Posted in: Comics, Oni Press | Tagged: kickstarter, Sam Kusak

Oni Press Names Sam Kusek as Director of Business Development

Oni Press Names Kickstarter's Sam Kusek as their new (and first) Director of Business Development

As Bleeding Cool scooped last year, Sam Kusek resigned from the Senior Outreach Lead for Comics at Kickstarter position after joining in April 2024 saying "I am going to be taking a leap back into publishing to do just that. I can't say exactly where I am heading yet but it will be announced in the new year" and talking about bhis time at Kickstarter, including when he "participated in a historic strike, to fight for the rights of tech workers everywhere. We won, and I will always be proud of standing up for what is right." It has now been announced that he has joined Oni Press in the newly created role of Director of Business Development. I wonder what his policy on unions will be now? Either way, it appears that the role will continue to focus on crowdfunding publishing possibilities. Recently. Oni Press' Kickstarter campaign for the graphic novel adaptation of Glitch Productions' Murder Drones grossed more than $1.8 million and currently ranks as the platform's #4 highest-grossing comics campaign of all time.

"In his newly created role, Kusek will oversee the company's programming and operational strategy for crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter, the growth of Oni's ecommerce footprint, and the further development of Oni's inbound and outbound licensing programs across comics and graphic novels, tabletop and video games, merchandise and collectibles, and more. Kusek most recently served as Senior Outreach Lead for Kickstarter, where he oversaw the launch of more than 1,200 comic book and graphic novel campaigns, helping globally recognized publishers and independent creators of all shapes and sizes bring their projects to life. Kusek came to Kickstarter from BOOM! Studios, where he previously served as Special Projects Manager and oversaw nearly $6 million in crowdfunding-driven pre-order initiatives with partners including Alcon Entertainment, Hasbro, the Jim Henson Company, and more. Prior to BOOM!, Kusek also served as Operations Manager for Tiny Onion, where he helped coordinate merchandising and specialty collectibles for multiple Eisner Award-winning creator James Tynion IV's signature publishing imprint. With previous experience that also includes editorial, events, and retail within the comics industry, Kusek also owns and operates Cave of Monsters Games, a boutique tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) publisher based out of Portland, OR.

"Having worked with Sam professionally many times in recent years, I can assuredly say that he shares the same great passion that drives everyone at Oni: To work with our industry's most talented creators to tell impactful stories that can find the largest audience possible," said Oni President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. "With a proven track record of reaching fans and readers around the globe, Sam is both a perfect and powerful addition to our growing and formidable team as we prepare for Oni to break even more new ground in the months and years ahead." "2025 was a really exciting year for comics, and I can't think of a publisher who is pushing the boundaries of what comics can do more than Oni Press," said Kusek. "Building on so many of the company's recent successes, I'm excited for the opportunity to help define even bigger and more unexpected frontiers for one of the most important independent publishers in the business. We have big plans, so stay tuned!"

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