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Gareb Shamus

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Gareb Shamus
Gareb Shamus
Born (1968-12-23) December 23, 1968 (age 55)
New York City, U.S.
Area(s)Painter, entrepreneur
Notable works
Wizard,[1] Wizard Entertainment, ToyFare

Gareb Seth Shamus (/ˈʃeɪməs/;[2] born December 23, 1968) is an American publisher who is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Wizard Entertainment and the co-founder and CEO of ACE Comic Con.[3][4][5]

He was the publisher of Wizard: The Comics Magazine; InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine;[6] ToyFare: The Toy Magazine; Anime Insider; FunFare; "In" Power, a kids entertainment magazine; Wizard Specials; Toy Wishes, a holiday toy shopping guide; Bean Power, a Beanie Babies magazine; and Sportslook, a sports card magazine.[7][8][9][10] He also co-founded and was CEO of International Fight League Inc (IFLI).[11][12][13] He produced several televised MMA fights with partners Fox Sports Networks and MyNetworkTV.[14]

In April 2023, KuuHubb, Inc., developer of Recolor, revealed Gareb Shamus as its new CEO.[15]

Personal life

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Gareb is the second oldest of four brothers, Ilan, Kenny and Stephen Shamus.[16] As a child, he collected comic books and sports cards. His early loves were Spider-Man, Batman, and Mad magazine.[17] As a teenager, he gravitated to more mature comics created by artists like Todd McFarlane and Frank Miller (who began working on The Dark Knight Returns and Daredevil when Shamus was a teenager in the 1980s).[18] Shamus studied economics at the University at Albany, SUNY and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a minor in art in 1990.[16]

Gareb has his own art studio and gallery to produce and display his art. Today, he has gallery shows and art fairs across the US.[19][peacock prose]

Wizard Entertainment

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Main article: Wizard Entertainment

In the 1980s, Shamus' parents opened a sports card and comic book store in Nanuet, New York, where Shamus worked.[20] When he graduated from college, he started comic book newsletter, Wizard: The Guide to Comics, for the store’s customers. It became popular enough turn into a monthly magazine in 1991. After only one year, Wizard went worldwide, published in over fifty countries and in multiple languages,[18] and Shamus became a celebrity in the comic book world.[7] Over the next few years he launched more magazines covering toys, games, animation and everything "superhero" (movies, TV shows, video games and toys).

As Wizard Entertainment, Shamus bought the Chicago Comicon in 1997, and expanded its scope and boosted attendance from a few thousand to 25,000 the following year.[1] There are 21 Wizard World comic conventions and pop-culture conventions in the United States.[16][21]

Ace Universe

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ACE Universe is a New York-based media and experiential events company founded by Gareb Shamus and Stephen Shamus. When they were young, their mother opened a comic book store and card shop called The Wizard of Cards and Comics in Nanuet, New York.[22] Gareb is a pop-culture expert, founder of the largest Comic Con tour in the world, an original producer of national Comic Cons and publisher of multiple award-winning magazines published in 75 countries worldwide.[23]

Selected exhibitions

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  • "Squeezed," Coldstream Fine Art, Toronto, July 8 – August 2, 2017
  • "Rungs of Life," Art Exchange London, September 23, 2016
  • "Early Days," Art Helix, Brooklyn, September 16, 2016
  • "The Pivot Collection," MRG Fine Art, Sherman Oaks, California, July 16, 2016
  • "All Art Everything," Guy Hepner Gallery, New York, April 8, 2016[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Babka, Allison (2014-04-03). "Wizard World Inc.: A roving comic con looks to corner the geek market". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  2. ^ Who Took The Image Comics Founders Photo? (podcast). Wizards Podcast. 2024-01-10. Event occurs at 00:18 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (12 December 2023). "Gareb Shamus On His New Comic Con Business, Ace Universe". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  4. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin (2018-01-12). "Everything You Need to Know About Ace Comic Con 2018". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  5. ^ "ACE Comic Con Descends on Nassau Coliseum". Long Island Press. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  6. ^ Olmsted, Larry (2006-04-01). "A Market Worth Fighting For". Inc. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  7. ^ a b Bindrim, Kira (2009-10-16). "Publisher profits from pop culture". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  8. ^ Smith, Andy (2010-08-24). "Pressing Issues: Wizard Press and the Trapeze of '90s Fan Culture". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  9. ^ "11th Annual Holiday HOT DOZEN Toy List Released Today". Businesswire (Press release). 2009-09-29. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  10. ^ D'Orazio, Valerie (2011-02-04). "MTV Geek Exclusive: A Talk With Wizard World Inc.'s Gareb Shamus". MTV News (Interview). Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  11. ^ "Fight Club: Catching Up With IFL CEO Gareb Shamus". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com (Interview). 2007-10-05. Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  12. ^ "Sherdog Exclusive: IFL CEO Gareb Shamus". Sherdog (Interview). 2006-05-01. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  13. ^ Martin, Ken; Pishna, Damon (20 November 2007). "Gareb Shamus Resigns from IFL; More Changes". MMA Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  14. ^ "IFL Inks Broadcast Deal with Fox Sports Net". Sherdog. 2006-03-29. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  15. ^ "Recolor, The Leading Coloring App, Announces Comic Con Pioneer Gareb Shamus as New CEO". Newsfile (Press release). 24 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  16. ^ a b c "Tenafly Resident Brings Comic-Con Phenomenon to New York". NorthJersey.com.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Wizard Entertainment Founder Gareb Shamus Talks About Childhood, Pop Stars and Wizard World Chicago Comic Con" (PDF). Associated Content (Interview).
  18. ^ a b Griffin, Keith (2001-05-24). "Gareb Shamus Interview". CBR (Interview). Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  19. ^ Taub, Alexander (2016-05-19). "An Entrepreneurial Journey: From Comic Book Mogul To Breakout Painter". Forbes.
  20. ^ Jager; Mr. Stinkhead (2003). "Comics: Gareb Shamus". Millionaire Playboy (Interview). Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  21. ^ Salkowitz, Rob (2016-04-28). "Do Changes At Wizard World Signal Trouble For The Fan Convention Business?". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  22. ^ King, Scott (2019-11-08). "How ACE Comic Con Quickly Became The World's Premiere Pop Culture Event". Forbes.
  23. ^ "Brie Larson, Kit Harington and Hailee Steinfeld to Headline The ACE Experience @ Superhero Comic Con & Car Show". PR Newswire (Press release). 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  24. ^ "Exhibition "All Art Everything" – Guy Hepner Gallery". Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
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