Orlando, FL – November 6, 2024 – ComicArtFans.com (CAF), the global hub for everything related to collecting comic book and other narrative art, announced today that it has acquired the Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) and appointed its founder Matthew Sardo as Director of Digital Communications and IC3 Showrunner.
IC3 is a New Haven, Connecticut based annual indie creator convention that aims to provide an affordable, dynamic, and inclusive platform that brings together independent comic book creators, artists, publishers, and fans to celebrate unique and diverse creators in comics. IC3 held its first event March 9, 2024, and video from year one’s show may be seen HERE. The second IC3 is scheduled for March 15, 2025 and will feature 150 exhibitors including Dean Haspiel, Jim Rugg, Tom Scioli, Jim Lawson, Mike Marts, Heather Antos, Ed Piskor Legacy, and Mahdi Khene.
Matt brings more than 25 years of experience across the comic book industry, as well as in radio station production, news, and field reporting for film, television, comic books, and sports. As Director of Digital Communications, Matt will manage CAF’s social network accounts and provide production assistance and content to CAF’s YouTube channel while contributing to CAF’s branding, public relations, sales, and marketing activities.
“Indie comic book creators are the lifeblood of the artform and critical for its continued health and evolution,” said Kasra Ghanbari, CEO of CAF. “We believe that CAF can play an important role in providing this underserved and under resourced community some much needed support in the form of direct and consistent promotion to comic art collectors who are always hungry to find new and compelling talent.”
Kasra continued, “Matt and I have known one another for 15 years and have spent the last many months talking through what could be done with IC3 within CAF, including tie-ins with our twice annual Comic Art LIVE (CAL) virtual art convention, CAL YouTube channel, and Original Art Expo (OAX) show. I’m excited to have Matt join our team and for us to get to work making sure the second IC3 in March 2025 exceeds all expectations and that the indie community at large sees CAF as a real advocate for their works.”
“This is a great day for IC3 and for the indie creators who will be exhibiting at our show for years to come,” said Matt. “IC3 will remain an affordable, diverse, curated show that will benefit from expanded resources, expertise, sponsorship, and production capabilities that will lead to more attendance, events, programming, and promotion. CAF will also be providing its incredible platform, tools, and community reach to IC3 exhibitors for free, including dedicated galleries and a marketplace to sell art and commissions on CAF’s site; exhibitor booths at the twice annual CAL shows; and high-impact marketing through newsletters and the CAL YouTube channel.”
Matt grew up working in comic shops and attending small shows across the New York tri-state area, then working as a bartender who would introduce comic books to bar regulars, turning many of them into lifelong readers. This led Matt in 2006 to open The Comic Vault in Chicago, Illinois. Matt’s innovative sales and promotional events were recognized at the highest level, with his store twice being nominated for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.
After five years of running The Comic Vault, Matt relocated to Florida to transition into sports talk radio as Digital Director at Genesis Communications, a family-owned ESPN-affiliate that ran six stations across central Florida from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach covering 70% of the state’s population. At the time, the Genesis portfolio included two sports talk, three news, and one Spanish-language station. Matt modernized the company’s platform, including launching a new website and app, and was responsible for bridging the gap between traditional radio and digital content. His radio hosting included a one-hour weekly prime time show called The Power Hour that covered sports and newsworthy items with regular and invited guests. He was also brought in as a guest expert for pop culture and film for the company’s Orlando station programming. As a field reporter, his beat included all three major Tampa sports teams and on-site event coverage at huge sport events such as the MLB All-Star Game and the Super Bowl.
Fueled by his media experience and continued passion for comics, Matt launched the film, television, and comic book industry news site Monkeys Fighting Robots (MFR) in 2015 with a specific focus to cover the comic industry’s evolution, with MFR’s current focus being to amplify creator voices in comics. At its peak, MFR consisted of 30 writers and today continues to produce a podcast and a YouTube channel, as well as publications such as the Tales of MFR comic strip and MFR: The Magazine, which consists of articles, essays, and curated comics.
Over the years, Matt has interviewed many notable figures from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Juan Pablo Montoya to Brian K. Vaughn and Todd McFarlane to Jon Hamm and Karl Urban to Ice Cube, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being among his most memorable and inspirational interviews.
In 2023, Matt started the Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) in New Haven, Connecticut. IC3 is an annual show committed to bringing together independent comic book creators, artists, and fans to celebrate unique and diverse creators in comics.
Matt earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Tampa.
