MEDIA RELEASE: Black Mermaid Productions™ Launches Comics Masterclass™

MEDIA RELEASE
8 September 2013

Australian comics team and publisher Black Mermaid Productions™ has just launched its new professional development arm—Comics Masterclass™. Originally conceived in 2011 as a one-off weekend event that was run in conjunction with the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and which attracted participants from around the country, Comics Masterclass™ has now evolved into a brand in its own right and a niche service that offers creative, business and self mastery opportunities to Australian (and overseas!) comics creators.

Comics Masterclass™ has three big picture goals:

1. To help emerging and developing comics practitioners realise their creative potential
2. To contribute towards creating an Australian comics economy where comics creators’ published works, expertise and experience are valued both critically and commercially, and
3. To facilitate the shift from an Australian comics community to a thriving internationally recognised and commercially viable industry.

The first offering is the Comics Masterclass™ script assessment service for emerging and developing comikers who are working on comic books, graphic novels, webcomics and comic / cartoon strips. This is the first dedicated comics script assessment service in Australia.

Says co-Black Mermaid Productions™ Director Julie Ditrich, “We have been talking to Australian comics creators about their professional needs for many years now. We become increasingly aware that there was a demand for critical feedback on comics projects in development but that no professional services were available to take on that task, which is why we came up with the idea of a comic script assessment service that critiques both writing and sequential art. It took us over a year to organise and assemble a high calibre team of qualified comics professionals with vast publishing credits, as well as editing and teaching experience, who would work as assessors and provide value and direction in this creative medium.”

Comics Masterclass™ is also pioneering in the Australian comics landscape by providing a variety of other services including creativity coaching, premium coaching, professional consultations, proofreading, editing and a counseling referral service. Furthermore, from 2014 it will also offer short courses and weekend intensives.

“We predict that Australia is about five years away from exploding onto the international stage and producing world class comics talent and publications in a big way,” says Black Mermaid Productions™ co-Director Jozef Szekeres, “We believe that Comics Masterclass will be at the forefront of facilitating this growth in the Australian cultural landscape.”

Ultimately, Comics Masterclass™ is about encouraging and nurturing new comics talent, and offering a safe place for creators to develop their creative and entrepreneurial skills.

For further information contact Julie Ditrich or Jozef Szekeres on
Phone: +61 2 9606 4728
Email: media@comicsmasterclass.com
Website: www.comicsmasterclass.com 

MEDIA RELEASE: Black Mermaid Productions™ Launches New Baby Black Mermaid™ Product Range

MEDIA RELEASE

16 September 2009

Black Mermaid Productions™ (BMP) has just launched its third range of Black Mermaid™ brand goods, gifts and collectibles – Baby Black Mermaid™ – on its CafePress Black Mermaid Shop.

The Black Mermaid™ range of images is based on the popular BMP corporate logo – a reclining mermaid silhouette that has become an identifiable part of the BMP business brand for over 15 years. BMP is, in fact, an Australian creative team made up of Jozef Szekeres (artist) and Julie Ditrich (writer) that specialises in fantasy and mermaid-related comics and graphic novels.

There are six designs in the Baby Black Mermaid™ range featuring an infant version of the enduring BMP corporate logo – “Sleeping” [pictured], “Drifting”, “Cutie” [pictured], “Tummy Roll”, “Tail Flip” and “Floating”. There are 24 products for each design, and the items range from organic infant and toddler wear to teddy bears, throw cushions, environmentally friendly water bottles, greeting cards, and framed prints that are perfect for nurseries.

BMP artist, Jozef Szekeres, designed the collection and says, “We absolutely adore our Black Mermaid logo so it was exciting to re-conceptualise her as a baby and to open up the brand character and reputation to a whole new audience”.

“This series of designs has drawn a collective ‘awwww’ from the people who have seen them,” says BMP Director, Julie Ditrich. “So far the ‘Sleeping’ and ‘Cutie’ designs have been the favourites of new mums and grandmothers we’ve talked to face-to-face here in Australia, although we’re interested to see which designs will appeal most to our customers from other parts of the world.”

