Platinum Studios Nabs Sean O'Reilly
as Platinum Studios Comics Publisher and Head of Animation October 8th, 2007
Deal includes an option to acquire Arcana Studios
LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 8, 2007 -Platinum Studios, Inc., an entertainment company that controls one of the world's largest independent libraries of comic book characters, announced today that it has retained Sean O'Reilly, editor in chief of Arcana Studios, to become publisher of Platinum Studios Comics and head of Platinum Studios' animation efforts across digital and film platforms.
"Sean is a comic creator, a publisher, and an entrepreneur -that makes him incredibly knowledgeable and valuable to Platinum Studios," said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Chairman and CEO of Platinum Studios, Inc. "In a very short period of time, Sean has delivered a fantastic track record of finding and developing great content. In addition, his keen eye values content for its cross marketability and financial opportunities."
As a lifelong fan of comic books, O'Reilly's dream was to become a comic book creator and in 2004, he realized that dream by creating Arcana Studios. In one year, O'Reilly took his company from a one-person operation in his basement to one of Canada's largest comic book publishers. O'Reilly's artistic vision, paired with an innate ability to spot talent, has delivered quick success as nearly all of the Arcana titles have been translated and distributed throughout the world. O'Reilly's imagination proved boundless as his small company won The 2004 Shuster Award for Outstanding Publisher, as voted by both retailers and readers. Arcana Studios was also nominated for a Harvey Award in its first year of operation, a feat unheard of in the quarter century tenure of the award.
"When I started Arcana Studios, I was hoping that I would be able to create great comic books, sell them around the world and license them for films, television and merchandise," said O'Reilly. "However, after dealing with many companies in that space, I realized that I needed to partner with a much larger organization to fully realize my dream and I found that with the team at Platinum Studios."
In a very short time, O'Reilly has propelled Arcana to the forefront of the independent comic book scene with titles such as KADE, ClockWork Girl, 100 Girls, Assassin, American Wasteland, Ezra, Darwin's Curse and GearHead. Also in its short time, Arcana has become an official Disney vendor and has worked with CapCom, Jet Black Games, UpperDeck, SpikeTV, Propoganda Games and A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games and the Arcana comic, KADE, has been seen in HBO's "Entourage."
O'Reilly will take on the duties of publisher, a newly created position, of Platinum Studios Comics, which so far this year has published Hero by Night, KISS 4K, Unique, Nightfall, The Weapon, Ghosting, Consumed, Red Mantis and Blood Nation. Atlantis Rising, Unique TPB, Hero By Night TPB and Incursion are due out by year's end. In addition, O'Reilly will spearhead the company's efforts in film and television animation as well animation for the web and mobile downloads.
O'Reilly received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. Canada in 1997. In 1999, O'Reilly graduated with his Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. and completed his Master of Science at the University of Oregon in 2002.
About Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios controls one of the world's largest independent libraries of comic book characters which it adapts, produces and licenses for all forms of media including print, film, online, mobile / wireless, gaming, and merchandising. Platinum Studios' library contains more than 3,800 characters spanning a full range of genres and styles, and also includes properties such as www.DrunkDuck.com, the industry's preeminent Web comics community. Working with leading companies in the entertainment and new media sectors, Platinum is a recognized leader in the creation of new content across all media platforms. Platinum Studios - Comics Fueling Media EVERYWHERE!
Platinum Studios Safe Harbor Statement
Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "may," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein.. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of Platinum Studios and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting Platinum Studios and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by Platinum Studios.
