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Established during the pandemic, Give Comics Hope recognizes that small business are at the heart of the vibrant Pop Culture community. The premise for the program was sparked by a concern of COVID’s impact on comic shop and book store retailers. Without the nation’s independent retailers, there would have been no multi-million dollar blockbuster movies spawned from graphic novels. This ambitious charitable initiative calls on the community to rally together to provide vital aid to comic book shops.

The Give Comics Hope structure is simple: fans and collectors have been asked to donate collectibles that are being auctioned off. For this program, 100% of the money raised is funneled back to retailers, based on need. Retailers are applying for funds during December and the money raised will be allocated and distributed in January. Give Comics Hope was founded by several longtime industry veterans, including BOOM! Studios President Filip Sablik, Image’s Dirk Wood and Diamond veteran Bill Schanes.

“When I asked Ed Catto if he would be willing to volunteer some of his time and energy to our cause, Ed enthusiastically joined our group. Ed immediately suggested getting his students involved on both the social media and celebrity influencers part of the outreach of our efforts. I was thrilled with the overall level of engagement, creative suggestions and out of the box ideas,” said program founder Bill Schanes.

As a part of MGTM 29700, called Countdown to Comic Con, Ithaca College students have worked to promote the auctions in a myriad of ways: amplifying the marketing messages via social media, developing industry contacts and even providing interviews.

As a part of the Business School’s entrepreneurial program established by Brad Treat, this course, taught by Ed Catto, focuses on entrepreneurs and the strategy behind conventions and trade shows.

“There are plenty of negative results from the pandemic, but there are some guiding lights as well, explained IC student Alexis Bingham. “Give Comics Hope is a great example of what fans are capable of when they are passionate about something. Everyone was so willing to give to the cause and support local businesses, even with times being hard for themselves.”

Ithaca College student, Kayli DePinto so impressed an industry news site, Gemstone’s The Scoop, that she was interviewed, and provided a compelling overview, details of the program and a call-to-action to get people involved.

“Events like Comic-Con have grown so much over the years, but we still need to recognize the roots of where it started,” said Kayli. “It started with small comic shops and collectors. That’s where Give Comics Hope shines in helping these shops survive. I believe, to honor these conventions and to honor these films being made based on comics, we have to honor the history which starts with helping Give Comics Hope.”

It looks like there’s more work to be done next semester too. “I’m planning on future Give Comics Hope comic book specialty retailer fundraising campaigns, and I look forward to reaching out to Ed and his students, as I can’t wait to see what innovative ideas they will come up with,” said Schanes.

More information can be found at www.GiveComicsHope.org.

*Thanks to IC student Bailey Wilkinson for our headline.

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