UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

  Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

[X] ANNUAL REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2012

 

or

 

[  ] TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission file number: 000-33383

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   98-0357690

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1300 Highland Ave

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2 nd Floor

New York, NY 10019

(Former name of former address, if changed since last report)

 

(310) 545-2400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None

 

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [  ]

 

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes [X] No [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

 

Large accelerated filer [  ]   Non-accelerated filer [  ]
         
Accelerated filer [  ]   Smaller reporting company [X]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [  ] No [X]

 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 29, 2012, based on a closing price of $0.55 was $19,274,683. As of March 28, 2013, the registrant had 35,794,878 shares of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding.

 

 

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page No.
PART I    
     
Item 1. Business. 4
Item 1A. Risk Factors. 10
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments. 17
Item 2. Properties. 17
Item 3. Legal Proceedings. 17
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures. 17
     
PART II    
     
Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities. 18
Item 6. Selected Financial Data. 20
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation. 21
Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. 27
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. F-1
Item9. Changes In And Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure. 28
Item 9A. Controls And Procedures. 28
Item 9B. Other Information. 30
     
PART III    
     
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. 31
Item 11. Executive Compensation. 35
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters. 38
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. 44
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services. 45
     
PART IV    
     
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements Schedules. 46
     
SIGNATURES 49

 

2
 

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are “forward-looking” statements, as well as historical information. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including matters described in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Forward-looking statements include those that use forward-looking terminology, such as the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “project,” “plan,” “will,” “shall,” “should,” and similar expressions, including when used in the negative. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable and achievable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties and we cannot assure you that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ from these forward-looking statements include the following:

 

  the availability and adequacy of our cash flow to meet our requirements;
     
  economic, competitive, demographic, business and other conditions in our local and regional markets;
     
  changes in our business and growth strategy;
     
  changes or developments in laws, regulations or taxes in the entertainment industry;
     
  actions taken or not taken by third-parties, including our contractors and competitors;
     
  the availability of additional capital; and
     
  other factors discussed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” or elsewhere in this Annual Report.

 

All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by these and other factors. We undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect events or circumstances after the date initially filed or published, to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise unless required by applicable law.

 

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PART I

 

Item 1. Business.

 

As used in this Annual Report, “we,” “us,” “our,” “Wizard,” “Company” or “our Company” refers to Wizard World, Inc. and references to “Conventions” refer collectively to Kick the Can Corp. and its predecessors, Wizard Conventions, Inc. and Kicking the Can, L.L.C.

 

Our Company

 

We, through our operating subsidiary Conventions, are a producer of pop culture and live multimedia conventions across North America. These live multimedia conventions market and provide a social networking and entertainment venue for popular fiction enthusiasts of movies, TV shows, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels.

 

Company History

 

Wizard World, Inc. (f/k/a GoEnergy, Inc.) was incorporated in Delaware on May 2, 2001. The Company was initially involved in oil and gas exploration and considered various oil and gas properties. None of the properties that the Company explored had commercial potential so operations ceased and the Company abandoned any interests it had in such properties.

 

On December 7, 2010 (the “Closing Date”), the Company acquired Conventions pursuant to a Share Purchase and Share Exchange Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”), by and among the Company, StratoMalamas, an individual and former majority stockholder of the Company, Conventions, and shareholders of Conventions (the “Conventions Shareholders”), that are signatories thereto. On the Closing Date, pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, the Conventions Shareholders transferred and contributed all of their shares (the “Conventions Shares”) to the Company, resulting in our acquisition of all of the outstanding Conventions Shares. In return, we issued to the Conventions Shareholders, their designees or assigns (the “Share Exchange”), an aggregate of 32,927,576 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Exchange Shares”), which constituted approximately 94.9% (on a fully diluted basis) of the shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”),issued and outstanding immediately after the consummation of the Share Exchange (the “Closing”). As the result of the Share Exchange, Conventions became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

 

Kick The Can Corp. was incorporated in Nevada on September 20, 2010. Kicking The Can, L.L.C. was formed in Delaware on April 17, 2009. It also has not undergone any bankruptcy, receivership or similar proceeding, or any material reclassification, merger, consolidation, or purchase of a significant amount of assets. It sold a significant amount of its assets, namely the production rights to certain comic cons in certain cities pursuant to an asset purchase agreement, to Kick The Can Corp. on September 29, 2010. Wizard Conventions, Inc. was originally incorporated under the name Entertainment Conventions, Inc. in New York on February 27, 1997. Entertainment Conventions, Inc. changed its name to Wizard Conventions, Inc. on October 1, 2001.

 

On January 31, 2011, management of Wizard Conventions, Inc. ceased operations under such entity and continued the convention operation under the Kick The Can Corp. entity. Kicking The Can L.L.C. never officially commenced operations, never had employees and never produced a comic con event. Due to these circumstances, management concluded that Wizard Conventions, Inc. recapitalized into Kick The Can Corp despite no formal legal agreement between the parties.

 

On March 18, 2011, we formed a wholly owned subsidiary called Wizard World Digital, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Digital”). Digital never officially commenced operations or had employees, and Digital is currently dormant, pending execution of a digital strategy.

 

Our executive offices are located at 1300 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 and our telephone number is (310) 545-2400.

 

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Business Overview

 

Our Company produces pop culture and live multimedia conventions (“Comic Cons”) across North America that provide a social networking and entertainment venue for popular fiction enthusiasts of movies, TV shows, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels. These Comic Cons provide entertainment companies, toy companies, gaming companies, publishing companies and retailers venues for their sales, marketing, promotions, public relations, advertising and sponsorships efforts.

 

Conventions

 

Conventions has been producing comic conventions since July 1997. In 2009, Conventions produced three Comic Cons, namely the Philadelphia Comic Con, Chicago Comic Con and New York ‘Big Apple’ Comic Con. In 2010, Conventions produced eight Comic Cons in the following North American cities: (i) Toronto, Ontario; (ii) Anaheim, CA; (iii) Philadelphia, PA; (iv) Chicago, IL; (v) New York, NY; (vi) Boston, MA; (vii) Austin, TX; and (viii) Atlanta, GA. In 2011, Conventions produced nine Comic Cons in (i) New Orleans, LA, (ii) Miami, FL, (iii) Toronto, Ontario, (iv) Anaheim, CA, (v) New York, NY, (vi) Philadelphia, PA, (vii) Chicago, IL, (viii) Columbus, OH, and (ix) Austin, TX.

 

In 2012, Conventions produced seven Comic Cons in the following six North American cities: (i) New Orleans, LA (2); (ii) Toronto, Ontario; (iii) Philadelphia, PA; (iv) Chicago, IL; (v) Columbus, OH; and (vi) Austin, TX.

 

Conventions currently holds the production rights to the following 13 conventions: (i) Atlanta Comic Con (Atlanta, GA); (ii) Big Apple Comic Con (New York, NY); (iii) Cincinnati Comic Con (Cincinnati, OH); (iv) Connecticut Comic Con (Hartford, CT); (v) Nashville Comic Con (Nashville, TN); (vi) New England Comic Con (Boston, MA); (vii) North Coast Comic Con (Akron, OH); (viii) Toronto Comic Con (Toronto, Ontario); (ix) Nola Comic Con (New Orleans, LA); (x) Central Canada Comic Con (Winnipeg, Manitoba); (xi) San Antonio Comic Con (San Antonio, TX); (xii) Houston Comic Con (Houston, TX); and (xiii) Mid-Ohio Comic Con (Columbus, OH). We organically developed the Comic Cons in Miami, FL; Anaheim, CA; Austin, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Portland OR; and St Louis, MO.

 

We receive revenue from our Comic Cons in three (3) ways, namely from (i) consumer ticket sales; (ii) exhibitor booth sales; and (iii) national and/or regional sponsorships. Each Comic Con varies in cost to produce. Production costs vary based on the size and scope of the production. Generally, our production costs range from approximately $300,000 for a smaller scale production to over $1,300,000 for a larger production.

 

The Company’s plan for 2013 is to focus the Wizard World tour on the following shows: (i) Portland, OR; (ii) Nashville, TN; (iii) St. Louis, MO; (iv) New York NY; (v) Philadelphia, PA; (vi) Rosemont, IL; (vii) Columbus, OH; and (viii) Austin, TX.

 

The majority of our target audience are young adult males and are active consumers of many types of entertainment and media, such as movies, music, toys, video games, apps, consumer electronics, computers, and lifestyle products (e.g. clothes, footwear, digital devices, mobile phones and men’s personal items).

 

Digital Media

 

We produce a number of digital media properties, including our website www.wizardworld.com , emails, newsletters, iPad/iPhone app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr to create awareness of our Comic Cons and provide updates to our fans and consumers. We also use our website www.wizardworld.com to a large extent to provide a source for the latest Wizard World news and information. While there is little or no direct revenue derived from these properties, the indirect benefit supports sales functions of all the events (dealer and exhibitor booths, ticket sales, sponsorships), as well as helping us secure additional, more sought after, and higher profile talent. This in turn, helps additional ticket sales, booth sales and sponsorships.

 

Our email list consists of over 510,000 current and active users. This is a primary driver of information dissemination, along with Facebook and Twitter. YouTube is mainly used as brand awareness, as information is posted after an event, which helps to generate excitement at future events. Because we are a tour, this is essential to creating excitement for all our cities, not just a single event.

