{"id":16519,"date":"2019-05-08T11:26:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T16:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/popculturenetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=16519"},"modified":"2019-05-08T11:26:17","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T16:26:17","slug":"lion-forge-merges-with-oni-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/popculturenetwork.com\/wordpress\/2019\/05\/08\/lion-forge-merges-with-oni-press\/","title":{"rendered":"LION FORGE MERGES WITH ONI PRESS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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POLARITY ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT AND MERGER OF ONI PRESS AND LION FORGE<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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ST. LOUIS, MO | PORTLAND, OR \u2014 Lion Forge (St. Louis) and Oni Press (Portland) announce a merger which will set the two companies on a path to becoming the premier destination for original graphic storytelling, gaming, entertainment, and more.\u00a0Polarity, the parent company of Lion Forge, will become the majority owner of the new combined entity, with James Lucas Jones serving as president and publisher and the ONI team leading creative and business operations.<\/p>\n

The combination of the two companies creates a leading industry player focused on creator-owned, cutting-edge licensed partnerships and original content.\u00a0\u00a0Both companies are renowned for engaging diverse and under-served audiences.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe want to build on our strength as a go-to destination for creators, grow our culture as an employee-first organization, and reinforce our commitment to our industry partners and friends,\u201d said James Lucas Jones.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIn an increasingly competitive marketplace, where the business of comics and graphic novels is rapidly evolving, this merger is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our two companies to pool our resources for one goal: to create the finest comics and graphic novels for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the team at Oni has built over the past 20 years is not only remarkable, but aspirational\u201d says David Steward II, CEO of Polarity, and co-founder of Lion Forge. \u201cWhen we first approached Joe (Nozemack), James, and Charlie (Chu) about the idea of working together, we hoped it would be a natural fit, as our shared mission is to bring diverse content to a global audience. The more we spoke, the more the relationship evolved to the point that we knew our combined experience and resources would align to achieve that goal and advance our unique position in the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exciting partnership promises to supercharge Oni\u2019s efforts in navigating all facets of media and gaming, with publishing and advocating for creators still at the core of our values,\u201d says Charlie Chu, EVP of creative and business development. \u201cAs always, we are committed to working with a vibrant and diverse roster of creators and being the best partner in comics, graphic novels, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deal, which streamlines and concentrates the editorial, marketing, production and operations in Portland, OR, was orchestrated by Polarity president, Edward Hamati, who oversees administration and corporate development for Polarity.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOver the last year, we at Polarity have been significantly focused on review and enhancement of the portfolio.\u00a0\u00a0We put a premium on alignment of talent and objectives. We were very impressed with the culture established at Oni, which continues with James, Charlie, Sarah (Gaydos) and Margot (Wood) leading the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of this transition, Joe Nozemack is stepping down as president and will move to a board and advisory role with the company.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe wanted to respect the legacy of Joe\u2019s efforts as founder, and we value his partnership,\u201d says Hamati.<\/p>\n

\u201cOni Press was started with the mission to publish comics and graphic novels that would appeal to a diverse group of readers and broaden the audience for the medium. 20 years later, I couldn’t be prouder of the books we’ve published and the wide array of new readers and creators who have joined our community,\u201d says Oni founder, Joe Nozemack. \u201cIt was obvious from our first meeting that the Polarity\/Lion Forge team had these same passions and goals as the Oni Press team. And I have complete faith that the pairing of the two is going to continue that mission to make sure that there is an authentic and inspiring comic book for any and everyone who wants to join the comic-book faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s sentiments are echoed by Sarah Gaydos, who will be serving as editor in chief of the new company.\u00a0\u201cWith our ability to target and develop talent, first-rate editorial guardianship and production of books, and sales and marketing expertise under HarperCollins alum Margot Wood, we’ll be getting incredible, inclusive comics into even more hands. We will be\u00a0the\u00a0<\/em>destination for creators who are looking for our high level of editorial curation,\u201d<\/p>\n

From an entertainment perspective, Oni\u2019s current entertainment efforts (\u201cOni Entertainment\u201d) were established to champion creator-owned properties in other media and the Hollywood market.\u00a0\u00a0These efforts will bring significant value to the combined entity\u2019s portfolio and commitment to supporting creator-owned content.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSince we founded Lion Forge, we have always had ambitions around character development and the search for new audiences \u2013 this deal will enhance our brands and efforts in that direction,\u201d says Lion Forge co-founder, Carl Reed.<\/p>\n

Additional information on the companies\u2019 respective output and consolidation will be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

POLARITY ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT AND MERGER OF ONI PRESS AND LION FORGE ST. LOUIS, MO | PORTLAND, OR \u2014 Lion Forge (St. Louis) and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[17,16],"tags":[226,117,596],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/popculturenetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/2019-05-08.png.jpg?fit=1101%2C618","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17632,"url":"http:\/\/popculturenetwork.com\/wordpress\/2019\/07\/08\/oni-press-announces-signings-and-programming-at-comic-con-international\/","url_meta":{"origin":16519,"position":0},"title":"ONI PRESS ANNOUNCES SIGNINGS AND PROGRAMMING AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL","author":"DiRT","date":"July 8, 2019","format":"image","excerpt":"The Portland Publisher Announces Full Slate of Signings and Programming at SDCC 2019 Two weeks ahead of the doors opening to preview night at Comic-Con International 2019, Oni Press reveals a full slate of signings, exclusives, and programming at this year\u2019s convention. 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