Platinum adds Widmaier, eyes web

Platinum Studios, the movie studio/GN development house, has added William Widmaier as president of new media;

Former Earthlink exec William Widmaier has been appointed president of New Media for Platinum Studios to expand the studio’s presence online.

“William has the perfect blend of experience for where Platinum is heading in terms of online expansion with our library of 3,600 comic properties,â€? said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios. “In fact, I agree with Sky Dayton’s description,â€? said Rosenberg commenting on EarthLink founder/chairman Sky Dayton’s recent description of Widmaier, “William is one of those marketing gurus you hear about. The kind you hope your competition doesn’t have.â€?

The rest of the press release—which you can read in the jump—makes it clear that Platinum is jumping on the webcomics bandwagon. Actually, that ties in with a surprising troika of folks interviewed over at Joey Manley’s blog — a three way convo between Manley, Scott Kurtz and Platinum head Scott Rosenberg:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
In this podcast transcript, Rosenberg drops enough hints to build a summer house:

SR: You mean the electronic comics, is that what you’re talking about?… the ones with audio/video and moving images? I’m happy to send you guys a backdoor link … we actually have made them, and are in production. We’re going to launch them at the appropriate time. The comics, we’ve made some strong decisions about how we want to launch them. So we’re going to do that when we’re ready. We’ve never solicited with Diamond saying we’re going to be shipping something on x date so there’s been no letting down the stores, or taking money out of other publisher’s pockets. We’ve been pretty deliberate in our actions. And in 2000, when we first thought that the web would go to where the web is now, we were planning certain things, and a couple of years later, now that it is where it is now, we are waiting for where it needs to be, and all those numbers are real, we know exactly what we need to do.

And here’s the rest of the Widmaier PR:

Widmaier will use his unique blend of experience in the online, entertainment and animation industries and his talents in entrepreneurship, team building and marketing to guide Platinum Studios in its upcoming ventures in new media. Widmaier, formerly vp of marketing and market development at EarthLink, played a critical role during EarthLink’s expansion, taking the company through its extraordinary growth, national expansion and a successful IPO.

A vet of more than 40 film campaigns and a Hollywood Reporter Key Art Award winner for his work for the American Film Institute, Widmaier founded and ran two advertising agencies, including one of the first Macintosh-based agencies and design studios in Los Angeles. Widmaier was president of Point Vantage, a multi-million-dollar e-commerce company. Widmaier is also an award-winning producer, receiving a Gold Aurora Award and a WorldFest Silver Star for the animated series, THE KELLYS, with Nancy Cartwright’s Sportsblast, as well as a feature film screenwriter.

Platinum Studios (www.platinumstudios.com) adapts and produces its massive library of characters for film, television and all other media. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Rosenberg founded Platinum Studios in 1997, following a career in the comicbook industry as creator/head of Malibu Comics, which he sold amidst other offers to Ronald Perelman of Marvel Comics. Platinum Studios’ library contains more than 3,800 characters and a full range of genres and styles.