At a time when some of its competitors are downsizing their workforces, comics and graphic novel publisher Oni Press has announced a number of new hires and promotions. Three of those new additions come from Boom! Studios, where Oni editor-in-chief Sierra Hahn served as executive editor before moving to Oni in 2023, and which was acquired last summer by Penguin Random House.
Among those moving to Oni from Boom! is Allyson Gronowitz, who has been named senior editor. A six-year veteran of Boom!'s editorial team, Gronowitz helped spearhead the Jim Henson Company license and was the lead editor of the long-running Power Rangers comics, including the launch of the new Power Rangers Prime series in 2024.
Five-year Boom! veteran Elyse Raimo has been named director of reporting and special projects at Oni. Previously finance manager for Boom!, Raimo will manage royalties administration and accounting, internal and external reporting for distributors and vendors, and strategic oversight of Oni’s direct-to-consumer operations.
Oni’s new director of operations, Megan Christopher, also comes from Boom!, where she managed fulfillment on several successful Kickstarter projects, including BRZRKR and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers complete comic book collections. In addition, former Warner Bros. and DC Comics intern Azat Sayadi joined Oni as assistant editor last year, and Melanie Ujimori, formerly at Seven Seas Entertainment, has been hired as prepress lead.
Those taking on new responsibilities at Oni include VP of sales Spencer Simpson, who has been has been promoted to VP of marketing and sales. Simpson joined Oni in 2023 from DC Comics, and previously served as director of sales at Boom! and in executive roles at Books-A-Million. Other promotions include those for assistant editor Jung Hu Lee who was named associate editor; Sara Harding, promoted from executive coordinator to administrative manager; and Kaia Rokke, who was named marketing and communication manager after serving as coordinator.
The new hires and promotions follow a record 2024, per Oni, that included the 20th anniversary of creator Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series and the resurrection of the EC Comics publishing line. The good news from Oni follows harder times at fellow comics business, including layoffs at Dark Horse and IDW and the bankruptcy of Diamond Comic Distributors.
“This has been era of unprecedented growth for Oni Press,” said Oni president and publisher Hunter Gorinson, in a statement. “We’re elated to be welcoming some of the industry’s brightest talents onto our team, as well as recognizing the hard-fought efforts of multiple staff members who’ve been central in advancing that mission.”
