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45-613: Virgin Comics LLC and Virgin Animation Private Limited are collaborative companies formed by Virgin Group entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Gotham Entertainment Group (South Asia's largest comics publisher) in 2006. The companies spun out of the previously announced partnership between Chopra, Kapur, and Gotham Entertainment (but not Branson). Gotham Studios Asia

90-661: A Dan Dare mini-series, written by Garth Ennis . Additionally, "the company will tap into innovative creators in comics, film and entertainment from around the world." Virgin Comics animators have worked on graphic novels, and the venture is linked to Virgin Animation. One such graphic novel is the upcoming children's environmental book The Econauts . At the NYCC it was revealed Grant Morrison would working with Virgin Comics to produce "webisodes" (short animated stories) based on

135-563: A Sports Emmy nomination in 2018 in Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary. This was Chopra's first Sports Emmy nomination. Also in 2018, Tom vs Time , a docuseries about Tom Brady's off-season training. The series aired on Facebook Watch . It won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary in 2019. The same year, Shut Up and Dribble was nominated for Outstanding Open/Tease and Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement at

180-458: A record shop , first as mail order and in 1971 with a physical store. They considered themselves virgins in business. Branson has described the "V" in the logo as an expressive tick , representing the Virgin seal of approval. The original logo from 1973 was a completely different design intended to be used for the record company that was founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell . The logo

225-493: A virtual reality meditation video game, called Finding Your True Self , with his father in 2016. In 2006, he, Sharad Devarajan , and Suresh Seetharaman co-founded Virgin Comics and convinced Sir Richard Branson to invest. In 2008, the company changed its name to Liquid Comics following management changes. Chopra co-created the Bulletproof Monk comics with Brett Lewis and R. A. Jones. Chopra also produced

270-581: A bachelor's degree in English and Literature. In 1993, while Chopra was in college, the family relocated to California. While at Columbia, he wrote his first book, Child of the Dawn , and helped Michael Jackson write lyrics to his songs. After graduating from Columbia, Chopra was a news anchor for the Los Angeles -based Channel One News , which broadcast to teenagers in social studies classes across

315-588: A consultant for Current TV . In 2000, he co-founded Chopra Media with his sister Mallika. This company primarily develops media initiatives for their father but also oversees television shows and films. In 2012, Chopra launched the YouTube channel The Chopra Well along with his father and sister. This channel features a number of healthy and spiritual living tips, guided meditations, and guest interviews. At its debut, Vicente Fox , Paulo Coelho , Lisa Ling , and Fran Drescher were featured. Chopra helped create

360-528: A creative renaissance in India." Focusing on Asia "as an area to inspire and create content and drive revenue... to reach a global audience." the two arms allow for properties to be translated into "full media properties across a wide line of products and media outlets". Adrian Sington, Executive Chairman of Virgin Books noted that "the market for comics and graphic novels worldwide is exploding... [partly due to]

405-661: A gift from the Taliban , who he had been in Pakistan to interview. His father, at this point popular within celebrity circles, called Colin Powell and arranged his release. Within a few weeks, 9/11 occurred and Chopra's interview tapes were confiscated. Other interviews he conducted during this time were with George W. Bush , John Glenn , and the Dalai Lama . He left Channel One in 2005. Between 2006 and 2008, he worked as

450-527: A roadie" with Michael Jackson , a friend of his father's, on his Dangerous World Tour . Chopra's father was busy and rarely home during the first years of Chopra's childhood. He recalls that his father drank and smoked a lot until he joined the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement when Chopra was five. The family as a whole started practicing TM. Chopra graduated from Belmont Hill School in 1993, then Columbia University with

495-534: Is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House , who class it as a holding company ; however, Virgin's business and trading activities date back to the 1970s. The net worth of Virgin Group was estimated at £3 billion as of early 2023. The name "Virgin" arose in 1970 when Richard Branson and Nik Powell formed

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540-623: Is a co-founder of Religion of Sports, Liquid Comics , Chopra Media, and the Chopra Well. He is known for his sports-centric films, having worked with athletes such as Tom Brady , LeBron James , Kobe Bryant , Simone Biles and Michael Strahan . Chopra was born Gautam Chopra in what is now part of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts in 1975, the son of spiritualist and author Deepak Chopra and his wife, Rita. He

