Legendary Entertainment Purchases Global Marketing Company FIVE33; Company to Help Prep for SDCC 2013

Press Release:

Legendary Entertainment Acquires Renowned Marketing Company FIVE33, Forms Full Scale Marketing and Branding Department

Burbank, CA – May 16, 2013 – Legendary Entertainment has announced an agreement to purchase FIVE33, a global marketing company that specializes in developing innovative marketing programs to bring immersive awareness of tentpole movies and intellectual properties to audiences around the world. Through this deal, FIVE33 will now work exclusively with Legendary and its high-profile stable of filmmakers and storytellers to drive awareness of the studio’s brand and suite of properties via worldwide campaigns and multi-platform strategies.  The announcement was made by Legendary President and Chief Creative Officer, Jon Jashni and FIVE33 CEO and Founder, Emily Castel.

“Legendary now has a world-class strategic marketing team and contributor who will be accretive to our ongoing effort of delivering high-quality content to audiences everywhere. FIVE33′s unique skill set and pedigree will be of enormous benefit to Legendary as we deliver the full potential of our brand experience and IP slate,” said Jashni. “Emily and her team have an innate understanding of Legendary’s brand, and as part of the executive marketing team, they will cultivate what the Legendary entertainment promise means to today’s consumer across multiple platforms and experiences.”

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to become part of Legendary’s team, and to extend its product into immersive multi-platform universes,” said Castel. “We look forward to extending the lifespan in the market for Legendary properties, and maintaining the integrity, creative vision and consistency of all satellite products.”

With offices in Los Angeles and London, FIVE33 will offer a turn-key strategic marketing and development department that develops programs and experiences for Legendary’s IP. The company will join forces immediately with Legendary showcasing its work at the upcoming Comic-Con International in San Diego.

FIVE33 was founded in 2007 and has designed highly successful multi-platform campaigns for global entertainment Studios including Disney, Universal and Paramount. Their most recent projects include OBLIVION and STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. The team is currently at work with Legendary for the studio’s upcoming PACIFIC RIM and GODZILLA properties. Through the deal with Legendary, FIVE33 will become fully integrated into the studio and focus solely on Legendary properties.

Head Smash Graphic Novel to Get a Sneak Peak at Motor City Comic Con, Debut at SDCC 2013

Press Release:

Head Smash is coming to Detroit

The Biggest Graphic Novel release of 2013 will make a stop in Detroit May 17 – 19

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013  – The Vladar Company is coming to Detroit’s Motor City Comic Con to promote the highly anticipated graphic novel HEAD SMASH, created by Vlad Yudin . Head Smash is slated for a July 31st release and is already being called – “The biggest graphic novel release of 2013.” The cover is created by a renowned comics artist and illustrator Tim Bradstreet (BLADE, THE PUNISHER, TRUE BLOOD). As the winner of multiple Eisner awards for Best Cover Artist, Bradstreet has created over 70 classic covers, including the 2006 Iron Maiden album cover ”A Matter of Life and Death.”

In collaboration with Arcana Comics, HEAD SMASH is a sci-fi, thriller, action story set in a fantasy filled, lurid city of Ares and centers on an orphan named ‘Smash’ who finds a safe haven with a brutal syndicate – The Horde. The thrilling graphic novel shares the ultimate story of betrayal, love, and loyalty.

Detroit Fans will be treated to an exclusive sneak peak of HEAD SMASH at this year’s Motor City Comic Con on May 17th – 19th at Suburban Collection Showplace.
Vlad Yudin and his partner Edwin Mejia will be present at the venue and host a panel on Saturday at 3pm. The final debut of the novel will be at this year’s San Diego Comic Con International 2013 (July 17-21).

About The Vladar Company:
Yudin, who founded The Vladar Company in 2008 along with partner Edwin Mejia , directed, produced and penned the script for LAST DAY OF SUMMER (2009), starring DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) and actress Nikki Reed (Twilight). The Vladar Company is a premiere media and entertainment company, that caters to the market’s growing need for entertainment content across multiple platforms and focuses on developing, financing and packaging a library of intellectual properties with its producing partners at leading Hollywood production studios. The company is becoming a leading producer of many genres and multiple mediums in domestic and international markets (www.VLADAR.com).

