Explore every episode of the podcast Creator At Large | The Business of Comic Books

The September 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

And, yes, this is also the finale for Season 1 of the show! More details in the episode proper, but don't worry, Creator At Large *will* be back!

Amie Wright is the President of the Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable - a part of the American Library Association dedicated to support library staff in their efforts to engage with comics. In this episode we discuss the GNCRT, the ALA, as well as Amie’s own passion for comics & libraries and how it’s led her through her career so far.

Chris Arrant is a writer, editor, and self-described Comics Ambassador. He’s the Editor of Newsarama, where he started in 2003, and was a judge for the 2019 Eisner Awards, awarded at San Diego Comic Con. In this episode he joins me to discuss the process of judging comics across the Eisner’s 31 categories, the state of comic book journalism, and what it means, exactly, to be an ambassador for comics.

Caitlin McGurk is the Associate Curator for Outreach at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. As part of her role she’s involved in many different aspects of the library & museum, which boasts the most impressive collection of American comic art I’m aware of. She joins me on this episode to talk about her work & career, the library’s mission, and the importance of comics as a medium.

Jim Zub is a comic book creator who’s had not just one, but two 30+ issue creator-owned comic series (Skullkickers and Wayward). Ever since his first comic in 2001 he’s built a career for himself utilizing his experience as an artist and the security of a day job to build a creator-owned career on his own terms. In this episode he joins me to discuss many of the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Jim Rugg is an independent creator who’s never been afraid to pursue projects he’s scared about. As a result he’s assembled an interesting catalogue of work including comics like Street Angel and Afrodisiac, as well as other comic-related projects. In this episode he joins me to discuss all this projects and what it takes to make ends meet as an independent comic book creator.

The April 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

In 2008, Steve Anderson opened up the first Third Eye Comics location. Since then, the store has grown rapidly, moving four times in the last nine years and expanding to multiple locations, all while maintaining a great reputation. In this episode he joins me to break down how comic book retail works, the nature of its sometimes difficult relationship to other parts of the industry, and the challenges at play for comic retailers.

Sarah Gaydos is the Editor-in-Chief of One Press, with a long career behind her in the comic industry, including work at IDW and at DC Entertainment (and Wildstorm within it!). Through that she has incredible experience with corporate-owned characters and licensed publishing. In this episode she joins me to discuss this aspect of the industry and Oni’s place in the wider comic book industry.

Anne Bean founded Emerald Comics Distro in 2016 to help independent creators and small press publishers with their distribution efforts. Since then she’s built a distribution network across the Pacific Network. In this episode she joins the show to share what she’s learned about comic distribution and give advice to independent creators looking to self-distribute their work.

The April 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

Andrew Woodrow-Butcher is not only the Director of Library Services for The Beguiling, a fantastic Toronto area comic book store, but also the programming coordinator for TCAF’s Librarian & Educator track, Kids programing, and the TCAF Abroad program (more on that in the show). In this episode he joins me to discuss the exciting growth of the comic industry in recent years through the lens of his own work and career.

Hope Nicholson is a comics historian and the independent publisher behind Canadian comics company, Bedside Press. Through Bedside she’s published numerous comics and anthologies and charted a unique path in the comic industry. In this episode, we discuss how she’s gone about building Bedside.

Jason Brubaker is a comic book creator and animation veteran who built a living for himself creating his own independent comics, making them available to read online for free, and using crowdfunding to support his income. In this episode he joins me to discuss the lessons he’s learned after nearly a decade of independent publishing.

Brian Schirmer is still early on in his career as a comic boo creator, but with a book out an Image and another launch currently underway, he’s already accomplished what many dream of. In this episode he joins me to discuss his career so far, self-promotion and the launch of his new Image comic series, Fairlady.

Ramon Perez is an Eisner Award Winning comic book creator who has experience working both on indie comics, webcomics, and at the Big Two. He also happens to run the prestigious RAID (Royal Academy of Illustration and Design) studio in Toronto. In this episode he joins me to discuss his career and take a look into how an artists studio works.

The March 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

Kwanza Osajyefo (BLACK, WHITE, Ignited) is a talented creator who turned phenomenal Kickstarter success into an entire series of creative, original, and politically prescient stories. But his success didn't come overnight - he's spent years honing his skills both in comics & outside of it. In this episode he joins me to discuss his projects and his perspective on building a career creating comics.

Brad Guigar (Evil Inc, webcomics.com) and Dave Kellett (Drive, Sheldon) are both individually successful independent webcomic creators. In addition they also co-host the wonderful podcast ComicLab, a show about making comics and making a living from comics! In this episode, they join me for a speed-run through what they would do if they had to build their careers from the beginning today.

Lucy Bellwood is an independent artist and self-described “adventure cartoonist.” She’s built a career for herself independently through the clever utilization of social media and crowdfunding platforms. In this episode she joins me to discuss the road she’s walked in building her career and some of the harsh realities and obstacles creators deal with, including burnout, earning a living, and more.

The February 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

Andy Schmidt is a former comic book editor and now the founder of Comics Experience, an online school for comic book creators that provides the support & instruction necessary for aspiring professionals in the comic book industry. In this episode he joins me to discuss storytelling across mediums and how he’s witnessed the evolution of the comic book industry through the creators he’s worked with and helped.

Second of a two-part special feature full of interviews & discussions on the global rights & licensing market for comics, all recorded at the Angouleme International Comics Festival (FIBD).

Chip Mosher is the Head of Content at Comixology and, after 20 years of experience, knows the comic book industry well. In this episode we go for a walk - an actual physical walk - and discuss the ins & outs of Comixology’s evolution, their new originals program, and explore Chip’s career in comics and perspective on the industry today.

First of a two-part special feature full of interviews & discussions on the global rights & licensing market for comics, all recorded at the Angouleme International Comics Festival (FIBD).

