When I interviewed Adam Staffaroni about finding the kids comics market, I did not expect to end up chatting about cookies and unicorns. Staffaroni, who is the Chief Creative Officer at Einhorn’s Epic Productions, went on to introduce me to his wife Heather Einhorn, Founder and CEO of a company that calls back to the read-and-pass-along comics culture of the past. Each of Einhorn’s Epic Cookies comes with a random issue of the Royal Einhorn Force in which four unicorns fight to clear their name and rescue the king from the evil Lord Farragut. Collect ’em, trade ’em, eat the cookies–four unicorns, four unique flavours: Houston (chocolate chip and potato chip), Cadiz (birthday cake, crisped rice, and sprinkles), Broxburn (oatmeal, chocolate chip, and maple), and Romsey (peanut butter, bacon, and chocolate chip). “Planet-hopping unicorn warriors and radically delicious cookies? A crazy mash-up of ideas, maybe…but hey, we’re Einhorns.”
I got to chat with the head Einhorn herself, Heather Einhorn, who’s turned her love of comics and her skills in marketing and brand strategy into an epic success.
What is your history with comics? Did you collect them when you were younger?
I’ve been into comics pretty much my whole life. I was never a collector, but my thesis in college was focused on analyzing religious subtexts in comic books! And of course working at DC Comics is the ultimate place to go if you want live and breathe comics every day.
How did you come to work in the comic book industry?
My first job out of college was at NY1 News, the local news station in NYC, a colleague of mine there actually knew Paul Levitz (who was President of DC Comics at the time). He knew of my love of comics, so he introduced me to Paul and the rest, as they say, is history!
Which came first? The cookies or the comics? What inspired you to combine them into this concept?
Growing up, I always loved getting Bazooka Joe gum at the airport or Cracker Jacks at baseball games. The question Adam and I started asking ourselves is: wouldn’t it be awesome if a full comic was the prize instead of a sticker? From there we thought about what the most fun food we could think of was, and that’s how we came to cookies!
As the CEO, you presumably oversee everything, but I’m sure there are many little details you are involved in as well. How involved are you in the creation of the comics, the baking, etc. What are your favourite behind the scenes aspects of the process?
Oh, absolutely. As the CEO I’m involved in all aspects of the business. I’m not sure which part of the process is my favorite, but what I enjoy most about being the CEO is that every day brings a new challenge. Some days are more cookie focused so my conversations are all about sprinkles and butter. Other days are more comics and brand focused, so the conversations are largely related to unicorns! Either way every day is incredibly interesting and challenging, so I guess that’s my favorite part of being a CEO.
Which character is your favourite? Does this correspond with your favourite cookie flavour?
My favorite character and flavor changes on a daily basis! Especially since we’re coming up with new characters all the time, it’s very difficult to pick a favorite!
Einhorn’s Epic Cookies are available in several comic stores, at certain conventions, and are now available at Six Flags. What’s next? Can we expect to see them on the shelves of grocery stores any time soon?
We’ve got some big things in the works for 2017, but yes you can expect to see us expand our presence this year!
