Some musical chairs at publishers: Cara O’Neil has joined Mad Cave as Director of Marketing. O’Neil was formerly VP of Marketing at Dark Horse, a position which is open at this moment. She replaces Allison Marie Pond who was promoted to VP of marketing at Mad Cave a year ago.
According to the official statement:
A senior publishing and marketing executive, O’Neil’s career has been shaped by steady growth, cross-departmental leadership, and a holistic understanding of the comics and publishing ecosystem.
She joined Dark Horse Comics in 2018 and was promoted through multiple positions within the marketing department, later serving as Vice President of Marketing. In that role, she led marketing and publicity in close collaboration with sales, editorial, licensing, and digital teams. Her work helped bring major titles, including Hellboy, Black Hammer, The Umbrella Academy, Sin City, and Berserk, to audiences across comics, games, and screen, balancing longtime fan trust with thoughtful, audience-driven campaigns that expanded reach across platforms. She also regularly represented the company at key industry events.
A graduate of Portland State University’s Master’s in Publishing program, O’Neil brings together retail insight, formal publishing training, and executive-level experience. She is widely respected within the comics and publishing community for her collaborative approach and long-term perspective.
All of which, we can say is totally true. The Beat worked with O’Neil at Dark Hose over the years and she definitely understands all levels of the business, so a great hire for Mad Cave.
And in forward looking statements:
“I am delighted to be joining the team at Mad Cave and look forward to diving into the exciting projects on their publishing slate,” said Cara O’Neil. “While it’s energizing to take on new challenges and opportunities, I am also thrilled to continue to work with familiar faces throughout the industry, from creators to partners at other studios and companies, to those in media, events, and more. Beginning a new chapter with Mad Cave Studios is an exciting opportunity for us all to continue to grow, make great comics and books, and reach more readers and fans.”
Mark Irwin, President of Mad Cave Studios, added:
“I’m pleased to welcome Cara O’Neil as our new Director of Marketing. Cara brings terrific experience in marketing for and to our industry, with a strong track record of building bold, reader-focused campaigns and growing passionate audiences. Her insight, creativity, and strategic approach will be a tremendous asset as we continue to expand our publishing program across all four of our imprints—we’re excited to have her on board and look forward to the impact she’ll have as we enter our next chapter.”
While we’re delighted to have O’Neil back in the industry, we also want to note that we worked very closely with Pond here at the Beat and she is also someone who understands all levels of the business and she should find a new position in the industry as soon as possible. As we noted, O’Neill’s old position is currently open so Dark Horse has the chance to do the funniest thing…
Anyway all our best wishes to both O’Neil and Pond. They are the good ones.
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