Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545081
8 P E R S P E C T I V E | M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 6 C O N T R I B U T O R S photo credit: The Amazing Spider-Man J AY M A R T I N began his career as a cartoonist, creating the nationally syndicated strip Tommy before segueing into film and working as storyboard artist on such movies as Constantine, I am Legend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Greatest Showman and Ad Astra, to name a few. Most recently, he was the storyboard artist on the live-action television series Spider-Noir, starring Nicolas Cage. He also has had a long career directing music videos. His first video was for Death Cab for Cutie's The New Year and he has continued on, directing clips for a wide variety of artists—Sabrina Carpenter, Kelly Clarkson, Shawn Mendes (Stitches, Mercy, Never Holding Me Back, In My Blood, Lost in Japan), Tiesto & Post Malone (Jackie Chan), Cold War Kids, Nas, Melissa Etheridge, Christina Perri and many more. In 2018, his video for Shawn Mendes' In My Blood was nominated for three MTV VMAs, including Best Direction. In his comic book work, his first graphic novel, Lost Boy (Darkhorse), a YA survival tale came out in 2023. Yellow was released in 2024 and Behemoth, illustrated by Martin and written by Grant Sputore and Ryan Engle, in 2025. The upcoming The Venetian, (Simon & Schuster), illustrated by Martin, written by Matt Wheeler and Giancarlo Esposito, will be released in 2026. M A R C F I S I C H E L L A earned a bachelor of science degree in film at Fitchburg University in Massachusetts and began his career in Boston designing national and local TV spots. After a few years, he moved to Los Angeles to work on feature films and television. A self-taught draftsperson, Marc started as a Set Designer for projects like David Lynch's series Twin Peaks. He began art directing shows shortly thereafter such as Tales from The Crypt and Beverly Hills 90210. He also art directed many features films, including Stargate, Anna and the King and The X-Files: Movie Fight the Future, and Deepwater Horizon. He and his wife Robin, along with their two sons Alec and Aidan, moved to Mount Desert Island, Maine, where he still lives and continues to work as a Production Designer on films, including The Maze Runner, Ma, The Woman In the Yard, Salem's Lot and FNAF 1&2 S T E V E N S A M A N E N got his start as so many others in this Guild, writing and drawing his own comic books at 4 years old. He kept at it until he was old enough to try to convince his mom that art was a respectable living—"Did you know John Byrne makes six figures drawing The Fantastic Four?!!?" He got distracted by life, though, a turn that swung him into movies. He graduated from Florida State University's film school and was insanely lucky, landing a job (the day after graduation!) in the Art Department with Patrizia von Brandenstein, where his creative skills sparkled. Patrizia hired him as a Graphic Designer on subsequent features, and his skills flourished. Early work with wonderfully supportive talents like Patrizia, Tom Walsh and Steve Saklad secured a career that's taken him farther than he could have imagined. Since 1993, he has worked on over 400 features and television episodes. Shows he has worked on have garnered over 30 wins and 140 nominations for Oscars and Emmy awards, not to mention Golden Globe, MTV and NAACP Image awards. A Guild member since 1999, he has served on several committees, particularly the Election Commission, which he chaired for five years.