Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Bryce Gold, kickstarter, Sam Kusek

Sam Kusek Quits Senior Outreach Lead for Comics at Kickstarter

As Sam Kusek quits his senior outreach lead for comics position at Kickstarter... who will take his place?

Published Fri, 26 Dec 2025 05:57:04 -0600

Article Summary

Sam Kusek quits as Senior Outreach Lead for Comics at Kickstarter after less than a year in the role
The position has seen rapid turnover, with previous leads Bryce Gold and Oriana Leckert also departing recently
Kusek helped break crowdfunding records and expanded the comics category with top publishers and projects
He plans to return to publishing, leaving Kickstarter searching for a new six-figure comics outreach lead

Is the Senior Outreach Lead for Comics at Kickstarter position cursed right now? Sam Kusek took the position in April 2024 at a salary of between $120,000 and $140,000. This came after Bryce Gold briefly held the position of Head of Comics at Kickstarter between May and December 2023, after Director of Publishing & Comics Outreach at Kickstarter, Oriana Leckert, moved away from comics. Now Sam Kusek writes;

"As you may or may not have heard by now, I've decided to step down from my position as the Senior Outreach Lead for Comics at Kickstarter. This was an incredibly hard decision for me to make because I really have loved this job. I love helping independent creators find their footing, develop their business and get the spotlight they deserve. I loved helping publishers figure out what they could bring together or revive from their catalogs. I loved traveling to conventions and talking with people, helping to demystify crowdfunding. I believe that Kickstarter is a great tool for creative development…hell, I can tell you first hand how it's helped me make my own dreams come true. And I think that was part of what sat at the core of my decision. As much as I love helping others (and being damn good at it), I've missed that first hand experience of creating something new. The challenges, the problem solving, the wins. There's nothing quite like it. So 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. In the meantime though, I wanted to take time to celebrate the things I was able to accomplish during my time at Kickstarter."

Sam Kusek Is The New Senior Outreach Lead For Comics At Kickstarter — Kickstarter PR

Oh go on, why not, here's Sam Kusek's bio from his time at Kickstarter, for prospective employers to consider.

I worked on 1,200+ projects during my time, with creators of all shapes and sizes.
I brought new publishers to the platform, in Dark Horse, Ignition Press & Tiny Onion and helped many others revive or solidify their approach.
During my time, the category broke a few records: We had the highest-funded comics crowdfunding campaign of all time, and the highest-funded single-issue campaign of all time.
Wrote a Comics Resource Guide that was illustrated by the incomparable Nicole Goux. Someone described it as "Understanding Comics but Manga" and I was fortunate enough to give Scott McCloud a copy. A comic's dream come true.
I conducted 15 interviews for The Creative Independent, highlighting some of my favorite creators. You can read them here: https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/sam-kusek/
Started a monthly Comics newsletter that highlights projects directly to the people who care about them & people in the community.
Started the NSFW newsletter, helping those spicier projects get the focus they deserve.
I 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.

Oh, um, I get it, but maybe I might not put that last one on my CV. You know what some people are like. Still, it sounds as if Sam has his next project sorted out. So… who's next for a six-figure Kickstarter position?

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