 

5
 

 

 

With Facebook, all of our attending artists and celebrities are given unique links announcing their involvement in our events. This helps generate excitement among their existing fan base (and ours) and can create a sense of community and groundswell of support for the show. Once we establish a critical mass of people, the shows can become part of the fabric of the community where people anticipate the event months and sometimes even a full year in advance. This retention is essential to our sales process. Procuring new and timely talent helps generate new customers, as well as the word of mouth of previous attendees. Much of this is achieved via email, Facebook, Twitter, and wizardworld.com .

 

Unlike many live events (sports, concerts, etc), where attendees are spectators (even if they are a part of a community at large), at our events the attendees are participants in the events. This atmosphere creates a greater amount of user generated content for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. For instance, we always notice an uptick among Facebook “Likes” in profile pic changes on Facebook the days during and after our events featuring the celebrities and Photo Ops from our events. This is a non-paid form of free advertising. Social networks such as Facebook & Twitter are a perfect marriage for these types of event photos.

 

Strategy

 

Our objective is to use our Comic Cons and Digital to become the voice for pop culture enthusiasts across multiple media platforms. Key elements of our strategy include:

 

  producing high quality live multimedia events across North America for promotion of consumer products and entertainment;
     
  leveraging the content created and generated at the live multimedia events to enter the media market and distribute the content in digital media such as websites, apps, emails, newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and YouTube, among others; and
     
  obtaining sponsorships and promotions from media and entertainment companies for the Comic Cons, including:

 

  expanding our relationships with entertainment and media companies; and
     
  forming strategic relationships with new media and entertainment companies to promote their products.

 

We receive revenue from our Comic Cons in three (3) ways, namely from (i) consumer ticket sales; (ii) exhibitor booth sales; and (iii) national and/or regional sponsorships. Generally, 95% of our revenue comes from Live Conventions through ticket sales, exhibitor sales and dealer sales, and 5% come from Sponsorships and Promotions. Our business plan is to generate additional revenues from advertising sales on all of Wizard World Digital’s media properties. We began realizing revenue from our digital properties during the fourth quarter 2011. We expect that digital media revenues will primarily be earned through offering advertisers the ability to place banner ads on our digital media properties, priced on a standard cost-per-thousand (“CPM”) basis.

 

Sponsorships and Advertising

 

We sell sponsorship and advertising opportunities to businesses seeking to reach our core target audience of active entertainment consumers, with a particular focus on young families.

 

Sponsorships

 

We provide sponsorship opportunities that allow advertisers a wide range of promotional vehicles on-site and through our public relations efforts. For example, we offer advertisers the ability to (i) display signage at the Comic Cons, (ii) include their desired logos on all direct mail that is sent in connection with one or more Comic Cons, (iii) be included in press releases to the media, (iv) obtain sponsor tags on the radio spots or in the print or online ads where we advertise, and (v) obtain advertising space in our digital media. We also provide the opportunity for advertisers to sponsor events at the Comic Cons like costume contests or gaming tournaments and the ability to have “step-and-repeats” for photo opportunities, meet and greets with celebrities, VIP packages and “goody” bag giveaways. Sponsors pay a fee based upon the position of their advertising media and the exposure it will receive. Specifically, the closer a sponsor is to the entrance of the Comic Con, the more exposure such sponsor will receive as a greater number of Comic Con attendees will view the sponsor’s product and/or services. Therefore, the rental fee for space at our Comic Cons is more expensive if the space is closer to the entrance.

 

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Promotions

 

Promotional opportunities include product placement and brand associations on-site at the Comic Cons. As our brand grows, we hope to earn revenues by co-promoting, for example, a movie at one of our Comic Cons, with entertainment and media companies and brands seeking to benefit from the popularity of the Comic Cons and the exposure received from appearing at them. We have not and do not enter into formal agreements with respect to co-promotion with other parties.

 

Digital Media

 

We produce a number of digital media properties, including our website www.wizardworld.com, emails, newsletters, iPad app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr to create awareness of our Comic Cons and provide updates to our fans and consumers. We also use our website www.wizardworld.com to a large extent to provide a source for the latest Comic Con news and information. Display advertising is offered to brand advertisers across all our digital media properties, priced on a traditional CPM basis.

 

Marketing

 

Our Comic Cons are marketed through a variety of media outlets, including social media, websites, public relations, television, radio, direct mail, email, flyers and postcards. Our Comic Cons usually obtain publicity through coverage of the events at our Comic Cons from local TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, national press such as the Associated Press and Reuters, fan websites, blogs and social network channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Tumblr. In certain instances, we do not pay for advertising because we can provide desirable content to media outlets. For example, we typically invite the local TV stations to our Comic Cons so that they can interview the celebrities featured at our Comic Cons. As a result, we receive free TV coverage and the TV stations obtain content for their shows. In addition, we arrange for celebrities to call into local radio stations. As a result, we receive on-air promotion of our events and the radio station reaches a larger audience who want to tune in to hear our celebrities. We also receive on-air promotion by exchanging air time for ticket give-aways to our Comic Cons. With respect to the internet and online advertising, we advertise throughout our website www.wizardworld.com about the upcoming Comic Cons. We also send out emails to our fans on a regular basis. In addition, we send out direct mail postcards, print flyers and postcards in each city where we hold a Comic Con, which are handed out at local events, retailers and public gatherings. As a result, we believe that we are cost effective when it comes to how we spend our advertising dollars.

 

We are consistently creating and developing new content to distribute to our fans via all of the digital outlets we have developed, including, without limitation, our iPad app called Wizard World, which can be downloaded via our website at www.wizardworld.com or through Apple’s App store for the iPad.

 

Trademarks and Copyrights

 

We have a portfolio of trademarks and service marks and maintain a catalog of copyrighted works. Such marks include Wizard World, Pop FI, Where Pop FI Comes to Life and Wizard World Girls. We do not consider our service marks and trademarks to be significant to our business.

 

Regulation

 

Typically, we do not have to obtain permits to operate the Comic Cons. The convention centers at which such events occur obtain any required permits and cover fire safety and occupancy matters as part of the rental agreement. Crowd control varies by location and are either provided by the convention center’s personnel or by a third party security service recommended by the convention center. The convention centers do, however, require liability insurance, which Conventions has obtained and maintained.

 

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Customers

 

Our client base is diverse. We have access to some of what we consider to be the leading movie studios, video game producers, comic book publishers, television broadcasters and toy manufacturers. These customers are potential exhibitors and sponsors of our Comic Con conferences. In addition, our digital media business will provide sales opportunities across the Fortune 1000 corporate sector, as these brand advertisers look to leverage our media properties to target our predominantly male, age 25-44 target audience.

 

No single advertiser, promoter or sponsor comprises a significant portion of our revenues.

 

Competition; Competitive Strengths

 

In the live, regionally-based consumer conventions market, the strength of a competitor is measured by the location and size of the region or city, the frequency of live events per year, the guest and VIP list (e.g. celebrities and artists), the number of paying attendees, the physical size of the convention, the extent of the public relations outreach (through traditional media, digital media and social media) and the quantity and quality of exhibitors and dealers. We believe that we have a strong competitive position because our Comic Cons take place in well-known major cities in North America throughout the year. Our multiple conventions per year enable us to market our events year round, create a large amount of content that can be distributed through our digital media outlets, and market in not only the regional consumer areas, but nationally as well. The multiple locations also allow us to work with more celebrities, artists and writers and host them in multiple cities.

 

We have competitors that produce local one-time events and/or once a year events, as well as competitors, such as Reed Exhibitions Limited, that produce multiple events throughout the year.

 

There is a non-profit educational organization named Comic-Con International, which produces the largest Comic-Con event in the United States, held annually in San Diego, CA, during the month of July. Comic-Con International also produces a show in Los Angeles, CA, called WonderCon. Because of the momentum of Comic-Con International in those markets, we do not intend to enter those markets; our view is that the markets are saturated, and therefore could not support multiple shows in San Diego and Los Angeles. Further, the San Diego Comic-Con has an established history and presence in San Diego, and draws a large audience to the well-publicized and popular event. Thus, there is a significant barrier to our Company entering into the San Diego market. Despite our decision not to enter the San Diego Comic-Con market, the San Diego Comic-Con is considered a competitor given that some fans may have to choose between attending either the San Diego Comic-Con or any one of our Comic Cons, regardless of geographic region.

 

We believe that we have an advantage over other event producers because our Comic Cons are not limited to one city, but rather to several well-known cities across North America. Therefore, rather than having to travel to San Diego, which for some fans may be a long distance; our fans are able to attend a high-quality Wizard World Comic Con that is closer to their home.

 

We also believe that we have an edge over competitors because our Comic Cons are well known and well respected in the Comic Con and pop culture world. We have a reputation among fans, exhibitors and celebrities for producing high-quality and well attended events.

 

Sales Channels and Pricing Policies

 

We have outsourced our ticket sales to an online ticketing service, thereby eliminating the need to mail physical badges. Consumers can order online, print out their barcode, come to the show, get scanned and get a wristband for entry. We still, however, sell tickets on-site at the live events themselves. We offer a five dollar discount on the purchase price of our tickets to those who pre-purchase tickets online as compared to those who purchase their tickets on-site at the Comic Con. Tickets typically range from $35 for a single day pass to $80 for a weekend pass. Entry of children ten years old and under is free at all Comic Cons.

