Cartoon & Humor Editor, The New Yorker
Allen is the youngest-ever humor and cartoon editor at The New Yorker, a magazine famous for interlarding its serious, long-form reportage with clever gag cartoons: several-inch wide boxes containing a black-and-white illustration and a witty one-line caption to match. Allen took on the position in May 2017. She is the first woman to hold a role as Cartoon Editor since its inception in 1925. Emma earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Studio art from Yale University.
Cartoonist, SixChix
Isabella has been the Monday cartoonist for King Features Syndicate’s “Six Chix” since 2000. Her work has been awarded by the National Cartoonists Society, The Newswomen’s Club of New York, and the Newseum. Before her contract as a syndicated cartoonist, she worked in animation, directing IDs for MTV, and designing props and characters for TV shows such as “Doug” and “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” Her cartoons have appeared in many publications, including Glamour, The New York Times, The Funny Times, and World War 3 Illustrated. She has been a member of the National Cartoonists Society since 2003. She is part of an anthology collection “Hold That Thought” available through Amazon from Less Words Press.
Vice President/Controller & Director of Operations at Andrews McMeel Publishing
Brent has been the General Manager of Andrews McMeel Syndication since January 2022. He has been at Andrews McMeel for the last 23 years in several different roles including IT Manager, Controller, Director of Operations, and Vice President of Finance, working with all divisions of the company to find new opportunities to grow revenue.
Cartoonist / President, NCS
Jason is an Australian cartoonist & comedian based in New York. His work has been published in magazines and online, and in books published by Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and Libra Press. His latest book is out now. He is a past President of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association and the current President of the National Cartoonists Society and an internationally syndicated cartoonist, writing and drawing the iconic 102-year-old comic strip Ginger Meggs, published daily through Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Director of Business Development, Xencelabs
As Director of Business Development for Xencelabs, Hannah Imperial Cannon is dedicated to supporting artists and designers with today’s most advanced digital drawing tools. A graduate of the famed Ringling School of Art and Design, Hannah combined her joy for all things artistic with her savvy business skills and translated it all into years of service at some of the finest technology companies in the creative content production space, including Autodesk, The Foundry and Wacom. Hannah was instrumental in the development of the Xencelabs brand and continues to lead and push the digital art world forward.
Cartoonists, Podcast Hosts
Dave Kellett is a Southern California native who grew up loving all sorts of comics and sci-fi and nerdery. So no, not a big dater in High School, if that’s what you’re asking. But! It made him a prime candidate to draw sci-fi comics later in life, so IT WORKED OUT OK. Brad Guigar is a cartoonist who is best known for his daily webcomic Greystone Inn and its sequel Evil Inc.
For four years, their Comic Lab podcast has been a weekly dose of friendship that explores “making comics and making a living from comics.” In this special live performance, the hosts will pull up a chair for a family-friendly show that’s half shop-talk, half how-to, and half friendship. That’s right: They squeezed in three halves!
Cartoonist & Illustrator
Sarah Andersen is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014 and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Her semi-autobiographical comic strip, Sarah’s Scribbles, finds the humor in living as an introvert with beloved pets and the continual struggles with waking up in the morning, being productive, and dealing with social situations.
Sarah’s debut books, Adulthood is a Myth, Big Mushy Happy Lump, and Herding Cats won the Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Graphic Novels and Comics. Her graphic novel Fangs was nominated for an Eisner Award and appeared on The New York Times best seller list.
Head of Social Media Marketing, King Features & ComicsKingdom.com
Alex, the maestro of Audience Development at King Features, differs from your average digital marketing guru. With a keen intuition for user behavior, he lures audiences across platforms like a digital pied piper. A lifelong comics aficionado, Alex leverages his prior digital publishing experience at Barnes & Noble, along with his experience in guerilla marketing, to forge his powers in analytics, SEO, and content marketing. (Did we note he fancies himself a comic hero as well?) Today, he shapes the virtual dance between brands and audiences, using data as his rhythm. Alex’s knack for infusing an impactful yet subtly humorous touch to his strategies is helping redefine King Features’ online charisma.
Conceptual Illustrator & Product Designer
Carlos Mendoza III is a seasoned conceptual illustrator and product designer. He has over 18 years professional experience in the toy and product development industry. His passion for toy design, fantasy art and character development has kept him up with design trends and pop culture. He has led design and development teams across a broad spectrum of brands such as Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, DC, Subway surfer, Killer Klown, as well as Nickelodeon's #1 brand Spongebob SquarePants. More recently he is the Art director on Spirit Halloween’s animatronics, horror teams and is the Founder of the Artisan Social Club.
Cartoonist & Author
Lincoln Peirce is a New York Times bestselling author and cartoonist. His comic strip Big Nate debuted in 1991 and appears in over 400 newspapers worldwide and online at gocomics.com. In the past ten years, over twenty million Big Nate illustrated novels and compilations have been sold. Lincoln is a consulting producer for the Big Nate animated series, currently in its second season on Nickelodeon and Paramount+. He is also an executive producer for the upcoming Max & the Midknights animated series, based on his bestselling trilogy. Lincoln and his wife Jessica live in Portland, Maine, and have two children.
Vice President, Executive Director of Global Digital & International Sales at Simon & Schuster
Colin is another terrific Simon & Schuster success story, having begun his career as a marketing intern, and his new position reflects the continuing importance of sales through digital channels. Adding digital audio and international sales group to his portfolio was a natural next step given his oft-proven ability to help navigate the complexity of selling books in the global marketplace.
Cartoonist & Art Historian
Brian Walker has a diverse background in professional cartooning and cartoon
Brian Walker has a diverse background in professional cartooning and cartoon scholarship. He is a founder and former director of the Museum of Cartoon Art, where he worked from 1974 to 1992. Since 1984, he has been part of the creative team that produces the comic strips, Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. He has written, edited or contributed to forty-five books on cartoon art, including the definitive history, The Comics – The Complete Collection published by Abrams ComicArts and has served as curator for seventy-five cartoon exhibitions. Brian is also the founder and current chairman of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society.
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