Tom Wilson is the artist behind the popular newspaper comic character Ziggy. He took over drawing Ziggy from his father in 1987. In addition to Ziggy, Tom has worked as a conceptual creative consultant for Richard Saunders International. This world-renowned creative think tank has been named the nation's #1 innovation consulting service for developing new brands and products for Fortune 500 companies. He has also worked on branding programs for companies including American Express, Johnson & Johnson, The Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, Circuit City, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Hallmark, AT&T and Walt Disney, among others, and is the founder of Character Matters, a company specializing in developing world-class characters for branding and licensing.
In this keynote address given at the Self Employment in the Arts (SEA) conference on February 29, 2008, Wilson shares stories from his own background to highlight the difficult intersection between art and business, and confesses his own awkwardness in trying to bridge the two worlds. He shares his thoughts on artistic integrity and the importance for an artist to carefully set aside business concerns when actually engaged in the act of creation, and how then to marry that process to the hard facts of commerce.
In this full-length version of an interview conducted at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith and Tom Wilson of Character Matters field questions related building a life and career as an artist, building and sustaining a brand, and the in and outs of licensing your work.
In this segment from a question-and-answer session held at the SEA 2008 conference, cartoonist Tom Wilson is asked if he writes for a particular demographic. He discusses the challenges that arise when trying to decide whether to cater to your audience and to what extent, and discusses his own conclusions about how to balance this question.
Cartoonist Tom Wilson discusses some key aspects of the artist-manager relationship, that both sides must mutually focus on in order to create a strong and open working relationship.
In this segment of a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith of Character Matters gives a handy and concise explanation of exactly what licensing is, and how to find out more about the field.
In this segment of a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith and Tom Wilson of Character Matters, LLC discuss how to approach and foster a child's creativity.
In this segment of a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith and Tom Wilson of Character Matters, LLC discuss the factors an artist must take into account when approaching the question of licensing their creative works for the first time.
In this segment of a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith and Tom Wilson of Character Matters, LLC discuss the reasons why an artist might need an agent, what qualities are important when trying to choose an agent, how to find an agent, how to evaluate a contract (in general terms), and when you need a lawyer to help you review your contracts.
In this segment of a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, Jeanette Smith of Character Matters, LLC discusses how the licensing of creative works at the national level may differ from regional or international licensing.
In this segment from a panel held at the SEA 2008 conference, cartoonist Tom Wilson discusses the ways in which cultural differences between nations can affect how your artistic works are perceived, and why it’s important to have a skilled and knowledgeable agent when seeking to license your works for international release.
