Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Last updated

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Born
United States
Nationality American
Education University of Denver
Occupation(s)Producer, publisher
Known forSunrise Distribution
Malibu Comics
Cowboys & Aliens
Platinum Studios

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is an American film, television, and comic book producer. He is the chairman of Platinum Studios, 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. [1] He is also the founder and former president of Malibu Comics, and is a former senior executive vice president for Marvel Comics. [2]

Contents

As a producer with Platinum Studios, Rosenberg has released films and television programming with Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, MGM, Showtime and Lionsgate. He has also developed film and television with several others including The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s New Line Films, 20th Century Studios and Sony Pictures.

Biography

Early career

Rosenberg began his career in the comic-book industry at age 13 when he started a mail order company [3] called Direct Comics. [4]

Rosenberg graduated from the University of Denver. [5]

Sunrise Distribution and Malibu Comics

In the mid-1980s, Rosenberg was running the small Commerce, California-based comics distributor Sunrise Distribution. In 1986, income from his distribution business allowed Rosenberg to privately finance a number of independent comics publishers, including Eternity Comics and Malibu Comics. [6] Eternity'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." [2]

Sunrise began to suffer cash-flow issues in the spring of 1987. [7] At the same time, Rosenberg personally took over his various publishers, shutting most of them down and folding Eternity into Malibu as its primary imprint. [6]

In the summer of 1998, during the "black-and-white implosion,"[ citation needed ] Sunrise abruptly folded [8] 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. [9] Rosenberg turned his focus to Malibu Comics.

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 , [3] based on the Marvel/Malibu comic The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. He also acquired a number of other independent publishers, including Aircel Comics [10] and Adventure Comics, [11] also folding them into Malibu.

In 1992, Rosenberg brokered a deal in which seven top-selling artists defected from Marvel Comics to form Image Comics. [12] 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. [13] [14] This subsequently led to Rosenberg and his Malibu Comics breaking all sales records for independent comics; in 1992 Malibu grabbed almost 10% of the American comics market share, [15] temporarily moving ahead of industry giant DC Comics. [16] 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. [17]

During this period, Rosenberg also worked with Adobe Photoshop software to develop the then-leading standard for the computer coloring of comic books. [18]

Rosenberg sold Malibu to Marvel Comics in 1994. [3] [12] [19] [20] As part of the deal, Rosenberg was given the title senior executive vice president of Marvel. [21]

Platinum Studios

Rosenberg left Marvel in January 1997, and purchased half of Platinum Studios from European rights agent Ervin Rustemagić. [21] Platinum produces based on two distinctive categories: Those from the "Macroverse Bible," a multi-thousand-page bible of related comic characters created by Rosenberg, [18] including titles such as Cowboys & Aliens , [3] and properties acquired from other companies or creators such as Dylan Dog: Dead of Night and Jeremiah . [21] Rustemagić left Platinum Studios in 2000.[ citation needed ] 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. [22] 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. [23] The company became a public company, trading continuously since February 2008. [24]

In early 2012, Platinum Studios moved to new offices in West Los Angeles. [25] In 2014, 27 million shares of Platinum were acquired by KCG Holdings. [26]

Filmography

Producer

Related Research Articles

Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher, property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand.

Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Top Cow Productions</span> American comics publisher

Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malibu Comics</span> Former comic book company now part of Marvel Comics

Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included The Men in Black, Ultraforce, and Night Man.

Lowell Cunningham is an American comic book author. He is best known for creating the comic book The Men in Black, which later became the basis for a media franchise.

<i>The Men in Black</i> (comics) Comic book

The Men in Black is an American comic book created and written by Lowell Cunningham, illustrated by Sandy Carruthers, and originally published by Aircel Comics, based on the actual “men in black” conspiracy theory. Aircel would later be bought out by Malibu Comics, which itself was bought out by Marvel Comics. Three issues were published in 1990, with another three the following year. The comic book later spawned a media franchise which includes a series of four films, an animated television series, video games, and a theme park attraction, as well as a number of tie-in one-shot comics from Marvel. Cunningham had the idea for the comic once a friend of his introduced him to the concept of government "men in black" upon seeing a black van riding the streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ervin Rustemagić</span> Comic producer

Ervin Rustemagić is a Bosnian comic book publisher, distributor, and rights agent, born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and currently based in Slovenia. He is the founder of Strip Art Features (SAF) in Sarajevo, as well as the magazine Strip Art of the former Yugoslavia. Rustemagić represents artists such as Hermann Huppen, Bane Kerac, and Joe Kubert.

The Ultraverse is a defunct comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics which is currently owned by Marvel Comics. The Ultraverse is a shared universe in which a variety of characters – known within the comics as Ultras – acquired super-human abilities.

Brian Anthony David-Marshall, often credited as Brian Marshall, is an American comic book and collectible card game industry figure. He has worked in all facets of both industries, from publishing to retail, from writing to editorial. He was a founding partner of Eternity Comics, a comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s; and is currently president and publisher of the Web3-based digital entertainment company InterPop.

Pied Piper Comics was a short-lived American comic book publishing company that operated from 1986 to 1988. The company was founded by Mark L. Hamlin and Roger McKenzie, with writer/editor David Campiti playing a major role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircel Comics</span> Defunct Canadian comic book publisher

Aircel Comics was a comic book publisher founded by Barry Blair, in Ottawa, Ontario in 1985. In 1988, it merged with American publisher Eternity Comics, itself an imprint of Malibu Comics, and in the late 1980s was taken over by Malibu before ceasing publication in 1994. It was best known as the original publisher of The Men in Black, a comic book which was later adapted into a media franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Campiti</span> American writer in the comics/animation industries

David Campiti is an American animation producer, comic book writer, talent agent, and packager. He was deeply involved with a number of comics publishers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Eternity Comics, Pied Piper Comics, and his own entity, Innovation Publishing. As CEO of Glass House Graphics, Campiti oversees an international animation studio and agency of illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Studios</span> US media company

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 television programming with Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, MGM, Showtime and Lionsgate. Platinum has developed film or television with others, including The Walt Disney Company's 20th Century Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery's New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eternity Comics</span> Comic book publisher

Eternity Comics was an American comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties. One of its most notable titles was Ex-Mutants. Eternity was also notable for reprinting foreign titles, and introducing Cat Claw, The Jackaroo, and the Southern Squadron to the U.S. market.

<i>Cowboys & Aliens</i> (comics)

Cowboys & Aliens is a 105-page graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, with art by Dennis Calero and Luciano Lima. It was released by American publisher Platinum Studios in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Blair</span> Canadian comic book artist and writer

Barry Blair was a Canadian comics publisher, artist and writer, known for launching Aircel Comics in the 1980s. From early on, Blair's art style was influenced by the comics he had seen living in East Asia, at a time when manga and other Asian comics were largely unknown in North America. His art was typically characterized by childlike figures, and included nudity and partial nudity. This continued into the erotica which became his main focus later in his career, and these attributes were a common criticism of his work.

Sunrise Distribution was a Commerce, California-based comic book distributor which operated in the early-to-mid 1980s. Owned by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the company was intimately connected to a number of small comic book publishers from that era, including Eternity Comics and Malibu Comics, as well as three extremely short-lived publishers: Amazing, Imperial Comics, and Wonder Color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Olbrich</span> American comic book editor

Dave Olbrich is an editor and executive in the American comic book industry. He was instrumental in the creation of two awards for achievement in comic books, voted on by professionals, the Kirby Awards and the Eisner Awards. He was a co-founder and publisher of Malibu Comics. While at Malibu, he helped launch Image Comics. Currently he produces and hosts a YouTube channel about comics and comic-related issues, Geekview Tavern, which began releasing episodes in 2020.

Adventure Publications was an American comic book publisher founded by Steve Milo in 1986, based in Fairfax, Virginia and active from 1986 to 1993. In 1989, it merged with American publisher Malibu Comics, becoming the Adventure Comics imprint.

References

  1. ↑ "Scott Mitchell Rosenberg". Moving Pictures Media Group. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Yanes, Nicholas. “Interview: Scott Rosenberg on Platinum Studios, Cowboys & Aliens, and the Future of the Comic Book Industry,” SciPulse.net (May 4, 2011).[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ehrenreich, Ben. "PHENOMENON; Comic Genius?" New York Times magazine (November 11, 2007).
  4. ↑ Vaughn, J.C. (2015). "Dinosaurs for Hire: Tom Mason interview..." Overstreet Comic Book Marketplace Yearbook 2015-2016. Diamond Comic Distributors . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "DU History & Traditions: Influential Alumni". University of Denver. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Distributor Finances Five Publishers". The Comics Journal. No. 115. April 1987. pp. 12–13. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Sunrise announces it may not pay some publishers until July," The Comics Journal No. 115 (April 1987), p. 24.
  8. ↑ "Sunrise Creditors Meet". The Comics Journal . No. 122. June 1988. p. 22.
  9. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi (January 17, 2013). "The utterly insane world of Platinum Studios". The Beat.
  10. ↑ "Eternity Merges with Aircel". The Comics Journal . No. 125. October 1988. p. 19.
  11. ↑ "Malibu Acquires Adventure". The Comics Journal . No. 127. February 1989. p. 21.
  12. 1 2 MULLIGAN, THOMAS S. (February 19, 1992). "Holy Plot Twist: Marvel Comics' Parent Sees Artists Defect to Rival Malibu, Stock Dive". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Bye Bye Marvel; Here Comes Image: Portacio, Claremont, Liefeld, Jim Lee Join McFarlane's New Imprint at Malibu," The Comics Journal #148 (February 1992), pp. 11–12.
  14. ↑ Platinum Studios: Awesome Comics Archived February 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . Accessed February 3, 2008
  15. ↑ "NewsWatch: Malibu Commands 9.73% Market Share," The Comics Journal #151 (July 1992), p. 21.
  16. ↑ "Malibu Moves Ahead of DC in Comics Market," The Comics Journal No. 152 (August 1992), pp. 7–8.
  17. ↑ "Image Leaves Malibu, Becomes Own Publisher". The Comics Journal . No. 155. January 1993. p. 22.
  18. 1 2 "Scott Rosenberg". Wizard World. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  19. ↑ Reynolds, Eric. "The Rumors are True: Marvel Buys Malibu," The Comics Journal #173 (December 1994), pp. 29–33.
  20. ↑ "News!" Indy magazine #8 (1994), p. 7.
  21. 1 2 3 Press release. Scott Rosenberg Leaves Marvel; Acquires 50 Percent of Platinum Studios, The Free Library (Jan. 16, 1997).[ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Comic Universes Publishing Allies". Platinum Studios. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Business Update, and Outlook: Platinum Studios Reports Fiscal 2007 Financial Results," Reuters (Apr. 1, 2008).
  24. ↑ "Platinum Studios, Inc". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Platinum Studios Incorporated". Yahoo Local. Retrieved October 14, 2015.[ dead link ]
  26. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi. "Is a holding company acquiring what is left of Platinum Studios?," The Beat (Mar. 4, 2014).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.