Michael Kelly Joins Boom! Studios as Publisher

Following the Random House Publishing Group's acquisition of Boom! Studios this July, the Boom! publishing program—which has joined the Random House Worlds portfolio of imprints—has announced two new appointments.

Michael Kelly will join Boom! Studios as publisher. Kelly most recently served as VP of global publishing at Hasbro, where he spent 18 years.

At Hasbro, Kelly launched the Energon Universe, the bestselling comics in the company's history, with Robert Kirkman and Skybound, and also produced original comic content for My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Jem and the Holograms, Clue, Micronauts, and more. By the time he left Hasbro in 2023, Kelly had grown the publishing business from $20 million in annual wholesale revenues to over $200 million, and was overseeing global teams and licensees responsible for publishing 1,000 new titles per year, per PRH.

Reporting to Kelly will be Boom! VP of sales Josh Hayes; director of operations Stephanie Lazarski; and director of marketing Ryan Matsunaga.

Concurrently, Bryce Carlson has been promoted to VP and deputy publisher at Boom!, also reporting to Kelly. Carlson was formerly VP of editorial and creative strategy. Newly reporting to Carlson will be are VP and editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon and design director Michelle Ankley.