585-447: Is a first-generation American and the first in his family to be born outside of India. He and his sister Mallika were raised in the Boston suburb of Lincoln . As a child, Chopra was extremely interested in sports, enough that his mother worried that he would never have a career. He is a lifelong Red Sox , Patriots , Celtics , and Bruins fan. His favorite athlete while growing up was Larry Bird . At age 13, he went on tour "as

630-882: The London Borough of Tower Hamlets , The Battleship Building in Paddington , a district of the City of Westminster and at The School House in Brook Green , in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . The Virgin Group of companies have a complex structure that contains elements of a generic conglomerate and a keiretsu , and sometimes it simply licences its brand. Examples of licensing are Virgin Records and Virgin Media , which are owned by Universal Music Group and Liberty Global respectively. In mid-May 2013,

675-515: The Mahābhārata , he said it wouldn't be a direct translation but "Like the Beatles took Indian music and tried to make psychedelic sounds…I'm trying to convert Indian storytelling to a western style for people raised on movies, comics, and video games." It was also announced that Stan Lee will create a new superhero team to appear in a new Virgin title, the details of which were being kept secret for

720-509: The "Foodpreneur" food and drink focused start-up competition. Winners received mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling. The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry, and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, winners were given the opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers in the US. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice, and Mallow and Marsh. Only one start-up

765-576: The 2003 film based on the series. Devarajan, Chopra, and Seetharaman established Graphic India in 2011 under the Liquid Comics name. This company focuses on the Indian youth market and the creation of characters inspired by Indian myth and legend. Peter Chernin joined the team as an investor in 2013 and is a joint owner of Graphic India. In 2012, Chopra created, produced, and directed Decoding Deepak about his father. In 2014, Chopra hosted

810-486: The East, they call mystics." The Director's Cut line is designed to showcase the work of film directors, and effectively give them an unlimited budget to create works that might be more difficult to realise on screen. It sees directors such as Shekhar Kapur , Guy Ritchie and John Woo creating comics, and is rumoured to include the legendary Terry Gilliam at some point in the future. Gilliam's reputed interest (and that of

855-705: The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Virgin StartUp is the Virgin Group's non-profit company, helping entrepreneurs across the UK to start, fund and scale their business. In 2013, Sir Richard visited Boxpark in Shoreditch, London, to launch the new organisation, revealing that he wanted to support anyone that had the same dreams and ambitions that he did as a young boy: “It was £300 from my mum that sparked

900-513: The Sports Emmys. The three-part docuseries, which aired on Showtime , was inspired by Fox News host Laura Ingraham 's February 2017 comment that LeBron James and Kevin Durant should stay out of politics and "shut up and dribble". The series, produced by LeBron James and directed by Chopra, shows "attempts by NBA players to bring about social change and speak up politically" throughout

945-610: The United States. He found out later that he was hired because one of the Channel One executives was a fan of his fathers'. He became a war correspondent and was stationed internationally. It was during this time that a producer recommended Chopra change the spelling of his name, Gautam, to match how he pronounced it to prevent mispronunciation. In August 2001, he was arrested at Islamabad International Airport when empty bullet shells were found in his bag. These were

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990-887: The Virgin Group expressed its intention to seek out opportunities in Australia's healthcare industry to consolidate on the Group's Australian fitness centres. The Group also runs over 100 National Health Service (NHS) services in the United Kingdom and the healthcare division of medical services group Assura after entering the British healthcare industry in 2011. Virgin Group announced the establishment of Virgin Voyages on 4 December 2014 with financial backing from Bain Capital . The cruise line would be led by CEO Tom McAlpin , would have two new large ships built and be based in

1035-483: The Virgin adventure 40 years ago. Today, young people need that same help and I believe Virgin StartUp will provide it – with access to early capital, strong mentorship, advice and promotion.” The organisation became a delivery partner for the UK Government's Start Up Loans Company, providing loan finance of between £500 and £25,000, advice, and mentoring to thousands of start-ups across the country. In 2016, it

