WOWIO
| Company type | Public (formerly) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital media, technology development, digital publishing, entertainment, hospitality, real estate |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | William Lidwell |
| Defunct | July 2018 |
| Fate | Deregistered common stock; pivoted to holding company with diverse investments |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Key people | Brian Altounian (Chairman and former CEO), Robert H. Estareja (former CEO), Tony Anish (former CEO) |
| Products | Patented mobile advertising platform for ad-supported eBooks; digital publishing platforms including Wevolt, TheDuckWebcomics.com, @Brand, Pop Galaxy |
| Owner | Brian Altounian, Alliance Acquisitions, LLC |
WOWIO was a U.S.-based company that has since been deregistered. It originally specialized in digital media and technology development, notably creating a patented mobile advertising platform designed for ad-supported eBooks. In 2017, a revamped leadership team transformed Wowio into a holding entity with investments spanning entertainment, dining establishments, tourism, hospitality, residential construction in Northern California, and real estate projects in Arizona.
The chairman of the company, Brian Altounian, previously held an executive position at Time Warner and founded Alliance Acquisitions. He led Wowio as CEO from June 2010 until September 2015. During his tenure, the company went public with shares initially priced above $1 but experienced a sharp decline to under $0.01 within months. Robert H. Estareja took over as CEO in 2015, succeeded by Tony Anish in 2017, who unveiled the firm’s revised strategic focus. In July 2018, Wowio deregistered its common stock.
WOWIO’s operations encompassed digital publishing, merchandising, and various other business activities through its subsidiaries such as Wevolt, TheDuckWebcomics.com, @Brand, and Pop Galaxy. The company was based in Los Angeles, California and was owned by Brian Altounian together with Alliance Acquisitions, LLC.
History
Founded in 2006 in Los Angeles by entrepreneur and author William Lidwell, WOWIO initially offered free downloadable e-books that were supported by embedded advertisements. Its catalog included classics like Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, as well as the comic series Tenth Muse.
In June 2008, Platinum Studios began negotiations to acquire WOWIO with the intention of integrating it into a global digital publishing strategy. However, the acquisition was postponed due to WOWIO’s failure to pay quarterly earnings.
By June 2009, Brian Altounian—formerly COO at Platinum Studios—acquired WOWIO through Alliance Acquisitions, LLC. This entity holds a minority stake alongside other investors; Platinum Studios divested its ownership. Subsequently, the State of California determined that Alliance Acquisitions had engaged in deceptive securities sales during 2008-2011 and issued a cease-and-desist order in 2015.
In mid-2010, WOWIO secured $1.7 million in funding to purchase WEvolt, an online platform that allowed comic creators to share their work and generate revenue via advertising and merchandise sales. Shortly thereafter, WOWIO acquired DrunkDuck.com from Platinum Studios—a webcomics community with around 95,000 users at the time—thereby broadening its digital content offerings.
By 2013, WOWIO managed five proprietary websites: WOWIO.com, DrunkDuck.com (which was later renamed TheDuckWebcomics.com), WEvolt.com, PopGalaxy.com, and StudioWDigital.com launched in 2014. Most of these platforms became inactive within several years; for instance, PopGalaxy’s YouTube channel stopped updating after 2014.
In 2017, under new leadership, WOWIO pivoted from digital publishing to functioning as a holding company with investments across sectors including entertainment, dining venues, tourism, housing construction in Northern California, and real estate development in Arizona. The announced portfolio included Castlerock Bar and Grill, Canyon Café, Wishing Well restaurant in Arizona; hospitality consulting firm Lodgenuity (although this acquisition was later canceled); and land development projects for affordable housing in Avenal, California. The company formally deregistered its common stock in July 2018.
Titles
- BUMP (published by Fangoria Comics/The Scream Factory)
- Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Collected Best, Volume One
- Darkchylde
- Day by Day (created by Chris Muir)
- Dead with Dick & Jane (under KS Comics)
- Dee Snider's Strangeland: Seven Sins (from Fangoria Comics/The Scream Factory)
- Elsinore (released through Devil's Due Digital)
- G.R.A.V.E. Grrrls: Destroyers of the Dead (a The Scream Factory title)
- Hero Happy Hour (published by GeekPunk)
- Last Blood (from Blatant Comics)
- Lullaby (by Alias Comics)
- No Need for Bushido
- Robert Kurtzman's Beneath The Valley of The Rage (offered by Fangoria Comics/The Scream Factory)
- The X-Files (distributed by Devil's Due Digital)