Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dc, dynamic forces, dynamite, entertainment, Evine, idw, marvel, star wars

Comic Books Return To The Shopping Channels

Published Mon, 06 Apr 2015 18:00:25 -0500

An announcement went out today that Dynamic Forces was teaming with EVINE Live (evine.com) to produce a two-hour shopping program focusing on a line of comic book collectibles that will include Star Wars, Marvel, DC, IDW, and Dynamite products. The two-hour event takes place on Wednesday, April 8th, at 1:00am EST (Tuesday, April 7th at 10:00pm PST). There will be a large variety of products offered including some pieces signed by Bob Kane and Stan Lee. EVINE Live airs on DIRECTV channels 73 and 316, DISH Network channels 134 and 228 or check your local cable provider for listings.

We spoke with the CEO of Dynamic Forces, Nick Barrucci, about taking his products to a shopping channel and what he hoped to gain from it besides sales.

BLEEDING COOL: Going with the obvious questions first, why do a televised shopping special? Just how much of a comic reading audience do you think watch shopping channels? Or is there another reason to hit that market?

NICK BARRUCCI: It's a balance. The Shopping Channel Presentation opens up a new market for our industry and is a great way to bring a new audience to the comics industry. And there will be existing fans tuning into the show checking out the cool collectibles we will be showcasing which will grow their audience. I have to say, it is exciting and great for our market, to grow our market, by bringing comics to the homes that broadcast Evine Live. Over 80 Million homes. Not a small figure.

BC: What made EVINE the right company to partner with for this special?

NB: They actually reached out to us. I had a relationship with a Vice President at Evine Live from a different shopping channel where we had very successful shows. He reached out, told me what was happening, and really sold me on where they were going. Evine is a great partner. They have new management and a lot of energy and are reaching new markets. They are an incredibly vibrant shopping channel.

BC: How did you go about choosing the items to showcase on the special? Is it based on the property, the creators or the signatures?

NB: It's wide mix of factors. A lot of it is "gut". First, planning items for a presentation is similar to placing comics and ancillary in a store. You have to have variety – the right mix of product from different publishers and different creators so that you do have something for everyone and keep people engaged to the show. It's not an easy thing to do. A lot of companies have tried TV Shopping over the years, but they have all failed. Most didn't have passion and only wanted to make money, and some had passion but didn't understand the business and economics of how TV Shopping worked. It is VERY hard work. It looks easy because once everything is on the air, the show goes (hopefully) smoothly. (And, in recards to hopefully * – some info below on when it DOESN'T go smoothly and you HAVE to make it work because it's LIVE TV) But it can take up to 3 months to plan a show properly. It's not just picking items and saying "here's the show." It's coordinating product, the items, the signatures, what is ready, what needs to be ready, shipping, packaging, the marketing, promotions, and soooooooooooo much more. We've been doing this for over 2 Decades. While there is data to be derived, as I said, a lot of it is "gut". We're in a position where we've been doing this for 23 years, and I have decent instincts for what to place on the air, to suggest the order of items based on how one item can enhance the next, and how long to spend on each item. Make no mistake about it, the Porgrammers at Evine know their business like no other and will make the final product decisions, I bring my suggestions based on knowing the comics.

BC: What can fans look forward to seeing for sale on the special? Is there one to two particular items being offered that you think are the stars of the show?

NB: You're asking me to pick my favorite kids. ;-) In all seriousness, it is a hard call, as there are many cool collectibles that we're presenting from autographed comics to trading cards, lithographs, having sketches drawn on blank comics, and presenting DF Exclusive Covers on the air. But, if I were to have to pick one, then it would have to be a Batman Lithograph signed by Bob Kane. And if having Batman lithos signed by Bob Kane were not cool enough, we are actually presnting Printer's Proofs on this show. It hardly gets rarer than this. We're very fortunate. Over the 23 years at DF, we've worked with almost every major creator and either had items signed or bought out collectibles to be able to present during special presentations. We have quite a few things in our vault that have yet to be presented – from autographs by Jerry Siegel and as you can see, Bob Kane, there's Jack Kirby signatures, Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Jerry Robinson, and more, including buying out other companies products to place on the air as we've done with these lithos. This is the first time we're bringing these lithos to air in the US. We've sold them in other countries, but held back placing on the air till the right time. This presentation is the right event. One thing that many do not realize is that these shows, while yes, they are about selling, they need to be informative. You will not sell items to everyone, but the goal is to inform the viewers of our industry, and hope that they come back.

BC: Are you looking at this as a one-time thing or do you see this as a good place to find new fans on a regular basis?

NB: This is a great venue to find and engage new fans. There's also the plus of being able to introduce new items on the air to create awareness for great series that can use more attention. Here's an example that shows that these shows succeed in reaching new audiences. And this is one of multiple/different examples. A few years ago, it may have been when X-Men: First Class hit theatres, we did a show featuring a nice range of comics and collectibles. A few months after the show aired I received a letter (yes, we do get fan mail! – it's old school mail most times ;-), and it was from a woman who stated that she knew the movies, but did not realize that comics were still being produced. She and her sister grew up reading comics with their father, but she hadn't seen a comic store since high school and just assumed that they were not produced anymore. Upon seeing the show, she googled to see if there were any comic stores near her. She found one that was about 8 miles away, and from that point on she took her two boys to the comic store every Saturday as it was now part of their family time together after taking the kids to their ball game. I don't know if she bought anything from the show itself, she didn't say either way, but the fact that she now brought her kids to the comic store to buy comics was more rewarding than the financial success of the show. That's what we strive for in creating the shows, exposing the comics to a new and bigger potential audience. If we can do that, we've succeeded at our job.

* Now going to a few examples of shows not going smoothly once you're on air. Remember, it's live TV. During one show, about a minute and 30 seconds before going on the air, I went to go place a framed print on the wall. I didn't hook it right and it started to fall, and I want to catch up with my right hand at the top, and in catching it and pushing it against the wall, I sliced part of my hand on the nail. I was bleeding, but we were going on the air in another minute, and the only thing that could be done was to get some paper towels and wrap up my right hand to stop the blood. We had to wait till after the introduction while previewing the show to do anything else. Now, I'm right handed, so it was difficult not using my right hand showing items. Once we went to the preview, we were able to place hydrogen peroxide on the wound, and clean up the blood with cotton, and then place a fairly large band aid over the palm of my hand. Not fun, but we were live, and the audience needed us to do our job.

Another example is when we had a show with The Planet of the Apes being a lead item. We thought it would be cool if there were sets with rocks and I would jump over them. Not so much. My right foot got caught on one of the rocks, and I fell almost face first into the floor. While my face didn't hit the floor, my right knee did. But, it's live TV, so I had to jump up and shake it off, and we all laughed on the air (while I cried on the inside ;-) and went into the show. Two hours of standing with my right knee killing me was NOT fun, but we had to do it. The fans expected no less.

Remember, this is not just about sales, it's about being informative to the viewers. It's an experience for them, and we have to give the best experience possible. That's a very important part of the job.

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