First Wave of Direct Market Ambassadors Begins Monthly Store Visits
Los Angeles, CA (October 15, 2019)—After months of careful recruitment and training, AfterShock Comics [standard description] has announced the first 9 members of its AfterShock Army, a team of what will grow to be at least 30 brand ambassadors based in 15 regions across North America. Each of these “agents of change” has been charged with working one-on-one with comic shops in their communities to better keep open the lines of communication between publisher and retailer, as well as assist stores in maximizing opportunities to increase sales and build business with the comics, collections and original graphic novels of AfterShock Comics.
“Shortly after founding AfterShock a little over four years ago, I personally visited more than 80 stores to establish a dialogue,” said AfterShock Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Joe Pruett. “In our first two years, we’ve reached out to close to 300 stores in this way and the information we’re able to share with each other has proven invaluable to our growth. That’s what we’re looking to replicate with this program.”
“More and more, we’re seeing that success for a publisher like us – one that’s been surgically aggressive in bringing fresh creator-owned content to market – is reliant on relationships at the shop level,” added Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Steve Rotterdam. “No two comic shops are exactly alike – even ones owned by the same retailer. That’s why we sought out service-oriented ambassadors who were as good at listening as they were at promoting.”
“Being a legitimate comics fan was a primary requirement,” added Senior Retailer Relations Manager RuthAnn Thompson, who led the recruitment effort and supervises the AfterShock Army. “Knowledge, passion and charisma were also traits we were looking for. But connection to the community was also critical.”
The first 9 ambassadors and the regions they will serve are:
- Chris La Torre – Southern California
- Bill Noftz – Seattle, Washington
- Stacy Lott – Southern California
- Ben Freeman – Nashville, Tennessee
- Matt Rector – Northern Virginia/Washington DC
- Daniel Kibodeaux – Pacific Northwest
- Jean Grey – Central Florida
- Tony White – Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Ed Catto – Central New York
Introductions between ambassadors and stores in their regions will take place this week. In addition to Pruett, Rotterdam and Thompson, Senior Retail Sales Development Manager Marc Hammond, himself a comic shop co-owner, will serve as support.
Additional ambassadors will be added to the team over the next month. As recruitment is an ongoing initiative, those interested in learning more and signing up are invited to connect at https://aftershockcomics.com/aftershock-army/.
About Author
