David Campiti (born May 9, 1958) 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.
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.
Campiti sold his first writing to the Wheeling News-Register while still in college, and to such magazines as Writer's Digest 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.
Comics
During this period, Campiti began selling comic book scripts to Pacific Comics in '82, 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.
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 Publishing. 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.
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 CEO and global talent supervisor.
Today, in addition to the U.S. office, Campiti oversees offices in Brazil as well as in Manila, Jakarta, and various locations in Europe, coordinating art from a roster of over 125 talents worldwide to produce art and digital graphics for Disney Publishing Worldwide, DreamWorks Publishing, Hasbro, Reader's Digest Books, LEGO, Stone Arch Books, Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Del Rey, Red Giant Entertainment, Rittenhouse Archives, Upper Deck, Trepidation, Marshall Holt Entertainment, IDW, BDI, 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 300 artists in the past 31 years.
Other Works
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 â€" including Exposure and Jade Warriors for Image Comics and, most recently, for Keenspot.
He was the writer of Stan Lee's How To Draw Comics, released in November 2010 from Watson-Guptill/Dynamite Entertainment.
In March 2013, Campiti was elected to the Board of Directors of Red Giant Entertainment, a publicly traded transmedia company.
Campiti is also producer and character voice actor for Journey To Magika, the first animated film from Red Giant Entertainment.
In July 2013, it was announced that producer Kevin VanHook is developing a television series based on Exposure, the Red Giant Entertainment comic book series that Campiti created with artist Al Rio.
Bibliography
- Angel Heat
- Al Rio's Exposure
- Hero Alliance Quarterly
- Hero Alliance Special
- Hero Alliance Manual
- Hero Alliance Annual
- Legends of the Stargazers
- Mike Baron's The Group Larue
- Oscarzinho (Brazilian comics)
- Superman
- The Vampire Companion
- Beauty and the Beast
- Dream Angel
- Forbidden Planet
- Lost in Space
- Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse
- Terra One
- Dangerous Secrets
- Experimentals
- Galaxy Girl
- Jade Warriors
- Quantum Leap
- T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
References
External links
- David Campiti at the Comic Book DB
- Campiti's profile at Glass House Graphics
- David Campiti's Portfolio Picture
- Glass House Graphics
- Red Giant Entertainment