1080-461: The comics arm having its headquarters in New York. Variety reported that Devarajan and Chopra planned to spend 2006 "staffing the Indian operation with approximately 150 people, most of them artists". Devarajan, who continues to operate Gotham Entertainment as a separate entity, stated the aim of the Virgin imprint was to "create content that not only reaches a global audience but also helps start

1125-477: The company's fifth release in October, 2006. John Woo's Seven Brothers was a Chinese folklore idea was expanded by Preacher , Hitman and Punisher author Garth Ennis into "a modern, global story," in a manner that is "clearly a brother to the film medium," said Woo. John Woo described his experience "working in comics [as] quite comfortable", since "it's like the ultimate storyboard". Ennis described

1170-537: The country. The NHS bodies settled out of court with a £328,000 payout to Virgin Care, resulting in some controversy. More than 100,000 people backed a petition calling on the company to stop "dragging the NHS through the courts". Gotham Chopra Gotham Chopra (born Gautam Chopra on February 23, 1975) is an American sports documentarian, media entrepreneur, producer, podcast host, director, journalist, and author. He

1215-464: The debut comic of the Director’s Cut line". In fact, the first "Director's Cut" comic, and Virgin Comics' second overall was Snake Woman , from Shekhar Kapur and artist Zeb Wells . It revolves around 25-year-old Jessica Peterson, a Los Angeles-based woman with the tagline: "STUDENT…WAITRESS…MASS-MURDERER." Virgin's highest-profile comic in the west, and the one announced before any other, became

1260-533: The emergence of comics out of Asia." Sharad Devarajan referred to the Japanese forms of Anime and Manga , stressing their impact on world media, and outlining Virgin Comics' "mission... to spark a creative renaissance in India, reinventing Indian character entertainment and permeating this new style and vision throughout the globe... launching a new wave of characters that simultaneously appeal to audiences from Boston to Beijing to Bangalore." On August 26, 2008, it

1305-468: The manner in which he became involved as remarkably straightforward. Indeed, in his own words: "All they had to say was ‘John Woo’ and I was sold instantly." The covers were by Yoshitaka Amano , with Greg Horn producing a variant for #1. The Voices line (formerly known as the Maverick line) is intended to feature new talent, as well as presenting comics by actors and musicians. The line's first release

1350-552: The moment. Virgin also started Coalition Comix on MySpace , where users could suggest ideas for a comic which would then get made. The first one was Queen's Rook , written by Mike Carey . Virgin Comics' creators include: Virgin Comics will be co-producing a number of TV series with the Sci-Fi Channel and the first will be The Stranded , written by Mike Carey . Virgin Group Virgin Group

1395-504: The other directors) is said to be in part due to the comics' ability to "provoke new Hollywood interest in old ideas and, if nothing else, give the audience a glimpse of what [was] intended" in a potential film version. Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper was optioned by Warner Brothers Studios to be made into a motion picture. Virgin Comics' initial comments stated that the aim was "to launch comic titles in collaboration with iconic film-makers", with "Woo’s Seven Brothers [originally listed as]

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1440-423: The rights for the properties which it published. On September 24, 2008, it was announced that Virgin Comics changed its name to Liquid Comics. The company entered into an agreement with FremantleMedia Enterprises to create television shows. The first two shows in development under the partnership are First Family and Ani-Max. Gotham Chopra was working with Michael Jackson on a graphic novel called Fated which

1485-705: The space is renowned for its music history as a creative hub for musical legends such as the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Spice Girls & Amy Winehouse. Whitfield Studios also houses the head offices for other Virgin Group owned companies, such as Virgin Red, Virgin Unite, Virgin StartUp, Virgin Limited Edition & Big Change. Previously, the Virgin Group were based at the Porchester Building in

1530-553: The talk show Help Desk on the Oprah Winfrey Network . In 2015, he was the executive producer on Kobe Bryant's Muse on Showtime. He also directed The Little Master , a documentary about Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as part of ESPN 's 30 for 30 series, and directed and produced I Am Giant about New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz . Religion of Sports , a sports-focused media company,

