Hello, dear readers and welcome to another Interview from Behind the Universe by Nicholas Brown.
The history of Marvel Comics is always going to be a telling of the cumulative group efforts that kept everything looking polished when the final product got delivered to your local comic book shop. We here at IFBU always strive to give you the real nitty gritty details of Marvel’s yester years.
And so for today’s guest, we have got the lovely Francine Grillo who had thought being a secretary was pretty good. Then Personnel Manager Dorothy Marcus intervened. Fran found herself figuring out Licensing and Marketing. Francine set up and manned endless fan conventions booths and, in Eliot’s words, “worked in the brain of Marvel Comics.” She wore many hats over her years at both Marvel and DC (we don’t judge around here) and has some fantastic stories to tell so I’ll let her take it away.
Q: What did you do before working at Marvel Comics and do you think that helped prepare you for the job?
I didn’t go to college… as a Secretary in the 1970’s you barely needed a resume; just had to present yourself and take a typing/steno test! When hearing from friends that their college was just a ‘4 year party’ all I wanted to do was go to work and make money! I graduated High School early and my first job was for the Sporting Goods buyer at the F.W. Woolworth Company… (located in the Woolworth Building– the most beautiful building in downtown Manhattan) and later on top of the World Trade Center just after it was completed in 1977. I was determined to leave after a year, seeing young women staying there until they had their babies. My next job was at a Pesticide company (when typing bi-lingual labels it’s where I found out my last name “Grillo” means ‘cricket’ in Spanish!) After that, I answered an ad in the New York Times for, “Entertainment Company seeks secretary.” I interviewed with Dorothy Marcus… originally applying for the job as Secretary to James Galton. Dorothy changed my life when she said, “You know, the job of Secretary for the President may not be exciting enough for you; it will be lower pay but there’s a position open in International Rights.” The beginning of knowing people all over the world and traveling every year to Germany, Italy and France!
Q: What was your job when you worked at Marvel? Eliot indicated there was a lot going on in the marketing department and it sounds like you wore a lot of hats.
I started as a Secretary… and honestly I was not very fond of my bosses, who really took advantage of a young woman who just wanted to please and do her best. In addition to secretarial duties I took on the responsibility of being a liaison between the International publishers and the repro department. I made sure the orders were processed (including the removal of word balloons so that they can place their translation (layers) in the films… now done digitally– we’ve come a long way!)
Marvel Christmas Party 1990– Editor Sue Gafney (L) dances with Fran (R)!
Q: Do you have any stories from the around office that you’d like to tell? Perhaps something Eliot has overlooked in his writings or that you’d like to add to.
I don’t know if there are stories as much as we were like a family… and it was better than any college years I could imagine. We had a Secretarial Pool; I was in the international department and the other young women worked for the sales and marketing folks. We sat in a row of desks… a funny memory was Fabian [–Niecza, Editor, Writer, Creator had started out working in Marketing! –Eliot] joining us in that desk area. I joked to him that he went from the Secretarial Pool to Deadpool! There were so many happy memories and stories… we looked forward to the Toy Fair [annual Manhattan convention and showplace for major and minor toy makers to introduce new toys! –Eliot] every year; it ALWAYS snowed that week when the international folks visited; we worked through the night putting presentations together. We loved every minute of it… the agents, the publishers, our colleagues.
Q: Eliot said you actually moved from Marvel to DC and then back again for a while, was it difficult changing companies like that? And were the jobs similar or a real shift in gears?
That was crazy… Chantal D’Aulnis, the President of Domestic/International Rights over at DC, called me, asking if I was interested in the job of Manager of International Rights… I DIDN’T want to leave Marvel! Chantal said that the publishers spoke very highly of me and it was a perfect match. I didn’t even know the first thing about selling rights! Chantal said it almost cost me the job when she asked “What is the difference between Marvel and DC Comics?” I responded, “It’s the same… just the characters are different!” I kept asking for more money… and when it was $10,000 more than I was making at Marvel I couldn’t say no. Back in 1991, the economy was good; that was good money! I was scared… but when I got to DC roaming the hallways were Mike Carlin, Denny O’Neil, etc… all my old Marvel buddies were there so I felt right at home! I spent 3 days at their old building at 666 Fifth Avenue… Warner Bros wanted a higher profile office. They gave me an incredible window office and decorated with appropriate wall hangings…. In front of my office was the Superman vs. Spider-Man crossover. Chantal was constantly angry at me for saying “Spider-Man” instead of “Superman” I told her the crossover in front of my door wasn’t helping!
