Wizard World showed a profit in Q1

05/15/2018 1:30 pm by Heidi MacDonald

A little belt tightening, and some strong shows and Wizard World has shown a profit in Q1 2018 for the first time in a few years.

What could possibly go wrong: Wizard World and Columbia Pictures announce details of open submissions at WW Portland Pitchfest

03/26/2018 6:30 pm by Heidi MacDonald

Uh oh.

“Do you have an original idea for a movie? And do you plan on attending Wizard World Comic Con Portland? This could be your day.”

Wizard World Announces 16 show schedule for 2018, adding three cons

03/23/2018 10:30 am by Heidi MacDonald

It’s been quiet on the Wizard front for a while, but they’ve just made some changes to their 2018 show schedule: three shows are being added. Winston-Salem, Springfield-Mo, and Montgomery. Tulsa will return replacing OKC. And dates for the Austin and Sacramento shows have been added. Finally the Madison, WI show has a new date. […]

The internet reacts to…Wizard World’s development deal with Sony

02/13/2018 10:15 am by Heidi MacDonald

Cartoonists and publishers reacted with scorn and alarm to the announcement that Wizard World would be scouring its Artist Alleys for potential Sony movies. But should they have?

Wizard World pacts with Sony for content development direct from Artist Alley

02/12/2018 4:45 pm by Heidi MacDonald

Now didn’t see this one coming! Wizard World, the convention company, has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to option and develop original IP. The move will enable Wizard to engage in a number of strategic initiatives. John D. Maatta, CEO of Wizard World, and Jeffrey Godsick, Executive Vice President, Brand Strategy and Global Partnerships, Sony Pictures […]

Wizard World shuts down publishing plans

11/17/2017 1:30 pm by Heidi MacDonald

Well well. Just the other day we mentioned the horrible Q3 financials for convention company Wizard World. Along the way we pointed out that their revamped publishing plans didn’t seem to have gone too far and mistakenly said that the “WizPop daily newsletter idea had never appeared. we were corrected in that it’s actually […]

Wizard World profits are falling, “substantial doubt” about future

11/15/2017 5:15 pm by Heidi MacDonald

Wizard World has released its Q3 financial report, and it’s not good. Convention revenue is down about $1 mil from Q3 2016, and down $7 million year to year. And as the SEC compels you to do, the overall picture is pretty crap: We have evaluated the significance of these conditions in relation to […]

Wizard World announces 17 shows for 2018 while postponing five

09/28/2017 9:30 am by Heidi MacDonald

Although the rumor mill buzz was that the pop culture con series Wizard World might be announcing a 40-show slate for next year, the reality was a bit more down to earth: 17 shows. This is up 1 from the 16 shows that announced for 2017, but way down from the 26 they put on […]

Controversial ‘Handbook for Mortals’ author to tell you to how to “Stand Out and Break in” at Wizard World Chicago today

08/25/2017 12:00 pm by Heidi MacDonald

The drama that’s rocking the YA and publishing world today is the YA novel Handbook for Mortals, an out of nowhere book that suddenly debuted atop the NY Times bestseller list. And thanks to some sleuthing by YA authors and bookstore clerks on, detailed on Pajiba, the book has been removed from the list. It […]

Wizard World expanding to smaller markets and getting back into print

08/16/2017 1:30 pm by Heidi MacDonald

Wizard World has been making some long-planned announcements. Although I’ve heard a lot of people try to say they are losing altitude fast, they are still making moves and investing. In this case, two smaller market shows were announced for 2017, Wizard World Montgomery, Ala., and Wizard World Springfield, Mo.. That brings the number of […]