Joester Loria Group Partners With Dynamite Entertainment


Smosh is a YouTube sensation whose popularity is large. It's so large that it's led to a partnership between Smosh and Dynamite Entertainment that will develop a series of comics and graphic novels. SMOSH has more than 30 million subscribers and 20 million social media followers, which is kind of a big deal. The new partnership with Dynamite Entertainment will act as an extension of SMOSH's comedy brand. The SMOSH graphic novels and comics will hit retail shelves Holiday 2015 and will retail for 3.99-$4.99 for comic books, $14.99-$19.99 for soft cover graphic novels, $24.99-$49.99 for hard covers. The program will target the growing community of graphic novel and comic book enthusiast in the young millennial demographic.

Full press release below.
JOESTER LORIA GROUP PARTNERS WITH
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT AND SMOSH
FOR COMIC AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

May 20, 2015: In a deal brokered by The Joester Loria Group, DEFY Media's YouTube sensation SMOSH has licensed with Dynamite Entertainment to develop a series of comics and graphic novels.

  • SMOSH, the powerhouse digital comedy brand with more than 30 million subscribers across multiple YouTube Channels and over 20 million social media followers, launched in 2005 as the brainchild of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla.  Founded in 2004, Dynamite Entertainment has become a leading comic publisher focusing on creating adaptations of top entertainment properties.
  • An extension of DEFY Media's SMOSH comedy brand, which includes multiple YouTube channels, a highly trafficked website, mobile, OTT and gaming apps, and merchandising,  the comic & graphic novel series will give Hecox and Padilla a new platform for their distinct brand of humor, and will provide SMOSH fans with another way to connect with their favorite digital channels.
  • The SMOSH Graphic Novels and Comics will hit retail shelves Holiday 2015 and will retail for 3.99-$4.99 for comic books, $14.99-$19.99 for soft cover graphic novels, $24.99-$49.99 for hard covers.
  • The program will target the growing community of graphic novel and comic book enthusiast in the young millennial demographic
  •  
    • Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla have been listed as the highest ranking public figures among teens 13-17 years old according to a 2014 survey commissioned by Variety  (http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-smosh-video-millions-2014-12#ixzz3WXm1Udsi)
  •  
    • Domestic sales of comics and graphic novels have been rising for years, reaching $870 million in 2013, up from $265 million in 2000, according to estimates by Comichron's John Jackson Miller and ICv2's Milton Griepp. (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-comic-book-industry-is-on-fire-2014-8#ixzz3WBS9uBcu)


About DEFY Media:
DEFY Media is the top digital producer and programmer for 13-34 year olds, and the largest owner of YouTube channels and leading media brands across the comedy, lifestyle and gaming verticals.  Each month, DEFY-produced content generates 500 million video views and reaches 125 million viewers across our 50 million YouTube subscribers, 80 million unique web visitors and consumers of our apps, which have been downloaded over 22 million times.  DEFY Media brands include Smosh, recently named by Variety as the top brand for 13-17 year olds, Break, known for its top program "Prank It Forward", and Screen Junkies, home to the highly influential digital series "Honest Trailers".  The world's top brands partner with DEFY to build immersive advertising solutions that deliver unparalleled access to this influential audience. With uniquely integrated capabilities in content development, studio production, distribution and promotion, DEFY Media is built for content delivery in the digital age. Please visit us at www.DEFYMedia.com.

About SMOSH:

Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox are the duo behind the powerhouse comedy brand SMOSH.   Time Magazine called SMOSH the "SNL of the Internet", Forbes named Padilla and Hecox "A New, Purely Digital, Breed of Celebrity", ranking the duo in their Hollywood '30 Under 30' two years in a row, and Variety recently commissioned a survey that ranked SMOSH #1 among teens. 
SMOSH catapulted to YouTube's #1 most subscribed channel in 2013, ranks among YouTube's Top 3 most viewed channels of all time with more than 6 billion lifetime views, and counts over 30 million combined channel subscribers and 20 million social followers. SMOSH's multi-faceted enterprise, based around its flagship YouTube channel and highly trafficked website, includes multiple record-setting channel spinoffs, including SMOSH Games - among YouTube's fastest growing channels ever - and Shut Up Cartoons, top-charting musical endeavors, merchandising, magazines, mobile, OTT and gaming apps - and, coming soon, The SMOSH Movie. 


About Dynamite Entertainment:

Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more.  Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent.  Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors.  In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011.  The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

About The Joester Loria Group:

The Joester Loria Group, www.joesterloriagroup.com, is a full-service licensing and marketing agency providing its clients with a full array of services, including strategic planning and implementation of licensing strategies that encompass robust marketing and retail initiatives. The Joester Loria Group represents Pepsi-Cola North America; Constellation Brands Beer Division's portfolio including, Corona Extra (the #1 imported beer in the U.S. and #5 beer overall), Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo, Pacifico, Tsingtao and Victoria beer brands, Clorox Green Works'; Kellogg's portfolio of cereal and snack brands; celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, leading fashion blogger and creator of SongofStyle.com, Aimee Song, Designer Amy Coe, National Geographic Channel's Brain Games, The World of Eric Carle™ based on  the beloved children's picture books franchise; YouTube sensation SMOSH; Entenmann's; Dew Tour, the #1 action sporting event in North America; Waste Management; Hearst Corporation's Car and Driver, Road & Track and Popular Mechanics.

Comments