David Campiti
Encyclopedia
David Campiti is an American comic book
writer, talent agent, and co-founder of Innovation Publishing
. As CEO of Glass House Graphics, Campiti oversees an international studio/agency of illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers, producing artwork for such clients as Marvel Comics
, DC Comics
, Dark Horse Comics
, TokyoPop
, Del Rey Manga
, Reader's Digest
books, and Scholastic Books, as well as Disney, DreamWorks, Hasbro, Del Rey, St. Martins Press, and many others. He is also Producer, and a voice actor, for NIKO: THE JOURNEY TO MAGICA, an animated film coming next year from Red Giant Media.
and Comics Buyer's Guide
soon after. He was an on-air news reporter at WKWK
radio, where he also wrote, performed, and produced humorous radio commercials. He soon moved on to WANJ-FM Radio.
In 1982, Campiti moved from his hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia
, to North Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he worked as chief copywriter at the L.G. Balfour Company and, later on, as writer for the United Way of New England.
, becoming first published in comics in 1983. By 1985, Campiti was writing Superman stories in Action Comics
for DC
and soon went into freelance editing, packaging full-time for several years. In the mid-1980s, Campiti helped launch Amazing Comics, Wonder Comics
, Pied Piper Comics
, Eternity Comics
, Sirius Entertainment
, Malibu Comics
, and other companies. In the process, he discovered and helped launch the careers of such talents as Ron Lim
and Bart Sears
, who began their professional careers penciling Ex-Mutants
and Hero Alliance
respectively.
. Under his control, Innovation became #4 in the market share, below only Marvel Comics
, DC Comics
, and Dark Horse
, as it brought to prominence many literary, film, and TV tie-in
series and adaptations, such as Anne Rice
's The Vampire Lestat
, Dark Shadows
, Quantum Leap, Lost in Space
, and many others.
Over the years, Campiti was a writer or co-writer for hundreds of comic books, often illustrated by the artists that he discovered, including Lim, Sears, Jason Pearson
, and Mike Okamoto
on Hero Alliance alone. His credits include Superman
, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
, Magnus, Robot Fighter
, Beauty and the Beast
, Dark Shadows
, Hero Alliance
, and many others — most recently Exposure and Jade Warriors, both for Image Comics
. Campiti's son scripted his own first comic book, The Experimentals, for Caliber Comics
at age 12, and his daughter, Kate, is working on her first story.
and global talent supervisor.
Today, in addition to the U.S. office, Campiti oversees two offices in Brazil
as well as offices in Manila, Jakarta, and New Delhi, coordinating art from a roster of over 120 talents worldwide to produce art and digital graphics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Dynamite, TokyoPop
, Del Rey Manga, Dabel Brothers, FOOM Studios, Funny Pages Productions, Rittenghouse Archives, Reader's Digest
books, Scholastic Books, MaxCom Vietnam, Toyota, actiongirls.com, loribenson.com, Hasbro
, and other companies. He also teaches seminars throughout the U.S. at conventions and art schools, Brazil, and the Philippines on a regular basis, and is responsible for launching the professional careers of more than 100 artists in the past 25 years.
He is the writer of Stan Lee's How To Draw Comics, released in November 2010 from Watson-Guptill.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer, talent agent, and co-founder of Innovation Publishing
Innovation Publishing
Innovation Publishing was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch...
. As CEO of Glass House Graphics, Campiti oversees an international studio/agency of illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers, producing artwork for such clients as Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, TokyoPop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
, Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
books, and Scholastic Books, as well as Disney, DreamWorks, Hasbro, Del Rey, St. Martins Press, and many others. He is also Producer, and a voice actor, for NIKO: THE JOURNEY TO MAGICA, an animated film coming next year from Red Giant Media.
Early life
Campiti is the adopted son of Charles H. and Rose Campiti. He graduated from Warwood High School and West Liberty University. He began writing as a child.Career
Campiti sold his first writing to the Wheeling News-Register while still in college, and to such magazines as Writer's DigestWriter's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
and Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
soon after. He was an on-air news reporter at WKWK
WKWK
WKWK-FM is an Adult Contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, serving the Wheeling/Steubenville. WKWK is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-External links:*...
radio, where he also wrote, performed, and produced humorous radio commercials. He soon moved on to WANJ-FM Radio.
In 1982, Campiti moved from his hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, to North Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he worked as chief copywriter at the L.G. Balfour Company and, later on, as writer for the United Way of New England.
