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Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

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For the screenwriter with a similar name, see Scott Rosenberg. For journalist with a similar name, see Scott Rosenberg (journalist).

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Denver
Occupation(s)Producer, publisher
Known forSunrise Distribution
Malibu Comics
Cowboys & Aliens
Platinum Studios

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is an American film, television, and comic book producer. He is the chairman of Platinum Studios, an entertainment company that controls a library of comic-book characters and adapts them for film, television and other media. Through Platinum Studios he is affiliated with Moving Pictures Media Group.[1] He is also the founder and former president of Malibu Comics, and is a former senior executive vice president for Marvel Comics.[2]

As a producer with Platinum Studios, Rosenberg has released films and television programming with Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, MGM, Showtime, and Lions Gate Entertainment. He has also developed film and television with several others including The Walt Disney Company, Time-Warner’s New Line Films, 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Biography

Early career

Rosenberg began his career in the comic-book industry at age 13 when he started a mail order company[3] called Direct Comics.[4]

Rosenberg graduated from the University of Denver.[5]

Sunrise Distribution and Malibu Comics

Main article: Sunrise Distribution

In the mid-1980s, Rosenberg was running the small Commerce, California-based comics distributor Sunrise Distribution. In 1986, income from his distribution business allowed Rosenberg to privately finance a number of independent comics publishers, including Eternity Comics and Malibu Comics.[6] Eternity's first launch, Ex-Mutants, as Rosenberg once said in an interview, "turned out to be a hit" and "all on a $400 marketing budget."[2]

Sunrise began to suffer cash-flow issues in the spring of 1987.[7] At the same time, Rosenberg personally took over his various publishers, shutting most of them down and folding Eternity into Malibu as its primary imprint.[6]

In the summer of 1998, during the "black-and-white implosion,"[citation needed] Sunrise abruptly folded[8] and went out of business. This left a number of small publishers without the cash flow to continue, and they, too, went out of business.[9] Rosenberg turned his focus to Malibu Comics.

Main article: Malibu Comics

During his time at Malibu, Rosenberg led comic spin-offs into toys, television, and feature films, including the billion-dollar film and television franchise Men in Black,[3] based on the Marvel/Malibu comic The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. He also acquired a number of other independent publishers, including Aircel Comics[10] and Adventure Comics,[11] also folding them into Malibu.

In 1992, Rosenberg brokered a deal in which seven top-selling artists defected from Marvel Comics to form Image Comics.[12] Rosenberg signed the artists to a label deal which made Malibu the publisher of record for the first comics from Image, giving the upstart creator-run publisher access to the distribution channels.[13][14] This subsequently led to Rosenberg and his Malibu Comics breaking all sales records for independent comics; in 1992 Malibu grabbed almost 10% of the American comics market share,[15] temporarily moving ahead of industry giant DC Comics.[16] By the middle of 1993, Image's financial situation was secure enough to publish its titles independently, and per the agreed upon distribution agreement with Malibu, ventured out on its own.[17]

During this period, Rosenberg also worked with Adobe Photoshop software to develop the then-leading standard for the computer coloring of comic books.[18]

Rosenberg sold Malibu to Marvel Comics in 1994.[3][12][19][20] As part of the deal, Rosenberg was given the title senior executive vice president of Marvel.[21]

Platinum Studios

Rosenberg left Marvel in January 1997, and purchased half of Platinum Studios from European rights agent Ervin Rustemagić.[21] Platinum produces based on two distinctive categories: Those from the "Macroverse Bible," a multi-thousand-page bible of related comic characters created by Rosenberg,[18] including titles such as Cowboys & Aliens,[3] and properties acquired from other companies or creators such as Dylan Dog: Dead of Night and Jeremiah.[21] Rustemagić left Platinum Studios in 2000.[citation needed] The company’s comic publishing philosophy is for the original publishers or rights holders to continue publishing their comics with Platinum Studios handling all other rights and development.[22] Comics have been published based on Platinum’s properties continuously since inception, whether by Platinum itself or the original rights holders. Film productions in 2009–2011 were Cowboys & Aliens and Dylan Dog.

