Jamie Lang Officially Takes The Reins At Cartoon Brew, An Introduction To The Site’s New(ish) Owner

It’s a big week for Cartoon Brew. Yesterday, co-founder and long-time owner, publisher, and editor in chief, Amid Amidi, announced that, after more than 21 years at the helm, he had sold the company’s assets to me, former site editor in chief, Jamie Lang.

Today, I assume the roles of owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief. I’m extremely proud, slightly terrified, but most of all, excited about the future. As people have learned about this transition, the number one question asked has been, “What are you going to do differently?” The answer, for now, is “not much.” At least not intentionally. My background is in B2B trade journalism, and that may show in some of my writing. I also aim to up our output to four to five stories daily, but that will take time.

Most of you likely recognize my name and have seen my work. I’ve written roughly 1,500 articles for Cartoon Brew already, and another 1,900 for Variety. I’m familiar with the status quo that has made this site so important to so many people, and my number one objective is to maintain the fierce independence and honesty that Amid and co-founder Jerry Beck established for Cartoon Brew 21 years ago.

Below is a copy of the press release put out by Cartoon Brew today, announcing the change in leadership:

Veteran editor and journalist Jamie Lang has officially completed the purchase of the Cartoon Brew website from site co-founder Amid Amidi, becoming its new sole owner, publisher, and editor. With the transition complete, Lang brings nearly a decade of editorial experience and a deep-rooted passion for animation to the most respected news platform in the animation industry.

Lang began his career in entertainment journalism in 2016 as a freelancer for Variety, where he wrote nearly 2,000 articles across two stints with the publication. Over the years, he developed a specialty in covering European and Latin American film and television, reporting from leading international festivals including San Sebastián (Spain), SANFIC (Chile), Morelia and Guadalajara (Mexico), and SeriesMania (France). His first visit to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2017 sparked a lasting professional interest in the world of animation.

In April 2022, Lang joined Cartoon Brew as editor-in-chief. Over the next two years, he authored nearly 1,500 articles and commissioned, edited, and published hundreds more. Following a brief return to Variety as an international features editor, Lang was presented with the opportunity to acquire Cartoon Brew’s assets and lead the site going forward.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Cartoon Brew for a decade now, and it was a career highlight to work closely with the site’s co-founder, Amid Amidi, as editor in chief for two years. When he told me about his plans to sell the website and asked if I would be interested in taking over, it was an opportunity I could barely believe and one that I definitely couldn’t pass up,” said Lang of his new role.

Lang aims to continue and expand Cartoon Brew’s mission of artist-first coverage, spotlighting underrepresented voices and international talent in animation, hallmarks of the site’s editorial identity under Amidi.