PRESS RELEASE
BOOM! Studios announced today that it has promoted four key members of its Marketing, Operations and Editorial teams following a historic year for the company that has seen it earn four GLAAD Media Award Nominations, seven Eisner Award Nominations, become a Premier Publisher with Diamond Distributors and announce numerous projects in development for film & television.
These promotions include the following:
Stephanie Hocutt has been promoted to Digital Marketing Lead. Prior to joining BOOM! Studios in 2013 as PR Assistant, Hocutt worked in comic book retail at Collector’s Paradise in Pasadena, CA. In her time at BOOM! Studios, she has taken on a variety of duties within the marketing department including working with press and hosting BOOM! Studios’ first video show Buzz on BOOM!.
- In 2016, Hocutt was promoted to Social Media Coordinator and charged with managing BOOM! Studios social media channels. While overseeing tremendous growth on BOOM! Studios social media channels over the last 2 and a half year, Hocutt also launched the company’s first weekly e-newsletter, launched original backmatter in all of BOOM! Studios’ comic book releases, and leads BOOM! Studios’ advertising efforts. Hocutt’s creativity, authentic voice, and unstoppable enthusiasm have made her an ideal face of the company to fans the world over.
Jose Meza has been promoted to Live Events Lead. Soon after joining the company in 2012 as an intern, Meza was promoted to Sales Assistant in 2013. Early in his career, Meza oversaw BOOM! Studios’ in-house inventory management, e-commerce fulfillment, and customer service.
- In 2016, Meza was promoted to Event Coordinator to reflect his new role overseeing the company’s trade show coordination and convention booth. In this time, he has rapidly grown BOOM! Studios convention business, expanded the company’s show presence, and become a friendly, familiar face for fans and industry insiders on the convention circuit.
Sophie Philips-Roberts has been promoted to Associate Editor. Since joining BOOM! Studios in 2016, Philips-Roberts has worked directly under BOOM! Box Senior Editor, Shannon Watters on numerous award-winning, best-selling titles including Lumberjanes, Giant Days, Fence, The Backstagers, and many others.
Morgan Perry has been promoted to Retail Sales Coordinator. Prior to joining the company in 2017, Perry had been an intern with the marketing team in 2014 and was the assistant manager at the award-winning Earth-2 Comics in Sherman Oaks.
- In her time at BOOM! Studios, Perry has launched and overseen the BOOM! Guarantee program for retailers – the most popular returnability program in the industry. This year Morgan traveled nationwide for the “Discover Your Comic Store Tour” visiting over 40 stores in 15 states in just 9 months reinforcing her reputation as one of the most responsive, supportive publishing reps and a true ally of direct market retailers.
In addition to these promotions, BOOM! Studios also recently hired:
Averie Huffine joined the company as Vice President of Development- Television. Huffine joined BOOM! Studios’ Fox Lot office in June of 2018, where she currently oversees all TV efforts including the company’s first-look TV development deal at 20th Century TV Studio.
- Averie comes to BOOM! Studios from Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures, where she helped build the company’s television presence and oversaw such projects as Drifter, written by Mattson Tomlin with Marc Webb directing, and Darktown written by Damani Johnson with Charles McDougall directing and Jamie Foxx producing. On the feature side she brought in the bestselling novel Beneath a Scarlett Sky by Mark Sullivan with Tom Holland attached to star.
Esther Kim has joined as Marketing Coordinator. Kim joined BOOM! Studios in September, 2018 after two years at Image Comics in sales and administrative roles. Previously, Kim was the manager of Fantom Comics in Washington DC, earning national acclaim with outlets like NPR for her efforts in developing the local comic book community.
- In her new position, Kim plays a key role in publicity and charitable efforts on behalf of BOOM! Studios.
“We’re extremely proud of the success BOOM! Studios has experienced this year in all areas of business. 2018 included joining the Premier publishers of the direct market, significant double digit growth in the book and digital markets, amazing developments in our film and television projects, among other key accomplishments. Each and everyone of these success stories was a team effort and these promotions recognize the contributions of key personnel,” said Filip Sablik, President of Publishing & Marketing, BOOM! Studios.
These promotions and hires cap off a historic year for BOOM! Studios which has seen the launch of acclaimed original new series like Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä in January; the top-selling Labyrinth: Coronation #1 by Si Spurrier and Daniel Bayliss, a prequel to the titular film in February; the first ever Power Rangers comic book event inShattered Grid which garnered worldwide media attention; and the announcement of seven prestigious Eisner Award nominations in April, highlighting series from all four of the company’s diverse imprints; the announcement in August of Old City Blues in development as a series with Hulu; the announcement in September of a new original graphic novel program with legendary author R.L. Stine; the launch of Joss Whedon’s Firefly in November as one of the best-selling comics of the month; and the announcement of a reimagining of Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer beginning in January 2019.
For continuing news on BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
