What Makes Cartoonist Rick London Tick?

Even though I had hours of academic marketing classes, and cartoonist Rick London, my former boss had none, his killer marketing instincts could have rewritten the textbooks. He is no guru, in fact, is anti-guru. He doesn't write ebooks or exploit those who know less. He tells it like it is. He approached cartooning knowing nothing about the business. He learned it as he went.

Rick had a good bit of experience in corporate America before starting. He was keenly aware that most professions had trade magazines and this was virtually an untapped market. Most were low budgeted and could not afford an inhouse cartoonist, and were willing to pay a small amount for a monthly or quarterly cartoon. Rick provided it. He made a hundred calls a day to publishers. Out of that hundred, he would generally sell one or two cartoons. He was building a portfolio and enough money to keep the lights on.

Rick knew it would be no bed of roses. He prepared himself for a hard time and a hard time it was. For awhile he was virtually homeless working out of an abandoned warehouse where he had a phone line, and cold running water out of a sink in which to bathe. He did not let these invconveiences stop him. He was like a tank. He made calls to publishers and sold cartoons. If the publisher had no budget, Rick would create a win-win barter. He traded cartoons for everything from clothing to nutrition. I've never seen such survivor instinct.

Rick had not fished in years though he always loved fishing. His maternal grandfather Marcus London taught him to fish when he was four. He had stopped as an adult, but when he learned he could barter his fishing-related cartoons for tackle, he was at it again. He has a great many cartoons that are related to fishing. They appear on websites and in fishing journals worldwide. He had started this project in the late 1990's. He was then a "nobody" as he liked to say. The fishing tackle he bartered for, this time, was not for fun, but to eat. He would dig for worms and catch grasshoppers and go to a nearby pond or river and not return home until he had enough for a meal. He reminded me of Henry David Thoreau.

He no longer has to beg for barters though he occasionally does them just for fun, especially with other businesses just getting started and needing help. He has not forgotten his roots. But more often he is approached by newspapers and magazines, and even college textbook authors to buy his cartoons outright. This has been happening for several years now.

The Internet was changing rapidly in the late 1990's but not fast enough. There were some search engines and banner ads and that was about it. It was still not the easiest place for a cartoonist to make a name for himself. Rick consistently tried to become syndicated into newspapers but he felt certain it would not happen. His cartoons were not suited for them. He said one day the Internet will be the place. I did not believe him at the time but he proved me wrong. He could never do in newspapers what he has done on the Internet. His contribution has been monumental and many have found work (from manufacturers to dropshippers to artists) because of his marketing ideas, and continue to.

I sometimes feel like if I look up "commitment"in Webster's, Rick's pic will be there. He wakes up and he is drinking coffee and working. It is habit. He does not drive to an office. He does it all in his living room, yet every move he makes creates jobs for people all over the world from manufacturers to artists to affiliate marketers to publishers. He has a mind that is very creative and unique. I have learned a great deal from him.

Though he is from Mississippi originally (where I met him), he is not from that part of Mississippi that is known to produce such genius; the delta which brought us William Faulkner, Elvis, Grisham, Willie Morris, Morgan Freeman, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and so many others.

I am only in touch with him these days by email. We have both moved to separate states. But I still know him as that "grown up wiz kid" who showed me the ropes. I visit his main cartoon website and numerous webstores and think back to the time when it was just a gleam in his eye. Nobody in his hometown knew he had it in him. I don't know why I did, it was just a feeling. I admit, that though I did, I had no idea he would make it this big. I continue to buy items from his many web stores which are fanastic and contain his cartoons; from mousepads to hoodies. I even buy regular casual wear from him. His products are fantastic. I really miss that man and hope to see him again on one day.

Article Source: Main Articles

Rick London has the largest offbeat Internet's Top Cartoon Site on the Internet and several cartoon gift shops Rick London's Marketing Secret: From Nothing To Internet's Top Cartoonist And E-Tailer, and

Internet search engines and directory listings are imperative to your sites existence and success. Submit Your Website to the Searchen Networks directory and search engine to achieve authoritive inbound links.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5