The Corner Box S1Ep24 - The Michael Kelly Interview: A True King of Hasbro Comics

The Corner Box

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Corner Box, former VP of Global Publishing at Hasbro, Michael Kelly, joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about how Michael helped Hasbro get deep into original comic book content creation, the great success of My Little Pony, the truth about working with licensors, why GI Joe and Transformers were moved to Skybound, and the heartwarming story of when Michael started reading comic books.

Timestamp Segments

· [03:26] Michael’s comic-less origin story.

· [05:31] Hasbro’s publishing business.

· [07:53] Getting into original content.

· [09:12] Early successes.

· [11:26] Successful comics.

· [14:06] Working with licensors.

· [24:47] My Little Pony.

· [30:53] Moving GI Joe and Transformers.

· [38:42] Michael started reading comic books.

Notable Quotes

· “There’s no point in hiring licensees if you’re not going to use their core competencies.”

· “Brands don’t get tired. People get tired.”

· “The goal is to make sure that people are interested, and that the audience is growing, not shrinking.”

Relevant Links

Michael Kelly
Check out John's latest work:
PugWorldWide.com
Join the launch for David's new graphic novella:
Super Kaiju Rock n Roller Derby Fun Time Go!
www.thecornerbox.club