 

Across all our digital media properties, display advertising is offered to brand advertisers, priced on a traditional CPM basis.

 

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Sales and Marketing Strategy

 

We promote our Comic Cons through a wide variety of media outlets, such as local radio and TV stations, newspapers, fan websites and blogs. We also use online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Tumblr, to reach our fans and provide updates. Further, we promote our Comic Cons on our website www.wizardworld.com and through our email database. We currently sell to prospective corporate sponsors and advertisers through our direct sales force. In coming months, we plan to augment our direct sales force through the utilization of third party representation firms and digital ad networks to help sell display advertising on our digital properties.

 

Growth Strategy

 

We plan to organically develop new Comic Cons and increase the revenues of our existing Comic Cons by adding more dealers, exhibitors, celebrities, panels, gaming tournaments and VIPs to our Comic Cons. Additionally, we are focused on increasing revenues through increasing corporate sponsorships that allow advertisers a wide range of promotional vehicles on-site and through our public relations efforts. We believe that we will be able to leverage our relationships with our existing dealers, exhibitors, celebrities and VIPs to develop new relationships.

 

We use the digital marketing outlets that we have developed, such as our website www.wizardworld.com which covers new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world, to distribute the large amount of content we create from our live events. We also reach consumers via e-mail and direct mail. We recently launched the new www.wizardworld.com website and a mobile application that will allow users of iPhone mobile devices to access our content from the live events. Through the distribution of our content via digital media, we offer advertisers the ability to display their ads on our website located at www.wizardworld.com and reach our large e-mail database of fans. Through sales of display advertising space on our digital media properties, we plan to generate revenues and thus strengthen our financial condition.

 

Further, in the fourth quarter of 2011 we launched our new digital entertainment ad network called the “Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network,” which will be comprised of two websites located at www.wizardworld.com and www.toywiz.com, as well as the Wizard World email database. The Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network will offer display advertising to brand advertisers, priced on a traditional CPM ad impression basis. We plan to work with display advertising networks and third party representation firms, and to hire four direct sales employees over the next 12 months to maximize the monetization of the Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network. We have no signed agreements to date with third-party representation firms. Third-party representation firms represent several web publishers (such as Wizard World), selling their display advertising inventory to brand advertisers and/or advertising agencies. These third-party representation firms obtain a revenue share from the web publisher for any revenue earned through their sales efforts. Wizard World is currently working with inter click, inc. (ad network) to monetize Wizard World’s display advertising inventory.

 

In 2012, we invested approximately $11,000 in technical development costs to launch the Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network as compared to approximately $815,000 during 2011.

 

To date, we have been able to raise financing to implement our growth plans by issuing capital stock and warrants through private placements. We plan to continue to obtain financing, when needed, from private placements from time to time, and/or from other traditional financing sources, including, specifically, a Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and term notes. We plan to use the proceeds from any private placements for working capital and to expand our business including the build out of all of the Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network’s digital assets, which include an e-mail database and system and newly developed entertainment website (www.wizardworld.com).

 

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Employees

 

We currently have ten full-time employees . Additionally, we engage four part-time freelance consultants to operate our Comic Con business.

 

Where You Can Find More Information

 

Our website address is www.wizardworld.com . We do not intend our website address to be an active link or to otherwise incorporate by reference the contents of the website into this Report. The public may read and copy any materials the Company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0030. The SEC maintains an Internet website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

 

Risks Relating to our Company

 

We have a limited operating history from which you can evaluate our performance.

 

Since we have a limited operating history, it will be difficult for investors and securities analysts to evaluate our business and prospects and predict future revenue. Because we have a limited operating history, we will encounter risks, expenses and difficulties of which we are unaware, and may be challenging to overcome. There can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful or that we will reach profitability.

 

If we need additional capital to fund our growing operations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient capital and may be forced to limit the scope of our operations.

 

As we implement our growth strategies, we may experience increased capital needs. We may not, however, have sufficient capital to fund our future operations without additional capital investments. If adequate additional financing is not available on reasonable terms or at all, we may not be able to carry out our corporate strategy and we would be forced to modify our business plans (e.g., limit our expansion, limit our marketing efforts and/or decrease or eliminate capital expenditures), any of which may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. Such reduction could materially adversely affect our business and our ability to compete.

 

Our capital needs will depend on numerous factors, including, without limitation, (i) our profitability, (ii) our ability to respond to a release of competitive products by our competitors, and (iii) the amount of our capital expenditures, including acquisitions. Moreover, the costs involved may exceed those originally contemplated. Cost savings and other economic benefits expected may not materialize as a result of any cost overruns or changes in market circumstances. Failure to obtain intended economic benefits could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating performances.

 

We need to manage growth in operations to maximize our potential growth and achieve our expected revenues. Our failure to manage growth will cause a disruption of our operations that may result in the failure to generate revenues at levels we expect.

 

In order to maximize potential growth in our current markets, we may have to expand our operations. Such expansion will place a significant strain on our management and our operational, accounting and information systems. We expect that we will need to continue to improve our financial controls, operating procedures and management information systems. We will also need to effectively train, motivate and manage our employees. Our failure to manage our growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect.

 

Insiders have substantial control over us, and they could delay or prevent a change in our corporate control even if our other stockholders want it to occur.

 

As of the date of this filing, our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders who beneficially own 5% or more of our outstanding common stock, own in the aggregate, approximately 90 % of our outstanding common stock. These stockholders are able to exercise significant control over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This could delay or prevent an outside party from acquiring or merging with our Company even if our other stockholders want it to occur.

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation provides for indemnification of officers and directors at our expense and limits their liability, which may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our stockholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit of officers and/or directors.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and applicable Delaware law provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers against attorney’s fees and other expenses incurred by them in any action to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities on our behalf. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures by us that we will be unable to recoup.

 

We have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, indemnification for liabilities arising under federal securities laws is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification for liabilities arising under federal securities laws, other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding, is asserted by a director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will (unless in the opinion of our counsel, the matter has been settled by controlling precedent) submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, the question whether indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. The legal process relating to this matter, if it were to occur, is likely to be very costly and may result in us receiving negative publicity, either of which factors is likely to materially reduce the market and price for our shares if such a market ever develops.

 

10
 

 

Risks Related to our Business and Industry

 

General

 

We may not be able to prevent others from using our intellectual property, and may be subject to claims by third parties that we infringe on their intellectual property.

 

We regard the content that we plan to distribute via digital media to be important to our success. We plan to rely on non-disclosure and other contractual provisions to protect our proprietary rights. We may also try to protect our intellectual property rights by, among other things, searching the Internet to detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property.

 

However, policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is often difficult and any steps we take may not, in every case, prevent the infringement by unauthorized third parties. Further, there can be no assurance that our efforts to enforce our rights and protect our intellectual property will be successful. We may need to resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, which may result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

 

Further, although management does not believe that our products and services infringe on the intellectual rights of others, there is no assurance that we will not be the target of infringement or other claims. Such claims, even if not true, could result in significant legal and other costs and may be a distraction to our management or interrupt our business.

 

We encounter competition in our business, and any failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We anticipate that our competitors will continue to expand and seek to obtain additional market share with competitive price and performance characteristics. Aggressive expansion of our competitors or the entrance of new competitors into our markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

If we do not compete successfully against new and existing competitors, we may lose our market share, and our operating results may be adversely affected.

 

We compete with other advertising service providers that may reach our target audience by means that are more effective than our Comic Cons and digital media. Further, if such other providers of advertising have a long operating history, large product and service suites, more capital resources and broad international or local recognition, our operating results may be adversely affected if we cannot successfully compete.

 

The loss of the services of our key employees and directors, particularly the services rendered by John M. Macaluso, our Chief Executive Officer, could harm our business.

 

Our success depends to a significant degree on the services rendered to us by our key employees and directors. In particular, we are heavily dependent on the continued services of John M. Macaluso, our Chief Executive Officer. The loss of Mr. Macaluso and our inability to attract highly skilled personnel with sufficient experience in our industry could harm our business.

 

Our future success depends upon, in large part, our continuing ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.

 

Expansion of our business and operation may require additional managers and employees with industry experience, in which case our success will be dependent on our ability to attract and retain experienced management personnel and other employees. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain qualified personnel. Competition may also make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire and retain qualified managers and employees. If we fail to attract, train and retain sufficient numbers of the qualified personnel, our prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected. 

 

11
 

 

Comic Con Business

 

If we do not maintain and develop our Wizard World Comic Con brand and those of our strategic partners, we will not be able to attract an audience to the Comic Cons.

 

We attract audiences and advertisers partly through brand name recognition. We believe that establishing, maintaining and enhancing our portfolio of Comic Cons and the brands of our strategic partners will enhance our growth prospects. The promotion of our Wizard World Comic Con brand and those of our strategic partners will depend largely on our success in maintaining a sizable and loyal audience, providing high-quality content and organizing effective marketing programs. If we fail to meet the standards to which our consumers are accustomed, our reputation will be harmed and we may lose market share.

 

Our future success depends on attracting sponsors and pop culture advertisers who will advertise at our Comic Cons. If we fail to attract a sufficient number of sponsors and pop culture advertisers, our operating results and revenues may not meet expectations.

