Gareb Seth Shamus ( ; born December 23, 1968) is an American publisher. He is the founder, former chairman and CEO of

Wizard Entertainment Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company that became Wizard Entertainment began in 1991 as Wizard Press, the publisher of the monthly magazine '' ...

. He is also a co-founder and CEO of ACE Comic Con. Shamus published '' Wizard: The Comics Magazine''; '' InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine''; '' ToyFare: The Toy Magazine;

Anime Insider ''Anime Insider'' was a monthly magazine published by Wizard Entertainment, consisting of news and entertainment pieces relating to the Japanese anime and manga subculture. In its earliest incarnation it was published from Fall 2001 till Fall ...

;'' ''FunFare''; ''"In" Power!'', a kids' entertainment magazine; ''Wizard Specials''; ''Toy Wishes'', a holiday toy shopping guide; ''Bean Power'', a

Beanie Babies Beanie Babies are a line of stuffed toys created by American businessman Ty Warner, who founded Ty Inc. in 1986. The toys are stuffed with plastic pellets ("beans") rather than conventional soft stuffing and come in many different forms, mostly ...

magazine; and ''Sportslook'', a sports card magazine. He also co-founded and was CEO of International Fight League Inc (IFLI). He produced several televised

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

fights with partners

Fox Sports Networks Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by the Walt Disney Company on M ...

and

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

. In April 2023, '' KuuHubb'', Inc. announced that Gareb Shamus was its new CEO.

Personal life

Gareb is the second oldest of four brothers: Ilan, Kenny, and Stephen Shamus, respectively. As a child, he collected comic books and sports cards. His early loves were ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

'', ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'', and '' Mad'' magazine. As a teenager, he gravitated to more mature comics created by artists like

Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic-book creator, best known for his work as an artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horror-fantasy series '' Spawn,'' as well as bein ...

and

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

. Shamus studied economics at the

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...

and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, with a minor in art, in 1990. Gareb has an art studio and gallery where he produces and displays his art. He participates in gallery shows and art fairs across the US.

Wizard Entertainment

In the 1980s, Shamus's parents owned a sports card and comic book store called ''The Wizard of Cards and Comics'' in

Nanuet Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of West Nyack. It ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, where Shamus worked. When he graduated from college, he started a comic book newsletter, '' Wizard: The Guide to Comics'', for the store’s customers. It became popular enough to be turned into a monthly magazine in 1991. After only one year, ''Wizard'' was being published in over 50 countries and in multiple languages, making Shamus well-known in the comic book world. Over the next few years, he launched more magazines covering toys, games, animation, and other "superhero" related media (movies, TV shows, video games, and toys).

acquired the

Chicago Comicon Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and commonly known as the Chicago Comicon), is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was ...

in 1997, expanded its scope, and within a year, boosted attendance from a few thousand to 25,000. There were at their peak 25

Wizard World Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company that became Wizard Entertainment began in 1991 as Wizard Press, the publisher of the monthly magazine ''Wi ...

comic conventions A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at conv ...

and pop-culture conventions hosted in the United States.

Ace Universe

ACE Universe is a New York-based media and experiential events company founded by Gareb Shamus and his brother, Stephen Shamus.

Selected exhibitions

* "Squeezed," Coldstream Fine Art, Toronto, July 8 – August 2, 2017 * "Rungs of Life," Art Exchange London, September 23, 2016 * "Early Days," Art Helix, Brooklyn, September 16, 2016 * "The Pivot Collection," MRG Fine Art, Sherman Oaks, California, July 16, 2016 * "All Art Everything," Guy Hepner Gallery, New York, April 8, 2016

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shamus, Gareb Living people 1968 births People from Tenafly, New Jersey University at Albany, SUNY alumni Magazine publishers (people) 21st-century American painters Painters from New Jersey