About Arcana
Arcana, founded by Sean Patrick O’Reilly in 2004, owns one of the world’s largest libraries of graphic novels and comics, with over 200 original intellectual properties, 300 graphic novels, thousands of comic issues and an ever-growing character list. Arcana has begun to adapt this library into live action feature films, animated features and episodic television series. Taking a transmedia approach to brand building and the development of intellectual properties, Arcana publishes graphic novels for North America in print, and now digitally as well. Arcana has been published and distributed in dozens different countries and translated into just as many languages across the globe.

NH – NOS4A2 Signing

Author Joe Hill signs at Barnes & Noble on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

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Description
NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns.

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

About the Author
Joe Hill is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Horns and Heart-Shaped Box and the prizewinning story collection 20th Century Ghosts. He is also the Eisner award–winning writer of an ongoing comic book series, Locke & Key. His new novel, NOS4A2, will be published in May 2013. You can follow Joe on Twitter, where he goes by the inspired handle of @joe_hill.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
1741 S Willow Street, Manchester, NH 03103-3207

IL – Justice League Signing

Aw Yeah Comics welcomes superstar artist GENE HA on Wednesday, May 22nd from 5pm to 7pm! Among many other things, he is the artist on next week’s JUSTICE LEAGUE #20. He will be signing and doing quick sketches for patrons who pick up a copy.

Aw Yeah Comics 
4933 Oakton Street, Skokie, IL 60077
Phone: 847-423-2916

OR – Ladies Night at TFAW

Joëlle Jones, Rachel Edidin, Dylan Meconis, and Leia Weathington sign at Things From Another World on Friday June 7th from 8:00 till 10:00 p.m.

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

A women-only event! Meet and mingle with your local female comics community at Ladies Night June 7 at the Portland Things From Another World. Bring your questions for a Q&A with local women of comics Joëlle Jones (Helheim), Rachel Edidin (Wired.com), Dylan Meconis (Family Man), and Leia Weathington (The Legend of Bold Riley) from 7 to 8 p.m., then participate in a Drink & Draw and t-shirt “remodeling” demonstration from 8 to 10 p.m. Complimentary snacks and beer/wine provided (for those 21+ with valid ID).

“Portland has an incredible network of women connected to the comics community–whether they create comics, write about them, or read them,” said TFAW Public Relations Manager Elisabeth Allie. “We’ve had two previous Ladies Nights, and there’s just nothing like seeing an entire store filled with women who love comics–they’re very special events.”

In addition to the Q&A and Drink & Draw, Dark Horse Comics’ Events and Community Manager Kari Yadro will lead a demonstration of how to transform men’s t-shirts into cool, stylish tops for women. Bring your own t-shirt (or purchase one at TFAW) to join in!

Do you make comics, love comics, or just want to learn more about them? Mark your calendars for Ladies Night at the Portland TFAW June 7, and make sure to spread the word!

Things From Another World
2916 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232

AZ – The Shining Girls Signing

Author Lauren Beukes signs at The Poisoned Pen on June 5, 2013 from 7:00 till 8:30 pm!

About The Shining Girls 

The Time Traveler’s Wife meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in this story of a time-traveling serial killer who is impossible to trace–until one of his victims survives.

In Depression-era Chicago, Harper Curtis finds a key to a house that opens on to other times. But it comes at a cost. He has to kill the shining girls: bright young women, burning with potential. He stalks them through their lives across different eras until, in 1989, one of his victims, Kirby Mazrachi, survives and starts hunting him back.

Working with an ex-homicide reporter who is falling for her, Kirby has to unravel an impossible mystery.

THE SHINING GIRLS is a masterful twist on the classic serial killer tale: a violent quantum leap featuring a memorable and appealing girl in pursuit of a deadly criminal.

