The world of entertainment and gaming is constantly evolving, and Liithos is at the forefront!
Buckle up for another installment of our interview series, where we spotlight some fantastic team members working hard to revolutionize the gaming and entertainment industries.
Nate Murray is the Liithos VP of IP and Worldbuilding. We recently chatted with him about his extremely interesting background and career and why working at Liithos was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Can you tell us about your background and what led you to Liithos?
My elevator pitch is that my background is in publishing, production, and creative management. I’m the editor of two Herblock-winning authors and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, the designer of the first official Godfather game, and currently the Producer for the upcoming Trace War comic series by Liithos.
What’s your non-elevator pitch story?
I was brought into IDW Publishing (who acquired IP for franchise development across comics and graphic novels, TV, theatrical, games, and merchandise) 12 years ago by Jerry Bennington to do special projects outside of their main markets. I was there to resolve publishing roadblocks and break the mold. I’m a big board game nerd, so together, we launched their board game division. I also brought the company over to Kickstarter when it was a fairly new platform and created the New Product Division, including IDW Limited, IDW Micro-Comic Fun Packs, and IDW Games.
What gets you excited to wake up every morning?
In the past, I’ve been brought on to create things and/or clean up messes. But I really like to create things. So, after a short stint with IndieGoGo to build out a plan to compete with KickStarter, I went back to IDW as the head of their Direct-to-Consumer division and spun off a new company Clover Press, an eclectic and boutique publisher.
I’ve been working on other people’s IP my entire career. I’ve absolutely enjoyed working on the IP I knew and loved as a kid, but I’ve always wanted to create my own IP. I want to be on the other side of that conversation, where companies call me to license my IP. I want to be a worldbuilder and set the rules. That’s the kind of thing that gets me truly excited.
How does that align with what Liithos is doing?
Michael Mumbauer and I are both huge comic nerds. He was actually a customer of mine at IDW. We’ve been chatting for years now, and when he founded Liithos, he knew my “secret weapon” potential and immediately reached out. My role at Liithos allows me the opportunity to play in my own sandbox instead of someone else’s. As VP of IP and Worldbuilding, I’m given the power and freedom to create worlds that interest me; I have a head seat at the table. It’s hard to fail with the previous brands I’ve worked on, so why not take everything I know and have learned along the way to create something that’s my own?
How is Liithos pushing the boundaries?
Liithos has a high visual bar. That’s what I love about Michael—he has a crazy visual eye—it’s like his superpower. High-quality art is very important to me, and the quality of our product is something that Michael and I truly care about. Michael lets me do what I’m best at. I like to push the boundaries while making sure we make the right choices: we’re producing top-notch art, partnering with the right vendors, etc.
RantCPU is such a great idea. He’s this funny AI character who is pushing the boundaries. He seems to be the right personality at the right time and the right place, and he’s going to catch on.
We’re also pushing the boundaries as a company. Liithos is an all-encompassing entertainment company focused on building and creating fun experiences and worlds and expanding entertainment. It’s really exciting.
For more on Nate Murray, follow him on X.
