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What's going on with Wizard?

Started by AlexH,

23 posts in this topic

AlexH

AlexH

Posted
Posted

Here is an interesting story from Newsarama:

 

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=80484

 

"Less than a week after their Wizard World: Chicago convention, which the company touted as the most successful Chicago event to date, the Wizard Entertainment Group has fired two of their senior convention staffers – including long-time company employee Stewart Morales. A familiar face to industry insiders and convention goers, Morales was Director of Sales of Wizard’s magazine operations until July of 2005, when he was named Director/Strategic Planning and Marketing for Wizard Conventions, Inc, the title he held until his termination.

 

Also let go last week was Gabe Fieramosco, Manager of Business Development for Wizard Conventions, Inc., whose responsibilities reportedly included talent acquisition and relations, including the management of the convention’s “Artist Alley”.

 

Confirming Morales and Fieramosco were “no longer with the company”, though not confirming the “terms or reasons of their departure”, Wizard Entertainment’s Associate Publisher Rob Felton told Newsarama their departures are “completely unrelated” to this month’s Wizard World: Chicago event, despite coming just a few days after completion of the con.

 

”It’s normal business cycle stuff,” said Felton. “Nothing to do what happened in Chicago and we had a great show there.”

 

Early last week Wizard reported the convention “exceeded attendance expectations”, and drew a record 58k attendees, a claim met with some skepticism from exhibitors and attendees.

 

Felton could not comment on whom would be assuming Morales and Fieramosco’s responsibilities on their convention staff.

 

These firings come on the heels of the lay-offs of seven employees from various offices across Wizard’s publishing holdings in late May, including editors of various magazine publications like Inquest and Anime Insider. According to a source close to the situation, the employees terminated were told the last employees hired were the first being let go and that their lay-offs were based on “revenue issues”.

 

Speaking for Wizard, Felton told Newsarama those lay-offs were “completely unrelated” to this past week’s changes to their convention staff and were part of a, “restructuring on the publishing side of our business.”

 

”Normal, mid-year, business cycle kind of thing,” Felton described. “No evidence of weakness on anyone’s behalf. We’re actually looking to bring some more people in a variety of different positions. So you know, you just move jobs around. We’re a company with a lot of moving parts, sometimes you need more people in this area, or less in different parts of the company.”

 

Those lay-offs came just a few months after the Wizard Entertainment Group’s upper management went through a structural change, with Jim Silver being named Publisher, and Felton - the previous VP of Business Development - assuming his Associate Publisher role.

 

Despite Chicago’s reported record attendance, and Felton’s statement that Morales and Fieramosco’s departure were unrelated to the show, the last twelve months have been a turbulent time Wizard’s convention business. Wizard announced it attracted 8,800 attendees to an inaugural New England show in Boston last fall but a second scheduled show for 2006 was eventually cancelled, although Wizard maintained it was not due to attendance but the cost of putting on a con in Boston.

 

The company also took a public relations hit last summer when Wizard staffers informed exhibitors at 2005’s San Diego Comic-Con Wizard was launching an Atlanta show for early summer 2006, scheduled on the same weekend as long-time Charlotte, North Carolina show Heroes Con.

 

Wizard came under intense criticism and scrutiny by industry websites, blogs, and fans for the scheduling, and many members of the creative community threw their support behind Heroes Con and encouraged fans and their fellow creators to do likewise. After initially refuting they had finalized a schedule for the same weekend, and then according to Heroes Con organizer Shelton Drum, offering him incentives to move the dates of his show, Wizard eventually canceled the 2006 Atlanta show and announced it would launch in 2007, although no firm ’07 date has been announced by the company.

 

Asked if he could confirm a date of a 2007 show, Felton told Newsarama he had no comment on this subject as this time.

 

Whatever the reason for this week’s firings, Wizard is under increasing scrutiny by industry insiders regarding the performance of their conventions.

 

Several exhibitors at this past year’s Wizard conventions as well as regular convention goers who declined to speak for the record have expressed skepticism that the shows actually drew the attendance figures Wizard has subsequently announced, based not only on observation of comparative indicators like lines to enter the halls, and the number of exhibitors and fans on the con floors, but also revenue generated by exhibitors compared to historical figures.

 

Wizard World: Chicago’s floorplan has also been a matter of some scrutiny from some long-time Wizard World exhibitors, due to various issues regarding the placement of the booths of some relatively new exhibitors.

 

Look for more details regarding this story when they are available."

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DKB

DKB

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Its just...I can't...

 

I've gone so long buying all kinds of moders and all kinds of old books, and I've never once been impacted by Wizard. So I guess I have issues understanding why they are such a "force", and why their staffing changes make the industry news pages.

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comic_lot

comic_lot

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They should fire the person who writes the up the price guide.

 

They use a chimp gossip.gif

 

...any idea what they pay?... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif...I might know one that's interested,...

 

Maybe then my Lancelot Link collection will get the respect it deserves.

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Carnage

Carnage

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I don't go to Wizard's conventions and their price guide isn't that accurate (if at all), but I actually enjoy the rest of the magazine. There's not a lot of other places you can read articles by people w/ the same enthusiasm for comics.

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langur88

langur88

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They should fire the person who writes the up the price guide.

 

How about the guy who scheduled next years Philly show for Fathers Day weekend? When I was handed the 2007 dates at this years show I quipped to the Wizard rep that it was Fathers Day weekend. He said "No it's not". We did that before and it didn't work. Oh. Okay. foreheadslap.gif

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drbanner

drbanner

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How about the guy who scheduled next years Philly show for Fathers Day weekend? When I was handed the 2007 dates at this years show I quipped to the Wizard rep that it was Fathers Day weekend. He said "No it's not". We did that before and it didn't work. Oh. Okay. foreheadslap.gif

 

They scheduled the Philly show the exact same weekend as Heroes Con for 2007... foreheadslap.gif

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langur88

langur88

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How about the guy who scheduled next years Philly show for Fathers Day weekend? When I was handed the 2007 dates at this years show I quipped to the Wizard rep that it was Fathers Day weekend. He said "No it's not". We did that before and it didn't work. Oh. Okay. foreheadslap.gif

 

They scheduled the Philly show the exact same weekend as Heroes Con for 2007... foreheadslap.gif

 

foreheadslap.gifforeheadslap.gif

 

That makes two shows that many will stay away from.

 

There will always be another comic book show but you only get one mom and dad.

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