Lauren Beukes is the author of the acclaimed novels Moxyland and Zoo City. She is a recipient of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, finished runner-up to Lev Grossman for the John W Campbell Award, was shortlisted for a plethora of other awards and received rave reviews from around the world including The New York Times and The Guardian. She has also written the comic series Fairest for Vertigo. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and her daughter. Visit her online at laurenbeukes.com

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
4014 N Goldwater Blvd STE 101, Scottsdale, AZ, 85251

Fans Have a Chance to Win a “BIG BANGtastic” Trip to SDCC 2013

Press Release:

THE BIG BANG THEORY BOLDLY GOES WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE WITH LIMITED EDITION CO-BRANDED THE BIG BANG THEORY/STAR TREK™ AND THE BIG BANG THEORY/DC COMICS MERCHANDISE

SUPPORTING THE NEW COLLECTIONS, WARNER BROS. TEAMS UP WITH HOT TOPIC TO OFFER THE BIG BANG THEORY ULTIMATE FAN GIVEAWAY IN THEIR SECOND ANNUAL COMIC-CON SWEEPSTAKES

Fans Will Have a Chance to Win a “BIG BANGtastic” Trip to Comic-Con International: San Diego And Other Great Prizes, Including $500 Gift Cards from Hot Topic

Burbank, Calif. (May 14, 2013) – In a bold twist to bring The Big Bang Theory to a new frontier, Warner Bros. and CBS Consumer Products are launching an exclusive, limited edition co-branded collection of The Big Bang Theory/Star Trek merchandise for the first-time ever that includes Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj’s preferred version of “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard Spock” themed product, as well as t-shirts and Funko bobble-heads featuring characters in Starfleet uniforms. This new co-branded collection of merchandise will be available only at Hot Topic stores nationwide and HotTopic.com from now until July. Hot Topic will also be the exclusive home to a new, limited edition The Big Bang Theory/DC Comics t-shirt, featuring Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj in their favorite DC Comics Super Hero costumes.

In support of these exciting new collections, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution have teamed up with Hot Topic to celebrate The Big Bang Theory airing 5 Nights a Week (check www.BigBangWeeknights.com for local listings) in off-network syndication. The partnership offers a second annual sweepstakes inviting fans to enter the “Ultimate Fan Giveaway” for an opportunity to attend the biggest pop culture convention in the world – the legendary Comic-Con in San Diego. Fans will also have the chance to win many great prizes, including the special edition DC Comics t-shirt and $500 Hot Topic gift cards. This year’s partnership is offering an even bigger bang with a larger collection of exclusive Big Bang merchandise at Hot Topic locations nationwide.

From Monday, May 20, through Friday, May 31, avid fans and pop culture junkies can enter the contest either by watching The Big Bang Theory every weeknight in syndication (in select markets) and identifying Sheldon’s special Hot Topic t-shirt online at www.BigBangContest.com or by visiting any Hot Topic store nationwide now through Sunday,
June 2, signing up to be a HT+1 rewards member and purchasing any The Big Bang Theory t-shirt, including the exclusive “Big Bang DC Comics” Comic-Con edition t-shirt only at Hot Topic. One lucky fan will receive an all-expenses paid, fun-filled getaway for two to Comic-Con in San Diego, CA – including two tickets to Comic-Con, round-trip airfare, three days/two nights hotel accommodations, ground transportation and special access to various events at the Warner Bros. booth.

“We’re excited to pay-it-forward to The Big Bang Theory’s legions of fans in this perfect alliance that brings together this pop-cult favorite with the iconic brands of Star Trek and DC Comics,” said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President, Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “We had such a great fan reaction and experience with this promotion last year that we’re excited to team up with Hot Topic again to bring fans a bigger bang offering and more chances to win another out-of-this-world opportunity.”

“We are thrilled to renew our partnership with Warner Bros. on such an exciting merchandise program,” said Cindy Levitt, VP and General Merchandise Manager at Hot Topic. “We feel like we’ve created the perfect geek storm by combining The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek, DC Comics, Comic-Con and Hot Topic in this program and promotion, and we couldn’t be happier that we can make it happen for our customers.”

