Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is an American film, television, and comic book producer. He is the chairman of
Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios, Inc. is a media company based in the United States. It controls a library of thousands of comic-book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media. The company has released films and/or telev ...
, an entertainment company that controls a library of comic-book characters and adapts them for film, television and other media. Through Platinum Studios he is affiliated with Moving Pictures Media Group. He is also the founder and former president of
Malibu Comics, and is a former senior executive vice president for
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
.
[Yanes, Nicholas]
“Interview: Scott Rosenberg on Platinum Studios, Cowboys & Aliens, and the Future of the Comic Book Industry,”
SciPulse.net (May 4, 2011).
As a producer with Platinum Studios, Rosenberg has released films and television programming with
Universal Studios,
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
,
DreamWorks,
MGM,
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
, and
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian- American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
. He has also developed film and television with several others including
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
,
Time-Warner’s New Line Films,
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...
and
Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Biography
Early career
Rosenberg began his career in the comic-book industry at age 13 when he started a
mail order company.
[Ehrenreich, Ben]
"PHENOMENON; Comic Genius?" ''New York Times'' magazine (November 11, 2007).
/ref> Rosenberg graduated from the University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...
.
Sunrise Distribution and Malibu Comics
In the mid-1980s, Rosenberg ran the small Commerce, California-based comics distributor Sunrise Distribution. In 1986, income from his distribution business allowed Rosenberg to finance Malibu Comics; and in 1987, he also pumped money into a number of other independent publishers, including Eternity Comics, Aircel Comics, and Adventure Comics.
Malibu's first launch, '' Ex-Mutants'', as Rosenberg once said in an interview, "turned out to be a hit" and "all on a $400 marketing budget." During his time at Malibu, Rosenberg led comic spin-offs into toys, television, and feature films, including the billion-dollar film and television franchise '' Men in Black'', based on the Marvel/Malibu comic '' The Men in Black'' by Lowell Cunningham.
Sunrise began to suffer cash-flow issues in 1987, and abruptly folded in 1988 during the "black-and-white implosion" and went out of business. This left a number of small publishers without the cash flow to continue, and they, too, went out of business.
In 1992, Rosenberg brokered a deal in which seven top-selling artists defected from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
to form Image Comics. Rosenberg signed the artists to a label deal which made Malibu the publisher of record for the first comics from Image, giving the upstart creator-run publisher access to the distribution channels. This subsequently led to Scott Rosenberg and his Malibu Comics breaking all sales records for independent comics; in 1992 Malibu grabbed almost 10% of the American comics market share, temporarily moving ahead of industry giant DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
. Malibu Comics' creator-friendly approach, savvy marketing, and willingness to take chances with new types of characters and stories made it the top independent comics publisher in the United States. By the middle of 1993, Image's financial situation was secure enough to publish its titles independently, and per the agreed upon distribution agreement with Malibu, ventured out on its own.
During this period, Rosenberg also worked with Adobe Photoshop software to develop the then-leading standard for the computer coloring of comic books.
Rosenberg sold Malibu to Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
in 1994. As part of the deal, Rosenberg was given the title senior executive vice president of Marvel.[Press release]
Scott Rosenberg Leaves Marvel; Acquires 50 Percent of Platinum Studios
''The Free Library'' (Jan. 16, 1997).
Platinum Studios
Rosenberg left Marvel in January 1997, and purchased half of Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios, Inc. is a media company based in the United States. It controls a library of thousands of comic-book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media. The company has released films and/or telev ...
from European rights agent Ervin Rustemagić. Platinum produces based on two distinctive categories: Those from the "Macroverse Bible," a multi-thousand-page bible of related comic characters created by Rosenberg, including titles such as '' Cowboys & Aliens'', and properties acquired from other companies or creators such as '' Dylan Dog: Dead of Night'' and '' Jeremiah''. Rustemagić left Platinum Studios in 2000. The company’s comic publishing philosophy is for the original publishers or rights holders to continue publishing their comics with Platinum Studios handling all other rights and development. Comics have been published based on Platinum’s properties continuously since inception, whether by Platinum itself or the original rights holders. Film productions in 2009–2011 were ''Cowboys & Aliens'' and ''Dylan Dog''.
Platinum Studios posted net losses of $4.3 million in 2006 and $5.1 million in 2007, and grew to a revenue of $10.5 million.["Business Update, and Outlook: Platinum Studios Reports Fiscal 2007 Financial Results,"]
''Reuters'' (Apr. 1, 2008). The company became a public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( l ...
, trading continuously since February 2008.
In early 2012, Platinum Studios moved to new offices in West Los Angeles. In 2014, 27 million shares of Platinum were acquired by KCG Holdings
KCG Holdings, Inc. is an American global financial services firm engaging in market making, high-frequency trading, electronic execution, and institutional sales and trading. The company was formed on July 1, 2013, upon the completion of the merg ...
.[MacDonald, Heidi]
"Is a holding company acquiring what is left of Platinum Studios?,"
''The Beat'' (Mar. 4, 2014).
Filmography
Producer
* '' Ultraforce'' (1995)
* '' Men in Black'' (1997) (Special Thanks)
* '' Night Man'' (1997)
* '' Jeremiah'' (2002–2004)
* '' Dylan Dog: Dead of Night'' (2011)
* '' Cowboys & Aliens'' (2011)
References
External links
*
"Scott Mitchell Rosenberg: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer"
biography at Platinum Studios official site. Archived fro
the original
on November 5, 2015.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Scott Mitchell
Living people
American film producers
American television producers
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Comic book publishers (people)
University of Denver alumni