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New Heavy Metal CEO, Marshall Lees, Issues Statement

The new Heavy Metal CEO, Marshall Lees, has issued a statement about his appointment and the future of the Heavy Metal brand, if you can parse it.


Yesterday, Bleeding Cool reported on the resignation of Matthew Medney, CEO of Heavy Metal Magazine since 2019, and his replacement by Myth founder Marshall Lees. Bleeding Cool has been covering some of the publisher's woes of late, even as publication of the magazine has been handed to Whatnot Publishing. Two days these woes included Claudio Alvarez and Geraldo Borges complaining that Heavy Metal Italy had published their comic without their permission. And with the recent appointment of Joseph S. Durko as Chief Restructuring Officer & Corporate Secretary, there have been issues expressed regarding payment to creditors. At the time, Medney told us that "Due to a sum of receivables not being collected on time, our payments to creators have slipped further than what's acceptable. Luckily we have a dedicated and committed investor group whose support is allowing us to pay all creators before Christmas, while we catch up on our invoicing." However, we have confirmed that other creditors have not yet been paid. Yesterday, new CEO Marshall Lees issued the following statement.

A message from Heavy Metal's new CEO to all of our valued partners, friends and fans.

As the stewards of a renowned brand that has had a significant impact on cinema, art, literature, and culture for over 40 years, we recognize that we have made mistakes. As the new CEO, I am excited and honored to take on this role, but also aware of the challenges ahead. The brand, its legacy, our team, and all of you deserve better, and I, along with the new team, are committed to delivering that.

We recognize that creatives are the lifeblood of our company. They are the reason we exist. Moving forward, Heavy Metal will focus on being a conduit for unfettered creativity, providing support for your exploration and a platform for reaching the world without boundaries or restrictions. We want to hear your stories, see your art, and empower you to create without limits. As part of this commitment, Heavy Metal Publishing will publish a wider range of stories and content that pushes boundaries fearlessly. Additionally, we are implementing a more transparent creator portal to improve communication with all of our partners.

To all of our fans, including those who have remained loyal to us and those whom we have disappointed, we want you to know that we deeply value your support and contri-butions to the legacy of our brand. We are committed to doing better for you and enhancing your experience with Heavy Metal in new and exciting ways, while staying true to our roots. You can expect increased engagement with our community, greater empha-sis on timely delivery, and improved products that you will be proud to own. The journey ahead is only meaningful if you join us on it.

There are many reasons to be enthusiastic about the future. The new leadership brings a desire to rebuild and a commitment to allowing creators to do their best work. The team is reinvigorated and passionate about what they do. Heavy Metal Studios, our emerging TV and film studio, is poised to break through barriers in the entertainment industry. Additionally, we have a variety of exciting new products and intellectual property that we are confident will excite our audience.

Our management team will continue to have some familiar faces. Tommy Coriale will remain our Head of Studio, Kris Longo remains as our Chief Sales Officer and now serves as interim Publisher, Jamie Penrose has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer and Joe Durko fills the critical role of Chief Restructuring Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

I am here to listen and learn from you all and I open my inbox for you to reach out to me at ceo@heavymetal.com if you would like to be a part of the exciting road ahead as we rebuild Heavy Metal together.

Welcome to the new Heavy Metal.

Marshall Lees CEO

I expect that might suddenly be a popular e-mail address to use.  Any news on Heavy Metal EIC Joe Illidge?

Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal statement

 


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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