“We approach each and every initiative we endeavor from the perspective of giving back to the fans,” said Lisa Gregorian, Chief Marketing Officer, Warner Bros. Television Group. ”We know that fans of The Big Bang Theory and fans of Star Trek are going to go mad for this co-branded merchandise. We set out to deliver a truly unique co-branded opportunity and are thrilled to have gone where no man – or woman – has gone before.”

As part of the promotion, Hot Topic stores will also feature an exciting array of merchandise from The Big Bang Theory spanning apparel, accessories, gift and novelties, and toys, including Funko bobbleheads of fan-favorites Leonard, Sheldon and Howard in Starfleet uniforms.

The more viewers tune in to The Big Bang Theory 5 Nights a Week on broadcast television (check www.BigBangWeeknights.com for local listings) and go to a Hot Topic retail store, the more chances they have to win.

In addition to the trip to Comic-Con, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Hot Topic are offering viewers in 47 markets the opportunity to also win local prize packages that include $500 gift cards from Hot Topic. Markets include:

WPCH – ATLANTA, GA
KTBC – AUSTIN, TX
KBAK – BAKERSFIELD, CA
WUTB – BALTIMORE, MD
WTTO – BIRMINGHAM, AL
WCCB – CHARLOTTE, NC
WFLD – CHICAGO, IL
WSTR – CINCINNATI, OH
WACH – COLUMBIA, SC
KDFW – DALLAS, TX
KDVR – DENVER, CO
WKBD – DETROIT, MI
KFOX – EL PASO, TX
KMPH – FRESNO, CA
WWMT – GRAND RAPIDS, MI
WXLV – GREENSBORO, NC
WHNS – GREENVILLE, SC
WTIC – HARTFORD, CT
KHON – HONOLULU, HI
WTTV – INDIANAPOLIS, IN
WJXT – JACKSONVILLE, FL
WBXX – KNOXVILLE, TN
KVMY – LAS VEGAS, NV
KTTV – LOS ANGELES, CA
WBFS – MIAMI, FL
WDJT – MILWAUKEE, WI
WFTC – MINNEAPOLIS, MN
WNAB – NASHVILLE, TN
WTVZ – NORFOLK, VA
KOKH – OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
WOFL – ORLANDO, FL
WPHL – PHILADELPHIA, PA
KUTP – PHOENIX, AZ
WPGH – PITTSBURGH, PA
WPFO – PORTLAND, ME
WSJP – PUERTO RICO
WLFL – RALEIGH, NC
WFXR – ROANOKE, VA
KABB – SAN ANTONIO, TX
KICU – SAN FRANCISCO, CA
KCPQ – SEATTLE, WA
WCWW – SOUTH BEND, IN
KPLR – ST. LOUIS, MO
WMOR – TAMPA, FL
KQCW – TULSA, OK
WTTG – WASHINGTON, DC

About THE BIG BANG THEORY: Comedy has Expanded to 5 Nights a Week (check www.BigBangWeeknights.com for local listings)! The Big Bang Theory is the story of two brainy best friends who could tell you anything you want to know about quantum physics – but when it comes to dealing with everyday life here on Earth, they’re lost in the cosmos. Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) are brilliant physicists – wizards in the laboratory, but socially inept outside of it. Enter their beautiful, free-spirited neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), who aims to teach them a thing or two about life. While Leonard spends his days looking for love, Sheldon is quite content video-chatting with platonic partner Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) or playing Star Trek 3D chess with their ever-expanding universe of friends, including fellow Caltech scientists Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Howard’s new wife, the adorable microbiologist Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). www.BigBangWeeknights.com

Created by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (Dharma & Greg), who also serve as executive producers along with showrunner Steven Molaro (The Class), The Big Bang Theory stars Emmy® and Golden Globe nominee Johnny Galecki (Roseanne), Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Jim Parsons (The Muppet Movie), Kaley Cuoco (Hop), Simon Helberg (A Serious Man), Kunal Nayyar (Ice Age: Continental Drift), Mayim Bialik (Blossom) and Melissa Rauch (True Blood). The Emmy®-nominated series is from Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television.

