David Campiti (; born May 9, 1958) is an American animation producer,

comic book writer A script is a document describing the narrative and dialogue of a comic book in detail. It is the comic book equivalent of a television program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and is almost al ...

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainm ...

, and packager. He was deeply involved with a number of comics publishers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including

Eternity Comics Eternity Comics was an American comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some lice ...

Pied Piper Comics Pied Piper Comics was a short-lived American comic book publishing company that operated from 1986 to 1988. The company was founded by Mark L. Hamlin and Roger McKenzie, with writer/editor David Campiti playing a major role. Origins According t ...

, and his own entity,

Innovation Publishing Innovation Publishing (also known as Innovation Books and the Innovative Corporation) was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising ...

. As CEO of Glass House Graphics, Campiti oversees an international animation studio and agency of illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers.

Early life

Campiti is the adopted son of Charles H. and Rose Campiti. He graduated from Warwood High School and

West Liberty University West Liberty University (WLU) is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia, United States. Located in the state's Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, Northern Panhandle, it was established as an academy in 1837 and is the oldest unive ...

. He began writing as a child.

Career

Campiti sold his first writing to the '' Wheeling News-Register'' while still in college, and to such magazines as ''

Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 und ...

'' and ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...

'' soon after. He was an on-air news reporter at

WKWK WKWK-FM (97.3 MHz) is an adult contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, United States, serving the Wheeling/Steubenville area. WKWK is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station carries Murphy, ...

radio, where he also wrote, performed, and produced humorous radio commercials. He soon moved on to WANJ-FM Radio. In 1982, Campiti moved from his hometown of

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

, to

North Attleboro, Massachusetts North Attleborough, alternatively spelled North Attleboro, is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,834 at the 2020 United States Census. The villages of Attleboro Falls and North Attleborough Center are ...

, where he worked as chief copywriter at the L.G. Balfour Company and, later on, as a writer for the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

of New England. Campiti sold comic book scripts to

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics was a comic book Distribution (marketing), distributor and Comic book publisher, publisher active from 1971 to 1984. The company began as a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill Schanes, Bill and Steve Schan ...

in 1982. In 1985, Campiti wrote a short story for ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #573 at

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, then turned to

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

editing and comics packaging full-time.

Campiti and Associates

Campiti's packager, Campiti and Associates (also known as Creative Concepts) supplied content for a number of small publishers launched during the so-called "black-and-white boom" of the mid-1980s, employing creators like

Mark Beachum Mark Beachum is an American comic book artist, writer, painter, publisher, photographer and filmmaker known for renditions of the female figure. Having worked for Marvel Comics, Marvel, DC Comics, DC, and Continuity Comics, Continuity, among oth ...

, Rick Bryant,

Ron Lim Ronald Lim (born 1965) is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on their various "cosmic" titles, most particularly the ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) series. Biography Lim' ...

, and David Lawrence.Campiti and Associates
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved December 27, 2021. Campiti first provided content for the short-lived publisher

Sirius Comics Sirius Comics, also known as New Sirius Productions and Prelude Graphics, was a small comic book publisher based in Queens, New York, that operated from 1985 to 1986. Owned and operated by brothers Juan Collado (Editor-in-Chief), Leopaldo Collado ...

(1985–1986), where he spearheaded the creation of the superhero team

Hero Alliance The Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series mostly published by companies associated with David Campiti, including his own Innovation Publishing. The group was created by writer Kevin Juaire and ...

. Early in 1986, Campiti and writer-editor

Brian Marshall Brian Aubrey Marshall (born 24 April 1973) is an American musician best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. Early life Brian Aubrey Marshall was born April 24, 1973, in Jackson, Mississippi but has l ...

co-founded the comics packager TriCorp Entertainment. With private financing from

Sunrise Distribution Sunrise Distribution (a.k.a. Sunrise Comics and Games) was a Commerce, California-based comic book direct market, distributor which operated in the early-to-mid 1980s. Owned by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the company was intimately connected to a n ...

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is an American film, television, and comic book producer. He is the chairman of Platinum Studios, an entertainment company that controls a library of comic-book characters and adapts them for film, television and other ...

, Marshall and Tony Eng formed

; Campiti packaged material for Eternity to publish, including Lawrence & Lim's ''

Ex-Mutants ''Ex-Mutants'' is a comic book series created by writer David Lawrence and artist Ron Lim, along with comics packager David Campiti in 1986. It was first published by Eternity Comics and then Amazing Comics, Pied Piper Comics, and finally M ...

''.