Platinum Studios posted net losses of $4.3 million in 2006 and $5.1 million in 2007, and grew to a revenue of $10.5 million.[23] The company became a public company, trading continuously since February 2008.[24]

In early 2012, Platinum Studios moved to new offices in West Los Angeles.[25] In 2014, 27 million shares of Platinum were acquired by KCG Holdings.[26]

Filmography

Producer

References

  1. ^ "Scott Mitchell Rosenberg". Moving Pictures Media Group. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Yanes, Nicholas. “Interview: Scott Rosenberg on Platinum Studios, Cowboys & Aliens, and the Future of the Comic Book Industry,” SciPulse.net (May 4, 2011).[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c d Ehrenreich, Ben. "PHENOMENON; Comic Genius?" New York Times magazine (November 11, 2007).
  4. ^ Vaughn, J.C. (2015). "Dinosaurs for Hire: Tom Mason interview..." Overstreet Comic Book Marketplace Yearbook 2015-2016. Diamond Comic Distributors. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. ^ "DU History & Traditions: Influential Alumni". University of Denver. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Distributor Finances Five Publishers". The Comics Journal. No. 115. April 1987. pp. 12–13. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Sunrise announces it may not pay some publishers until July," The Comics Journal No. 115 (April 1987), p. 24.
  8. ^ "Sunrise Creditors Meet". The Comics Journal. No. 122. June 1988. p. 22.
  9. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (January 17, 2013). "The utterly insane world of Platinum Studios". The Beat.
  10. ^ "Eternity Merges with Aircel". The Comics Journal. No. 125. October 1988. p. 19.
  11. ^ "Malibu Acquires Adventure". The Comics Journal. No. 127. February 1989. p. 21.
  12. ^ a b MULLIGAN, THOMAS S. (February 19, 1992). "Holy Plot Twist: Marvel Comics' Parent Sees Artists Defect to Rival Malibu, Stock Dive". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "Bye Bye Marvel; Here Comes Image: Portacio, Claremont, Liefeld, Jim Lee Join McFarlane's New Imprint at Malibu," The Comics Journal #148 (February 1992), pp. 11–12.
  14. ^ Platinum Studios: Awesome Comics Archived February 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed February 3, 2008
  15. ^ "NewsWatch: Malibu Commands 9.73% Market Share," The Comics Journal #151 (July 1992), p. 21.
  16. ^ "Malibu Moves Ahead of DC in Comics Market," The Comics Journal No. 152 (August 1992), pp. 7–8.
  17. ^ "Image Leaves Malibu, Becomes Own Publisher". The Comics Journal. No. 155. January 1993. p. 22.
  18. ^ a b "Scott Rosenberg". Wizard World. Retrieved October 14, 2015.[dead link‍]
  19. ^ Reynolds, Eric. "The Rumors are True: Marvel Buys Malibu," The Comics Journal #173 (December 1994), pp. 29–33.
  20. ^ "News!" Indy magazine #8 (1994), p. 7.
  21. ^ a b c Press release. Scott Rosenberg Leaves Marvel; Acquires 50 Percent of Platinum Studios, The Free Library (Jan. 16, 1997).[dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Comic Universes Publishing Allies". Platinum Studios. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008.
  23. ^ "Business Update, and Outlook: Platinum Studios Reports Fiscal 2007 Financial Results," Reuters (Apr. 1, 2008).
  24. ^ "Platinum Studios, Inc". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  25. ^ "Platinum Studios Incorporated". Yahoo Local. Retrieved October 14, 2015.[dead link‍]
  26. ^ MacDonald, Heidi. "Is a holding company acquiring what is left of Platinum Studios?," The Beat (Mar. 4, 2014).
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