Joe Brusha | President

Joe Brusha was born just outside of Philadelphia, in Abington PA, and he still resides there with his wife and four children. Brusha spent his early professional career in sales selling such things like computer chips and sporting goods. While working in sales he concentrated on his true passion, writing screenplays and short stories, in his spare time. An avid comic fan as a teenager, he rediscovered the medium as an adult and realized it could provide an outlet for his creative energies. 

Teaming with his long time friend and occasional writing partner Ralph Tedesco, the two partners launched Zenescope Entertainment in 2005. Since then he has written hundreds of comic series including Grimm Fairy Tales, Neverland, Paradise Court and Man-Goat and the Bunnyman.

Favorites: Our Hoodie, Man-Goat and the Bunny Man Comic, The Van Helsing Statue and Tarot Card Game. 

 

Ralph Tedesco | Co-Founder & Head of Film/Television

Back in 2005, Ralph and Joe co-founded Zenescope in 2005. Together they co-wrote and published Zenescope’s first comic book series entitled Grimm Fairy Tales which quickly turned into a cult hit and helped launch the unknown company into a top comic book publishing house within two years of its inception. 

Ralph served as the Editor in Chief creating numerous titles until 2017 due to the demand of the TV side of the business.

Joe and Ralph serve as producers of SyFy Channel’s TV series, Van Helsing, which is inspired by Zenescope’s comic book. He hopes to continue to adapt more of their titles.

Favorites: All of it. 

 

Dave Franchini | Writer & Editor

Dave is a writer/editor for Zenescope Entertainment, best known for Belle: Beast Hunter, Cinderella Serial Killer Princess, Grimm Fairy Tales, Princess Ninjas, and Grimm Tales of Terror. His forever hometown is Philadelphia and he joined the team over a decade ago as an intern.

He holds an unhealthy obsession to one day own a kangaroo and keep beer in its pouch. Dave remains thinking of weird ideas to turn into comic books on a daily basis.

Favorites: Too many to name, besides all of them I like Belle, Gretel, Cinderella, and Neverland.

David Wohl | Editor-in-Chief

David Wohl began his career as a high school intern at Marvel Comics where he got coffee and worked his way up to Editor on titles ranging from Transformers and G.I. Joe to Avengers and Iron Man. Wohl eventually headed West to become Editor-in-Chief of Top Cow Productions, where he co-created and wrote comic book franchises including The Darkness, Witchblade, Aphrodite IX and the comic adaptation of the classic videogame Tomb Raider.

Later, Mr. Wohl joined John Woo's Tiger Hill Entertainment as Creative Director, working with Woo to develop concepts for videogames. He also co-founded an animation production company called Blockade, where he produced the feature animated film Ratchet and Clank. Recently he has returned to his first love, editing and writing comics.

Favorites: Van Helsing, Wonderland and Tales of Terror.

 

Jennifer Bermel | Director, Licensing & Business Dev.

Jennifer has an extensive background in business development and has been a member of the Zenescope team for over a decade. She has launched many successful kickstarters including our statues and our hardcover versions. 

She can be contacted for anything related to Retail, Licensing, Custom Publishing, NFTs, Product Development, Gaming, International Rights, and Kids Graphic Novels.

Favorites: Our new Over-Sized comics with self contained stories.

 

Tara Bermel | IT Manager

Tara has been in the Zenescope family for over a decade. Outside of handling all things IT, she is also a healthcare professional and works as a cardiac RN and Nursing Informaticist. 

She spends her free time traveling, gardening and reading. A little known fact is she is a part-time chauffeur to her daughter for basketball games and practices.

Favorites: All our cool swag and our Charmed Series.

 

Diane Brusha | Accounting Manager

Di has been at Zenescope since the company’s launch (when they were working out of her basement). She assisted in every aspect of the company until she settled down to her current role in 2013.

If anyone yells “we are”, she will immediately chime in with “Penn State”, as she is a proud PSU alumni. Before Ralph and Joe shared their crazy idea of starting Zenescope, she worked as a dietitian in a long term care facility. In her free time, she spends time with her family, walks her dog Barkley, or tunes in on a good SciFi flick.

Favorites: Grimm Tales of Terror.

 

Jason Condeelis | Lead Sales Representative

Jason has a knack for selling and providing his customers with top-notch treatment for over 9 years here. He has about 20 years of sales experience and knows his clients down to the smallest details. He also is in sales and customer service.  He is best known for cracking jokes and says this is the most fun he’s ever had in his employment history.

Want to buy from us directly or set up your shop as a Diamond retailer? Contact Jason.

Favorites: Our fans. 

 

 Chris Cote | Art Director

Chris joined the company in 2010 as a Graphic Designer and has held the positions of Production Manager and Senior Graphic Designer. He was born and raised in New Jersey. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Chris has a background in graphic design, illustration, photography, and printing.

Chris has been a comic book fan for as long as he can remember. Chris loves electronic music, sci-fi movies, and street photography.

Favorites: Belle, Robyn, The Courier, and Unbound.

 

Stu Kropnick | Operations Manager

Stu Kropnick is the Operation Manager/Print Buyer here. He jokes this is a perfect position for him since it requires him zero art experience and creative storytelling abilities. Initially he joined the team so he could fish and ride his motorcycles more, but as per usual, Joe & Ralph’s ambitious list buried that. He credits his success to his time in the Marine Corps as an Air Traffic Controller. 

His fulfillment team works extremely hard to get your orders out quickly in pristine condition. The secret to getting your order faster? Send fresh baked goods and fresh fruit. He also wanted to thank all of the fans for being the best...

Favorites: Robyn Hood (It’s why I stick around. So I can read it before anyone else).

 

Kearea Maroni | Fulfillment & Warehouse Staff

Kearea is dedicated to fulfilling all of your orders properly or as she refers to it, “as playing hide and seek with the products and shipping them out.” She’s from Scranton (what, the Electric City) and has a passion for photography, which she still freelances in. 

Her hobbies include hiking, crocqueting, gardening, and exploring historical areas. When she's not snapping photos, you can find her binging Audrey Hepurn or fandom films with her husband.

Favorites: Belle & Man Goat and the Bunnyman. 

  

Ashley Vanacore | Graphic Designer

Ashley Vanacore joined the Zenescope team in July 2015 as an design intern. Soon after graduating from SCAD in fall 2015 she became a full time graphic designer working with Chris Cote. 

She has worked on many  projects such as the Zenescope's adult coloring books, the Grimm Universe Statue Series and the Tarot board game. She is a mom of 2, living in Hatboro Pa with her husband and 2 cats.

Favorites: Cinderella Serial Killer Princess and Robyn Hood.