Pied Piper / Amazing / Wonder Color

Beginning in the summer of 1986, after disputes arose between Marshall and Campiti, Rosenberg and some investors provided capital for Campiti to form two new small publishers: Amazing and Wonder Color. Meanwhile, Campiti, Mark L. Hamlin, and

Roger McKenzie Roger McKenzie may refer to: * Roger McKenzie (musician) (1971–1995), English musician and DJ * Roger McKenzie (comics) (born 1950), American comic book writer *Roger McKenzie, British activist associated with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmamen ...

formed

, with Hamlin, McKenzie, and Campiti sharing the title of Publisher and Campiti also holding the title of Editor-in-Chief. Campiti personally edited most of Pied Piper's comics as well as writing a number of titles. The plan was that Campiti would package comics for all three publishers through Campiti and Associates, with Pied Piper handling "special projects such as posters and

graphic novels A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and ...

; black-and-white /nowiki>comics/nowiki> were Amazing's domain, and Wonder Color would product strictly color comics." In the spring of 1987, Rosenberg revealed his involvement with the various small publishers he was financing. The resulting fallout led to the consolidation of the various Rosenberg properties, with Amazing and Wonder Color both being shut down and a few of their titles moving to Pied Piper.

Innovation Publishing

Pied Piper collapsed in 1988, but Campiti wrote a business proposal that helped raise $400,000 to finance the launch of his own venture,

. Innovation brought literary, film, and TV

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, website, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original proper ...

series and adaptations, such as

Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of Gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Bible fiction. She is best known for writing ''The Vampire Chronicles''. She later adapted t ...

's ''

The Vampire Lestat ''The Vampire Lestat'' (1985) is a Vampire literature, vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her ''The Vampire Chronicles, Vampire Chronicles'', following ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1976). The story is told from the poin ...

'', ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'', and ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

''. Innovation also continued a number of titles from Pied Piper/Amazing/Wonder Color, including ''Hero Alliance'' and ''Power Factor''. Under Campiti's leadership, Innovation was one of the first companies to delve heavily into recruiting talents from Brazil, starting the American careers of

Mike Deodato Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho, better known by his pen name Mike Deodato ( ; born May 23, 1963), is a Brazilian comic book artist. Early life Mike Deodato was born on May 23, 1963, in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. He is the son of comic ar ...

and Joe Bennett. According to Campiti, Innovation became number four in market share, below

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, and

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

Glass House Graphics

In 1993, Campiti resigned from Innovation and founded Glass House Graphics, a new comics packager. Campiti gave comics workshops at

conventions Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law ** Convention (political norm), uncodified legal or political tradition * Convention (meeting) ...

and art schools in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, cementing further relationships with

Brazilian comics Brazilian comics (known in Brazilian Portuguese as ''HQs, gibis, revistinhas, historietas'', ''quadrinhos'' or ''tirinhas'') started in the 19th century, adopting a satirical style known as cartoon, charges or caricature that would later be cemen ...

artist, including

Al Rio Álvaro Araújo Lourenço do Rio (19 May 1962 – 31 January 2012) – known professionally as Al Rio – was a Brazilian comic book artist, best known for his " good girl" illustration work, particularly on the American comic book se ...

. One of Glass House's clients was the short-lived publisher

Topps Comics Topps Comics was a division of Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at 254 3 ...

. In 1995, Campiti briefly served as art director of Pop Comics, a publisher of unauthorized comic book biographies. In 1997, Campiti and Glass House Graphics packaged material for the short-lived publisher

Amazing Comics Group Amazing may refer to: Music Performers * The Amazing, a Swedish indie rock band Albums * ''Amazing'' (Banaroo album), 2006 * ''Amazing'' (Elkie Brooks album), 1996 * ''Amazing'' (Marcia Hines album) or the title song, 2014 * ''Amazin'' (Tri ...

, founded by Howard Feltman. Amazing Comics released three

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

titles in 1997 (most of it using talent Campiti recruited in Brazil), all of which told the story of the "Jewels of the Rising Sun." The company was based in Shepherd, Michigan, and had a publishing agreement with Gary Reed of

Caliber Comics Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of Americ ...

. In the early 2020s Campiti/Glass House Graphics produced graphic novel adaptations for two middle-grade series for

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

: '' The Goddess Girls'' and '' Heroes in Training''. Campiti holds the position of

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

/Manager — USA & South America at Glass House Graphics. The company has offices in the U.S., Brazil,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, and various locations in Europe, coordinating a roster of worldwide talents that produce art, stories, and digital graphics for a range of publishers and studios.

