Posted in: Comics, Current News, Pop Culture | Tagged: Ben Kendrick, ComicBook

Is ScreenRant's Ben Kendrick Now Running ComicBook.com?

Bleeding Cool understands that Ben Kendrick, ex-publisher of ScreenRant, is now running ComicBook.com

Bleeding Cool understands that Ben Kendrick, ex-publisher of ScreenRant, has now been hired to run ComicBook.com. Previously the VP of Content Strategy at Static Media and Content Director of Screen Rant, CBR, and Collider. as well as host of Podcast X, the Screen Rant Underground, and Total Geekall, he was at Screen Rant for over 13 years before joining Static Media.

This time last month, Bleeding Cool reported that Paramount was selling ComicBook.com and PopCulture.com websites to Savage Ventures, a company that seems to specialise in buying up niche interest sites that big media companies panic bought but now don't know what to do with. ComicBook and PopCulture joined the likes of Vice, Motherboard, Outdoors, 247Health, Rare.US and AmericanSongWriter. And that Sam Savage, CEO of Savage Ventures, is best known as being CEO of Womanista and for founding Outkick with conservative talk show host Clay Travis with Jason Whitlock. Sam Savage was also the CEO of ComicBook.com from 2016 to 2018, before the CBS Interactive/Paramount buyout.

The Wrap reported that no leadership changes or layoffs were expected as a result of the acquisition and that site staffers will be offered comparable salary and benefit packages from the new ownership.

But that doesn't seem to be the case. Not only is Ben Kendrick in but a bunch of folk seemed to have left ComicBook.com pretty much straight after the acquisition. Redundancies include Brandon Davis, "I officially no longer work for @ComicBook", Jamie Jirak "ComicBook let me go today. It was an incredible journey, but I'm excited to have weekends off for the first time in six years. I'll miss Phase Zero most of all, but if you find yourself missing my rants, check out @LITTOHpod. And hey, at least I got to end with Agatha interviews!", Joe Schmidt "Hey @JamieCinematics are you busy?", Adam Barnhardt, "Nearly 8 years and some 11,000+ articles later, I've decided to get back into marketing. Big ups to Jim, JK, and Spencer for being superb bosses and mentors through my time at the site, encouraging me to pursue some of my craziest ideas", Hannah "I'm actively seeking a new opportunity as a gaming journalist or community manager. I have extensive TTRPG experience (let me yap about D&D for you!) as well as video games, plus editing experience. Please reach out if you have an opportunity to discuss!", Rickey Frech, "Picked a bad time to spend a bunch of money on a Steam Deck (also, I don't work for @ComicBook anymore)", Christopher Hoffer ""Pointing out I am a freelance journalist for hire! If you need D&D, tabletop, or Pokemon coverage, I am probably your guy."

Comicbook.com was a website built around a purchased URL. Owned by American Entertainment and used for their website Smash back in 1996, then for Another Universe and their Mania Magazine, before being owned by Fandom.com in 2000. In 2001 it had become Cinescape byt by 2004, it was Comicbook.com, the first time under that name, but was an unchanging holding page with some comic book related press releases and sales links on it. Then by 2010, it was owned by chairman of Magellen Press,  William King, a genuine site in its own right, posting news about comics and comics-adjacent industries.

In 2018, it was purchased by CBS Interactive alongside arent company PopCulture, which is when Sam Savage stepped out as CEO. That was later shuffled around to be part of Paramount. And now, seven years after years left, it is back under the wing of Sam Savage. Or is that the talon?

Ben Kendrick did no return e-mails or DMs sent earlier today.

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