Ron Richards New Image Comics Business Development Manager
(UPDATE: His Farewell Message)
News by: Nicole D'Andria (Originally posted on January 30th, 2013)
Ron Richards has been hired to be Image Comics business development director. Image Comics is growing in popularity that publishes several titles a week (including like of the not-so-happy Happy and Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth). Richards will be focusing on sales and marketing strategies for the publishing line. This includes print and digital products and extending the Image Comics brand to wider audiences. He will be working closely with Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson and the PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman to increase awareness and the availability of Image using Diamond Distribution, retail stores, digital initiatives and other sales and marketing programs.
Richards is the co-founder of the popular comic book website iFaboy.com which began over eleven years ago in 2001. On the website Richards wrote news, reviews and podcasts about comic books. He also spent years in the technology industry. Recently he worked at Graphicly to help pioneer and innovate eBook publishing and distribution. Then in 2012 he co-organized MorrisonCon which was a successful comic conference.
Richards expressed his gratitude by saying:
Ron Richards has been hired to be Image Comics business development director. Image Comics is growing in popularity that publishes several titles a week (including like of the not-so-happy Happy and Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth). Richards will be focusing on sales and marketing strategies for the publishing line. This includes print and digital products and extending the Image Comics brand to wider audiences. He will be working closely with Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson and the PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman to increase awareness and the availability of Image using Diamond Distribution, retail stores, digital initiatives and other sales and marketing programs.
Richards is the co-founder of the popular comic book website iFaboy.com which began over eleven years ago in 2001. On the website Richards wrote news, reviews and podcasts about comic books. He also spent years in the technology industry. Recently he worked at Graphicly to help pioneer and innovate eBook publishing and distribution. Then in 2012 he co-organized MorrisonCon which was a successful comic conference.
Richards expressed his gratitude by saying:
"The opportunity to work at Image Comics, the source of such talented people creating amazing comics, is truly an honor… By melding together my knowledge of the comic book industry with years of business and technology experience, I hope to contribute and continue the tremendous success they've had and help propel Image to even greater heights.” Stephenson said, regarding Richards position:
"I've worked with Ron for years in a variety of roles, and it's a real pleasure to finally be working with him here at Image… For everyone who was impressed by what Image accomplished over the last few years, I'm not exaggerating at all when I say you haven't seen anything yet. We're adding some much needed depth to our bullpen, and 2013 is going to be nothing short of amazing as a result.”
Richards presence in the comic book world is something fellow comic reviewers like me can admire (and, of course, secretly envy). Good luck with your work Richards, and here’s to a great Image Comics for 2013!
UPDATE (12/18/2015): After two years working as the business development manager for Image Comics, Ron Richards announced that he was leaving. He announced he was leaving one week after Jennifer de Guzman. In his farewell message, dated April 16th, 2015, Richards stated:
"Working at Image Comics has been one of those “childhood dreams come true” moments. I can still remember purchasing my first Image comic in 1993 as if it was yesterday. Not being a creative person — and not being nearly as talented as the many artists and writers working in comics — the opportunity to work at a publisher was one that I jumped at. In the last few years, I’ve had some of the most rewarding, and tiring, days of my career.
As anyone who works in the comic book industry will tell you — especially those folks behind the scenes — working in this industry is immensely rewarding but equally frustrating and exhausting. The term, “Seeing how the sausage is made” gets used quite a bit in comics, and with good reason. It’s not an easy industry to work in by any means, given the challenges of the direct market and comic book retailers, working with a single distributor, the “polite” competition between companies, the looming shadow of online retailers, and not to mention the increasing toxic atmosphere in the echo chamber of the comics social media community. All together, it can be quite the challenge and, when you deal with all of those things on a daily basis, can take a lot of out of you. Anyone who knows me knows that I gave the job everything I had to give — every day, night and weekend. But you know what? It was fueled by my passion for comics and I loved nearly every minute of it. I will treasure the experience for the rest of my life."
"I've worked with Ron for years in a variety of roles, and it's a real pleasure to finally be working with him here at Image… For everyone who was impressed by what Image accomplished over the last few years, I'm not exaggerating at all when I say you haven't seen anything yet. We're adding some much needed depth to our bullpen, and 2013 is going to be nothing short of amazing as a result.”
Richards presence in the comic book world is something fellow comic reviewers like me can admire (and, of course, secretly envy). Good luck with your work Richards, and here’s to a great Image Comics for 2013!
UPDATE (12/18/2015): After two years working as the business development manager for Image Comics, Ron Richards announced that he was leaving. He announced he was leaving one week after Jennifer de Guzman. In his farewell message, dated April 16th, 2015, Richards stated:
"Working at Image Comics has been one of those “childhood dreams come true” moments. I can still remember purchasing my first Image comic in 1993 as if it was yesterday. Not being a creative person — and not being nearly as talented as the many artists and writers working in comics — the opportunity to work at a publisher was one that I jumped at. In the last few years, I’ve had some of the most rewarding, and tiring, days of my career.
As anyone who works in the comic book industry will tell you — especially those folks behind the scenes — working in this industry is immensely rewarding but equally frustrating and exhausting. The term, “Seeing how the sausage is made” gets used quite a bit in comics, and with good reason. It’s not an easy industry to work in by any means, given the challenges of the direct market and comic book retailers, working with a single distributor, the “polite” competition between companies, the looming shadow of online retailers, and not to mention the increasing toxic atmosphere in the echo chamber of the comics social media community. All together, it can be quite the challenge and, when you deal with all of those things on a daily basis, can take a lot of out of you. Anyone who knows me knows that I gave the job everything I had to give — every day, night and weekend. But you know what? It was fueled by my passion for comics and I loved nearly every minute of it. I will treasure the experience for the rest of my life."
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