Website

Do you write the website articles / posts yourself?

Truthfully, not much.  However I read most of which gets posted.

Do you respond to emails personally?

Yes, but not often the same day. The best way to assure a quick response is to include full contact info such as cell phone number.

Consulting & Employment

Could We Hire You as an Employee? Could We Hire You as a Consultant?

Maybe. Call or email me.

Do You Only Work Remotely?

No.  I can relocate for the right opportunities.  For example, we lived in Mexico during the start up of the tequila business.  So if you’re wondering about NYC or California?  No Problem.

VC & Finance FAQ

Will you Invest in My Company / Can I send You a Prospectus?

I’ve never invested with a company that I wasn’t involved with as an insider.  As a entrepreneur it’s very hard for me to be a “Silent Partner.”  If I see an opportunity that’s being missed I like to get involved in capitalizing on it in more than just a “Heads Up” manner.

Can You Raise Money for My Company?

That depends mostly on the company.  Companies with real sales and assets are always easier to raise money for than concept companies.  Raising money based on a concept would require  a revolutionary, scalable and legally protected concept.

Can You Take My Company Public?

If your company can qualify for an IPO – Yes.  There’s a lot to know about the process though, and there are hard costs.  If you have no money and no sales, it’s not the time to go public.  Despite what some people might tell you, it actually takes a lot more than an idea to go public.

How Can I Raise Money For My Company?

Any company can sell shares of their own stock.  You don’t need to be “Public” to sell shares.  You don’t need a broker, exchange listing or a prospectus.  You just need the gumption to go share your ideas.

Very often unscrupulous people in the finance industry throw around fancy terms and rule numbers in order to create their own value or importance to a deal.  The most common words they throw around are “Private Placement”, “501 Offering” “144 Stock Sale” and “Reg D Exemption”.  The other big term thrown around which is a complete misnomer is “Pre-IPO Stock Sale.”  You have to be very wary of folks firing off these investment terms.  There are many ways for you to get hurt that you may not be aware of until it’s too late.

I Know a Guy That Says He Can Take Me Public on the Pink Sheets with a Reverse Merger, What Do You Think?

There are many ways to raise money.  One is by going public whether it be an IPO or a Reverse Merger, but doing it on the Pink Sheets is not something I wold advise.  Reverse mergers also comes with tremendous baggage, and the industry that specializes in reverse mergers is rife with folks that are less than honest.  I’m not a reverse merger fan.  If you pick the apple off the tree you know it’s fresh.

Tequila FAQ

Where is Voodoo Tiki Tequila Made?

All tequila is made in the Tequila Region of Mexico.  If it’s the same recipe, but made outside the tequila region it’s called Mezcal.  Tequila is like champagne in the sense that to called “champagne” the product must come from the Champagne region of France, otherwise it’s “Sparkling Wine.”  So All Tequilas are Mezcals, but not all Mezcals are Tequilas.  Confused?  Go get an official and personalized Voodoo Tiki Tequila University Diploma here

I Have a Bar or Restaurant and Want To Carry Voodoo Tiki Tequila.  Or I’m a Customer and I Want to Buy Bottles of Voodoo Tiki.  Where Do I Get It?

Call Toll Free 1-VoodooTiki (1-866-366-8454) right now and they’ll help you.

Can Your Tequila Sponsor My______________?

I don’t handle that, but here’s the best way to go forward.  Send a personal email describing your project to Marketing@VoodooTiki.com.  Do not include attachments, and do not call.  Don’t send “Shot gun” style emails that you fire to a million potential sponsors.  Very important – Think before you send the email.  Does the venue sell liquor?  Do they currently sell Voodoo Tiki Tequila?  Is Voodoo Tiki even available in that country, city or state? Spend some time online, especially on the Voodoo Tiki Website and get to know the brand before asking us for money.

I Want to Distribute Your Tequila in______________.  How Do I Get Started?

If you’re already a distributor, call 1-VoodooTiki (1-866-366-8454).  If you’re looking to get started in liquor sales or distribution send an email describing your ideas and experience to the company.

Entertainment FAQ

Can I Send you/Superverse a Script for a Comic/Indie Film/Animation Concept?

I only use Superverse to publish and market my own projects, so that probably wouldn’t help you in any way.   It was never created to be a grandiose “Universe” style company or a publisher of various genres or licensed property.    I wanted to create one book – Zoom Suit, so I created Superverse as the business entity for that project.  Nothing more.

Do You Own Crossgen and Valiant?

No. I bid on those companies in bankruptcy sales, but didn’t acquire either.  Crossgen was acquired by Disney for $1,000,000.  They outbid me, and Classic Media.   I won the Valiant auction, but the trustee had neglected to properly protect some of the trademarks, so I walked away from the deal rather than spend two years fighting in court.    Some websites initially reported that I had won the auction, but then never told the rest of the story  so Valiant in particular is a fairly common misconception.

Sean Chen Art. There was a “Movie Poster” Cover Variant for Each Issue.  This was the Issue #2 Movie Variant.

How Did You Get________________to Draw Your Comic Covers?

I approached them either at a trade show, or by phone or email and asked if they would be interested in some cover work, and what would they charge for a cover image.   Yes it really is that simple.  Anyone in business for themselves is always happy for a paying work inquiry.  There’s nothing to be scared or intimidated about in asking.

Do You Do Consulting Work For Comic Companies?  Can I Hire You?  Will You Be My Partner?

As an entrepreneur I’m always interested in business – even when it’s owned by someone else.  Read my bio and if you think I might be a good fit, call or email me.

