 |
 |
More news at RushtoPress.org
#RushtoPress @ECPA @ChristianBkExpo
Alive Literary Agency Names New Leadership Team
For More Information, Contact:
Bryan Norman, President
Alive Literary Agency
719-260-7080 x 116
Colorado Springs, CO – May 16, 2016 – Rick Christian, President of Alive Literary Agency, announced today his move into a new role as Founder and Chief Executive Officer and the appointment of agents Bryan Norman and Lisa Jackson as President and Executive Vice President, respectively.
“We’ve been working on our transition plan for the past year, and both Bryan and Lisa are extraordinary talents who can shepherd Alive and our elite roster of authors and industry relationships for decades ahead,” said Christian, 62.
In addition to Norman and Jackson, Alive’s leadership team consists of long-time CFO Sonya Stricklin and Agent Andrea Heinecke, who will become an officer on Alive’s Board of Directors.
“The passing of the baton at Alive has been accomplished very well and at a time when the agency is rock solid and multiplying its legacy of influence worldwide,” said Norman, 36. “I am honored to become Alive’s second President and work shoulder to shoulder with our world-class team as we build on a storied foundation.”
Christian’s career in publishing spans newspapers, magazines, book publishing, and writing several books himself. He founded Alive in Los Angeles in 1989, moved operations to Colorado Springs in 1991, and served 27 years as President. He is best known for having represented such franchise properties as The Message Bible, Heaven Is for Real, The Life Recovery Bible, the Left Behind series, and such authors as Karen Kingsbury, Brennan Manning, Lynn Vincent and the Henri Nouwen Trust. Fourteen of his properties hit the #1 slot on the New York Times bestseller list during his tenure, though for most of that time books sold through CBA channels were not reported to the Times, something he lobbied 20 years to change.
“I feel profound amazement as I pause and look back from this vantage point, because none of us walk untrodden paths,” he said. “I am grateful for the pillars of faith who preceded me, offering help and encouragement along the way. In looking ahead, I also marvel that our restructure enables us to continue the work entrusted us.”
Christian noted that the transition will free him to produce more TV and theatrical movies based on Alive’s backlist of some 5,000 properties. He served as Executive Producer on three movies adapted from Kingsbury properties that aired on Hallmark Channel so far this year. He also has three TV series and four films in development with others. Additionally, the film based on Alive’s best-selling Same Kind of Different as Me is completed and will be released by Paramount next February, starring Renée Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, Greg Kinnear and Jon Voight.
He reported he will also spend more time writing, which is how he started his career after his 1977 graduation from Stanford University, as well as traveling and fly fishing with his wife Debbie, and visiting their blended family of seven children and 11 grandchildren spread across four states.
Norman has been with Alive since 2013, following a distinguished nine-year tenure at Thomas Nelson, where he was Associate Publisher, working with scores of best-selling authors and projects, such as Love Does by Bob Goff, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge, Leadership Gold by John Maxwell, and Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius. He started his publishing career after earning his Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Colorado (Boulder) where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.
At Alive, Norman works alongside some of the industry’s most successful and impactful voices and brands, including Michael Hyatt, She Reads Truth, Maria Goff, Jamie Tworkowski, Bianca Juarez Olthoff, and Anne Graham Lotz. As President, Norman will continue to represent key clients, lead the agent staff, and execute the strategic direction and objectives of the agency.
Lisa Jackson, 47, brings nearly three decades of publishing experience to her new role at Alive. A graduate of the College of Charleston in South Carolina, she launched her career as a newspaper journalist, transitioned to magazines at Christianity Today International, and then joined Tyndale as Associate Publisher where she worked directly with such key authors as Beth Moore, Tony Dungy, David Platt, Steve Saint, and Tim Pawlenty.
Since joining Alive in 2014, Lisa relies heavily on her extensive experience in both the ABA and CBA markets to serve such stellar clients as (in)courage/DaySpring, Melanie Shankle, Nick Hall, Havilah Cunnington, and Penny Young Nance.
ABOUT ALIVE LITERARY AGENCY
Alive Literary Agency is located in Colorado Springs, CO, and is the leading, most influential agency for inspirational content and authors--best known for its mega-selling franchises and expanding work in film and television. Best-sellers include Todd Burpo’s Heaven Is for Real (12 million copies); Karen Kingsbury’s novels (25 million copies); the Left Behind series (nearly 70 million copies); Eugene Peterson’s The Message (20 million copies); Lisa Beamer’s post 9-11 Let’s Roll! (1.5 million copies); and Steve Arterburn & Dave Stoop’s Life Recovery Bible (2.5 million copies). Books represented by Alive have sold more than 250 million copies since its 1989 founding by Rick Christian.
# # #
Rush to Press is a publication of ECPA, the association of Christian publishers:
strengthening the industry through networking, information, and advocacy programs since 1974. ECPA.org