Platinum Studios and NBC's "COMIC BOOK CHALLENGE"
Submitted by djcoffman on June 20, 2006 - 10:10
A little tight deadline here, but Platinum Studios and NBC are having a COMIC BOOK CHALLENGE wherein you submit a pitch for your comic along with a sample page. "GRAND PRIZE:The Winner's Idea will be Fully Produced and will debut to the public at one of the major comics conventions of 2007! NBC 7/39 TV will showcase the finalists on the air. "
[Xerexes: I got a press release on this which had a link to a commercial on it. I'll post the full press release as a comment to this post.]
hrm
by The William G - 06/20/2006 - 12:15
I have no doubt this will be as fair and beneficial to the creator as American Idol is to their performers.
Probably Depends on the Contract
by Xaviar Xerexes - 06/20/2006 - 12:23
Pretty different situation - music is a bigger industry and national tv exposure is a bigger deal then this.
The terms of the contract is a big deal in either one as to whether it's worth it to win.
I believe one of the guys in Platinum started Malibu back whenever before Marvel bought Malibu comics. I wasn't following comics then so I don't really know the story on Malibu although my impression from now is that they were successful in their day.Â
____
Xaviar Xerexes
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Gnaw.
I run this place! Tip the piano player on the way out.
"Men in Black" came out of
by Joey Manley - 06/20/2006 - 12:36
"Men in Black" came out of Malibu to become one of the biggest comics-to-film franchises in history (though few people know it was a comic, because the comic wasn't a hit, and is no longer being published).
I would advise any cartoonist looking to enter into a relationship with Platinum -- or with any publisher, really, especially one who will end up owning or effectively-controlling-absolutely-without-actually-owning all of your intellectual property rights, which, I believe, is the case with Platinum -- to talk with other artists who have worked with that publisher in the past, before committing to anything.
Dave Roman (Astronaut Elementary) has worked with them on a project. So has L. Frank Weber. Those are two names of people I happen know that spring to mind. Poke around on their website at platinumstudios.com, look at their projects, and see if you happen to recognize any of the names. Comics is a small enough field (and small-press and webcomics, which is where they're drawing much of their talent from, is a connected-enough field) that you should find at least one or two people you know. Then, the next time you're at a convention, buy that person or those people a drink and find out what you can. They're probably not allowed to talk in public or in writing about their experiences, though (given the way standard contracts are written in Hollywood -- I'm not trying to imply anything dark or evil or anything).
It's a targeted ad, not for people who expect rights.
by RemusShepherd - 06/20/2006 - 13:01
[quote=joeymanley]Then, the next time you're at a convention, buy that person or those people a drink and find out what you can. [/quote]
And remember that you only have two weeks to do all that research and networking, because that's the deadline of the contest.
Look, doing all that work just isn't reasonable on such short notice, and Platinum probably realizes that. The only people who should answer that call for submissions are people who understand that it's a work-for-hire environment in which you will be treated as an employee instead of as a creator with rights, and who are okay with that kind of arrangement. And those are the kind of people Platinum likely wants.
It's a targeted ad, and people who expect to hold onto the rights of their own creations are not the ad's target.
 ...
Good point. Yes, those who
by Joey Manley - 06/20/2006 - 13:13
Good point. Yes, those who want to hold onto their rights will likely stay away anyway.
Anybody ever heard of Lowell Cunningham? Can anybody tell me who he is, off the top of their heads, without Googling? I didn't think so.
The career of Lowell Cunningham can be yours! For some, I'm sure that looks like a good thing. For others, maybe not.Â
Joey
www.webcomicsnation.com
Press Release From Platinum Studios and NBC-San Diego
by Xaviar Xerexes - 06/20/2006 - 10:54
CALLING ALL ASPIRING COMIC BOOK CREATORS: LATINUM STUDIOS and NBC LAUNCH FIRST NETWORK TELEVISED NATIONAL TALENT SEARCH
Beverly Hills, Calif., June 19, 2006 – Aspiring writers and artists nationwide are invited to submit their work to Platinum Studios, an entertainment company that controls the world’s largest independent library of comic book characters, and San Diego’s NBC 7/39, search for the hottest comic book concept – the Comic Book Challenge. The winner’s comic concept will be developed for print, online, film and TV.
New and unpublished comic book creators can submit their ideas online at www.ComicBookChallenge.com through July 5, 2006. The top 50 semi-finalists will pitch their concepts live at a secret location near NBC studios in San Diego on July 20, the first day of the San Diego Comicon, to a panel of industry professionals. The panel will include Marc Silvestri, founder and chief executive officer of Top Cow Comics, Gale Anne Hurd, producer of over 25 movies including “The Terminator†series, “The Hulkâ€, and “The Punisher†and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios and founder of Malibu Comics, where he discovered and developed “Men In Black†into a billion dollar entertainment franchise. “Men in Black†itself was written a previously unpublished comic book creator, highlighting Rosenberg’s belief in new talent.
“If you think you’ve got the best new idea for a comic book character or story, we urge you to submit to Comicbookchallenge.com,†said Rosenberg. “It is very hard to break through into comics and get noticed by industry luminaries. The Comic Book Challenge allows creators and aspiring fans a new opportunity to get their concepts reviewed and turned into an entertainment property.â€
The top three finalists will appear on NBC-TV 7/39’s “Streetside San Diego†on July 21 to pitch their comic vision to local audiences. Comic book fans around the world will be invited, starting midnight on Thursday July 20th, to vote on their favorite of the three finalists at www.comicbookchallenge.com. Voting will be open from Thursday night until midnight on Sunday July 24th. The winner’s comic book concept will be published by Platinum Studios and premiere in print in March of 2007. In addition, Platinum Studios will work with the creator to develop the property for film and television.
Characters from Platinum Studios’ intellectual property library of more than 3,800 characters have appeared in over a billion comics, and have been included in film and entertainment deals with Disney, MGM, Sony, Universal, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers, Lions Gate, NBC and Showtime, including upcoming Sci-fi epic “UNIQUE†at Disney and tentpole “COWBOYS & ALIENS†at Sony.
About Platinum StudiosÂ
Platinum Studios is an entertainment company that controls the world’s largest independent library of comic book characters, which it adapts and produces for all forms of media. Platinum Studios’ library contains more than 3,800 characters and a full range of genres and styles. With deals in place with some of the entertainment and new media’s top players, Platinum is a recognized leader in the creation of new content across all media. For more information, please see www.platinumstudios.com.
About NBC-TV 7/39
NBC 7/39’s streetside studio is located at 225 Broadway in downtown San Diego, California. San Diego’s only network owned and operated station, NBC 7/39 broadcasts news daily from a glass enclosed studio at Peacock Plaza. NBC 7/39 is also home to San Diego’s #1 morning news and #1 News at 11:00pm. For more information see www.NBCSanDiego.com.
I run this place! Tip the piano player on the way out.