This last weekend was the 2nd Success in Comics seminar put on by Tundra creator Chad Carpenter and his marketing team of one Bill Kellogg. Attendee numbers were about double from the first one held two years ago with a mix of up-and-coming cartoonists and more established cartoonist. For those who have haven’t attended this event, what sets it apart is the more focused discussion on how cartoonists from different fields were generating an income from their work. It always amazes me at how open cartoonist can be about what other businesses would consider trade-secrets. Either in their talk, or in private discussions, cartoonists were amazingly open about their contacts and their sources of income. Everyone I spoke to said they had noted a few things that they wanted to try when they got back home.
If you missed this year’s seminar, the good news is that based on feedback this year, Chad has decided to take the seminar to the East coast next year. More details will be forthcoming.
Due to travel complications and lack of internet connection, I will be posting my take-away notes from the speakers tomorrow or Wednesday. If you’re impatient, visit my Twitter feed for highlights.
Disclaimer: I’ve helped promote the event on this blog and attended as a guest of the Tundra team.
“the good news is that based on feedback this year, Chad has decided to take the seminar to the East coast next year.”
EXCELLENT idea!
…make it the D.C. area, and me love you long time. ; ))
It was another successful Success in Comics Seminar! Kudos to the Tundra-ites for making it fun, informative and dang-right enjoyable to be at. I didn’t get much sleep due to the after hours “networking” in the hospitality suite… but who needs sleep in Vegas? Smiles to all the groovy peoples I had the fortunateness to meet…. and Harold misses you already.
Glad to hear about the growing success. An East coast event could be fun. Look forward to reading the “take-away” notes.
The San Antonio Riverwalk would be a good destination one day. I would go if they came to San Antonio or Houston. Sounds like an awesome opportunity and learning experience for all who attended!!!
I just gotta say, this seminar was absolutely fantastic! It was definitely an unforgettable experience. Not only did I get to meet a huge number of my heroes, but the advice that the speakers gave was priceless! Without a doubt it was worth every penny. I’m looking forward to going again!
Bridgett! Harold and his ever-changing ensembles were the highlight for me … then, there were craps tables!
Gotta say it was another really informative and fun time. Thanks to the Tundra team for putting it together.
I attended the first seminar in 2009 and didn’t think it could get better. But it did! I left with a wealth of information. Totally comprehensive about the entire comic strip industry!
It was excellent! Thank you to Chad Carpenter, Bill Kellogg, the other cartoonist speakers and those behind the scenes. This was my first event. it was very thorough and showed the pros and cons of being syndicated as well as being self-syndicated and I appreciated being able to ask questions of the speakers.
It delved into ways to create multiple streams of income from our work (very important and informative), copyrights and reprints, web comics and marketing on-line and lother topics and learning from pioneers that have been in the business 20+ years.
Based on this seminar, it has shortened the learning curve for me and gave me things to consider that I didn’t think about. As they say, what you should be concerned with is what you don’t realize you don’t know.
Both speakers and attendees will be great resources and a great cartoon community to help each other learn from each other Kudos!
P.S. Plan on having another one next year on the West Coast where it’s warmer in February too! 🙂 Thank you. Dale Luther
Well organized, great accommodations, informative and extremely entertaining! Everything you ever wanted to know about comics with a constant flow of coffee during the day and hanging with the like-minded in the evening. The comic strip “Rock Stars” embraced the “Aspiring” and treated everyone like equals, which made it more than comfortable to ask questions. Even the veterans learned something. Truly some of the nicest people I have ever met.
With the information, connections and friendships I made, it was WORTH EVERY PENNY!
Thank you Chad, Bill and everyone else that made this such a great experience!
Crystal Jones
“Cranky Girl”
As the Tundra Flunky, the Hardest Working man in The Tundra Team, I have to say the Seminar was once again Amazing! I was there for the First and will be there for the Next and I imagine it will only get better. I truly Love Chad and Tundra, but It is always great for me to hear how other cartoonists do things and to learn the trade from experienced veterans. All the speakers were amazing and such a Humble Crowd that they were a joy to be around. Legends such as Jeff Keane, Brian Crane, Tom Gambill, Adrian Raeside, Bill Hind and the Mastroianni Family embraced me as if we’d been close family friends for years. That sort of genuine comradery and honest interaction increased my appreciation for their work as well as their character. Coming to this seminar is not work to me but an opportunity to be on first name basis with warm individuals who care about their passion and yours! I earnestly encourage up and coming cartoonists to come to the 3rd annual* seminar and experience what you’ve been missing and learn from the Greats!
Patti… Awww, I’m so glad Harold made you smile… He’s silly… And he keeps bugging me about getting him a Facebook page… Sigh… In any case, it was a joy meeting you and yer boys… And for anyone thinking about attending the next one of these seminars… It’s not only worth it for the wealth of tooning info you acquire, but also for the opportunity to make new pals from all over the nation!