 

One of our important strategies is to create an integrated platform of tours on which sponsors and pop-culture advertisers wishing to reach our young male target audience may advertise. However, advertisers may find that our targeted demographic does not consist of their desired consumers or a critical mass of consumers, decide to use a competitor’s services or decide not to use our services for other reasons. If the sponsors and pop-culture advertisers decide against advertising with us, we may not realize our growth potential or meet investor expectations. Our future operating results and business prospects could be adversely affected.

 

We may not be able to respond to changing consumer preferences and our sales may decline.

 

We operate in markets that are subject to change, including changes in customer preferences. New fads, trends and shifts in pop culture could affect the type of live events customers will attend or the products consumers will purchase. Content in which we have invested significant resources may fail to meet consumer demand at the time. A decrease in the level of media exposure or popularity of the pop culture market or a loss in sales could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects and financial condition.

 

We rely on key contracts and business relationships, and if our current or future business partners or contracting counterparties fail to perform or terminate any of their contractual arrangements with us for any reason or cease operations, or should we fail to adequately identify key business relationships, our business could be disrupted and our reputation may be harmed.

 

If any of our business partners or contracting counterparties fails to perform or terminates their agreement(s) with us for any reason, or if our business partners or contracting counterparties with which we have short-term agreements refuse to extend or renew the agreement or enter into a similar agreement, our ability to carry on operations and cross-sell sales and marketing services among different platforms may be impaired. In addition, we depend on the continued operation of our long-term business partners and contracting counterparties and on maintaining good relations with them. If one of our long-term partners or counterparties is unable (including as a result of bankruptcy or a liquidation proceeding) or unwilling to continue operating in the line of business that is the subject of our contract, we may not be able to obtain similar relationships and agreements on terms acceptable to us or at all. If a partner or counterparty fails to perform or terminates any of the agreements with us or discontinues operations, and we are unable to obtain similar relationships or agreements, such events could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Further, if we are unable to timely produce our Comic Cons or produce the same quality of Comic Cons to which our target demographic has been accustomed, the consequences could be far-reaching and harmful to our reputation, existing business relationships and future growth potential.

 

We may also need to form new strategic partnerships or joint ventures to access appropriate assets and industry know-how. Failing to identify, execute and integrate such future partnerships or joint ventures may have an adverse effect on our business, growth, financial condition, and cash flow from operations.

 

12
 

 

Digital Media

 

We could face a variety of risks of expanding into a new business.

 

Risks of our entry into the new business line of digital media, include, without limitation: (i) potential diversion of management’s attention and other resources, including available cash, from our existing businesses; (ii) unanticipated liabilities or contingencies; (iii) the need for additional capital and other resources to expand into this new line of business; and (iv) inefficient combination or integration of operational and management systems and controls. Entry into a new line of business may also subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. Further, our business model and strategy are still evolving and are continually being reviewed and revised, and we may not be able to successfully implement our business model and strategy. We may not be able to attract a sufficiently large number of audience or customers, or recover costs incurred for developing and marketing these products or services. If we are unable to successfully implement our growth strategies, our revenue and profitability may not grow as we expect, our competitiveness may be materially and adversely affected, and our reputation and business may be harmed.

 

In developing and marketing the new business of digital media, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of our digital media business may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. Furthermore, any new line of business could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of our new digital media business could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We will face significant competition in the digital media business. If we fail to compete effectively, we may lose users to competitors, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to generate revenues from online advertising.

 

We will face significant competition for online advertising revenues with other websites that sell online advertising services. In addition, we indirectly compete for advertising budgets with traditional advertising media, such as television and radio stations, newspapers and magazines, and major out-of-home media. Some of our competitors may have longer operating histories and significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do, and in turn may have an advantage in attracting and retaining users and advertisers.

 

13
 

 

Risks Relating to Being a Public Company

 

We will incur significant costs to ensure compliance with United States corporate governance and accounting requirements.

 

We will incur significant costs associated with our public company reporting requirements and costs associated with corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules implemented by the SEC. We expect all of these applicable rules and regulations to significantly increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time consuming and costly. We also expect that these applicable rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) or as executive officers. We may be wrong in our prediction or estimate of the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

 

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results or prevent fraud may be adversely affected and investor confidence may be adversely impacted.

 

As directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX 404, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting in their annual reports. Under current SEC rules, our management may conclude that our internal controls over our financial reporting are not effective. Even if our management concludes that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In the event that we are unable to have effective internal controls, investors and others may lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and our ability to obtain equity or debt financing as needed could suffer.

 

Risks Related To Our Industry

 

A continued decline in general economic conditions and disruption of financial markets may, among other things, reduce the discretionary income of consumers or further erode advertising markets, which could adversely affect our business.

 

Our operations are affected by general economic conditions, which affect consumers’ disposable income. The demand for entertainment and leisure activities tends to be highly sensitive to the level of consumers’ disposable income. Declines in general economic conditions could reduce the level of discretionary income that our fans and potential fans have to spend on consumer products and entertainment, which could adversely affect our revenues. Volatility and disruption of financial markets could limit our advertisers’, sponsors’ and/or promoters’ ability to obtain adequate financing to maintain operations, and result in a decrease in sales volume that could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Continued softness in the market could adversely affect our revenues or the financial viability of our distributors.

 

The advertising market is particularly volatile and we may not be able to effectively adjust to such volatility.

 

Advertising spending is volatile and sensitive to changes in the economy. Our advertising customers may reduce the amount they spend on our media for a number of reasons, including, without limitation:

 

  a downturn in economic conditions;
     
  a deterioration of the ratings of their programs; or
     
  a decline in advertising spending in general.

 

We may be unable to maintain or increase our advertising fees and sales, which could negatively affect our ability to generate revenues in the future. A decrease in demand for advertising in general, and for our advertising services in particular, could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

 

14
 

 

Risks Related To Our Securities

 

Our common stock is quoted on the OTCBB and OTCQB, which may have an unfavorable impact on our stock price and liquidity.

 

Our common stock is quoted on the OTCBB and OTCQB. The quotation of our shares on the OTCBB and OTCQB may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential stockholders to trade shares of our common stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock and could have a long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future.

 

There is limited liquidity on the OTCBB and OTCQB, which enhances the volatile nature of our equity.

 

When fewer shares of a security are being traded on the OTCBB and OTCQB, volatility of prices may increase and price movement may outpace the ability to deliver accurate quote information. Due to lower trading volumes in shares of our common stock, there may be a lower likelihood that orders for shares of our common stock will be executed, and current prices may differ significantly from the price that was quoted at the time of entry of the order.

 

Our stock price is likely to be highly volatile because of our limited public float.

 

The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile because there has been a relatively thin trading market for our stock, which causes trades of small blocks of stock to have a significant impact on our stock price. You may not be able to resell shares of our common stock following periods of volatility because of the market’s adverse reaction to volatility. Other factors that could cause such volatility may include, among other things: actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results; the absence of securities analysts covering us and distributing research and recommendations about us; overall stock market fluctuations; economic conditions generally; announcements concerning our business or those of our competitors; our ability to raise capital when we require it, and to raise such capital on favorable terms; conditions or trends in the industry; litigation; changes in market valuations of other similar companies; announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; future sales of common stock; actions initiated by the SEC or other regulatory bodies; and general market conditions. Any of these factors could have a significant and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.

 

In order to raise sufficient funds to expand our operations, we may have to issue additional securities at prices which may result in substantial dilution to our shareholders.

 

If we raise additional funds through the sale of equity or convertible debt, our current stockholders’ percentage ownership will be reduced. In addition, these transactions may dilute the value of our common shares outstanding. We may also have to issue securities that may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our common stock.

 

We currently only have a broker or dealer creating or maintaining a market in our stock in a limited capacity.

 

We currently only have a broker or dealer acting as a market maker for our securities in a limited capacity. The lack of a full-time market maker for our securities could adversely influence the market for, and price of, our securities, as well as your ability to dispose of, or to obtain accurate information about, and/or quotations as to the price of, our securities. If an active public trading market for our securities does not develop, the market price and liquidity of such securities may be adversely affected.

 

If a market were to develop, future trading prices could depend upon many factors, such as prevailing interest rates, our operating results, and the markets for similar securities. Historically, the market for non-investment grade securities has been subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility in the prices of securities similar to our common stock. There can be no assurance that if a market for our common stock was to develop, such a market would not be subject to similar disruptions.

 

15
 

 

Our stock is thinly traded, so you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all.

 

The shares of our common stock are traded on the OTCBB and OTCQB and are thinly traded, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near ask prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that we are a smaller reporting company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community who generate or influence sales volume. Even in the event that we come to the attention of such persons, they would likely be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, our stock price may not reflect an actual or perceived value. Also, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as is currently the case, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. A broader or more active public trading market for our common shares may not develop or if developed, may not be sustained. Due to these conditions, you may not be able to sell your shares at or near ask prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.

 

Currently, there is a limited public market for our securities, and there can be no assurances that any public market will ever develop and, even if developed, it is likely to be subject to significant price fluctuations.

 

We have a trading symbol for our common stock, namely ‘WIZD’. However, our stock has been thinly traded, if at all. Consequently, there can be no assurances as to whether:

 

  any market for our shares will develop;
     
  the prices at which our common stock will trade; or
     
  the extent to which investor interest in us will lead to the development of an active, liquid trading market. Active trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for investors.

