We’re so happy we were able to be back together for our traditional Reubens event, reuniting the NCS community and welcoming newcomers who be experienced the magic of the Reubens for the first time. We hope you’ll enjoy the useful seminars below from our special guest speakers!
9:30am – 10:30am
Manhattan Ballroom, 9th Floor
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We kick off our seminars with a presentation from COLIN SHIELDS, Vice President, Executive Director of Global Digital & International Sales at Simon & Schuster, alongside BRENT BARTRAM, Chief Strategy Officer & General Manager of Andrews McMeel Syndication, sharing the most up-to-date, effective ways to get your titles to stand out in the Amazon bookstore. Colin and Brent will be joined by award-winning cartoonist, best-selling author, and now animated series creator, LINCOLN PEIRCE who will share his lessons in evolving a comic strip into a worldwide success story across several media.
Amazon is responsible for half of the print book sales in the US and significantly more ebook sales. They are the biggest customer for every trade book publisher and thousands of authors self-publish books through Amazon every year, many of which are quite successful.
Getting a book to stand out in this sea of over 20 million books is a challenge, to say the least. Most trade publishers have a team of people whose full-time job is to ensure their books get noticed and bought on Amazon.
Many of the tools used by trade publishers to boost the discoverability of their books on Amazon are also available to self-publishers and there are several practices that are effective, low cost, and take a minimal amount of time.
Our guest experts in the field from Simon & Schuster and Andrews McMeel will show you the most effective ways to get your titles to stand out in the Amazon bookstore:
FEATURED GUESTS:
(Click images for full bios.)
10:45am – 12:00pm
Manhattan Ballroom, 9th Floor
Next up, learn how to expand your reach, engage your audience, and grow your fan base across a variety of platforms with expert advice from ALEX GARCIA, Head of Social Media Marketing for King Features & ComicsKingdom.com, and EMMA ALLEN, Cartoon & Humor Editor of the New Yorker. Moderated by cartoonist and NCS President JASON CHATFIELD, this practical session will equip you with essential strategies, tactics, and tips to maximize your success online: from crafting compelling content to leveraging trends and analytics. Incorporating insights and lessons from other creators, this session will empower cartoonists of all experience levels to more effectively navigate the world of online media. In addition, Chatfield will explore how AI-Generated art will affect these strategies, and how we further conduct our business as cartoonists online.
FEATURED GUESTS:
(Click images for full bios.)
12:15pm – 1:15pm
Manhattan Ballroom, 9th Floor
Cartoonist ISABELLA BANNERMAN will be demonstrating the latest technology from Apple using the iPad Pro for cartooning. Joining Isabella will be HANNAH IMPERIAL CANNON, Director of Business Development, Sales & Marketing at Xencelabs who, along with special guest artist CARLOS MENDOZA III, will share the newest products in their drawing tablet line-up. Digital workflows vary from artist to artist, and this session will share all the information you need to help you integrate affordable digital technologies into your process. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and get a hands-on trial of the drawing tablets on site.
FEATURED GUESTS:
(Click images for full bios.)
2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Manhattan Ballroom, 9th Floor
MORT WALKER sold his first cartoon when he was eleven years old and worked right up until his passing in 2018 at the age of ninety-four. He was involved in the creation of nine syndicated comic strips, including Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. He was the founder of the Museum of Cartoon Art and authored many influential books, including Backstage at the Strips and The Lexicon of Comicana.
Using historic photographs, special artwork, and amusing anecdotes, BRIAN WALKER will emphasize Mort’s dedication to the National Cartoonists Society, in which he served as president in 1959. Brian’s seminar promises to be an entertaining trip down memory lane for both fans and friends of this legendary cartoonist.
In conjunction with this event, THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS in New York City will be featuring the Mort Walker – A Centennial Celebration exhibit from August 2nd to September 30th. It will feature many treasures from the Walker family collection, including hand-colored Sunday pages and rare strips.
The Manhattan NCS will be hosting a special Happy Hour opening for the exhibit at the Society of Illustrators at 6 pm on Wednesday, August 2nd. All NCS members attending the Reuben Awards from September 6-8 will be given free admission to view the Mort Walker exhibit.
FEATURED GUESTS:
(Click images for full bios.)
5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Hudson Ballroom, 3rd Floor
It’s time to slip out of your sweats and get dressed up for a night like no other! Stroll down the red carpet and join us for cocktails and mingling with your fellow cartoonists, capturing the memories of this incredible event before joining the NCS in honoring our nominees in the 77th Annual Reuben Awards! A parade of playful presenters will keep us in stitches and suspense as we honor cartooning’s best and brightest, including the coveted Cartoonist of the Year!
+ Click for Reuben Award Nominees
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
LIBERTY & PALISADES ROOMS (3rd Floor)
Stick around on Friday morning and spend some quality time over brunch with your cartooning pals at a lively, leisurely brunch, courtesy of our friends at Creators. Join four-time Eisner-nominated cartoonists DAVE KELLETT and BRAD GUIGAR for a star-studded, laugh-filled live presentation of their wildly-popular podcast, ComicLab, featuring special guest SARAH ANDERSEN! For five years, this dynamic duo has shared their tips and tricks for making a living as a cartoonist. It’ll be half shop talk / half how-to / and half friendship. That’s right: They squeeze in three halves! A perfect way to end an unforgettable event!
FEATURED GUESTS:
(Click images for full bios.)
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