For those who came in late: Rick Olney is a shyster who enjoys ripping off people trying to make it in the comic industry. He started off with Tight Lip Entertainment, which developed a fast reputation for not paying anyone. Likewise, his comic conventions that he set up and ran would not pay for promised and contractually obligated travel and lodging expenses. If you talked publicly about not getting paid, Olney would threaten you with lawsuits to shut you up (although no one has ever heard from any lawyer about this) and redress whatever you said online as being trollish and mean and he was refusing to pay on principal until you apologized and signed an affidavit that you made it all up.
Olney first got a write-up on my blog here when he tried to start the Adirondack Comic Festival. The list of guests Did Not Do The Research, and when people politely told them who they were dealing with (complete with links to back it up), they bailed. You may also remember the Indiana Jones map fiasco that resulted from it -- Olney still has not returned the maps despite Lucas' lawyers circling his head. As far as I know, Olney is still attempting to get ACF off the ground this coming year.Olney is nothing if not enterprising. He has just started a new publishing concern called All Aces Entertainment. He even has a logo. Nothing more than that, as the web site is still under construction.
So, if you are getting a pitch package together, do not submit to him under any circumstances. And if he somehow hears of you and offers you a gig, do not sign with him. You will be burned.
We must look out for each other.