Comics
During this period, Campiti began selling comic book scripts to Pacific ComicsPacific Comics
Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...
, becoming first published in comics in 1983. By 1985, Campiti was writing Superman stories in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
for DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and soon went into freelance editing, packaging full-time for several years. In the mid-1980s, Campiti helped launch Amazing Comics, Wonder Comics
Wonder Comics
Wonder Comics or Wonder Color Comics was a very short-lived American comic book publishing company that existed from 1985-1987. It was also the name of a golden age comic book published by Nedor Comics...
, Pied Piper Comics
Pied Piper Comics
Pied Piper Comics was a short-lived American comic book publishing company that ran from 1986 to 1988. Most of its titles were picked up from other publishers, and then most later moved to Innovation Publishing.-Titles:...
, Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties...
, Sirius Entertainment
Sirius Entertainment
Sirius Entertainment is an American comic book company which celebrated 15 years of publishing in 2009. Sirius has published popular titles such as Dawn, Poison Elves, Akiko, and Mark Smylie's epic fantasy Artesia series during its first years....
, Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
, and other companies. In the process, he discovered and helped launch the careers of such talents as Ron Lim
Ron Lim
Ronald "Ron" Lim is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California.-Biography:Ron Lim's first published work was an independent comic book entitled Ex-Mutants, which he worked on from 1986-1988....
and Bart Sears
Bart Sears
Bart Whitman Sears is an American artist and author, originally from Syracuse, New York.Sears has lent his unique style and creative ideas to multiple industries, including but not limited to: Comics , Toys, and Computer Games...
, who began their professional careers penciling Ex-Mutants
Ex-Mutants
Ex-Mutants was a comic book series created by writer David Lawrence and artist Ron Lim along with editor David Campiti in 1986. It was first published by Eternity Comics and then Amazing Comics. Contractual problems resulted in a move to Pied Piper Comics. A legal dispute followed, and after...
and Hero Alliance
Hero Alliance
The Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
respectively.
Innovation Publishing
In 1988, Campiti wrote a business proposal and raised US $400,000 to finance the launching of Innovative Corp., known publicly as Innovation PublishingInnovation Publishing
Innovation Publishing was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch...
. Under his control, Innovation became #4 in the market share, below only Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and Dark Horse
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, as it brought to prominence many literary, film, and TV tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
series and adaptations, such as Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's The Vampire Lestat
The Vampire Lestat
The Vampire Lestat is a novel by Anne Rice, and the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampire. Many events in the two books appear to contradict each other...
, Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, Quantum Leap, Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, and many others.
Over the years, Campiti was a writer or co-writer for hundreds of comic books, often illustrated by the artists that he discovered, including Lim, Sears, Jason Pearson
Jason Pearson
Jason Pearson is an American comic book writer/artist, known for his work on books such as Legion of Super-Heroes, The Dragon: Blood & Guts, Global Frequency, and his own creator-owned series, Body Bags....
, and Mike Okamoto
Mike Okamoto
Mike Okamoto is an American comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known for co-creating Marvel Comics' Atomic Age; as a "good girl art" cartoonist; and as the five-time International Network of Golf Illustrator of the Year.-Early life and career:Born and raised in Detroit Michigan,...
on Hero Alliance alone. His credits include Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people whose heroic careers were merely their day jobs...
, Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963, based primarily on Tarzan. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963...
, Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
, Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, Hero Alliance
Hero Alliance
The Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
, and many others — most recently Exposure and Jade Warriors, both for Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
. Campiti's son scripted his own first comic book, The Experimentals, for Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
at age 12, and his daughter, Kate, is working on her first story.
Glass House Graphics
In 1993, Campiti resigned from Innovation to launch Glass House Graphics, an international studio/agency for illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers, where he currently holds the position as CEOChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and global talent supervisor.
Today, in addition to the U.S. office, Campiti oversees two offices in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
as well as offices in Manila, Jakarta, and New Delhi, coordinating art from a roster of over 120 talents worldwide to produce art and digital graphics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Dynamite, TokyoPop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, Del Rey Manga, Dabel Brothers, FOOM Studios, Funny Pages Productions, Rittenghouse Archives, Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
books, Scholastic Books, MaxCom Vietnam, Toyota, actiongirls.com, loribenson.com, Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, and other companies. He also teaches seminars throughout the U.S. at conventions and art schools, Brazil, and the Philippines on a regular basis, and is responsible for launching the professional careers of more than 100 artists in the past 25 years.
He is the writer of Stan Lee's How To Draw Comics, released in November 2010 from Watson-Guptill.
