IP: Making, Managing, and Monetizing with Legendary Comic Book Artist Todd McFarlane

We are diving deep into the world of intellectual property with legendary comic book artist Todd McFarlane. IP sits at the heart of many media discussions and it's something we are very curious about. Todd revitalized Spider-Man, co-created Venom, and was the sole creator of Spawn. He also founded Image Comics just over two decades ago, and that has become the number three comic book business in the world. So while Todd's perspective comes from his world of comic book characters and the IP in that universe, it's not hard to see the linkage to all original content across any medium. Enjoy! For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.  ----- This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities. ----- Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus  Show Notes (00:03:20) - (First question) - The outlook of original content versus legacy IP in the next decade (00:05:39) - Why Spawn has thrived for 30 years and the secret to its enduring success (00:08:24) - How production companies swiftly respond to new books in the industry (00:10:12) - Spawn's diverse business ventures in TV, film, video games, and toys (00:16:46) - Why the sale of rights to stories does not guarantee their production (00:20:18) - How studios differentiate and the challenges creators face in negotiations (00:27:43) - His perspective on why the Marvel movie franchises outperform DC (00:29:07) - The challenges and strategies of licensing toys in the industry (00:33:33) - How he disrupted the toy market to find success against established competitors (00:41:48) - Why TV shows and movies are the key drivers for expanding brand recognition (00:46:20) - His perspective on why only a fraction of great ideas make it to the spotlight (00:50:24) - He recalls the golden opportunity in the toy industry propelled his success (00:53:42) - Toys he would love to make if he could choose from any IP (00:54:34) - How quality and fair pricing are the driving force for McFarlane Toys' profitability (01:00:03) - The hitherto unrealized potential of AI to revolutionize the art industry (01:06:57) - His advice for the next generation of storytellers (01:12:22) - Debrief