Press Release
BOOM! Studios proudly announces the appointment of Lance Kreiter as VP of Licensing and Merchandising, where he will be in charge of BOOM!’s already growing international licensing presence and spearhead a new wave of merchandise based on BOOM!’s expansive library of properties.
“Lance is the best in the business, known globally for his commitment to the comic medium and his stellar acumen at setting up deals in territories worldwide,” said CEO Ross Richie. “Coupling a fresh outlook with a head brimming with exciting new ideas, BOOM! is lucky to add one of comic’s great business minds to an already aggressive team. There is no stopping us now!”
“I couldn’t be more excited in joining the team at BOOM! Studios,” said BOOM! Studios’ new VP of Licensing and Merchandising Lance Kreiter. “From a distance, I’ve been watching BOOM!’s profile rise for years as a growing part of the domestic comics equation. I’ve continued to hear nothing but strong rumblings from the international community of comic publishers consistently noting that BOOM! is going in the right direction. My hope is to turn these rumblings into earthquakes that will hopefully leave fans and revelers in our wake!â€
Prior to BOOM! Studios, Lance Kreiter spent 10 years at Dark Horse Comics, where he most recently held the title of Director of Global Licensing. At Dark Horse, Kreiter started as a Sales Account Representative and quickly moved his way up to International Licensing Manager before being promoted to Director of International Licensing. Kreiter’s appointment to Director of Global Licensing came when Dark Horse launched the Dark Horse Licensing Group.
As International Licensing Manager, Kreiter helped grow business in all international markets after the late ’90s downturn and then, as Director of International Licensing, Kreiter rode the return of the industry as the book market advanced domestically and overseas. In his capacity as Director of Global Licensing, Kreiter grew the licensing group as a “service†as well as pushed Dark Horse’s creative further out into the mainstream consciousness through various product licensing deals and branding collaborations. At the same time, Kreiter oversaw all aspects of the international and foreign language business in conjunction with the International Licensing Manager.
More notoriously, as an accomplished musician and drummer who has sold songs to TV shows such as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, GHOST WHISPERER, TRU CALLING and MIRACLES, Kreiter was one of the minds behind the band THE TIGER & THE SCORPION. Compromised of Dark Horse employees who are also musicians, THE TIGER & THE SCORPION play only two nights a year during the Frankfurt Book Fair — and in the last four years, their gigs have become the must-attend event during the noted international fair.
Kreiter comes to BOOM! after a year that has seen BOOM! jump to the top of the charts, with retailers voting BOOM! as Diamond’s Best Publisher (Under 4%) for that same year.
Since 2009, BOOM! Studios has solidified its position as a Top 10 Direct Market publisher – clocking in near 2 percent market share this January – with an aggressive publishing plan that includes original series, licensed comics and an all-ages line.
Early in 2009, Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid lead the way, launching his blockbuster hit IRREDEEMABLE and its follow-ups, THE UNKNOWN and INCORRUPTIBLE. Following these launches, BOOM! has had some of the most successful launches of their original titles ever with the release of Mark Sable’s UNTHINKABLE and J. Barton Mitchell’s POE.
Last March saw the launch of the BOOM Kids! imprint with the premiere of a Disney/Pixar line of comics, including THE INCREDIBLES, THE MUPPET SHOW COMIC BOOK, and THE WORLD OF CARS, with Disney’s THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES adding to the kids roster later in year.
This past fall, BOOM! Studios dramatically increased their licensed comics line with debuts of the ongoing series 28 DAYS LATER and DIE HARD, part of a wide ranging licensing deal with 20th Century Fox, and the debut of DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, part of their licensing agreement with the Philip K. Dick Estate, Electric Shepherd.
Also in 2009, BOOM! Studios announced mass market distribution deals with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada, with Simon & Schuster distributing BOOM! Studios and BOOM! Kids line of graphic novels in the United States and HarperCollinsCanada distributing in Canada.
The addition of Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada follows on heels of BOOM!’s newsstand distribution deal through Kable Distribution Services, Inc., best known amongst comic book fans for distributing Archie Comics throughout North America in the United States and Canada.
In early 2010, BOOM! Studios expanded the diversity of their line-up with the announcement of a “lit comix” imprint, BOOM! Town, whose first products will be done in association with Denis Kitchen and TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN creator Shannon Wheeler.
This past December, BOOM! Studios placed 6th among all comic book publishers in the direct market, coming behind long-established independent publishers Dark Horse Comics, IDW, and Image Comic.
About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry’s biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company’s FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar’s THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney’s THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary.