 

Until our common stock is fully distributed and an orderly market develops in our common stock, if ever, the price at which it trades is likely to fluctuate significantly. Prices for our common stock will be determined in the marketplace and may be influenced by many factors, including the depth and liquidity of the market for shares of our common stock, developments affecting our business, including the impact of the factors referred to elsewhere in these risk factors, investor perception of our Company and general economic and market conditions. No assurances can be given that an orderly or liquid market will ever develop for the shares of our common stock.

 

We are subject to the penny stock rules which will make our securities more difficult to sell.

 

We are subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules because our securities sell below $5.00 per share. The penny stock rules require broker-dealers to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to completing the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation.

 

Furthermore, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction, the broker dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. The penny stock rules are burdensome and may reduce purchases of any offerings and reduce the trading activity for our securities. As long as our securities are subject to the penny stock rules, the holders of such securities will find it more difficult to sell their securities.

 

We are not likely to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

We currently intend to retain any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but will review this policy as circumstances dictate.

 

16
 

 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2. Properties.

 

Conventions, through a service agreement with an office service provider, occupies offices at 708 Third Ave, 5 th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The term of the lease agreement commenced on January 1, 2013, and it is scheduled to expire on December, 31, 2013. The office space covers approximately 310 square feet and our monthly rent is $4,700. In addition, effective October 6, 2012, the Company leased one office of approximately 300 square feet at 1300 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, on a month-to-month basis for $2,200.00 per month. We do not own any real estate.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

 

We are not currently involved in any litigation that we believe could have a materially adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the executive officers of our Company or any of our subsidiaries, threatened against or affecting our Company, our common stock, any of our subsidiaries or of our Company’s or our Company’s subsidiaries’ officers or directors in their capacities as such, in which an adverse decision could have a material adverse effect.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

 

Not applicable .

 

17
 

 

PART II

 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

 

(a) Market Information

 

Our shares of common stock are currently quoted on the OTCBB and OTCQ Bunder the symbol “WIZD”.

 

The following table sets forth the high and low bid price for our common stock for each quarter during the past two fiscal years. The prices reflect inter-dealer quotations, do not include retail mark-ups, markdowns or commissions and do not necessarily reflect actual transactions.

 

Quarter ended   Low Price     High Price  
             
March 31, 2012   $ 0.750     $ 0.750  
June 30, 2012   $ 0.550     $ 0.750  
September 30, 2012   $ 0.550     $ 0.550  
December 31, 2012   $ 0.550     $ 0.550  
                 
March 31, 2011   $ 0.650     $ 0.750  
June 30, 2011   $ 0.750     $ 0.750  
September 30, 2011   $ -     $ -  
December 31, 2011   $ 0.750     $ 0.750  

 

(b) Holders

 

As of March 28, 2013, a total of 35,794,878 shares of the Company’s common stock are currently outstanding held by 31 shareholders of record. This figure does not take into account those shareholders whose certificates are held in the name of broker-dealers or other nominees.

 

(c) Dividends

 

We have not declared or paid any dividends on our common stock and intend to retain any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. Therefore, we do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. There are no restrictions on our present ability to pay dividends to stockholders of our common stock, other than those prescribed by Delaware law.

 

(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

 

Below is a description of the Company’s compensation plan adopted in 2011.

 

2011 Incentive Stock Award Plan, as Amended

 

On May 9, 2011, the Board approved, authorized and adopted (subject to stockholder approval) the 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan was amended on September 14, 2011, April 11, 2012 and July 9, 2012. The Plan provides for the issuance of up to 7,500,000 shares of our common stock through the grant of non-qualified options, incentive options and restricted stock to our directors, officers, consultants, attorneys, advisors and employees. Until a committee consisting of two or more independent, non-employee and outside directors is constituted, our Board administers the Plan.

 

18
 

 

Under the Plan:

 

1. Each option will contain the following terms:
     
  (i) the exercise price, which shall be determined at the time of grant, shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value (defined as the closing price on the final trading day immediately prior to the grant on the principal exchange or quotation system on which the common stock is listed or quoted, as applicable) of the common stock of the Company, provided that if the recipient of the option owns more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of the Company or of any subsidiary, the exercise price shall be at least 110% of the Fair Market Value;
     
  (ii) the term of each option shall be fixed by the Board, provided that such option shall not be exercisable more than five (5) years after the date such option is granted, and provided further that with respect to an incentive option, if the recipient owns more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of the Company or of any subsidiary, the incentive option shall not be exercisable more than five (5) years after the date such incentive option is granted;
     
  (iii) subject to acceleration in the event of a change of control of the Company (as further described in the Plan), the period during which the options vest shall be designated by the Board or, in the absence of any option vesting periods designated by the Board at the time of grant, shall vest and become exercisable in equal amounts on each fiscal quarter of the Company through the four (4) year anniversary of the date on which the option was granted;
     
  (iv) no option is transferable and each is exercisable only by the recipient of such option except in the event of the death of the recipient (if such recipient is a natural person); and
     
  (v) with respect to incentive options, the aggregate Fair Market Value of common stock exercisable for the first time during any calendar year shall not exceed $100,000.
     
2. Each award of restricted stock will be subject to the following terms:
     
  (i) no rights to an award of restricted stock is granted to the intended recipient of restricted stock unless and until the grant of restricted stock is accepted within the period prescribed by the Board;
     
  (ii) a certificate or certificates issued evidencing shares of restricted stock shall not be delivered until they are free of any restrictions specified by the Board at the time of grant;
     
  (iii) upon the acceptance and issuance of a certificate or certificates, recipients of restricted stock have the rights of a stockholder of the Company as of the date of the grant of the restricted stock;
     
  (iv) shares of restricted stock are forfeitable until the terms of the restricted stock grant have been satisfied or the employment with the Company is terminated; and
     
  (v) the restricted stock is not transferable until the date on which the Board has specified such restrictions have lapsed.

 

19
 

 

As of December 31, 2012, the Company issued the following stock options and grants under the Plan:

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

Plan category   Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights and
number of shares of
restricted stock
    Weighted average exercise
price of outstanding options,
warrants and rights (1)
    Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance
 
Equity compensation approved by security holders under the Plan     -     $ -       -  
                         
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders     5,600,000     $ 0.44       1,900,000  
                         
Total     5,600,000     $ 0.44       1,900,000  

 

  (1) Excludes shares of restricted stock issued under the Plan.

 

As of April 1, 2013, we have issued the following stock options and grants under the Plan:

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

Plan category   Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights and
number of shares of
restricted stock
  Weighted average exercise
price of outstanding options,
warrants and rights (1)
  Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance
Equity compensation approved by security holders under the Plan     -       $ -         -    
                         
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders     5,900,000     $ 0.44       1,600,000  
                         
Total     5,900,000     $ 0.44       1,600,000  

 

  (1) Excludes shares of restricted stock issued under the Plan.

 

Rule 10B-18 Transactions

 

During the year ended December 31, 2012, there were no repurchases of the Company’s common stock by the Company.

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

On September 29, 2012, the Company issued 690,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to two consultants for services rendered at a fair value of $296,000 ($0.43/share), based upon the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of issuance. The issuance of such securities was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and Regulation D promulgated thereunder.

 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

 

Not applicable.

   

20
 

 

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION OF OUR PLAN OF OPERATION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND RELATED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INCLUDED ELSEWHERE IN THIS REPORT. THIS DISCUSSION CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT RELATE TO FUTURE EVENTS OR OUR FUTURE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. THESE STATEMENTS INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE OUR ACTUAL RESULTS, LEVELS OF ACTIVITY, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, LEVELS OF ACTIVITY, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, THOSE LISTED UNDER “FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS” AND “RISK FACTORS” AND THOSE INCLUDED ELSEWHERE IN THIS REPORT.

 

Overview

 

We intend for this discussion to provide information that will assist in understanding our financial statements, the changes in certain key items in those financial statements, and the primary factors that accounted for those changes, as well as how certain accounting principles affect our financial statements. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and accompanying notes for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, included elsewhere in this report.

 

We are a producer of pop culture and multimedia conventions (“Comic Cons”) across North America that market movies, TV shows, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels. These Comic Cons provide sales, marketing, promotions, public relations, advertising and sponsorship opportunities for entertainment companies, toy companies, gaming companies, publishing companies, marketers, corporate sponsors and retailers.

 

Plan of Operation

 

Our Company has two lines of business: (i) live multimedia events, which involve ticket sales and exhibitor booth space, and (ii) sponsorships and advertising. Our current focus is on growing our existing Comic Cons by obtaining new exhibitors and dealers and attracting more high profile celebrities and VIPs. We also plan to expose our database of fans and our target market of young adult males to our content through digital media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Tumblr, and draw higher traffic to our website www.wizardworld.com by creating content from our live multimedia events and promoting such events through emails and newsletters.

 

We continued the development of the “Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network,” which is comprised of one website located at www.toywiz.com and the Wizard World email database. The Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network will offer display advertising to brand advertisers, priced on a traditional CPM ad impression basis. We plan to work with display advertising networks and third party representation firms over the next 12 months to maximize the monetization of the Wizard World Digital Entertainment Network.

