Former Marvel President Brings Experience into the Classroom
Adjunct Professor Gerald Calabrese Offers His Students Insight Into the Media Industry
Transitioning from journalist, to publisher, to media expert, Gerard Calabrese has always been drawn to creativity. His latest move has been filling the role of adjunct Communication professor at Marist College, where he teaches students about today’s media and entertainment.
Marist adjunct professor and former Marvel president, Gerard Calabrese. Source: Gerald Calabrese
Calabrese likens his career path to a Jimmy Buffett quote: “Watch the men who rode you switch from sails to steam.” His intelligence and adaptability helped him switch from one career path to the next.
Despite describing himself as a “counterculture guy,” he began his career working at Games magazine — which was owned by Playboy at the time. Working at Games, Calabrese learned how to expand a brand beyond its original fame. Playboy was one of the first magazines to have an international presence, and he helped expand the company to offer products and services beyond just the magazine. After ten years, he gathered enough investors to buy back Games, gaining equity in the magazine.
After leaving Games, Marvel Comics recruited Calabrese as a consultant in an attempt to expand their company — similar to what Playboy had done. Soon after, Calabrese spearheaded Marvel’s consumer product program, then their international program, and later became president of the company. With him on staff, the company was able to transition from selling just comic books into the massive global phenomenon it is today.
“In the world of media, you are either starting something, saving something, or running something,” Calabrese said. “The first two were the most fun because they offered the most ability to express your own personality, energy, and self into what you were doing.”
For Calabrese, he preferred running the international program than being president.
“My favorite times at Marvel were times of creation,” Calabrese recalled. “You find companies to buy, people to hire, set up an office, and create a program that is suddenly important. That’s exciting. If you’re successful at that, you get punished by becoming the president. At that point, you are not creating anything anymore. You are overseeing the things that you helped create.”
As president, his focus was on direction, ensuring that the editors had good storylines planned for future projects. Although he could suggest ideas, he had no creative power over the editorial direction.
The wisdom Calabrese gained from working in the media industry now allows him to teach Marist students about the convergence of media. Having been on the frontlines, he explores how legacy media has been influenced by the internet and how this will shape the industry in years to come.
Calabrese recognizes that students need to be educated about what career they plan on pursuing. Bringing in journalists, media experts, and his colleagues to share their daily lives and responsibilities with students can help them decide for themselves whether or not they’ll enjoy that career and lifestyle.
As a professor, he encourages students to study individuals they wish to emulate in their career and find a way to replicate those career paths to find such success. “We have made such a big deal about honoring and valuing the talent that is within us,” Calabrese said. “But we don’t often realize that sometimes the way to develop, is to look outside of us.”