The GrowlersWorld Interviews are an ongoing quest, bringing you closer to successful and creative people in all walks of life. I've been lucky enough to meet and talk to some amazing, positive and aspirational people. This is where I share their inspirational journeys.

Rawle Austin presents...

A brand new conversation with Phil Hampton - Inspirational Founder of the Comic Academy!

Rawle Austin: Could you briefly introduce yourself to GrowlersWorld readers?

Phil Hampton: I’m Phil Hampton, a personal development and marketing consultant specialising in the comic book industry. I help comic creators and other professionals working in the industry build successful careers and businesses.

Click here to visit Phil Hampton's fantastic website, The Comic Academy!

© Phil Hampton

RA: You have an amazing passion for comic books. Why comics and how did this love get started?

PH: I always loved reading as a kid, but growing up in the Seventies, I was lucky enough to be exposed to some great comic-related TV shows and movies, such as the original Spiderman cartoon, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Superman movies. So when I was given my first Spiderman comic at the age of 8, I was instantly hooked.

Nowadays, I feel that there aren’t enough comics or comic-related TV shows and movies aimed at under-12s, which is harming the growth of the industry.

RA: Who are your top two favourite comic book writers and why?

PH: Firstly, I’d have to cite Alan Moore, mainly for his work on the amazing Captain Britain ‘Jaspers’ Warp’ strip, which I read in the UK magazine ‘The Daredevils’ at the age of 11. It introduced some amazing concepts such as the multiverse, and it cemented my long-term love for comics. His other books weren’t too bad either.

I’d then plump for John Byrne, mainly for his work on the likes of West Coast Avengers, Alpha Flight, his reinvention of Superman, and Next Men. I don’t always agree with what he has to say outside of his comics work, and he’s no longer hitting the highs he enjoyed 20-30 years ago, but his work is always interesting.

RA: Who are your top two favourite comic book artists and why?

PH: I’ve always loved Alan Davis’s artwork, and he also drew the aforementioned Captain Britain strip. You know where you are with Davis. He’s an excellent storyteller, and he always does a great job even when fitting hundreds of characters into a double-page splash.

Secondly, I’ll throw in a leftfield choice - Chris Ware. Reading one of his books, drawn in a crisp, minimalistic and non-linear style, is a great experience. His last book ‘Lint’ was amazing. It’s creators like Ware whose work will influence generations of comic and webcomic creators.

RA: If you had to pick a favourite comic book publisher who would it be and why?

PH: For nostalgia reasons, it would have to be Marvel Comics from the 60s to the end of the 80s.

These days, Image Comics probably give the greatest variety of quality titles, such as Chew, Morning Glories, Elephantmen and The Walking Dead, plus some excellent limited series, like ‘27’ and ‘The Infinite Vacation’.

With that said, I think that DC should be applauded for their recent bold move to relaunch 52 titles and go ‘day and date’ digital to generate some positive press for the industry. I’m just concerned that some retailers will suffer financially as a result of the experiment.

Alpha Flight by John Byrne © & ™ Marvel Comics

RA: You started up the Comic Academy website with its well researched and in-depth articles. What made you decide to pursue this venture?

PH: Once I’d obtained my coaching diploma and enrolled in two marketing mastermind groups to absorb the latest marketing techniques, I wanted to find a niche market for my services.

Having studied the ups and downs of the comic industry for 30 years through titles such as Comics International, and noticing that there were not many people offering comic book marketing advice, I felt that this was a great opportunity for me to set up The Comic Academy and make a positive impact to the lives of people who work in the industry that I love.

RA: What does the Comic Academy bring to the table within the comic book industry?

PH: The unique combination of three specific areas:

a) Personal development coaching skills (to help clarify what you want and how you are going to get there, and with motivation, inspiration and overcoming any barriers to your success, such as fears and doubts).

b) Project management and time management skills gained from my experience as a project manager in the insurance industry.

c) Knowledge of effective marketing techniques (such as copywriting, social media, autoresponders and video marketing).

These, combined with my knowledge of the industry, give me the flexibility to help solve many of the problems that those working in the comic industry currently face.

RA: What do you ultimately hope to achieve with the Comic Academy?

PH: I have 2 main aims:

Firstly, to improve the lives of those working in the comic industry, no matter whether they are starting out or seasoned professionals, by helping them get from where they are now to where they want to be.

Secondly, to help revitalise the industry by enabling comic creators, publishers and retailers to attract new readers.

Captain Britain by Alan Davis © & ™ Marvel Comics

RA: What is your opinion on the current state of the comic book industry?

PH: I’ve written a number of articles on my site about the industry today, but will attempt to summarise:

On one hand, we have an industry on the decline due to an ever-aging customer base, newsstand distribution being replaced by the direct market, and over-priced products.

But, thankfully, the industry is in a state of flux due to due to the impact of the internet which has made it possible for anyone to produce and distribute their own regular comic strip, and even make money from it. This has enabled some talented creators to build a career in comics when they may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

It also helps to spread the power in the industry more evenly, rather than it being concentrated on two or three major players.

We just need the emergence of more reliable ways to monetise webcomics than just through the likes of banner ads and t-shirts. This is why I am currently putting together a marketing training product for webcomic creators – to help them build upon the options that are currently available and bring positive change to this sector of the industry.

RA: What has been your most memorable experience to date while building up the Comic Academy?

PH: I had a great time putting together my ‘Comic Creator Success Secrets’ product (http://www.ComicCreatorSecrets.com), featuring interviews with 14 comic creators such as Kieron Gillen, Leinil Yu, Richard Starkings and Kody Chamberlain. They all kindly spared their time to reveal their strategies for being successful in the industry. I learned a great deal from the interviews, and they were all a pleasure to record.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the massive, positive reaction to my article ‘How Marvel, DC and You can Save the Comic Industry’. [Click here to read it!] It was even published on the Bleeding Cool website. It took about 8 hours to write but it was worth it to hear the feedback from those whom it inspired.

RA: Who inspires you in life and why?

PH: Trailblazers who have just gone out and done their thing without conforming to a set model or expectation, and not worrying about what people thought of them. People like Bob Dylan, Richard Branson and Stan Lee.

They have all made mistakes in their lives (sometimes major ones), but they just dust themselves off and move on, usually going on to experience greater successes.

RA: How do you keep yourself motivated to pursue your goals?

PH: I read the feedback from my followers. There are some amazing people either on my email list, or who follow me on Twitter or Facebook, who send me wonderful, inspiring comments about my work. This validation that I am achieving positive things helps to inspire me to keep improving what I do. I recommend that anyone working in the comic industry should regularly interact with their followers and make it easy for them to get in touch.

RA: And finally, what words of wisdom would you like to leave us with?

PH: 50% of success is perseverance. And often, when you’re weighing up whether you should continue or give up, a breakthrough is just around the corner.

Most of the remaining 50% is regularly checking that you are moving in the right direction, through planning, testing, reviewing your progress and revising your plans accordingly.

Click here to check out the Comic Academy!

< Emma Law - CrossFitter & Paleo

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