 

We expect to produce eight(8) live events during the year ended December 31, 2013. To date, we have operated profitable live events in the Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Columbus and Austin, but we have operated at a deficit in other events. In order for us to operate a successful event, we must produce an event that is relevant to the public in order drive ticket sales, booth sales, sponsorship and advertising. In order for the Company to grow the digital business, we must attract unique users and drive traffic to our online site. To date, we have exhausted considerable resources developing our media platform, but we have yet to earn a profit from the platform.

 

Currently, our digital media business has been funded on capital raised from outside investors. We are currently earning revenue from the site and from the newly launched digital entertainment ad network, but not enough to maintain the costs to operate. We must continue to fund the digital media business from outside investors and from cash flow from the live event business until the media platform generates enough revenue to support its own operation.

 

21
 

 

Results of Operations

 

For the Year Ended December 31, 2012 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2011

 

    Year Ended  
    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011  
Convention revenue   $ 6,743,502     $ 3,782,124  
Gross profit (loss)   $ 2,419,235     $ 950,913  
Operating expenses   $ (2,221,426 )   $ (4,108,215 )
Income (loss) from operations   $ 197,809     $ (3,157,302 )
Other income (expenses)   $ (1,216,730 )   $ (1,148,064 )
Net loss   $ (1,018,921 )   $ (2,009,238 )
Income (loss) per common share – basic and diluted   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.06 )

 

Convention Revenue

 

Convention revenue was $6,743,502 for the year ended December 31, 2012, as compared to $3,782,124 for the comparable year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of $2,961,378. The significant increase in convention revenue is primarily attributable to running better advertised and marketed events. In addition, the Company increased ticket prices and the overall size and scope of each event. The Company ran seven events during the year ended December 31, 2012, as compared to nine events during the comparable year ended December 31, 2011. Average revenue generated per event in 2012 was $963,357 as compared to $420,236 during 2011.

 

Gross Profit

 

Gross profit percentage increased from 25% for the year ended December 31, 2011, to 36% during the year ended December 31, 2012. The increase in margin is primarily attributable to the Company running better marketed and advertised events. Because the events were better marketed and advertised, the Company was able to raise ticket prices and convention hall footage in order for allow for more attendees.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2012, were $2,221,426, as compared to $4,108,215 for the year ended December 31, 2011. The $1,886,789 decrease is primarily attributable to a $804,059 decrease in web development fees associated with the company’s digital strategy. In addition, the Company reduced stock based compensation by $397,780. In addition professional fees decreases significantly for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2011.

 

Income (Loss) from Operations

 

Income (loss) from operations for the year ended December 31, 2012, was $197,809, as compared to $(3,157,302) for the year ended December 31, 2011. The increase is primarily attributable to increasing top line revenue by increasing ticket sales and increasing attendance, and by reducing stock based compensation to consultants, reducing web development fees and reducing professional service fees.

 

Other income (expenses)

 

Other income (expense) for the year ended December 31, 2012, was $(1,216,730) as compared to $1,148,064 for the year ended December 31, 2011. The decrease is attributable to a $199,019 decrease in bad debt recovery, and a $2,291,122 decrease in the change in fair market of the derivative liability associated with embedded derivatives within the company’s financial instruments.

 

Net Income (Loss)

 

Net loss for year ended December 31, 2012, was $(1,018,921) or loss per share of $(0.03), as compared to $(2,009,238) or loss per share of $(0.06), for the comparable year ended December 31, 2011.

 

Inflation did not have a material impact on the Company’s operations for the period. Other than the foregoing, management knows of no trends, demands, or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations.

 

22
 

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

The following table summarizes total current assets, liabilities and working capital at December 31, 2012, compared to December 31, 2011:

 

    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011     Increase/Decrease  
Current Assets   $ 2,259,638     $ 669,972     $ 1,589,666  
Current Liabilities   $ 1,247,279     $ 2,133,797     $ (886,518 )
Working Capital (Deficit)   $ 1,012,359     $ (1,463,825 )   $ 2,476,184  

 

At December 31, 2012, we had a working capital of $1,012,359 as compared to a working capital deficit of $1,463,825, at December 31, 2011, an increase of $2,476,184. The increase is primarily attributable to raising $1,550,000 in convertible preferred stock during the year ended December 31, 2012. In addition, the Company ran a profitable operation during the year ended December 31, 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company also converted or repaid all of the short-term convertible notes that existed as of December 31, 2011.

 

Net Cash

 

Net cash provided by (used) in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was $243,161 and $(1,572,555), respectively. The net loss for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was $(1,018,921) and $(2,009,238), respectively. The Company’s cash provided by (used) in operations increased significantly due to the Company actively managing the cash flow needs both on a convention by convention basis as well as the overall operations of the Company. As discussed above, the Company has increased top line revenue by better advertising and marketing each convention, resulting in an increased per show attendance. In addition, the Company has increased ticket sales.

 

Net cash obtained through all financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2012 was $1,291,764, as compared to $1,456,117 for the year ended December 31, 2011. The Company raised $1,550,000 through the sale and issuance of convertible preferred stock during the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company paid $233,236 in issuance costs. In addition, the company repaid $25,000 in convertible promissory notes during the year ended December 31, 2012.

 

The Company believes that our existing available cash, along with our cash flows from operations will enable the Company to meet the working capital requirements for at least 12 months. The estimated working capital requirement for the next 12 months is $2,300,000 with an estimated burn rate of $190,000 per month. The Company continues to explore potential expansion opportunities in the industry in order to boost sales while leveraging distribution systems to consolidate lower costs.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had no off-balance sheet arrangements.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

We believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

 

23
 

 

The Company’s significant estimates and assumptions include the fair value of financial instruments; the carrying value, recoverability and impairment, if any, of long-lived assets, including the values assigned to deposits and construction in progress, income tax rate, income tax provision, allowance of deferred tax assets and the assumption that the Company will continue as a going concern. Those significant accounting estimates or assumptions bear the risk of change due to the fact that there are uncertainties attached to those estimates or assumptions, and certain estimates or assumptions are difficult to measure or value.

 

Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.

 

Management regularly reviews its estimates utilizing currently available information, changes in facts and circumstances, historical experience and reasonable assumptions. After such reviews, and if deemed appropriate, those estimates are adjusted accordingly. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment is stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, varying from 3 to 5 years or, when applicable, the life of the lease, whichever is shorter.

 

Carrying Value, Recoverability and Impairment of long-lived assets

 

The Company has adopted paragraph 360-10-35-17 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for its long-lived assets. The Company’s long-lived assets, which include property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

 

The Company assesses the recoverability of its long-lived assets by comparing the projected undiscounted net cash flows associated with the related long-lived asset or group of long-lived assets over their remaining estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amounts. Impairment, if any, is based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of those assets. Fair value is generally determined using the asset’s expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable. If long-lived assets are determined to be recoverable, but the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives are shorter than originally estimated, the net book values of the long-lived assets are depreciated over the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives.

 

The Company considers the following to be some examples of important indicators that may trigger an impairment review: (i) significant under-performance or losses of assets relative to expected historical or projected future operating results; (ii) significant changes in the manner or use of assets or in the Company’s overall strategy with respect to the manner or use of the acquired assets or changes in the Company’s overall business strategy; (iii) significant negative industry or economic trends; (iv) increased competitive pressures; and (v) regulatory changes. The Company evaluates acquired assets for potential impairment indicators at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of such events.

 

The impairment charges, if any, are included in operating expenses in the accompanying statements of operations.

 

Derivative Instruments

 

The Company evaluates its convertible debt, warrants or other contracts to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with Paragraph 810-10-05-4 of the Codification and Paragraph 815-40-25 of the Codification. The result of this accounting treatment is that the fair value of the embedded derivative is marked-to-market each balance sheet date and recorded as a liability. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the consolidated statements of operations as other income or expense. Upon conversion or exercise of a derivative instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the conversion date and then that fair value is reclassified to equity.

 

In circumstances where the embedded conversion option in a convertible instrument is required to be bifurcated and there are also other embedded derivative instruments in the convertible instrument that are required to be bifurcated, the bifurcated derivative instruments are accounted for as a single, compound derivative instrument. 

 

24
 

 

The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Equity instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification are reclassified to liability at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. Derivative instrument liabilities will be classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument is expected within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

 

Income Taxes

 

We comply with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes , which requires an asset and liability approach to financial reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred income tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

In accordance with the provisions of Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 101, Revenue Recognition, as amended by SAB 104, revenues are generally recognized when products are shipped or as services are performed. However, due to the nature of our business, there are additional steps in the revenue recognition process, as described below:

 

  Sponsorships: We follow the guidance of Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue 00-21 Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, and assign the total of sponsorship revenues to the various elements contained within a sponsorship package based on their relative fair values.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

We follow paragraph 825-10-50-10 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for disclosures about fair value of our financial instruments and paragraph 820-10-35-37 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Paragraph 820-10-35-37”) to measure the fair value of our financial instruments. Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP), and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. To increase consistency and comparability in fair value measurements and related disclosures, Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three (3) broad levels. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The three (3) levels of fair value hierarchy defined by Paragraph 820-10-35-37 are described below:

 

  Level 1 – Quoted market prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date;
     
  Level 2 – Pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date; and
     
  Level 3 – Pricing inputs that are generally observable inputs and not corroborated by market data.