THE BIG BANG THEORY and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and ©Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
(s12)

About STAR TREK: With an over 45-year history and more than 700 hours of content from six television series and twelve movies, Star Trek is an entertainment and pop culture icon across the world. With its visionary philosophy and thrill for adventure, the Star Trek universe only continues to broaden into new territories. Star Trek is licensed by CBS Consumer Products.

™ & ©2013 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About Hot Topic
Hot Topic is a mall- and web-based specialty retailer beloved by rebellious and expressive teens for more than 20 years. Hot Topic offers music and pop culture junkies band-related apparel and accessories, licensed merchandise, and fashion apparel and accessories. Hot Topic operates 621 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and an online store at hottopic.com. Find Hot Topic on Twitter (twitter.com/hottopic), Facebook (facebook.com/hottopic), YouTube (youtube.com/hottopic) and Instagram (instagram.com/hottopic).

About CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films. Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com.

FL – Peter Panzerfaust Signing

Writer Kurtis J. Wiebe and artist Tyler Jenkins sign at Tate’s Comics on Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 1:00 until 4:00pm!

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Peter Panzerfaust, published by Image Comics, is a high energy action story that blends Red Dawn with Peter Pan. The city of Calais is the first city in France to fall to the Germans in the spring of 1940. A mysterious American boy named Peter rallies a handful of plucky French orphans and they must work together to survive Europe’s darkest hour.

The purchase of any Peter Panzerfaust comic or trade, during the event on 6/15/13, guarantees you a maximum of 3 signatures each from Wiebe & Jenkins.

Tate’s Comics
4566 N. University Drive, Lauderhill, FL 33351

ON – X-Files Season 10 Signing

Michael Walsh signs at The Silver Snail from 10am onwards on Wednesday, June 19th to celebrate the release of the new X-Files Series 10 #1 and his acclaimed graphic novel Comeback.

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The Silver Snail
329 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1R7

CA – Greenest Night Benefit

Geoff Johns, Jeph Loeb, and more appear at a CBLDF fundraiser in Los Angeles on Friday, May 24th! Get tickets at the link!

Press Release:

On Friday, May 24, come celebrate the creativity of Geoff Johns at Greenest Night: A Celebration of Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern benefiting Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Join Johns’ at the Avalon Bardot Theater in Hollywood, CA for an intimate look back on his Green Lantern run with a revealing Q&A session kicked off with a keynote appreciation presented by Jeph Loeb. Geoff will also take center stage at a star-studded VIP opening reception, where all guests will receive special and extremely limited commemorative merchandise created by Graphitti Designs! Only 100 seats are available for this exclusive evening celebrating Geoff’s once-in-a-generation accomplishment – get yours now!

Greenest Night: A Celebration of Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern toasts Johns’ unique accomplishment with an upscale and intimate celebration at the Avalon Bardot theater in Hollywood, CA. There are two levels of admission for this limited event:

Regular admission tickets are available for a $100 donation to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and includes:

Admission to the exclusive Q&A
A signed & numbered commemorative print from Graphitti Designs
A signed copy of Green Lantern #20 with a commemorative Certificate of Authenticity, and other gifts.

$80 of this contribution is tax deductible.

VIP Admission tickets are available for a $250 donation to CBLDF, and includes:

Admission to the star-studded VIP opening reception and premiere seating at exclusive Q&A,
A copy of Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth, with an exclusive, commemorative bookplate
An exclusive, commemorative t-shirt from Graphitti Designs
A signed & numbered commemorative print from Graphitti Designs
A signed copy of Green Lantern #20 with a commemorative Certificate of Authenticity, and other gifts.

$126 of this contribution is tax deductible.

Greenest Night: A Celebration of Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern is sponsored by DC Entertainment and is produced by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Comic Book Resources, with merchandise provided by Graphitti Designs. The event happens on Friday, May 24 at 8:00 PM, with a VIP opening reception at 7:00.

Avalon Bardot Theater
1735 Vine Street Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 462-8900

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