Red Giant Entertainment

From March 2013 to 2018, Campiti served on the board of directors and as COO of

Red Giant Entertainment Red Giant Entertainment, Inc. is a Florida-headquartered comic book publisher and "transmedia" entertainment company established in 2005. Red Giant was founded by Benny R. Powell, former marketing writer for Priceline.com. Other key players i ...

, a comic book publisher and "

transmedia Transmedia storytelling (also known as transmedia narrative or multiplatform storytelling) is the technique of adapting a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies. From a product ...

" entertainment company. Campiti was listed as producer and character actor for '' Journey to Magika'', the first animated film from

, which aired on

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

in 2014. His Glass House Studios animation animated ''The Grubbs'', a TV pilot for

Keenspot Keenspot is a webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published i ...

Entertainment.

Other works

Campiti's credits as writer include ''

'' #573, '' Exposure'' and '' Jade Warriors'' for

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

and

. Most of his work in comics was as an editor on titles like ''

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday people ...

'', ''

Magnus, Robot Fighter Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional superhero who battles rogue robots in the year 4000, appearing in comic books created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963.Steve Holland, ''Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History''. Lewes: ILEX, 2009. . .pp. 102–1 ...

'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', ''

'', and ''

''. He was a "contributing writer" to

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

's ''How to Draw Comics'', released in November 2010 by

Watson-Guptill Watson-Guptill is an American publisher of instructional books in the arts. History The company was founded in 1937 by Ernest William Watson, Ralph Reinhold, and Arthur L. Guptill. They also published the magazine ''American Artist''. Their head ...

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

Bibliography

Amazing Comics

* ''Angel Heat'' (1997) * ''Dangerous Secrets'' (Amazing Comics, 1997) * ''The Experimentals'' (Amazing Comics, 1997)

Angel Entertainment

* ''Dream Angel'' (1996)

Avatar Pres

* ''Exposure Second Coming'' (2000) * ''Exposure Special 2001'' (2001) * ''Jade Warriors: Slave of the Dragon'' (2001)

DC Comics

* (with co-writer Kevin Juaire and artists

Alex Saviuk Alex Saviuk (; born August 17, 1952) is an American comics artist primarily known for his work on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Early life Alex Saviuk grew up on Long Island, New York, graduating from Floral Park Memorial High School ...

Eduardo Barreto Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra (March 1, 1954 – December 15, 2011) was a Uruguayan artist who worked in the comic book and comic strip industries including several years of prominent work for DC Comics. All of his children are artists. Two o ...

) "If I Were Superman...", in ''

'' #573 (Nov. 1985)

Dynamite Entertainment / Watson-Guptill

* (as contributing writer) ''

's How to Draw Comics'' (Nov. 2010)

Image Comics

* (with artist

) ''Exposure'' (1999–2000) * (with co-writer Mike Buckley and artist

) '' Jade Warriors'' (1999)

Innovation Publishing

* ''

'' (1993) * ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

'' (1992–1993) *

Mike Baron Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer and novelist. He is the creator of ''Badger (comics), Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus (comics), Nexus'' with Steve Rude. He is also well known as the first writer on Marvel Co ...

's ''The Group Larue '' (1989) * ''Hero Alliance Annual'' (1990) * ''Hero Alliance Manual'' * ''

Quarterly'' (1991–1992) * ''Hero Alliance Special'' (1992) * ''Legends of the Stargazers'' (1989–1990) * ''

'' (1991–1993) *

Piers Anthony Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xan ...

's ''

On a Pale Horse ''On a Pale Horse'' is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony, first published in 1983. It is the first of eight books in the ''Incarnations of Immortality'' series. The book focuses on Zane, a photographer about to commit suicide who instead kills D ...

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1991–1993) * '' The Vampire Companion'' (1990–1992)

Pacific Comics

* (stories in anthology title) ''Vanguard Illustrated'' #1–3 (1983–1984) * (with co-writer and artist David Ross) "Avalone Episode One: Survival," in ''Vanity'' #2 (1984)

Sirius Comics

* ''Greylore'' #1–5 (1985–1986)

Other publishers

* ''Galaxy Girl'' * ''Oscarzinho'' (

) * ''Terra One'' * ''

References

External links

*
Campiti's profile at Glass House Graphics

David Campiti's Portfolio Picture

Glass House Graphics

Red Giant Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campiti, David 1958 births American comics writers American comic book editors Comic book publishers (people) Innovation Publishing Living people West Liberty University alumni Writers from Wheeling, West Virginia American adoptees