The January 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it. Happy New Year in 2019!

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is prolific. The projects he’s created, including the video series Strip Panel Naked and the comics magazine Panel x Panel, are some of the highest quality comics media being made today. In addition to all that, he podcasts, letters comics, writes and edits. In this episode, he joins me to talk about where his passion grew from and break down how he’s developed all his projects to where the are today.

Jake Parker is an independent comic book artist and a veritable comic industry entrepreneur. Not only has he independently built a large following for himself that supports the independent comics he has created, he’s also started initiative like Inktober, which he's turned into popular movements throughout the entire comic industry. In this episode he joins me to discuss his projects and how he's built his audience.

Roye Okupe knows about hard work. He knows about overcoming your own struggles and failures and, through that perseverance, reaching success. His efforts to build up an independent entertainment company producing both comics and animation can be directly attributed to his perspective, enthusiasm, and dedication in bringing his projects to life independently.

The December 2018 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month & look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it. Happy New Year in 2019!

Karl Kerschl has made webcomics, licensed comics - both on video games and at the Big Two, and even indie comics of his own with Isola, now at Image. He joins me here to discuss his own career, how publishing has changed, and what he’s noticed about the change of his own perspective on his future plans as a creator.

More than just about any other creator I can think of Spike Trotman has demonstrated a roadmap to independent success, creating the kinds of comics you’d have a hard time finding anywhere else. From the massive sum she’s raised on Kickstarter to the lessons she’s learned as she’s transitioned from self-publishing to full-fledged publisher, we discuss all that & more in this massive extra-large episode of the show.

The November 2018 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month & look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

Heidi MacDonald has been working in the comic industry or a very long time as both an editor and journalist. She’s witnessed the modern evolution of the comic book industry firsthand. She joins me on this episode to talk about the evolution of comics journalism, what makes the medium of comics unique, and the things every creator needs to know about the comic industry.

The August 2019 edition of the Creator At Large All-points Bulletin where we dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month and look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it.

Is there space to make something uniquely different in comics? To create books unlike anything else currently being produced? Maelle has definitively answered that question, both as a comic book publisher and as a creator. In this episode she joins me for an honest discussion about the work of building your own career.

What does a publisher actually do? Mike Kennedy now Creative Director of the Magnetic Collection at LionForge has served as Publisher for both Archaia Entertainment and Magnetic Press, before it became part of Lion Forge. We discuss his work & the realities of publishing comics.

On this episode of the Creator At Large podcast… I try something a little different. We dive into what’s happened in the comic book industry over the last month & look at the podcast episodes we released to derive some more insights into the trends shaping & changing the comic industry and the place of professionals and creators working in it. It’s a little different, it’s a work in progress, and I hope you’ll listen and tell me how you think we can make these episodes better.

Stephan Franck is an independent comic book creator with more than 20 years of experience… in animation! In this episode he joins me to talk about juggling two full-time careers and how he’s made his comic book series - Silver - an indie success story both on Kickstarter and at conventions!

“Branding” is one of the most misunderstood terms in business and this is a major problem because of how often people talk about the importance of brand for creatives, in general, and comic book creators, specifically. So, in this episode, I demystify the word brand so you can better understand it and the role it will play in your career.

At its core, creating a comic is a costly enterprise. Fortunately, innovations in the industry like Kickstarter are making it possible for creators to solve those problems - but Kickstarter has its own set of challenges and obstacles a creator must learn in order to make good use of the tool. In this episode I speak with Tyler James, founder of ComixLaunch about his own career in comics and his efforts to help creators learn about the new opportunities available to them.

As the comic book industry adapts and matures, there are new roles and opportunities for people to bring their particular skills to bear in comics. George Rohac is a great example of this - he’s made it his work to help comic book creators reach audiences online and manage their businesses and careers. In this episode he joins me to discuss his role as a manager to comic book creators and the path that led him here.

Creative careers can be very isolating and even worse, we can isolate ourselves when success requires you to not only work with others, but also to know how to work well with your collaborators. On this bonus episode of the podcast I discuss collaboration, community, and how to build a network.

Kickstarter has been one of the strongest forces for change in the comic book industry in the last 10 years, and they’re not planning on slowing down anytime soon. On this episode, Camilla Zhang, the Comics Outreach Lead at Kickstarter, joins me to discuss Kickstarter’s role in the comic book industry and how it might evolve in the future.

I’ve long felt that comic book artists need to treat their careers more like a business. But not everyone has the skill, interest, or time to tackle the business of being a comic creator - regardless of their artistic skill. Andrea Demonakos is one of a small number of comic professionals now working to help artists grow their businesses and find greater independent success. In this episode Andrea and Jeremy talk about White Squirrel, the company she started to help comic book artists with shipping & fulfillment, and the business of being a comic book artist.

Justin Jordan is a comic book writer, most well-known for his work on comic such as: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Spread, and Reaver. In this episode we discuss all the different ways he’s exploring developing his career and his well-informed perspective on the new opportunities available to comic book creators.

It’s easier than ever before for creators to connect directly with their fans. This ability, and the new technologies that have granted us this ability, are changing the face of every creative industry. But how can creators best take advantage of this c

In March 2018, Gina Gagliano was hired to head & launch Random House’s new Graphic Novel imprint as its publishing director. She boasts many years of experience in the comic industry, joining First Second as one of the imprint’s original employees

Chris Butcher has a lot of experience in many different aspects of the comic book industry. In this episode he and Jeremy talk about comic book convention culture, the comics festival scene, and more!

Rob Salkowitz has been writing about the comic book industry and the business of pop culture for years. Together, he and Jeremy discuss the many trends shaping the comic book industry and how they may affect both aspiring & working professionals alike