Popular manga publisher MyFutprint Entertainment, home of the world’s most diverse manga-inspired creators, and digital publisher of the flagship magazine and brand Saturday AM, has selected FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management, LLC as its official agent.
The company says the FanGirl team, headed by Anita Castellar, will be tasked with expanding brand awareness, building licensing/retail partnerships, and more.
Seeing the future globalization of geek culture, MyFutprint founder Frederick L. Jones launched the digital, bi-weekly magazine Saturday AM in 2013 as a platform for diverse manga-inspired content. As a former video game executive and a lifelong, comic book and manga fan, Jones says he always recognized the power of fandom. However, as an African American male, he also saw the opportunity to introduce more diversity into the manga space both in the stories being written as well as the creators behind those stories.
Saturday AM targets diverse manga fans across ethnicity, gender, orientation, and more, seeking to unite and inspire global manga fans who enjoy the aesthetic of Japanese pop culture but seek the inclusivity of BIPOC representation.
“Representation has always been something I’ve championed throughout my career and there is currently no bigger global entertainment category than manga-inspired content,” says Jones. “It’s an honor to work with a seasoned vet like Anita as she helps us tell our story to major brands across a variety of industries.”
Castellar says Saturday AM is now the undisputed leader in this space with multiple spinoff magazines representing over three dozen creators and fans from six continents. Saturday AM maintains a social media network of 30+ accounts across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, with over 650K followers, and generates over 10 million impressions monthly. The digital manga and comics can be found on the Saturday AM website, on the App Store, and in the Google Play store.
Castellar and the team at FanGirl are already hard at work on brand promotion, with a variety of programs underway, including these activities:
- Saturday AM has partnered with group Urban Renewal Project featuring rapper Vic Mensa on a comic/vinyl record production launching on Record Store Day in June.
- Flick Solitaire features over 35 of Saturday AM’s diverse manga characters in the mobile game.
- Previous brand partnerships include Sakura, Spectrum Noir, Clip Studio Paint, Wacom, and Jabberwocky Toys.
- March Art Madness: An annual March Madness style event that pits 64 artists against one another in a global single-elimination tournament over five rounds for prizes and prestige.
The FanGirl team is actively seeking partners in publishing, apparel, accessories, toys/collectibles, and more. For inquiries email: info@fglicensing.com