HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 Shamus started the previous bearer of the Wizard Entertainment name in 1991 as Wizard Press the publisher of one monthly magazine ('' Wizard''). That company evolved into a multi-title publishing company with diversified interests in branded products and related convention operations. By 2011, the company had discontinued its print division to focus exclusively on its convention business. Since then, they have expanded to producing thirteen annual conventions around the U.S.


History

Gareb Shamus founded '' Wizard'' magazine in January 1991 shortly after he graduated from college.Babka, Allison
"Wizard World Inc.: A roving comic con looks to corner the geek market,"
'' The Riverfront Times'' (Apr. 3, 2014).
The company was originally based in Congers, New York. Wizard purchased the Chicago Comicon in 1997 to expand from its core publishing business into trade/consumer conventions. In December 2007, Darren Sanchez was named Vice President of Production at Wizard Entertainment. On December 7, 2010, GoEnergy acquired Kick the Can Corp. Shamus was pushed out as company CEO in late 2011; his position was taken in March 2012 by John Macaluso. In 2015, the company lost $4.25 million in revenue and would be cutting back from 25 events to 19 events in 2016. Griepp, Milton
"WIZARD WORLD LOSES $4.3 MILLION IN 2015,"
" ICv2" (Apr. 19, 2016).
Less than a week after the announcement of the loss, John Macaluso resigned as CEO and was replaced by John Maatta.Griepp, Milton
"WIZARD WORLD BRINGS IN NEW CEO,"
" ICv2" (Apr. 25, 2016).


Publishing

''Wizard'' started as a price guide to comics but evolved into focusing squarely on pop-culture, specifically targeting young adult males. (The magazine ultimately featured a price guide to comics and action figures in the back of the magazine.) With its high-end production values and embodiment of the comic speculator boom, ''Wizard'' was an instant hit, with a monthly circulation of more than 100,000 copies. The magazine also spawned several ongoing magazines dedicated to similar interests, such as '' ToyFare: The Toy Magazine'', for toys and action figures; '' Inquest Gamer'', for collectible game cards; '' Anime Insider'' for anime and manga; and ''Toy Wishes'' for mainstream toy enthusiasts. ''Anime Insider'' folded in the spring of 2009. On January 24, 2011, after 20 years of publication, the company announced that ''Wizard'' would cease print publication and become an all-digital magazine called ''Wizard World'', launching in February 2011. At that point Wizard Entertainment also ceased publication of its sister magazine, ''ToyFare''.


Black Bull Entertainment

In
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, Wizard founder Gareb Shamus forayed into the world of actual comic book publishing, creating the imprint Black Bull Entertainment, featuring several well-known creators, including
Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles '' The Flash'', ''Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', '' Fantastic Four'' and ''Da ...
,
Chris Eliopoulos Chris Eliopoulos (born September 30, 1967) is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books. Early life Eliopoulos attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City from 1985 to 1989. He majored in graphic design and minored in ...
,
Nelson DeCastro Nelson Faro DeCastro,"Our Faculty: Nelson Faro DeCastro"
School of Visual Arts. Retrie ...
, and Garth Ennis. The first Black Bull title was the miniseries ''Gatecrasher: Ring of Fire''. Black Bull's titles included: * ''Beautiful Killer'' (2002–2003), #1–3 * ''Gatecrasher'' (2000–2001), #1–6 * ''Gatecrasher: Ring of Fire'' (2000), #1–4 * '' Just a Pilgrim'' (2001), #1–5 * ''Just a Pilgrim: Garden of Eden (2002), #1–4 * ''The New West'' (2005), #1–2 * ''Shadow Reavers'' (2001–2002), #1–5


Conventions

Just a few years after purchasing the Chicago Comicon in 1996, the now renamed "Wizard World Chicago" event boasted a weekend attendance of over 58,000 people. In May 2002, Wizard branched out from Chicago and produced "Wizard World East" at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in the Market East section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events. The "L"-shaped complex occupies four city ...
. And in 2003 the company produced "Wizard World Texas;" adding "Wizard World Los Angeles" in 2004,Press release
"Wizard Announces Successful Debut for Wizard World Los Angeles,"
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. website (2004). Accessed Jan. 30, 2016.
and "Wizard World Boston" in 2005. In 2005, Wizard announced that it would be holding a comic book convention in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
from June 30–July 2, 2006, the same dates on which the long-running
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
-based Heroes Convention was scheduled to take place. This caused an outcry amongst the comic book community, as Atlanta is only a four-hour drive from Charlotte, and several comic book creators voiced concerns about an attempt by a large, corporate event to force out an independent comic book convention.Fernandez, Don. "Comic book hero: Little guy slays threat from weighty Wizard," ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (13 Aug 2005), p. A.1. As a result of the outcry, many comic book creators, including
Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including '' Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), '' Global Frequency'' ...
,
Bryan Hitch Bryan Hitch (born 22 April 1970) is a British comics artist and writer. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as '' Action Force'' and '' Death's Head'', before gaining prominence on American ti ...
, Greg Rucka, Tony Harris, Scott Kurtz,
Gaijin Studios Gaijin Studios was a group of American comic book artists formed in Atlanta, Georgia. It was one of the longest-running collectives of freelance comic book artists in the United States, in continuous operation for nineteen years, from 1991 to 2010 ...
and Art Adams, signed up to appear at HeroesCon 2006. In mid-August 2005, Wizard announced that it would be pushing back the Atlanta convention until 2007. In 2008, Wizard began adding an academic forum called "Wizard World University" to include scholarly panels at their conventions, beginning with the November convention in Arlington, Texas. In 2009, Wizard canceled the Texas event and postponed the Los Angeles convention. In 2009, Wizard World acquired the Big Apple Comic Con, New York City's longest-running
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
,
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
,
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
,
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
, and
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ...
convention. Wizard gave up the New York market after 2013 due to the dominance of the
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a ...
, produced by ReedPop, a division of
Reed Exhibitions RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...
and
Reed Elsevier RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...
. The Big Apple con is now back in the hands of its founder, Michael Carbonaro. In 2009, Wizard World also acquired the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon. Wizard Entertainment's 2010 North American Comic Con tour included city stops in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-mos ...
,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, Austin, and
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
. Wizard's 2013 conventions included
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
Comic Con, St. Louis Comic Con,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
Comic Con, NYC Experience,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
Comic Con,
Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
Comic Con,
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
Comic Con, Austin Comic Con, and
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans