Disney Publishing Exec To Helm IDW Publishing
IDW announced a new head of publishing.
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Disney Publishing Exec To Helm IDW Publishing
Fans and employees of IDW Publishing can breathe easy as IDW announces Disney Publishing Worldwide's executive editor Nachie Marsham as Publisher.
BY ROBERT LUGIBIHL5 HOURS AGO
Fans and employees of IDW Publishing can breathe easy after a rough couple of months as IDW announced the hiring of Disney Publishing Worldwide's executive editor Nachie Marsham as Publisher.
IDW has gone through some big changes in recent months. Chris Ryall, who became IDW’s Editor-in-Chief in 2004 and then President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer in December of 2018, stepped down from those positions in order to “launch a new storytelling venture focused on the disparate worlds and characters that he brought to life at IDW Publishing”, according to a July 22, 2020, IDW press release. The next day, July 23, a second announcement stated that Jud Meyers had been named as Publisher of IDW Publishing, after being Global Sales Director since last August. Four days later, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, IDW CEO Ezra Rosensaft, stated, “IDW Publishing has decided to put Jud Meyers on administrative leave. President Jerry Bennington will assume his responsibilities as interim publisher at this time.” Eleven days after that – on August 7th – IDW made the brief and somewhat cryptic announcement that “IDW Publishing has parted ways with Jud Meyers and would like to thank everyone for their discretion.” This ended Meyers’ tenure as Publisher after a mere sixteen days, reportedly due to the company’s discovery of a lawsuit against Meyers by his former comic shop business partner alleging Meyers’ misappropriation of product and a customer list.
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IDW describes the Publisher position as supervising "strategic business units, integrating product cross-platform programs, establishing product growth initiatives with partners, broadening customer experiences to new platforms, and expanding the company's extensive IP portfolio." Nachie Marsham has done all of that and more. An editor at DC Comics from 2001 to 2008, Marsham moved to Disney Publishing Worldwide where he worked his way up to Executive Editor, a position he held for almost seven years before being hired by IDW. "Working collaboratively to create powerful stories has always been my passion," said Marsham in a September 1 press release. "IDW is home to some of the most beloved IP in the business and I couldn't be more excited to join them in furthering these stories and expanding their creative direction across all platforms." Other recent promotions at the company include Jerry Bennington as President, Rebekah Cahalin as General Manager and Executive Vice President of Operations covering IDW Publishing, and Veronica Brooks as Vice President of Creative Affairs.
IDW (Idea and Designs Works) was founded in 1999 by Ted Adams, Robbie Robbins, Alex Garner, and Kris Oprisko as an outsource art and graphic design firm. Although they didn’t originally plan to publish comics, the nascent company took a chance publishing an art book by illustrator Ashley Wood and the comic 30 Days of Night by writer Steve Niles and artist Ben Templesmith. Twenty years later, the publisher has grown into “one of the top four publishers of comic books and graphic novels in the U.S.”, according to the company’s site, having found a solid niche in licensing properties such as Star Trek, CSI, Sony's Underworld, Metal Gear Solid, Speed Racer, Transformers, G.I. Joe and Doctor Who.
Only time will tell what the future holds for the publisher, but with talent like Nachie Marsham at the helm, IDW is one to watch.
