite*** The Sandman Audible partnership and the Kodansha manga program, and DC’s expansion into webtoons in Japan and Korea, and even the Webtoon/DC comic collab Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, which has collected nearly one million subscribers.
***An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Resnick was involved in the Batman/Fortnite deal – he was not.
According to PR:
As WEBTOON’s Head of Rights, Resnick will work with WEBTOON’s Content, Business Development, and Legal teams to acquire new content for the platform and develop new ways for WEBTOON creators and their work to reach new audiences and find new monetization opportunities.
Resnick will report to David S. Lee, Vice President of Content and Eugene Kim, Head of Business Development.
Resnick is a sought-after comic industry licensing consultant, who was instrumental in building the high-profile creative partnership between WEBTOON and DC comics. The partnership saw WEBTOON and DC collaborate on several webcomic series set in the DC Universe, including Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, which has accumulated nearly one million subscribers and more than 40 million views online since launching in fall 2021. The companies recently announced a much-anticipated 2022 slate of digital comics, featuring VIXEN: NYC, launching May 26, and RED HOOD: OUTLAWS and ZATANNA & THE RIPPER launching later this summer.
Resnick was previously Director of Global Affiliated Publishing & Business Development at DC Comics, where he spent nearly three decades working with some of the biggest franchises in comics and entertainment. Some of his recent work includes Audible’s star-studded, #1 New York Times bestselling audio adaptations of Neil Gaiman’s legendary The Sandman and Kodansha’s program of original manga featuring The Joker, Batman, and Superman. Working across a wide range of DC titles and formats, Resnick led DC’s international publishing business and initiated original print and digital projects in Japan, China, Korea, Brazil, France, Italy and other markets.
“Sandy has been a force in the comics industry for decades, where his tireless work to bring comics to new formats has helped some of the biggest names in comics find new audiences,” said David S. Lee, Vice President of Content at WEBTOON. “We’re thrilled to welcome Sandy to WEBTOON, where we’ll continue building the future of comics together.”
“The creators on WEBTOON are producing some of the most popular and influential comics in the industry, with massive global audiences who have fallen in love with their characters and stories,” said Sandy Resnick, Head of Rights at WEBTOON. “WEBTOON has reinvigorated the comics industry by building a new mass market for a new generation of creators and fans around the world. I’m excited to join WEBTOON to bring comics to new readers everywhere.”
Resnick is just the latest ex-DC employee to join either Webtoon or Tapas – the score includes Bobbie Chase at Webtoon, and Jamie Rich, Michelle Wells and Alex Carr at Tapas, but I’m probably forgetting some folks. With so many top grade execs cut loose in various DC cutbacks, it’s a sensible well to draw from.
• Congrats to all!