Jim Demonakos

Jim Demonakos (born 1977) is an American director, graphic novelist, and event organizer noted for his work in comic books, conventions, and documentary films. He is most often noted as the founder of Emerald City Comic Con and LightBox Expo, as well as the director and producer of the award-winning documentary film, Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters.

Early life
The child of Greek immigrants, Demonakos was born in Montana and moved to Seattle, WA when he was six years old. He grew up in the food service world, working from his early teens in his parents' restaurants. After graduating high school, he enrolled at The University of Washington, and then transferred to The Art Institute of Seattle, where he graduated with a degree in computer animation.

Career
Jim opened his first comic book store, The Comic Stop, in March 2000, followed by a second store in 2002. Eventually the stores expanded to a total of four locations, making The Comic Stop the largest chain of comic book shops in the Pacific Northwest. He also served as PR & Marketing Coordinator for Image Comics from 2005-2006.

He founded Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) as a one-day event in 2003, with an attendance of 3,000 people. He then spent over a decade growing and developing ECCC into the largest independent comic convention in the United States. Emerald City Comic Con was acquired by ReedPOP (RELX) in 2015 and Demonakos ceased being involved in the event as of 2017.

Alongside Mark Long, he wrote the New York Times Best Selling graphic novel, The Silence of Our Friends, which was illustrated by National Book Award winner Nate Powell. The graphic novel was awarded a Great Graphic Novel for Teens by YALSA.

Jim is a founding member of the pioneering nerd rock band Kirby Krackle, where he was the songwriter and lyricist from the bands start in 2009 until 2014, when he left the band.

He launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring back The Classic Comic Book Spinner Rack, including creating a variant which was specially designed to hold Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) graded comic books, which he manufactured and distributed from 2018 to 2021.

Demonakos co-founded LightBox Expo which debuted in 2019 and has already become a must-attend event among animation, illustration and concept art creators and fans.

Most recently, he produced and directed (alongside Kevin Konrad Hanna) Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, an award-winning feature length documentary about Mike Mignola and the creation of his comic book universe centered around Hellboy.

Filmography

 * Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters (2022) – director/producer

Awards

 * 2022: FilmQuest Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Gen Con Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Chagrin Documentary Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Fantasmagoria: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Prague Independent Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Hamilton Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Shockfest Film Festival: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Oniros Film Awards: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
 * 2022: Fantasmagoría - Festival de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de Medellìn: Best Documentary for Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters