SYLVAIN COISSARD
After 15 years working in different publishing companies as a director of international rights, in January 2007 he created Sylvain Coissard Agency. Over the years, he have been working directly with a number of great French-speaking authors of comics and children's books, such as Emile Bravo, Lewis Trondheim, Nicolas de Crécy, Mathieu Sapin, etc. He also works as a curator for Bastia comics and illustration festival (France), who has been organizing for 15 years exhibitions dedicated to the greatest international authors. He is the co-author of The True History of Art.
CLAUDIO CURCIO
Claudio Curcio is born in Naples (Italy) in 1971. In 1995 he opened a comics bookshop and started a cultural association with the aim of launching a Comics Festival in Naples. So, in 1998, Napoli COMICON – International Comics Festival - was born, celebrating now its 18th edition. Along with the direction of the Festival, he started his career as a curator, working with some of the most famous artists: Bilal, Moebius, Manara, Liberatore, Mattotti, and many others. In 2007 he signed an exclusive agreement as a curator and agent for exhibitions around the world of one of the most important Italian artist: Milo Manara.
BELI SLADOLED – Leon Zuodar and Miha Perne
A painting duo, brush brothers, graduated on the same day in 2004. Their works took them on a journey across Europe and beyond, and in 2011 they won the OHO award. This small label from Slovenia also specialises in publishing drawings and graphic fanzines, art books, and similar publications, under the name of BS books & zines. Their issues are a place for experimental and humorous drawings for art gourmets and other drawing fanatics.
GISÈLE DE HAAN
A Paris-based editor, Gisèle de Haan has a degree in literature and works in the comics business since 1988. She worked for Albin Michel as editor-in-chief for comics of the best-known magazine l’Echo des Savanes, where she published all the most important French and international comics artists such as Druillet, Moebius, Reiser, Wolinsky, etc... From 2007 she is a ‘Directrice de Collection’ for Dargaud, and editor of Milo Manara’s book for Glénat.
VIBOR JUHAS
Vibor Juhas pursues illustration, animation, music and film. He directed, filmed and edited several music videos for local bands, and directed, filmed and co-wrote the feature documentary film Monteparadiso 20. Since 2014 he has been mentoring the animation workshop at Pula Film Festival, and he also made many animated videos for different events and theatre shows. Illustrator and co-author of two picture books: Strahosmijeh and Ponoć u Parku 52, as well as several short comics.
KATARINA KALYTKO
One of the most prominent Ukrainian poets and translates Balkan authors. She translated Miljenko Jergović in Ukrainian, along with Semezdin Mehmedinović, Melina Kamerić, Nenad Veličković etc. Winner of the 2014 Metaphora translation award for her translations of Miljenko Jergović and Marko Pogačar. She is the organiser of the Balkan section at Intermezzo Short Story Festival and a long-time collaborator of Lviv Book Fair.
MARKO KOCIPER
Comic book, satire, social, even erotic topics are the areas of Marko Kociper’s interest. He published seven comic book albums:Svinjsko dobrih osem let (MKC Koper), Strip burger published his albums Podgana, Dika, Jazbec in ostali svet, Roza via Kociper: Strip je že vredu mama, Sveta jeza and Jazbec in otok mrtvih. He also collaborated on the following anthologies: Deveta soba,Podmazzane zgodbe, Greetings from Cartoonia...
GORAN LAKIĆEVIĆ KOSTROVIĆ
A poet, French translator and publisher. He published four collections of poetry. His poetry collection Mit o kamenom umu earned him the Đura Jakšić Award in 1989. Among other, he has translated works by Sartre, Beckett, de Rougemont, Colette, Volkov, Caraco, Bejart, Daumal, Barou, Chaboute, Larsen, Tardi, De Crécy, Rabate, Peters and David B. He is the editor of the Tripovetke edition at Kornet publishing company, and one of the founders and editors at Besna kobila publishing company that specialises in graphic novels and comic books.
EDMOND LEE
A passionate sales professional in the licensing, publishing and comics business for more than 10 years, acquired the first professional experience in comics with French comics’ publisher Glenat in 2004. He is heading the licensing department, which handles the foreign, press and merchandise rights of their publications at Les Humanoids Associés which is the French branch of Humanoids. Their Incal or Metabarons are translated and published in more than 20 languages in the world.