 

The carrying amount of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, such as cash, prepaid expenses and accrued expenses approximate their fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. The Company’s convertible preferred stock and warrants approximate the fair value of such instruments based upon management’s best estimate of interest rates that would be available to the Company for similar financial arrangements at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

 

25
 

 

The Company uses Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy to measure the fair value of the derivative liabilities and revalues its derivative warrant liability at every reporting period and recognizes gains or losses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) that are attributable to the change in the fair value of the derivative warrant liability.

 

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below and disclosed on the consolidated balance sheets:

 

          Fair Value Measurement Using  
      Carrying Value     Level 1     Level 2       Level 3     Total  
                                         
Derivative conversion features and warrant liabilities   $ 4,784,035     $ -     $ -     $ 4,784,035     $ 4,784,035  

  

The table below provides a summary of the changes in fair value, including net transfers in and/or out, of all financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the year ended December 31, 2012:

 

    Fair Value Measurement
Using Level 3 Inputs
 
    Derivative
 Liabilities
    Total  
             
Balance, December 31, 2011   $ 1,946,669     $ 1,946,669  
Total gains or losses (realized/unrealized) included in net loss     1,012,274       1,012,274  
Purchases, issuances and settlements     1,849,936       1,849,936  
Transfers in and/or out of Level 3     (24,844 )     (24,844 )
Balance, December 31, 2012   $ 4,784,435     $ 4,784,435  

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In May 2011, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-04 “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASU 2011-04”). This amendment and guidance are the result of the work by the FASB and the IASB to develop common requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).

 

This update does not modify the requirements for when fair value measurements apply; rather, it generally represent clarifications on how to measure and disclose fair value under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, including the following revisions:

 

  An entity that holds a group of financial assets and financial liabilities whose market risk (that is, interest rate risk, currency risk, or other price risk) and credit risk are managed on the basis of the entity’s net risk exposure may apply an exception to the fair value requirements in ASC 820 if certain criteria are met. The exception allows such financial instruments to be measured on the basis of the reporting entity’s net, rather than gross, exposure to those risks.
     
  In the absence of a Level 1 input, a reporting entity should apply premiums or discounts when market participants would do so when pricing the asset or liability consistent with the unit of account.
     
  Additional disclosures about fair value measurements.

  

The amendments in this update are to be applied prospectively and are effective for public entity during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011.

 

26
 

 

In June 2011, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05 “ Comprehensive Income” (“ASU 2011-05”), which was the result of a joint project with the IASB and amends the guidance in ASC 220, Comprehensive Income, by eliminating the option to present components of other comprehensive income (OCI) in the statement of stockholders’ equity. Instead, the new guidance now gives entities the option to present all non-owner changes in stockholders’ equity either as a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or as two separate but consecutive statements. Regardless of whether an entity chooses to present comprehensive income in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements, the amendments require entities to present all reclassification adjustments from OCI to net income on the face of the statement of comprehensive income.

 

The amendments in this update should be applied retrospectively and are effective for public entity for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011.

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

We do not hold any derivative instruments and do not engage in any hedging activities.

 

27
 

 

Item 8. Financial Statements.

 

 

Wizard World, Inc.

 

December 31, 2012 and 2011

 

Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Contents   Page(s)
     
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
     
Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2012 and 2011   F-3
     
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011   F-4
     
Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Deficit for the Year Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011   F-5
     
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Year Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011   F-6
     
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements   F-7

 

F- 1
 

   

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholder of

Wizard World, Inc.

Manhattan Beach, California

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the years then ended. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits .

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

/s/ Li and Company, PC  
Li and Company, PC  
   
Skillman, New Jersey  
April 1, 2013  

 

F- 2
 

 

Wizard World, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011  
                 
Assets                
                 
Current Assets                
Cash   $ 1,957,060     $ 422,135  
Accounts receivable, net     40,545       54,202  
Prepaid expenses     262,033       164,135  
Debt issuance costs, net     -       29,500  
Total Current Assets     2,259,638       669,972  
                 
Property and equipment, net     3,337       8,048  
                 
Other Asset     15,120       13,375  
                 
Total Assets   $ 2,278,095     $ 691,395  
                 
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit                
                 
Current Liabilities:                
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   $ 684,046     $ 1,214,603  
Accrued dividend     387,042       116,694  
Unearned convention revenue     176,191       169,354  
Convertible promissory notes, net     -       633,146  
                 
 Total Current Liabilities     1,247,279       2,133,797  
                 
Non-current Liabilities:                
Derivative liability     4,784,035       1,946,669  
                 
Total Non-current Liabilities     4,784,035       1,946,669  
                 
Total Liabilities     6,031,314       4,080,466  
                 
Stockholders’ Deficit                
Series A, convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 50,000 shares authorized 39,101 and 15,510 shares issued and outstanding, respectively     4       2  
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized, 35,794,878 and 35,044,878 shares issued and outstanding, respectively     3,580       3,505  
Additional paid-in capital     5,119,726       2,344,746  
Accumulated deficit     (8,876,529 )     (5,737,324 )
Total Stockholders’ Deficit     (3,753,219 )     (3,389,071 )
               
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit   $ 2,278,095     $ 691,395  

 

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

F- 3
 

  

Wizard World, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

   

    For the Year Ended  
    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011  
             
Convention revenue   $ 6,743,502     $ 3,782,124  
                 
Cost of revenue     4,324,267       2,831,211  
                 
Gross margin     2,419,235       950,913  
                 
Operating expenses                
Compensation     972,887       872,891  
Consulting fees     415,190       1,462,165  
Web development fees     10,980       815,039  
General and administrative     822,369       958,120  
                 
Total operating expenses     2,221,426       4,108,215  
                 
Income (loss) from operations     197,809       (3,157,302 )
                 
Other income (expenses)                
Interest income     14       1,228  
Interest expense     (251,971 )     (331,031 )
Bad debt recovery     -       199,019  
Gain on debt settlement     47,501       -  
Change in the fair value of derivative liabilities     (1,012,274 )     1,278,848  
                 
Total other income (expenses)     (1,216,730 )     1,148,064  
                 
Loss before income tax provision     (1,018,921 )     (2,009,238 )
                 
Income tax provision     -       -  
                 
Net loss     (1,018,921 )     (2,009,238 )
                 
Deemed dividend on Series A Convertible Preferred Stock     (2,120,284 )     (613,321 )
                 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders   $ (3,139,205 )   $ (2,120,584 )
                 
Common stockholders - basic and diluted   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.06 )
                 
Weighted average common shares outstanding     35,237,501       34,697,520  

 

 

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

F- 4
 

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Deficit

For the Year Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011

   

                                        Total  
    Preferred Stock     Common Stock     Additional     Accumulated     Stockholders’  
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Paid-in Capital     Deficit     Deficit  
                                           
Balance - December 31, 2010     9,760       1       34,687,735       3,469       849,693       (3,114,765 )     (2,261,602 )
                                                         
Share-based compensation                                     700,090               700,090  
                                                         
Issuance of stock for cash                     357,143       36       249,964               250,000  
                                                         
Issuance of preferred stock and warrants for cash net of costs of $30,000     5,750       1                       544,999               545,000  
                                                         
Deemed dividend                                             (613,321 )     (613,321 )
                                                         
Net loss                                             (2,009,238 )     (2,009,238 )
                                                         
Balance - December 31, 2011     15,510       2       35,044,878       3,505       2,344,746       (5,737,324 )     (3,389,071 )
                                                         
Share-based compensation                                     302,310               302,310  
                                                         
Conversion of accrued liabilities to common stock                     750,000       75       321,925               322,000  
                                                         
Issuance of preferred stock and warrants for cash     15,500       1                       1,549,999               1,550,000  
                                                         
Conversion of convertible promissory notes and interest to preferred stock     8,091       1                       809,138               809,139  
                                                         
Stock issuance costs                                     (233,236 )             (233,236 )
                                                         
Extinguishment of derivative liability                                     24,844               24,844  
                                                         
Deemed dividend                                             (2,120,284 )     (2,120,284 )
                                                         
Net loss                                             (1,018,921 )     (1,018,921 )
                                                         
Balance - December 31, 2012     39,101     $ 4       35,794,878     $ 3,580     $ 5,119,726     $ (8,876,529 )   $ (3,753,219 )

 

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

F- 5
 

    

Wizard World, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

   

    For the Year Ended
    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011  
             
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:                
Net loss   $ (1,018,921 )   $ (2,009,238 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
Bad debt     -       9,075  
Depreciation     3,014       2,750  
Loss on disposal of computer equipment     1,697       -  
Gain on settlement of accrued liabilities     (47,501 )     -  
Amortization of debt issuance costs     29,500       12,500  
Accretion of debt discount     144,954       318,018  
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities     1,012,274       (1,278,848 )
Share based payments     302,310       700,090  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
Accounts receivable     13,657       (44,150 )
Prepaid expenses and other long term asset     (99,643 )     (82,204 )
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     (105,017 )     705,751  
Unearned convention revenue     6,837       93,701  
               
Net Cash Provided by (Used In) Operating Activities     243,161       (1,572,555 )
                 
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:                
Purchases of property and equipment     -       (3,991 )
                 
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities     -       (3,991 )
                 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:                
Payment of debt issuance costs     -       (42,000 )
Proceeds from the issuance of convertible preferred stock     1,550,000       575,000  
Payment of stock issuance costs     (233,236 )     (30,000 )
Proceeds from the issuance of stock and warrants     -       250,000  
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and warrants     -       778,100  
Repayment of convertible promissory note     (25,000 )     -  
Net proceeds from (repayment to) related party - notes payable     -       (74,983 )
               
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities     1,291,764       1,456,117  
               
Net change in cash     1,534,925       (120,429 )
               
Cash at beginning of year     422,135       542,564  
               
Cash at end of year   $ 1,957,060     $ 422,135  
             
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:                
Interest paid   $ -     $ -  
Income tax paid   $ -     $ -  
               
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:                
Conversion of convertible notes and interest to preferred stock   $ 809,139     $ -  
Debt discount recorded on convertible debt accounted for as a derivative liability   $ -     $ 462,971  
Extinguishment of derivative liability   $ 24,844     $ -  
Issuance of common stock to settle accrued liabilities   $ 322,000     $ -  
Deemed dividend   $ 1,018,921     $ 613,321  

 

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

F- 6
 

 

Wizard World, Inc.

