One of the biggest jobs in comics just got filled, as Boom has announced their new editor in chief – and here is the announcement of the following additions to their editorial team.
Andy Schmidt will be joining BOOM! Studios as their new Editor-in-Chief, starting on April 7th.
Andy has a long and wide-ranging history in the comics industry, starting his career as an editor at Marvel where he helped manage projects such as The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy before they were made into the blockbuster films. He was senior editor at IDW Publishing where he was credited for the successful relaunch of comics for licensed franchises TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, and STAR TREK. Andy spent two years at Hasbro, Inc, the 4th largest entertainment licensing company in the world, as Director of IP Development and Brand Design. During his career, Andy also founded and led COMICS EXPERIENCE, creating and teaching courses to train the next generation of comic book creators, while also running his own publishing and printing business. Andy comes to BOOM! with a wealth of experience, creative vision, and contacts throughout the creative community. In his role, Andy will lead the editorial team, help formulate and execute BOOM!’s overall publishing strategy and provide guidance and vision for the creative output of each of BOOM!’s four imprints. Andy will report to Bryce Carlson, Deputy Publisher.
Lily Kessinger has joined BOOM! Studios in the position of Editor. With ten years of editorial experience, Lily brings with her to BOOM! a varied set of talents and skills across a variety of genres. Lily began her career with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, where she was a key contributor to the development and launch of HMH’s graphic novel imprint, Etch. During that time, she also sat on the Graphic Novel Committee of the Children’s Book Council. She then worked at Clarion Books, a division of HarperCollins, where she honed her editorial skills on critically acclaimed fiction and graphic novels. We are excited to have her talents and expertise at BOOM! Lily will report to Andy Schmidt, Editor-in-Chief.
Olivia Dontsov has joined BOOM! Studios as their new Managing Editor. Olivia comes from Astra Publishing House in New York, where she managed projects and quality control across both their children’s and adult divisions. During her time at Astra, Olivia was instrumental in developing the key processes that kept books on schedule, on time, and on budget. Working across departments and disciplines, she brings a keen understanding of the needs and expectations of the various departments that contribute to creating books. Her passion for our industry is evident from the work she has done with The Bronx Is Reading, including panels and reading groups. Olivia brings deep experience and skill to one of the most important roles in the publishing process, the studio is thrilled to welcome her aboard. Olivia will report to Stephanie Lazarski, Director of Operations.
In additional BOOM! studios news there is also promotions in order!
Josh Hayes is promoted to VP, Consumer & Sales Marketing. Josh joined BOOM! in January of 2022, and quickly established himself as the go-to resource for BOOM!’s retail and distribution partners. Building upon relationships he made during his 15 years working at Diamond Distributors, Josh is a well-known and highly respected member of the publishing community. His expertise has guided BOOM! through a time of massive change in the industry, while simultaneously helping BOOM!’s direct to consumer business evolve. Recently Josh has taken on a key role in the transition to PRH’s sales team. In his new and expanded role, Josh will oversee BOOM!’s sales support, marketing, and publicity teams, ensuring that each book has an opportunity to shine and succeed. Josh continues to report to Michael Kelly, Publisher.
Ash Troub is promoted to Senior Associate, Special Projects. Ash joined the BOOM! Studios team in mid-2021 with a primary focus on direct-to-consumer support. Over the last four years, she’s moved into the lead role of managing BOOM!’s webstore presence, improving the customer service flow on their crowdfunded projects, becoming a key contributor to live events, and taking on the metadata management in the digital space. In the past year, Ash has been an essential collaborator with BOOM!’s integration into PRH. BOOM! is very excited to expand her role in the crowdfunding space and in improving their metadata process where she can continue to develop their interactions with outside partners. Ash will report to Josh Hayes, VP, Consumer & Sales Marketing.
Lastly but not least, Austin Yi is promoted to Associate, Sales focusing on foreign rights. After joining BOOM! Studios in January of 2023 as a Sales Assistant, Austin immediately outperformed his role and has been instrumental in BOOM!’s solicitation process as well as their customer service team. In his new role, Austin will be handling all aspects of foreign rights, an area in which his attention to detail and dedication to process management will be key. Austin will report to Josh Hayes, VP, Consumer & Sales Marketing.
Congratulations to Andy, Lily, Olivia to joining BOOM! and also Congrats to Josh, Ash, and Austin on their new roles within BOOM!