Baby Black Mermaid™ will now be joining the Undersea Black Mermaid™, as well as the limited time release Celebration Black Mermaid™ ranges on the CafePress Shop. In the next week, BMP will be adding two more Celebration designs, which are timed to holidays and festive occasions – Halloween (which will be available until 31 October 2009 – 11.59 US Pacific Time) and Christmas (which will be available until 25 December 2009 – 11.59 US Pacific Time).

“The feedback we’ve received on our Black Mermaid products has been excellent. People enjoy looking at her over and over again and carrying her with them in the form of accessories or even drinking their cup of coffee every morning from a travel mug emblazoned with her image. We’d like to thank all our loyal fans for their support and for also joining our FaceBook group for friends and supporters of the Black Mermaid™ logo," says BMP Director Jozef Szekeres. “In fact, we love wearing her ourselves and are in the process of starting various collections of specific products – the throw pillows are our current personal favourites.”

You can visit the CafePress Black Mermaid Shop at: http://www.cafepress.com/black_mermaid.

For further information contact Julie Ditrich or Jozef Szekeres on:

Phone: (61 2) 9606 4728

Email: blackmermaid@blackmermaid.com

Website: http://www.blackmermaid.com

FaceBook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55107681807&ref=ts

MEDIA RELEASE: Black Mermaid Productions™ Launches Black Mermaid Boutique

MEDIA RELEASE
8 January 2009

Black Mermaid Productions™ (BMP) is proud and exceptionally happy to announce the launch of its online CafePress Black Mermaid Shop, featuring several lines of Black Mermaid™ brand gifts and collectibles. The Black Mermaid™ range of images is based on the BMP corporate logo – a reclining mermaid silhouette – which has become an identifiable part of the BMP business brand for over 15 years. BMP is, in fact, an Australian creative team made up of Jozef Szekeres (artist) and Julie Ditrich (writer) that specialises in fantasy and mermaid-related comics and graphic novels.

"Our logo has been extraordinarily popular since her first global public appearance on our website in 1998 where she featured in many design variations in her role as hostess," says BMP Director, Julie Ditrich. "We regularly have to turn down requests from people all over the world who want to use the Black Mermaid™ artwork on anything from fishing adverts and menus to burlesque costumes and wedding invitations. We even had a copyright breach nearly three years ago when somebody used one of our images without permission on a T-shirt range which was sold through some Sydney markets. This matter was pursued legally and settled to our satisfaction."

Designed by BMP artist, Jozef Szekeres, the BMP logo has been described by many as "sexy", "fun" and "absolutely lovely" and will now feature in many different design ranges on the CafePress Black Mermaid Shop over the upcoming years. The first range on offer is traditional in its association and feel as it features the Black Mermaid™ in her underwater environment interacting with various ocean creatures. BMP has, therefore, named this range the "Undersea Black Mermaid™".

There are 15 products in the basic range and an additional 12 in the special lines. These include clothing, homewares and papergoods. BMP will also be releasing various limited edition ranges, as well as those limited by time such as the Celebration Black Mermaid™ range which will be tied to holidays and festive occasions such as Christmas and Halloween. The first image launched in 2008 in the Celebration Black Mermaid™ range is the Valentine's Day "Heart of Hearts" design, which will only be on sale until 14 February 2009 (11.59 US Pacific Time).

"We predict that the Black Mermaid™ products will bring much enjoyment to those who buy them. We have it on good authority that people love – and feel good – just looking at her," says BMP Director Jozef Szekeres. "We are about to purchase a shipment for ourselves to do further quality control tests, but we already have a HUGE line of friends, family and professional colleagues who have given us extensive shopping lists or who are grabbing specific pieces for themselves from the online shop. It will be interesting to see which designs are the most popular and we will soon poll our subcribers and readers to see which are their favourites."

You can visit the CafePress Black Mermaid Shop at: http://www.cafepress.com/black_mermaid.

For further information contact Julie Ditrich or Jozef Szekeres on:
Phone: (61 2) 9606 4728
Email: blackmermaid@blackmermaid.com
Website: www.blackmermaid.com