The Pesto Comics Treadmill: From Crowdfunding to Indie Label
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What is the premise of the Comic Industry Insiders podcast and who is the guest today?
Hi, it's Adam. This is Comic Industry Insiders weekly podcast where I talk to people behind the scenes of the comic book industry and get to know what they know so you can know for your business or career in comics. Uh also we use this platform to talk to uh the people that we work with on a regular basis. Uh and I always feel the need to say up front that when it is someone like that. Not because I feel like that they the conversations are less than, but because you should understand that the reason that we brought them on was because they were interesting to begin with. So then we have a conversation with them. So uh with that said. Most people think of making comics as just one hundred percent about talent, right?
Great art, great writing, a great idea. But what they don't see is the system behind the work, the repeatable process, the audience building, and the ability to launch again and again and again. Today's guest, Adriano Oregonello. Did I get that right? You did? Yep. Okay, good. Uh of Pesto Comics has quietly built exactly that. A crowdfunding first indie label focused not on chasing a single hit, but on creating books that consistently sell. Working across genres from sci-fi to romance to high-concept comedy, he's developed a clear philosophy around writing to market without losing your voice. And today we're digging into what all it takes to build that kind of sustainable thing in your comics career and what's next for him, where he fits inside of, let's just say it, Prana Publishers.
All right.
Welcome to the show, Adriano. Yes, thank you. I uh you know, every time I talk to you you you really pump me up quite a bit, so I I couldn't sell myself better than you sell me. I appreciate it very much.
Well it sounds like you hired the right guy then. Yeah, that's right. How have you been feeling this year? This has been a transition year as we decided to start talking to you about coming into the direct market into comic shops. Where are you sitting right this second today? How many what campaigns are you are you working on?
How did Adriano’s early love of comics and film school shape his decision to become a creator?
What are you looking towards?
Yeah, so I've this is like the step up I've been waiting for, right? Um, you know, Kickstarter has its limitations and and I so I've been doing pretty well on Kickstarter. I just finished my twelfth campaign, uh, which went well. Um, and it's you know, it it you can only do one at a time. So so I've been kind of uh held back in terms of how much I wanna get out there and how uh like I'm working with so many artists and so many uh creators and that that I'm trying to get these stories together and uh you know I can only do one at a time. So now having this entry into the direct market gives me another whole realm of things to focus on. So it's been a lot. It's been uh stressful in some ways, uh but very exciting.
Stressful. Very it's like a whole new world that's opened up, which is great. And it, you know, again, Kickstarter has its limitations. Uh I'm very happy with the platform and everything it's done for me. Uh but you know, it it it's it's talking to one corner of the room and the and you're kind of ignoring the rest. So now, you know, with you guys, I get the opportunity to kind of talk to the whole room, which is very, very exciting, but also, yeah, a little bit stressful. So looking forward to it. We're so close to FOC and I'm just waiting for those numbers. So Oh
boy. This is the worst part, man. I mean, what else, you know, uh leading up to FOC uh for this this last one for the magazine, everybody was like, So how you feeling? I'm like, I'll I don't know. In many ways, there's not enough time. Yeah. Right. I can I uh I my the my to do list of things to do before FOC is still only half done. Uh but in many ways I wish one it to be over. This is like every day. Yes. You know? You've nailed it. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Oh, I get it. I get it completely. Um, well, before we get too much into where you are right this second today, I wanna kinda go back. Let's go back to uh a younger Adriano. Um and like what made you want to begin making comics to begin with?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the premise of the Comic Industry Insiders podcast and who is the guest today?
0:26–2:33
2
How did Adriano’s early love of comics and film school shape his decision to become a creator?
2:33–7:15
3
Why did Adriano move from traditional publishing to crowdfunding and what was his first Kickstarter like?
7:15–14:44
4
What have been the biggest lessons from running twelve Kickstarter campaigns?
14:44–21:35
5
How is Adriano transitioning his indie label into the direct‑market comic shops?
21:35–30:55
6
What strategies does he use for touring, shop visits, and building a retail audience?
30:55–40:38
7
What are the details of the upcoming ‘Parts Unknown’ miniseries and its release plan?
40:38–45:07
8
How can creators and retailers connect with Pesto Comics and support future projects?
45:07–46:12
Speakers
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