PRESS RELEASE
Artists, Writers & Artisans Inc. (AWA), the independent developer of bold and relevant stories from the world’s most outstanding artists, writers, and artisans, announced today the expansion of its publishing team with the addition of Adam Philips as Director of Sales & Trade Marketing. As an established comics and publishing industry professional, Philips’ hire comes as the company continues to deepen its footprint in both the comics and film/TV industries.
“We strive to consistently seek out the best in our business, and Adam’s expertise and leadership in this new role are going to vastly upgrade our retail sales and marketing efforts,” said Michael Cotton, Executive Editor and Head of Publishing Operations at AWA. “We understand that retailers are contending with a changing and challenging industry, and believe that Adam will help ensure communication with our partners increases to gather more feedback on what AWA can do to help distributors and retailers.”
A longtime comics industry veteran, Adam Philips led the marketing services efforts at DC Comics for over 25 years. He joined DC in 1994 as its first (and so far, only) Copywriter, spearheading the creative direction of DC’s advertising and other projects. After leaving DC in 2021, Philips launched the comics marketing agency Untold Stories Marketing, with clients including Dynamite Entertainment, ComicsPro, SellMyComicBooks.com, Zoop, and others.
Prior to joining DC, Philips was an editor at Welsh Publishing Group, working on licensed magazines for young readers including Superman and Batman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garfield, The Simpsons, and The Real Ghostbusters. Philips began his career in comics as a freelance writer for Marvel Age Magazine before joining the staff of Marvel Comics as an assistant editor in 1985. He worked on Marvel titles including Marvel Age Magazine, The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine, Howard the Duck, Doctor Who, The Vision and Scarlet Witch, and others.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to join AWA,” says Philips. “It’s always great to work with a team of driven and talented people that are dedicated to ensuring creators have the ability to pursue their bold and personal work, and I look forward to sharing our vision with retailers. Here at AWA, we want to make it simple for retailers to have access to the best content we can offer, so I look forward to working with the team to set up a system that streamlines these efforts for everyone.”
In his new role, Philips will be responsible for developing and delivering the go-to-market strategies for AWA’s publishing projects, providing leadership and direction on department strategy, execution, reporting, and analytics, and offering insight and perspective on sales trends at AWA and industry-wide. He will also oversee direct communication programs with retailers in the comic book market and manage international sales agents and assets.
AWA has been moving the needle within the graphic fiction and entertainment space since 2018. In 2022, the company unveiled its all-new Creative Counsel, a team of creative visionaries helping unleash the full potential of AWA creators’ characters and stories, providing a diversity of contemporary storytelling perspectives and putting projects in the best position to be scaled across the entertainment ecosystem. Most recently, AWA announced an investment from Fremantle, strengthening the creative partnership between the two companies.
For more information on AWA’s newest hirings and other content, visit AWA Studios on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and AWAStudios.net.
