Gareb Shamus (born December 23, 1968) is the founder and former chairman and CEO of

Wizard Entertainment Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business. Gareb Shamu ...

and the co-founder and CEO of ACE Comic Con. He was the publisher of '' Wizard: The Comics Magazine''; '' InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine''; '' ToyFare: The Toy Magazine;

Anime Insider ''Anime Insider'' was a monthly magazine published by Wizard Entertainment, consisting of news and entertainment pieces relating to the Japanese anime and manga subculture. In its earliest incarnation it was published from Fall 2001 till Fall 200 ...

''; '' FunFare''; ''"In" Power'', a kids entertainment magazine; ''Wizard Specials''; ''Toy Wishes'', a holiday toy shopping guide; ''Bean Power'', a

Beanie Babies Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman H. Ty Warner, who founded Ty Inc. in 1986. The toys are stuffed with plastic pellets ("beans") rather than conventional soft stuffing. They come in many different forms, ...

magazine; and ''Sportslook'', a sports card magazine. He also co-founded and served as CEO of International Fight League Inc (IFLI). He produced several televised

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

fights with partners

Fox Sports Networks Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

and

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

. He is the owner of The Pivot Gallery in New York City and an exhibited artist in America and Europe.

Early life

Gareb is the second oldest of four brothers, Ilan, Kenny and Stephen Shamus. As a child, he collected comic books and sports cards. His early loves were

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, and '' Mad'' magazine. As a teenager, he gravitated to more mature comics created by artists like

Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...

and

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

(who began working on ''

The Dark Knight Returns ''The Dark Knight Returns'' (alternatively titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'') is a 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller and Klaus Janson, with color by Lynn Varley, and pub ...

'' and '' Daredevil'' when Shamus was a teenager in the 1980s). Shamus studied economics at the

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a minor in art in 1990.

Wizard Entertainment

In the 1980s, Shamus' parents opened a sports card and comic book store in

Nanuet Nanuet is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where Shamus worked. When he graduated from college, he started comic book newsletter, '' Wizard: The Guide to Comics'', for the store’s customers. It became so popular that in 1991 he turned it into a monthly magazine. After only one year, ''Wizard'' went worldwide, published in over fifty countries and in multiple languages, and Shamus became a celebrity in the comic book world. Over the next few years he launched more magazines covering toys, games, animation and everything “superhero” (movies, TV shows, video games and toys). As

, Shamus bought the

Chicago Comicon Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and commonly known as the Chicago Comicon), is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was tr ...

in 1997, and expanded its scope and boosted attendance from a few thousand to 25,000 the following year. There are 21

Wizard World Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book sup ...

comic conventions A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

and pop-culture conventions in the United States.

Painter

Shamus is an emerging contemporary painter. He resides in the West Village.

Selected exhibitions

* "Squeezed," Coldstream Fine Art, Toronto, July 8 - August 2, 2017 * “Rungs of Life," Art Exchange London, September 23, 2016 * “Early Days," Art Helix, Brooklyn, September 16, 2016 * “The Pivot Collection,” MRG Fine Art, Sherman Oaks, California, July 16, 2016 * “All Art Everything”, Guy Hepner Gallery, New York, April 8, 2016

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shamus, Gareb Living people 1968 births People from Tenafly, New Jersey University at Albany, SUNY alumni Magazine publishers (people)