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Sharad Devarajan

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Sharad Devarajan
BornMarch 6, 1975
New York, USA
Websitewww.liquidcomics.com
www.graphicindia.com

Sharad Devarajan is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Liquid Comics LLC,[1] a digital entertainment company that uses the medium of graphic novel storytelling to develop original content for various digital platforms, publishing, theatrical live-action films, animation and games. Devarajan is also the co-founder and CEO of the recently formed Graphic India Pte. Ltd., which he co-founded with CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of Peter Chernin's The Chernin Group, LLC. Graphic India, is focused on launching characters, heroes and stories that tap into the unique creativity and culture of India but appeal to audiences worldwide. In the same way the West has created superheroes or Japan launched anime.[2]

Prior to Graphic India, Devarajan was the co-founder, chief executive officer and publisher of Virgin Comics LLC and Virgin Animation Pvt. Ltd, a set of companies he co-founded with Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, acclaimed author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and entrepreneurs Gotham Chopra and Suresh Seetharaman. Mr. Devarajan led a management buyout of Virgin Comics and renamed the company, Liquid Comics.[3]

Devarajan is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia Business School[4] where he teaches, Media Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Transmedia & Transcreation: How Technology and Globalization are Transforming Media, and Virtual Reality & the Future of Storytelling. He also co-teaches the class, Just Capitalism & Cause Driven Marketing, with author Deepak Chopra, and teaches

At Liquid Comics, Devarajan built a studio of artists and writers to create a new wave of mythic character properties in comics, games, animation and live-action films. Devarajan has also created entertainment products with acclaimed filmmakers, actors and musicians including John Woo,[5] Guy Ritchie,[6] Edward Burns,[7] Nicolas Cage,[8] Barry Sonnenfeld,[9][10] and Wes Craven.

Mr. Devarajan is also a Producer / Executive Producer on a number of theatrical live-action film projects based on the companies’ comic properties including, the film adaptation of Gamekeeper with director Guy Ritchie,[11] The Leaves with Summit Entertainment.,[12] Ramayan 3392 A.D with Mandalay Entertainment,[13] Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens, with director Barry Sonnenfeld and producer Arnold Rifkin[14] and a creator of Ani-Max and First Family, two television shows in development with FremantleMedia Enterprises.[15]

In 2013, Devarajan worked with Stan Lee to create a new Indian superhero, Chakra the Invincible and was the director and executive producer of an animated film based on the character which launched on Cartoon Network.[16] Chakra the Invincible was also selected as one of the first wave of third party content to be launched from Rovio Entertainment worldwide through the Angry Birds app's ToonsTV platform.[17]

In digital entertainment, Devarajan worked with Batman comic book writer, Grant Morrison as executive producer and co-writer on Graphic India's digital web series, 18-Days,[18] which is a modern reinvention of the epic Indian myth, Mahabharata. Devarajan also worked with filmmaker John Woo and Tiger Hill, as executive producer on the animated web series, “Seven Brothers,”[19] which premiered on YouTube's, Machinima channel.

In 2011, Devarajan worked with the estate of Elvis Presley to launch a book, Graphic Elvis, which he served as editor and co-author of and which was released on the 35th anniversary of Elvis's death.[20] As part of the creation of the book, Devarajan was granted access to many of Elvis's personal writings and notes in how many books at Graceland which were featured for the first time in the book.

In 2010, through Liquid Comics, Devarajan partnered with the Open Hands Initiative, to bring together a group of American and Middle Eastern students with disabilities to work together and create a new superhero that reflected their shared challenges and shared values.[21] The superhero, “Silver Scorpion”, received worldwide acclaim for promoting advocacy for the rights of the disabled in the Middle East and was launched as a digital web series on MTV Voices. President Bill Clinton honored the students at the Clinton Global Initiative, stating that the comic book “will help to establish trust and understanding between cultures, to empower young people with disabilities.”[22]

Previously, Devarajan was also the co-founder, president and CEO of Gotham Entertainment Group, South Asia's leading comic book publisher. Mr. Devarajan was instrumental in securing and launching the South Asian publishing program for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. introducing the South Asian market to such notable comic magazines including Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Hulk, and X-Men. In 2004, Devarajan worked with Marvel Comics to reinvent the Spider-Man character as an Indian boy growing up in Mumbai. Unlike traditional translations of western comic magazines, the new series, Spider-Man: India was heralded as the industry's first “transcreation” where instead of a literal translation for a foreign market, the character was "trans-created" into an Indian boy named Pavitr Prabhakar living in Mumbai.

References

  1. ^ "About Us". Liquid Comics. May 6, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "About Us". GraphicPop. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  3. ^ "Liquid Comics Buys Out Virgin Comics". Newsarama. September 24, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  4. ^ "Columbia Business School Directory : Detail : Sharad Devarajan". Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  5. ^ Gardner, Chris (July 13, 2006). "Virgin Comics woos Woo". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Graser, Marc (July 26, 2007). "Guy Ritchie to direct 'Gamekeeper'". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Fleming, Michael (July 26, 2007). "Ed Burns, Virgin pact on 'Walloper'". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  8. ^ https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003646.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 [dead link]
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 10, 2011). "How Would Aliens Fare Against Dinosaurs? Barry Sonnenfeld Aims To Find Out". Deadline. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Bhushan, Nya (July 24, 2010). "Craven to create graphic novel for Liquid". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. ^ Graser, Marc (July 26, 2007). "Guy Ritchie to direct 'Gamekeeper'". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "Summit rakes up 'The Leaves' - Entertainment News, Comic Book Biz, Media - Variety". www.variety.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-27.
  13. ^ "Kelman tapped to adapt 'Ramayan 3392 AD'". 8 October 2011.
  14. ^ https://www.imdb.com/news/ni10481134/>
  15. ^ "Fremantle dives in with Liquid Comics - Entertainment News, Los Angeles, Media - Variety". www.variety.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26.
  16. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (October 16, 2013). "Stan Lee's Indian Superhero 'Chakra' To Debut On Cartoon Network In South Asia". Deadline. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  17. ^ Holdsworth, Nick (September 25, 2013). "Rovio Announces Second Season of 'Angry Birds Toons' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  18. ^ Bhushan, Nyay (July 22, 2013). "Comic-Con: Grant Morrison to Launch Indian Animated Series on YouTube". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  19. ^ Bhushan, Nyay (December 20, 2011). "John Woo Launches Animated Web Series 'Seven Brothers' with Liquid Comics (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  20. ^ Truitt, Brian (July 17, 2011). "'Graphic Elvis' illustrates The King's love of comics". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  21. ^ McCormack, Claire (March 8, 2011). "Can a Disabled Muslim Comic-Book Superhero Save the World?". Time. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  22. ^ Bhushan, Nyay (April 25, 2012). "U.S.-Syrian Superhero "Silver Scorpion" Debuts as MTV Web Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  1. ^ Overdorf, Jason (July 25, 2004). "A MULTICULTURAL WEB". Newsweek. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Fleming, Michael (July 23, 2009). "Fremantle dives in with Liquid Comics". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
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