Do You Own Medi-Kidz?  What is Medi-Kidz?

I Don’t own Medi-Kidz.  I wrote nine issues for the company that owns them.

If you’re unfamiliar with Medi-Kidz they are comic books designed to teach kids about their sicknesses.  The art is by Liquid Studios, the company that used to be Virgin Comics.  I like the project in terms of what it sets out to do, but I was a little unhappy with the heavy-handed editing.  The original concept was to be entertaining first, but I feel often the books come off as “Talking heads.”  However, being a cancer survivor myself, I do support the project regardless of how many of my Nickelodeon style, kid friendly “Gross and Fart” jokes they cut.  You can check out more on Medi-Kidz here.

Are You the Guy that Destroyed the Comic Industry with All Those Special Covers that Marvel Released in the Early 90′s?

Yes. I personally and single handily destroyed the comic book industry.  It’s a plan I’ve been hatching since .I was .  . .er -hatched.  My plan was to sell millions of copies of comics, make Marvel millions of dollars, create a boom in the industry so massive that it would lead to the proliferation of comic shops on every corner, hundreds of successful indie comic books, the rise of dozens of fan favorite creators, and ultimately lead to legitimate 3rd and 4th place large publishers (Image, Valiant etc) because that’s what it takes to destroy an industry.

I then went over to Fleer and repeated the process this time destroying the trading card industry, again utilizing the concept of “Destroying something by making it wildly successful, popular and available in more retail outlets than anytime in it’s history.”  And just when comics began to show signs of life I came back and released Zoom Suit with 229 variant covers.  And I’m warning you, the comic industry better stay down this time or I swear to god, I’ll break out the chromium.

please.

At Marvel I spearheaded and worked on creating marketing programs, advertising and sales incentives.  Many of these programs involved working with many talented people in various departments within the company on projects that involved cover enhancements.  Much of the work of this group resulted in a lot of very cool covers.  Sometimes, not so much (Forceworks #1 with that giant fold out thing at $3.95.  Ouch.)

Cover Art by Bob Layton. Thrid Issue in the 2nd Series.

Some people hate special covers, and that debate will rage forever.  In my humble opinion special covers, marketing, and $3 price points do not kill comic books.  Removing value kills a product – not adding it. When the stories and art that attracted so many reader/collectors to our hobby in the 90s went south, so did the market.  The special covers simply happened to amplify the books that sucked, because that’s what they do.  Marketing is supposed to bring attention to the product. Marketing is an amplifier.  If it’s a good product, marketing makes more people know it’s good, and faster.  If it’s lousy, it will be known as lousy faster, and by more people.

In 90% of the cases in which a comic was heavily marketed, (and received a special cover) there was someone at the company that really . . .really believed in that book.  Important stories, anniversary issues and new series / “Jumping on” points were always good reasons to try to grab a potential reader/collectors attention.

. . .the remaining 10% not so much.  There was thing thing called a volume plan, and an outside consultant that cared far more about numbers than comics.  He would put an embossed metallic foil cover on Mein Kampf if it meant he would make his numbers.  However, that was rare.  In most cases there was someone championing a book for marketing because they really believed in it.

Can You Help Me Market My Comic Company / Comic Book / Indie Film / Web Comic / Etc?

If you email me I can try to answer a few questions, but stuff like, “I wrote a comic.  What do I do now?” isn’t something I can help with.   There’s no magic formula.  Marketing is simple, but not easy and even assuming you have the next Watchmen it’s going to take a lot of “Pounding the pavement”, in a crowded space, with very limited distribution to get folks to know about your work.  Check out the Superverse site, especially the “Retailer Support” area and you’ll be able to steal some good marketing ideas.

How do I get a Comic Retailer to Carry My Comic Book?

For a small press publisher with a single title or two it’s not easy, but you have to find a way to show them that they’ll make money by carrying your title(s).  To do this you have to create demand.  You need comic fans walking into comic shops and asking about your book (and don’t send in your friends as shills – that’s weak.)  When a talented, professional retailer begins to see a new title with some fan presence in his/her shop, and some pre-orders roll in they’ll stop and take a look.  How to get that initial buzz going to get those first few fans walking into shops is a whole other challenge.

Can I Make A Lot of Money Making / Selling Comics?

During my due diligence for the Crossgen auction I got to know Mark Alessi (Crossgen’s Founder / Owner) who used to say, “If you want to make a million dollars in comics start with five million.”  There are easier, and harder ways to make money.  I find most people in the comic business are in it because they love the medium.  The money is secondary.  In my case spending a year on Zoom Suit was a 99% pay cut, and that takes into account that the book actually did better than I expected.  Being an unknown, new writer, I  thought my sales would actually be far worse.

It helps if you can hook up with a company or some like minded people that are trying to accomplish the same goal.  This allows you to amortize costs, share expenses, co-market, share lists and contacts etc.

Whatever happened to the real Zoom Suit costume that I saw at ______ Comic Con?

I’m wearing it right now.  Actually the helmet is on my desk.  I’m surprised the rest is still in one piece after we trucked that thing all over the country.

Dude, I hate you and your shitty comic for selling 50,000 copies.  You suck and your book sucks.  My book is so much better but my issue #1 orders were only 700 copies because you stole all the press.  Your book only sold because you know sales and marketing.  I hope you and all those alternate covers go to Hell.

So?

Uh, so . . .can you help me?  Please?

Maybe, but we may have to polish up your approach, and do some congeniality exercises before we get to the real heavy lifting.