On being named CEO of Heavy Metal, he said, “It was pretty surreal when it first happened. The news broke on Deadline, by Geoff Boucher, The idea of taking over such a momentous brand like Heavy Metal, I was like ‘Wow, this is exciting.’ From Alien to Fifth Element, to Blade Runner and more, Heavy Metal has touched every facet of the genre space, it’s a true honor and privilege to be able to captain this ship. Now, seven months in, I feel great, focused, and keen on our mission of bringing the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror to the world.”
He is drawn to the science fiction world due to its “expansiveness.” “Heavy Metal is the brand in genre storytelling. We don’t do superheroes that’s DC and Marvel, and they are killers in that space, the best there is. But, if we are talking spine-tingling horror, fantastical stories, or bleeding fringe science fiction, Heavy Metal is your place to go.”
“Knowing this, and embodying it, has allowed us to attract some of the best talents in the world, a dream that I would never have imagined possible at the beginning of this journey, the likes of George C. Romero, Brendan Columbus, Dylan Sprouse, Dan Fogler, you know, are you kidding me? It’s an amazing place to be, we are in a creative playground and to your question, the part I love the most, is that I have the power to keep the playground open 24/7,” he elaborated.
“We are bringing the stories from the magazine to the screen,” he said about his future goals. “We’ve partnered with DIGA STUDIOS, reported first by Deadline a few months ago, and we are off to the races, we have podcasts, TV shows, and a movie in pre-production with a slate of IPs we are developing comics first and then moving them to audio/visual mediums. David Erwin, our publisher and Chief Creative Overlord and I are very keen on the brand paying homage to where we have come from, and spearheading the future of genre through fantastic stories that force the readers (or viewers) to reflect on life and society.”
On being an entrepreneur in the digital age, Medney said, “The possibilities are endless, you have the world at your fingertips now. We are constantly innovating our online platform both the website and the Shop, while a digital presence is crucial, we have no plans to take the stories off of physical pages. Digital gets us closer to everyone, but the physical product is still the core offering of the business.”
Regarding his proud moments in the industry, he responded, “Proud is a hard statement for me, I tend to not do anything that I don’t think I will be proud of. While some things don’t work out, I think everything that does was the proudest thing I had done to that point. I would say as an overarching idea, the proudest thing for me is that I am always focused on completing.”
“Creative worlds always lend to the ability to ‘never finish’ whether it’s a block of creativity or motivation, for me, I am proudest of the fact that I complete the projects I set out to complete,” he said. “One project specifically that I am proud of is the launch of VIRUS, Heavy Metal’s Creator Owned Imprint. We were able to put this together fast, efficiently, and with purpose. Giving creators an option to sell their works, get the Heavy Metal stamp of approval, and provide our fans with more high-quality stories within the genre space. It was in fact a very proud moment for us at Heavy Metal.”
For young and aspiring entrepreneurs, he offered the following advice: “It isn’t easy. It isn’t sexy. You are the customer service rep, to the data entry guy, to the late-night double shift Uber/ Lyft Driving. You need to have no ego, and iron will with laser focus. I’ve done it all. I’ve delivered for Postmates, driven for Lyft and every other odd job, you need to want it, more than anyone else. That to me is the most important thing I can bestow on anyone. You have to work with no ego, and you have to know what you want and keep plugging away, it is worth it, but the journey isn’t easy.”
On his definition of success, he said, “I think it’s a misnomer of a word. You can have successful moments, those are amazing, well earned, and glorious moments. But the second you think you’ve become ‘successful’ to yourself, is the second it’ll all come crumbling down. Never think of yourself that way, that’s for others to decide. When your reflecting “am I successful” it is better to ask the question ‘Did I accomplish what I set out to do.’ Never settle, and always push the envelope further.”
“If you’re the type of person who likes science fiction, fantasy, or horror stories, and you are the type of person that wants your stories to make you think, then Heavy Metal is for you,” he said. “We want to make you think. We want to pull the ‘Curiosity’ out of everyone, the more people who question things the better we are as a society. My good friend and brother, George C. Romero says “Film’s used to be dangerous, and that was important for society.” I couldn’t agree with that sentiment more, stories need to be dangerous. Without dangerous stories, then we are nothing more than drones in a hive, and we might as well turn the simulation up, or Skynet On.”
To learn more about Heavy Metal, check out its official website and Facebook page.
