PRESS RELEASE
VESUVIAN MEDIA GROUP LAUNCHES CLEAN ROMANCE
DIVISION WITH FILM/TV ADAPTATION RIGHTS ALREADY
SOLD
LOS ANGELES, CA — JUNE 9, 2020 — Books-to-film corporation Vesuvian Media Group, Inc. (VMG) launches new romance media division, Rosewind Books, specializing in clean, contemporary, historical, fantastical, and holiday romance.
Rosewind will launch its inaugural list Fall 2020 with eight titles in print and ebook, several of which CEO Italia Gandolfo and Creative Executive Jo-Ann Carol have already sold to production companies with projects on networks such as Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime. “Now more than ever, the world needs inspiration through positive stories of hope and love,” says Jo-Ann Carol.
Among Rosewind’s forthcoming releases is Moments Like This (From Kona with Love Series, Book I) by debut authors Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Polaha. Gomez is Chief Financial Officer of a global advertising firm and a member of multiple organizations focused on diversity, inclusion, and mentorship. Polaha is an actor and producer who has a first-look deal with the Hallmark Channel. In addition to starring in several Hallmark movies, Polaha’s upcoming credits include Wonder Woman 1984 and Jurassic World: Dominion.
Joining Rosewind’s leadership team is Lindy Ryan, President of VMG’s Black Spot Books imprint, who will serve as Chief Content Officer of the new division. Ryan will direct the company's programming through digital media creation and multi-channel publications of content. “Through Rosewind, we are bringing more engaging, culturally diverse, and relatable stories to market, focusing on the cross-media production of our romance properties,” says Ryan. “This ensures that Rosewind, like all branches of Vesuvian Media, will continue to deliver top quality creative products that are consistent with our brand’s narrative.”
The launch of Rosewind is the latest endeavor in VMG’s continued growth as an innovative books-to-film multimedia corporation. The firm recently acquired Black Spot Books, a publisher of speculative fiction. As VMG’s newest division, Rosewind will focus primarily on contemporary and holiday romances with the same eye toward film/TV crossover potential as VMG’s other initiatives.
“Rosewind is the next evolution of Vesuvian as we expand our catalog into broader markets, including clean romance,” says CEO Italia Gandolfo. “By developing new streams of specialized content, we remain uniquely positioned to continue providing Hollywood with access to quality content that translates from the page to screen.”
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ABOUT ROSEWIND BOOKS Rosewind Books is a division of Vesuvian Media, specializing in clean, contemporary, historical, fantastical, and holiday romance. www.RosewindBooks.com
ABOUT VESUVIAN MEDIA GROUP, INC. Vesuvian Media Group (VMG) is a books-to-film multimedia corporation composed of industry veterans with decades of experience in entertainment, publishing, and representation. Through the divisions of Vesuvian Entertainment and Vesuvian Books—which has published multiple bestselling and award-winning properties—VMG provides Hollywood unparalleled access to high quality content while bridging the gap between publishing and screen. Founded by Italia Gandolfo, along with co-founders LK Griffie, Dr. Gareth Worthington, and former publishing executive Thomas Ellsworth, the company has a global presence and access to hundreds of properties from IP to originals. Gandolfo began her career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) during the tenure of Founder/CEO, Michael Ovitz, and has over 25 years’ experience in media. She is Founder and CEO of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management, a full-service literary and dramatic rights agency, whose team includes publishing industry veteran, Renee C. Fountain (Harcourt Brace and Simon & Schuster). Vesuvian Media Group was selected by DIGITAL BOOK WORLD as a 2018 Finalist for Children's Publisher of the Year, alongside Disney Publishing, Sesame Workshop, and Tapocketa. VMG has a global presence with staff in the USA [Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, New Orleans, Anchorage], Canada [Vancouver], and Europe [Zurich]. www.VesuvianMedia.com
Lindy Ryan, Ed.D. is an entrepreneur, award-winning professor, and publishing professional. In 2011, Ryan was part of the executive leadership team that founded Radiant Advisors, a data and business intelligence research and advisory firm, where Ryan developed and launched the company's editorial and research divisions, and later its data visualization practice, for clients that included 21st Century Fox Films, Fox Networks, Warner Bros., and Disney. Ryan served as an active member of the New Jersey Big Data Alliance and was previously a researcher at the Rutgers Discovery Informatics Institute. Ryan is an award-winning professor of data analysis and currently teaches visual analytics at Rutgers University. She is the author of numerous papers and two textbooks, The Visual Imperative: Creating a Culture of Visual Discovery (Elsevier) and Visual Data Storytelling with Tableau (Pearson). In 2017, Ryan launched Black Spot Books, a traditional small press focused on speculative fiction, which was acquired by Vesuvian Media in 2019. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).
Italia Gandolfo has over 25 years’ experience in media including film/TV, publishing, advertising, and talent representation. She began her career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) during the tenure of Founder/CEO, Michael Ovitz. Gandolfo researched classified projects while coordinating and assembling development information (domestic and foreign) for talent agents, writers, directors, producers, actors etc., and oversaw the agency’s library of confidential screenplays and manuscripts. She later moved into film finance and independent publishing. Gandolfo is the Founder and CEO of Vesuvian Media Group, Inc. and Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management.
LK Griffie is a twenty-five-year veteran in International Business. Griffie works with Hong Kong development teams to determine what front line business needs will not be met by the enterprise solutions. Bridging those gaps and driving overall company success through streamlining, standardization, and automation, her solutions have provided substantial savings in excess of 7 figures per year. The daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Griffie is an award-winning author and volunteers with EXP, who unites businesspeople and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. She is President and co-founder of Vesuvian Media Group.
Jo-Ann Carol is a Creative Executive who has worked in the movie industry for over thirty-five years. She began her career as a script writer and later became a script analyst for major production companies. She was an agent at Monteiro-Rose-Dravis Literary Agency (Suzanne Collins HUNGER GAMES, Disney: PLANES, Martin Scorsese's HUGO) for several years before starting her own management company in 2013. Clients she has worked with have written and/or produced on shows such as DEXTER (Showtime), DA VINCI'S DEMONS (Starz), UNDERGROUND (WGN), OUTLANDER (Starz), WARRIOR NUN (Netflix), as well as for Apple TV and Hallmark. She has written for several publications and newspapers, and her articles have appeared in numerous magazines.