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VP/Shonen Jump EIC Weidenbaum Leaves Viz (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The North American publisher Viz Media has confirmed that Marc Weidenbaum, Vice-President of Original Publishing, has left the company. Evelyn Dubocq, Viz's Senior Director of Public Relations, told ANN, "Marc Weidenbaum has decided to move onto other projects at this time." In addition to leading the original content initiative with Senior Editor Eric Searleman since last year, Weidenbaum was the Editor-in-Chief of both Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat magazines. Viz declined to comment on the status on the original content line. Tina Anderson, one of the program's submitters, reports that Searleman hopes the program will restart in 2010. Weidenbaum became the Editor-in-Chief of both of Viz's manga magazines in 2006 when he replaced Yumi Hoashi, who left to join Konami that year. Weidenbaum started at Viz as Shonen Jump's Managing Editor and later its Editorial Director.
Weidenbaum publicly revealed the original content initiative during an interview with the Comics212 website at New York Comic Con last April. With a modified version of the creator-editor collaboration system used in Japanese manga companies, Viz had planned to publish creator-owned works in North America and elsewhere. The editors were looking for completed works with strong narrative storytelling in any genre. Viz held its first round of portfolio reviews at Comic-Con International last July in San Diego, California.
Viz currently has job openings for an editor and other positions.
Update: More information about Weidenbaum's time at Viz added.
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