Kruno Lokotar
Kruno Lokotar (Daruvar, 1967) majored in comparative literature, history and librarianship at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His long career as a book editor began in magazines Godine and Godine nove, and continued at AGM and Algoritam publishing companies. As a selector and programme manager he took part at the Festival of Alternative Literature and was one of the founders of Fališ (Festival of Alternative and Leftist Culture in Šibenik). Winner of the first ever Kiklop for best editor in 2004. Currently he works for the show Prekid programa zbog čitanja on HRT 3. Lives and works in Zagreb.
MIRON MILIĆ
Graduated from the High School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb and in 1999 took up the university course at the Academy of Fine Art, Department of Graphic Arts. He graduated in 2006 under professor Miroslav Šutej. Since 2002 he has been actively pursuing drawing and exhibiting his works in Croatia and internationally. He works as an illustrator and freelance artists in his studio at AKC Medika, and recently he has made a name for himself as a street art muralist. As a visiting artist, he took part at several international festivals and residencies in Ljubljana, Belgrade, Heilbronn and Zagreb.
KATERINA MIROVIĆ
As a curator, producer and editor has been pursuing art since the late 1980s. She is also involved in designing and organising different comic book-related events: exhibitions, workshops, competitions etc. She is a co-founder and member of the editorial board at Strip burger magazine, issued since 1992, and the editor-in-chief of Republika Strip, Ambasada Strip, Minimundus and O editions. Co-founder of Svetlobna gverila festival of light.
IVANA PIPAL
Ivana Pipal graduated in animation and new media from the Zagreb Academy of Fine Art. She pursues visual art in different media, illustration, animation and comic book, art book, installation and video. 2x2 publishing company issued her first book Priča o teti Mandi, earning her the University of Zagreb Rector Award, and City of Zagreb acknowledgment for best literary work in 2013.
ISMINI RADOULOVITS
Philologist and translator from Athens (born in Novi Sad), holds degrees from the Universities of Belgrade (graduated from the Faculty of Philology, 1995) and Athens (Faculty of Philosophy – MA, PhD), has worked for the National Book Centre of Greece, European Translation Centre, Hellenic American Union, Hellenic Foundation for Culture and as a freelance translator and project manager (currently for the LEA Festival and the Hellenic Foundation for Culture – co-organiser of Comicdon Festival).
BORIS STANIĆ
Painter and comic book author, graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting. He took part and exhibited his works at many workshops and group exhibitions locally and internationally. Author of the graphic novel Radosav: Jutarnja magla, the comic book collection Blatište, graphic novel Atentat – s one strane patnje and one of the authors of the graphic novel Miroslavljevo jevanđenje: apokrifna verzija. He is currently working on part two of his Radosav trilogy.
VLADIMIR ŠAGADIN
Graphic designer, illustrator and comic book publisher, known in Croatia as the host of the Croatians television music-talk show 'Šlep show'. He writes about comic books and organizes many comic related events, promotions and discussions. He is the founder of the publishing house 2x2 which publishes books that have a strong visual component, whether they are comic books, illustrated books or artist books.
MARKO ŠUNJIĆ
He graduating in 2000 from university course in Mathematics at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. He transformed his childhood love of comic books into a website www.stripovi.com in 2001 which he still edits and updates. In 2004, as a co-editor and translator at Libellus publishing company, he launched the Croatian edition of the iconic Ken Parker serial, and in summer 2006 he established Naklada Fibra publishing company, which has so far published over 320 titles and with time became a synonym for quality comics in Croatia.
ANNA VOVCHENKO
A Kyiv-based translator, graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She translates from English and Spanish into Ukranian. The winner of a prize for promotion of Canadian culture in Ukraine and Metaphora 2013 translation award for her translation of Federico García Lorca’s essay Theory and Play of the Duende. She teaches Spanish at the young translators’ school Bartleby and Co and coordinates the Spanish and Mediterranean section at Intermezzo Short Story Festival.
ALEKSANDAR ZOLOTIĆ
Aleksandar Zolotić is a children’s book illustrator and comic book author. His comic debut Korporativni Pandemonijum (Besna kobila) earned him the best comic book award at the 2014 Belgrade Book Fair. He graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Applied Arts, Department of Illustration and Animation, and is currently employed in a Belgrade-based video game design company.