Q: How did you come to know Eliot and the other bullpen crew from your post in Marketing?
I had very little interaction with the bullpen except for the odd repro need but I played (pitched) on the Marvel (and DC) softball teams so I got to know the guys through that. And going out for drinks, etc.
Q: What was the most fun you had working on a project at Marvel?
EVERYTHING was fun at Marvel! I always felt incredibly blessed to be ‘touching history.’ Because Marvel (and DC) didn’t save their repro film (not foreseeing the need for reproducing the comics into graphic novels/collected editions) we often had to contact the creators and they entrusted us with their original art!
The Frankfurt and Bologna Book fairs were hard work but seeing our international publishers was not only the ability to sell them rights and make money but they became family over the years, too (I’m still in touch with them all these years later on Facebook, etc.)
During that time the Marvel Masterworks were published and I had the idea to ask Stan Lee to sign 10 copies to raffle off one a day at the Book Fairs to the fans who waited patiently for anything we would give away at the end of the Fair!
Frankfurt Book Fair 1989– Marvel Booth. Mark Gruenwald standing with Fran’s head facing us just at his right!
Q: Dad mentioned a trip to The Frankfurt Book Fair convention in Germany that that he attended and that you took with Mark Gruenwald and a few others. Would you mind elaborating on that? It sounds very fun and it’s always nice to have something with Gruenwald. Dad can probably supply some pictures to go along too.
Mark was amazing at the Book Fairs… especially for the raffles; he’d jump on the table, ring a big bell and gather everyone around! He made everything a game! The publishers loved him, too!
Our colleague from Marel UK also joined us; we all went to a movie together… the German version of Blind Fury with Rutger Hauer. Mark was impressed that I nicked the poster (only put up with scotch tape!) and I promised him I’d let him borrow it for his office door. While waiting for the movie to start, there was a long staircase and we would bide our time ‘winning’ our way up the stairs with each correct guess of which hand held the Deutsche Mark! We went to Pisa with the Norwegians after a Bologna trip; Mark of course did all the “leaning (tower)” photos and also insisted that the guys reenact a Lovable underwear add… the woman model was held by the male models….so he had the Norwegians pick me up and do the same pose. This all seems ‘flat’ to explain but being there was priceless!
Frankfurt Book Fair– Marvel Booth 1989 during jacket giveaway! Fran at left, close to the camera, Mark in the grey suit to the right!
(I have a few pictures on Facebook of Mark joining us at the Book Fairs… so many in storage!)
Q: Speaking of conventions, I heard Marketing got to do the set up and attend various conventions and similar events whenever Marvel headed out to them, what was that like? Did you actually get to enjoy the conventions or was it all work?
It was brutal…. We (all women if Mark wasn’t there!) actually had to pack/unpack huge crates with the displays, build the shelving and inventory all the books (we packed up/stored them from year to year!). We started at 9 am, meetings until 5-6:00… we looked forward to eating at the BEST restaurants with the BEST wines but it was still all business. And even after dinners, we would go out for drinks (I’d beg them to speak of ANYTHING but Spider-Man and the Hulk!) … it was well after midnight and I knew we would be starting all over again. I wouldn’t trade these memories for anything… in retrospect I was very blessed to be a part of it all!
Last Day Frankfurt Book Fair– Marvel Booth 1989. Fran in red sweater packing up the whole dang booth with a little help from Mark.
Q: What’s life and work been like after Marvel and today? Are you still in the same career?
I got laid off from DC Comics (unexpectedly) in 2009. It was during the recession so it was difficult to get a job… I didn’t work for another 3 years! I did some freelance projects. I worked for a digital platform, who wanted my connections to publish comics on their platform; worked for an agent in Argentina helping him get business with Archie Comics; another job for a musician preparing an Mel Bay book [famed teacher and author of many books on learning instruments– Eliot] on electric violins, needing permissions to use old photographs of the instruments.
Today I work for a small eye care company… I suppose not much different; still putting people together (these days putting doctors together with pharmaceutical companies. My boss was impressed at my performance at an Eye Care convention… and told him, “it wasn’t my first rodeo!”
Q: Is there anywhere our readers can find you on social media to keep up with you?
I’m on Facebook (Francine Grillo) and Instagram… I’ve had the occasional solicitation for comic related things… I’m not opposed to answering questions or helping. I’m very happy to be in touch with so many international folks I would have otherwise lost touch with.
And that is the beauty of Marvel history, thanks to the wild and turbulent comic book industry, everyone has a story to tell because everyone had a dozen odd jobs by the end of their stay.
Be seeing you!