I’m very honoured to be selected as the Executive Director for The Joe Shuster Awards.

To me the position is all about collaboration with like minded individuals to promote and celebrate great Canadian talent working in the comic book industry. I’m very proud to contribute to the ongoing celebration of these great creative talents, as well as looking back at our Canadian heritage when comic books were in their infancy.

I’m also very lucky I get to work with Kevin Boyd and the rest of the committee members. Kevin continues to put countless hours and thought into the JSA’s evolution, and I’m glad that he will continue on with us as the Associate Director. He’s weathered the rough seas better than anyone could, and has seen the awards continue to grow year after year. It was his vision and urging that lead me to work with him, James Waley and Dave Darrigo to get the JSA’s off the ground nearly a decade ago.

The number one thing I hope all current and future committee members bring to the table will be a focus on the sustainability of the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association. We need to work on our funding initiatives, period. The awards infrastructure is in place and is a well-oiled machine, but I feel that year to year it’s always been a little too close to the edge with a little reserve for the following year. I’m hoping with all our collective contacts and the community’s continued support that we make inroads in creating something sustainable beyond our time with the JSA’s.

It’s a very exciting time and I look forward to working with all committee members and the community in general as we lead to a very successful 2013 awards program.

Sincerely,
Tyrone Biljan
Executive Director
Joe Shuster Awards