R.I.P. PKD Media.

8/1/2007 - 10/29/2012

R.I.P.

Before becoming a part of Action Lab Entertainment, I started self publishing my creator-owned content under my own personal banner/label, PKD Media in 2007. My love of the comic book medium and wanting to collaborate with others sparked the initiative to create these crazy comics after going to a few comic book conventions that year.

It was there that I learned about comic book creation, production, printing and promotion from the ground up, and with the assistance from a bunch of great colleagues and friends, titles such as Mercury & The Murd, Agents of C.O.L.T., PKD Media Presents, Wasted Wonderland, and a few other projects were brought to the public. With some of these projects I ended up working with people that later formed Action Lab (Dave Dwonch, Chad Cicconi, Shawn Gabborin, etc). Small world, y'all. 

In 2009 I decided to learn/try other forms of media by starting a podcast called "The PKD Black Box." Originally, the purpose of the podcast was to focus on comic books that were going to come out under the PKD Media banner, but I figured pretty quick that I (and future listeners) would be bored with that type of show. Instead it became a pop-culture, art, comics, movies, music and everything under the sun podcast. It's my release therapy. And with my fellow podcast cohorts Donny Salvo, Jon Carroll and all of our special guests, its pure fun.

However, since joining Action Lab in October of 2010 the only consistent thing that's come out from PKD Media is "The PKD Black Box" podcast. 

The website ceased updating in December 2010 and was finally shut down two months ago. 

The last book that was released under the PKD Media banner was the Volume II "Mercury & The Murd" TPB in April 2011 thanks to Mike Imboden (Mercury & The Murd is now in the hands of creator Mike Imboden and his imprint Artery Comics). 

And in all honesty, PKD Media doesn't represent what I want to do with comic books and other forms of media nowadays. With anything I do in life, it's never just about me, and I felt that was what PKD Media was doing and I didn't like that at all.

It's a team effort in everything I am a part of, no matter the form of entertainment. 

I need something that represents that and others. PKD Media doesn't do that.

Yes, Action Lab is a part of what I do, but that's a piece in the great and amazing cog that is creation.

So as of today, PKD Media is no more. It's been a good run, but it's time to move on from it.

Now, for those that listen to "The PKD Black Box" podcast, it's not going away anytime soon. The show (along with Tales from the Attic and Carroll Chronicles) will continue to air with new material on HHWLOD.com and iTunes. I'll remove the "PKD" from the podcast title eventually. The Facebook page will remain for now, but it will be changed sometime in the future as well.

And it doesn't mean that it's the end of some of the first creator-owned comics that I worked on before moving over to Action Lab. I'll get back to them when the time is right. It'll happen.

But as far as PKD Media goes, it's time to close the doors. It was a good run. Thank you to those who contributed, assisted, supported and enjoyed what was created.

-Shawn

Change Brings Progress or Progress Brings Change.

So the news dropped today that I, Shawn Pryor am no longer President of Action Lab Entertainment.

Now, before anyone thinks that that this change was forced upon me or that I was kicked out of my spot, I want to clear the air so we're all on the same page.

This is what I wanted. This change is what Action Lab needed, and I'm all for it.

Let's turn back the clock a bit. When Action Lab started in November 2010, I was brought on as President to help run the company and help build a foundation. I took the challenge head on. And in almost two years, Action Lab has gone from a small unknown publisher to an award-nominated and award-winning company. Now don't get it twisted, it was a team effort through and through. Everyone involved from the beginning had a role to play.

All of us at Action Lab have our special roles, and my role as President was quite daunting. We were publishing comics to the best of our abilities with a small team. As President, my responsibilities ranged from the following:

- Acquiring Comic Market Distribution (Diamond)

- Being the Diamond Liaison

- Assisting With the Publishing Schedule

- Merchandising Facilitator

- Digital Comics Distribution Manager & Production Lead

- Website/Web-store Manager

- Marketing/PR

- Social Media

- Anything else that needed to be covered

I dealt with these responsibilities head on to the best of my ability. And for the most part, I think I did a pretty good job. Now, having and maintaining all those tasks consistently can take its toll; especially for those who work in comics that also have 9 to 5 jobs and work full time after work to publish comic books. It's a lot of work. 

You have to have the love, spirit, hustle, endurance and work ethic to make comics. It's not easy. And after doing these tasks consistently as President, it started to take a toll, as expected. I didn't want to see things on the Administrative side begin to falter and cause ripples in one area of Action Lab or another, which could have happened if we kept things status quo. I didn't want to hit the wall, say "I'm burned out" then walk away with everyone else at Action Lab holding the bag. I don't play that way.

So an administrative shift needed to be made to ensure that the future of Action Lab is maintained as we continue to grow with every single year. We’re now in a position where we’re able to even out the spread of responsibilities across the board in order to succeed, and that’s where Kevin Freeman comes in. His experience in the comic business is very strong and he’s someone I trust wholeheartedly. He’s been a great addition to the family since coming on in June of this year. 

Like myself, he also has solid leadership capabilities and is an extremely hard worker. He’s the right fit for being President of Action Lab. I’m all for it. This move is a step in the right direction. His resume and work log gives us a major boost and strengthens the Action Lab name.

No longer being President takes a lot off of my shoulders, but I will still be heavily involved with Action Lab for years to come. My focus for Action Lab now will be in areas such as Digital Comic Development/Distribution and Special Project Management, two areas of growth that Action Lab needs to give proper attention to, and I’m the person for that job.

Also, this change means I will once again have the time to do the thing that I missed the most; creating my own comic book projects and diving into other forms of multimedia projects that I've wanted to tackle for a few years. I've always been a creator first, but I was willing to sacrifice that in order to have a stake in building something that I am proud of. I did that, and now it’s time to give it to someone that can take it further. 

Action Lab is in great hands with Kevin Freeman at the helm. If I didn't believe that, then I wouldn't have made the suggestion for the change.

The best is yet to come, people. You'll see.

Peace.

Shawn Pryor

Action Lab Entertainment

http://www.actionlabcomics.com