Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA) has appointed Zach Studin as the president of the newly-formed AWA Studios, which will take the company’s expanding library of comic book stories and adapt them into new film and TV projects.
In his new role, Studin will oversee entertainment industry partnerships for AWA Studios. He previously fostered deep industry relationships during his time as an executive at John Wells Productions, Lava Bear Films, Lionsgate and his own Veri Media. He received his Bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.
Founded by former Marvel executives Bill Jemas and Axel Alonso in Nov. 2018, AWA is backed by Lupa Systems, Sister and Lightspeed. Some of their noteworthy titles include “The Resistance,” “Hotel,” “Marjorie Finnigan, Temporal Criminal” and “Moths.”
Chaired by Jon Miller, the independent comic book publisher has assembled a lineup of renowned talent, including founding members of AWA’s Creative Council J. Michael Straczynski, Mike Deodato and Garth Ennis.
“AWA offers writers and artists the best deals in the business,” Jemas said in a statement. “We pay cash advances, respect creator ownership, actively encourage creative freedom, provide stellar editorial support, and run publishing and marketing on a turnkey basis. We do that because we want the best creators to do their best work here. So far, so good.”
Jemas added that in the 16 months since releasing their first books, AWA has published 22 original series in 86 comic-length episodes with nearly 250 characters. Alonso, AWA’s COO, said the one constant for success is great storytelling.
“From a creative standpoint, we will continue to focus on making sure that we deliver jaw-dropping stories that will give Zach the fuel he needs to make AWA Studios an ideal partner for the world’s best filmmakers and for Hollywood Studios.”
Studin said that he is looking forward to curating these stories and working tirelessly to build an array of opportunities for filmmakers.
“The story of AWA Studios is just beginning, we’re going to have a lot of fun and it’s going to show, on screens around the world,” Studin said.