1575-569: The years. The first season of Greatness Code , which highlights defining moments in athletes' careers, aired in July 2020; the second season aired in May 2022. The ESPN+ series Man in the Arena: Tom Brady , which focuses on Tom Brady 's career, was nominated for two Sports Emmys. Chopra is also involved with several podcasts for Religion of Sports, including as the host for Man in

1620-524: Was announced for a June 2010 release through Villard and is copyrighted to Liquid Comics. On February 20, 2013, Liquid Comics began to refocus on Devarajan's company Graphic India , a digital comics and animation startup. Virgin Comics' initial lines were their flagship Shakti line, the Maverick (later Voices) line and the Director's Cut imprint. Although the first title, scheduled to debut mid-2006,

1665-676: Was announced in late 2004, planning its first release in 2005, which failed to occur. Variety reported in January 2006 that Gotham Entertainment head Sharad Devarajan and Chopra's son Gotham were the key movers, and approached Branson as a potential partner. With Branson on board, Gotham Studios Asia became Virgin Comics and Animation , with Devarajan taking the role of CEO, with Gotham Chopra as chief creative officer, with Indian advertising executive Suresh Seetharaman running Virgin Animation from India. The companies are based in Bangalore with

1710-492: Was announced winner of the 2017 Foodpreneur prize, The Snaffling Pig Co ., who won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail center with the highest foot traffic in the U.K. The group's health business received significant media coverage over its legal battle with NHS groups. It sued clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Surrey after it lost out on an £82 million contract to provide children's health services across

1755-449: Was awarded European Regional Development Funding and subsequently launched Ready, Steady, Grow with Virgin StartUp, a programme of support aimed at start-ups that were ready to grow. A year later, it launched the UK's first equity-based crowdfunding accelerator programme, Crowdboost. By 2018, the organisation had supported over 11,000 UK-based entrepreneurs, with over £35m in pre-seed funding. In 2014, Branson and Virgin StartUp launched

1800-617: Was designed by British science-fiction artist and designer Roger Dean . According to Richard Branson in interviews and on the Virgin website, the more recent signature logo, introduced in 1978, was based on one that designer Ray Kyte scribbled on a napkin after a design meeting. Virgin Group has its headquarters in Whitfield Studios in Soho , a district of the City of Westminster . The group moved to this location in November 2024,

1845-437: Was founded in 2016 by Chopra, Michael Strahan , and Tom Brady . Chopra created, directed, produced, and narrated the docuseries Religion of Sports , which examines the profound influence sports can have on societies and cultures beyond entertainment value. The show's third series aired in 2018. Religion of Sports' Why We Fight , an eight-part docuseries about opioid addiction in sports starring Zachary Wohlman , received

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1890-467: Was in December, 2006, and written by Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart . Dave Stewart's Walk In #1 was loosely based on "Stewart’s real-life experiences as a young man doing stage shows as "Memory Man" and – during this time of his life – suffering from odd moments of memory loss himself". It was scripted and expanded by Jeff Parker , author of the acclaimed comic Interman . Virgin comics produced

1935-508: Was meant to be the first "Director's Cut" title, by John Woo , it in fact was the second "Director's Cut" comic, and Virgin's fifth overall when it debuted in October. The Shakti line ("Shakti" means "power" in Sanskrit ) feature Indian mythology, art, history, classical stories, and other related themes, often with a modern twist. Its debut titles - two of the first three to see print from Virgin Comics - were Devi and The Sadhu . Devi

1980-409: Was reported that Virgin Comics had shut down its New York office. A statement released by CEO Sharad Devarajan confirmed closure of the New York office, but indicated that the company would be restructuring and relocating to Los Angeles. Devarajan said that further information would be released later. Gotham Entertainment will be unaffected by this change. According to sources, Virgin will continue to own

2025-413: Was written by Siddharth Kotain , and featured "a modern take on a very ancient myth", in which title character Devi becomes a "warrior of the light" after the pantheon of gods rebirth her in response to "the rapid decay of the city of Sitapur" caused by "fearsome renegade god Bala." The Sadhu , written by Gotham Chopra himself, is a story of revenge, from an individual who "was once a Sadhu – what, in

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