Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment Lays Off Multiple Employees Amid Comic Industry Crisis
More signs of problems are hitting the comic book industry as Robert Kirkman’s imprint of Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment, is confirmed as having laid off at least two personnel.
The comic book industry has been in massive trouble for the last couple of years. Reports are that sales were slumping, DC Comics decided to go “all in” to try to revitalize sales, and we’ve seen small publishers like IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios and Valiant made cuts to their lines, signaling a massive slowdown in sales even as comic shops were struggling already.
Compounding these problems was the bankruptcy of Diamond Comics Distributors last year, after delaying multiple shipments during the crucial holiday season, where they failed to pay out millions of dollars to companies that shipped products. It’s put the future of many small comic publishers in jeopardy.
Skybound Entertainment made waves in the comic industry over the last couple of years by taking over the licenses to G.I. Joe and Transformers after Hasbro yanked them from IDW Publishing upon Heather Antos taking over as their head of licensing. The company rebooted both franchises with very popular titles that fans have been saying are one of the few bright spots in the industry in recent years.
The company is owned by Robert Kirkman as an I.P. farm, with several of his own offerings being published through the group including The Walking Dead and Invincible, which have become streaming shows. Creators submit to Skybound and unlike most of Image Comics, Skybound actually keeps the rights to everything produced there in an attempt to get them made into other media.
While it looked like things are going well for the company, apparently the recent sales slumps and Diamond issues caused problems for Skybound as well. Bleeding Cool reported multiple layoffs at the company, and they’ve confirmed two names who have been removed.
The first is Patrick Coyne, their games marketing manager and former social media producer, who’s been at the company for more than two years.
He posted to LinkedIn:
Hello friends, family, and extended LinkedIn network!!!
I was recently affected by the layoffs at Skybound, and now must painfully add the hashtag#OpenToWork banner back to my profile picture. It's a banner many of us have worn from time to time. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but it is, of course, a DRAG.
That being said - I am excited to target my next role in games marketing and/or social media content creation and strategy. I'm extremely proud to tout my experience at Skybound Entertainment, 100 Thieves, and Team Liquid in roles that flex my abilities as a marketing strategist, content creator, and expert on all things games, entertainment, and new media.
I will also be taking some of the downtime to work on my own content (www.insertcoyne.com), which may also mean (dare I say it), some LinkedIn video posts! 😲
Kindly drop me a line if you have any relevant opportunities you'd like to discuss, or even just to catch up (my schedule just opened up BIG TIME🤪).
I know there have been a lot of posts like this floating around in my industry and the adjacent industries, so thank you for reading mine, and thank you in advance for any and all support you are able to offer! Talk soon!
Guillermo Cummings was also confirmed to be laid off from the company, listing himself as a director of social media and strategy. His post to LinkedIn reads:
Hey everyone, I just got laid off from Skybound and I don't want to wait to start my search for a new role in social.
I have 12+ years experience in social, especially sports & entertainment social, having been:
Social Media Manager for WWE's NXT brand
Digital Producer at Walt Disney World
Social Community Manager at Top Rank Boxing
Digital Producer for all things WWE on FOX at FOX Sports
Sr. Social Media Manager for G4 TV at Comcast
Director of Social at Skybound
I love social, I love marketing, I love to work.
When asked about the situation, Skybound’s PR manager simply said the positions were no longer needed but wouldn’t elaborate as to whether these comic book industry crises have impacted the company.
What do you think of layoffs occurring at Skybound Entertainment? Leave a comment and let us know.
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Heather Antos is one of the most toxic and dangerous feminist's out there. Everyone should avoid using her if their goal is success. If it's to prompted teh woke feminist agenda then she's your feminist.
Feminism is societal cancer