December 31, 2012 and 2011

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

 

Note 1 - Organization and Operations

 

Wizard World, Inc.

 

Wizard World, Inc., formerly Goenergy, Inc. (“Wizard World” or the “Company”) was incorporated on May 2, 2001, under the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

Kick the Can Corp.

 

Kick The Can Corp. was incorporated on September 20, 2010, under the laws of the State of Nevada.

 

Kicking the Can, L.L.C.

 

Kicking The Can, L.L.C. was formed on April 17, 2009, under the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

Wizard Conventions, Inc.

 

Wizard Conventions, Inc. was incorporated on February 28, 1997, under the laws of the State of New York. The Company is a producer of pop culture and live multimedia conventions across North America that provides a social networking and entertainment venue for popular fiction enthusiasts of movies, TV shows, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels.

 

Acquisition of Kick the Can Corp./ Wizard Conventions, Inc. Recognized as a Reverse Acquisition

 

On December 7, 2010, the Company entered into and consummated a share exchange agreement (“Share Exchange Agreement”) with successor, Kick the Can Corp. (“KTC Corp.”) and its predecessors Wizard Conventions, Inc. and Kicking The Can, L.L.C. (“Conventions”). Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, the Company issued 32,927,596 shares of its common stock to the KTC Corp. shareholders in exchange for 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of KTC Corp. The shares issued represented approximately 94.9% of the issued and outstanding common stock immediately after the consummation of the Share Exchange Agreement .

 

As a result of the controlling financial interest of the former stockholder of Conventions, for financial statement reporting purposes, t he merger between the Company and Convensions has been treated as a reverse acquisition with KTC Corp. deemed the accounting acquirer and the Company deemed the accounting acquiree under the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with section 805-10-55 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The reverse merger is deemed a capital transaction and the net assets of KTC Corp. (the accounting acquirer) are carried forward to the Company (the legal acquirer and the reporting entity) at their carrying value before the combination. The acquisition process utilizes the capital structure of the Company and the assets and liabilities of KTC Corp . which are recorded at historical cost. The equity of the Company is the historical equity of KTC Corp. retroactively restated to reflect the number of shares issued by the Company in the transaction. Because of the predecessor/successor relationship between the Company and KTC Corp., Conventions ultimately became the accounting acquirer.

 

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

 

Principles of Consolidation

 

The Company applies the guidance of Topic 810 “Consolidation” of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to determine whether and how to consolidate another entity. Pursuant to ASC Paragraph 810-10-15-10 all majority-owned subsidiaries—all entities in which a parent has a controlling financial interest—shall be consolidated except (1) when control does not rest with the parent, the majority owner; (2) if the parent is a broker-dealer within the scope of Topic 940 and control is likely to be temporary; (3) consolidation by an investment company within the scope of Topic 946 of a non-investment-company investee. Pursuant to ASC Paragraph 810-10-15-8 the usual condition for a controlling financial interest is ownership of a majority voting interest, and, therefore, as a general rule ownership by one reporting entity, directly or indirectly, of more than 50 percent of the outstanding voting shares of another entity is a condition pointing toward consolidation. The power to control may also exist with a lesser percentage of ownership, for example, by contract, lease, agreement with other stockholders, or by court decree . The Company consolidates all less-than-majority-owned subsidiaries, in which the parent’s power to control exists.

 

F- 7
 

  

The consolidated financial statements include all accounts of the entities as of the reporting period ending date(s) and for the reporting period(s) as follows:

 

Name of consolidated subsidiary or entity   State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization   Date of incorporation or formation
(date of acquisition, if applicable)
  Attributable interest  
               
KTC Corp.   The State of Nevada, U.S.A.   September 20, 2010     100 %
                 
Kicking the Can L.L.C.   The State of Delaware, U.S.A.   April 17, 2009     100 %
                 
Wizard Conventions, Inc.   The State of New York, U.S.A.   February 28, 1997     100 %
                 
Wizard World Digital, Inc.   The State of Nevada, U.S.A.   March 18, 2011     100 %

 

All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.

 

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

 

The Company’s significant estimates and assumptions include the fair value of financial instruments; allowance for doubtful accounts; the carrying value, recoverability and impairment, if any, of long-lived assets, including the values assigned to property and equipment; expected term of share options and similar instruments, expected volatility of the entity’s common shares and the method used to estimate it, expected annual rate of quarterly dividends, and risk free rate(s); revenue recognized or recognizable, sales returns and allowances; income tax rate, income tax provision, deferred tax assets and valuation allowance of deferred tax assets and the assumption that the Company will continue as a going concern. Those significant accounting estimates or assumptions bear the risk of change due to the fact that there are uncertainties attached to those estimates or assumptions, and certain estimates or assumptions are difficult to measure or value.

 

Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.

 

Management regularly evaluates the key factors and assumptions used to develop the estimates utilizing currently available information, changes in facts and circumstances, historical experience and reasonable assumptions. After such evaluations, if deemed appropriate, those estimates are adjusted accordingly.

 

Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The Company follows paragraph 825-10-50-10 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for disclosures about fair value of its financial instruments and paragraph 820-10-35-37 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Paragraph 820-10-35-37”) to measure the fair value of its financial instruments. Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP), and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. To increase consistency and comparability in fair value measurements and related disclosures, Paragraph 820-10-35-37 establishes a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three (3) broad levels. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The three (3) levels of fair value hierarchy defined by Paragraph 820-10-35-37 are described below:

 

F- 8
 

   

Level 1   Quoted market prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.
     
Level 2   Pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date.
     
Level 3   Pricing inputs that are generally observable inputs and not corroborated by market data.

 

Financial assets are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.

 

The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. If the inputs used to measure the financial assets and liabilities fall within more than one level described above, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument.

 

The carrying amount of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, such as cash, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair value because of the short maturity of those instruments. The Company’s convertible preferred stock and warrants approximate the fair value of such instruments based upon management’s best estimate of interest rates that would be available to the Company for similar financial arrangements at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

 

The Company uses Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy to measure the fair value of the derivative liabilities and revalues its derivative warrant liability at every reporting period and recognizes gains or losses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) that are attributable to the change in the fair value of the derivative warrant liability.

 

Transactions involving related parties cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm’s-length basis, as the requisite conditions of competitive, free-market dealings may not exist. Representations about transactions with related parties, if made, shall not imply that the related party transactions were consummated on terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s-length transactions unless such representations can be substantiated.

 

It is not, however, practical to determine the fair value of advances from significant stockholder, if any, due to their related party nature.

 

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis

 

Level 3 Financial Liabilities – Derivative conversion features and warrant liabilities

 

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below and disclosed on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012:

 

                Fair Value Measurement Using    
      Carrying Value       Level 1       Level 2       Level 3       Total  
                                         
Derivative conversion features and warrant liabilities   $ 4,784,035     $ -     $ -     $ 4,784,435     $ 4,784,435  

   

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below and disclosed on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2011:

 

                Fair Value Measurement Using  
    Carrying Value     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  
                                         
Derivative conversion features and warrant liabilities   $ 1,946,669     $ -     $ -     $ 1,946,669     $ 1,946,669  

 

F- 9
 

  

The table below provides a summary of the changes in fair value, including net transfers in and/or out, of all financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the year ended December 31, 2012:

 

    Fair Value Measurement Using Level 3 Inputs  
    Derivative
Liabilities
      Total  
                 
Balance, December 31, 2011   $ 1,946,669     $ 1,946,669  
Total gains or losses (realized/unrealized) included in net loss     1,012,274       1,012,274  
Purchases, issuances and settlements     1,849,936       1,849,936  
Transfers in and/or out of Level 3     (24,844 )     (24,844 )
Balance, December 31, 2012   $ 4,784,435     $ 4,784,435  

 

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded the value of the derivative liability associated with the features embedded in the Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock directly to retained earnings, similar to a deemed dividend.

 

Carrying Value, Recoverability and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

The Company has adopted paragraph 360-10-35-17 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for its long-lived assets. The Company’s long-lived assets, which include property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

 

The Company assesses the recoverability of its long-lived assets by comparing the projected undiscounted net cash flows associated with the related long-lived asset or group of long-lived assets over their remaining estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amounts. Impairment, if any, is based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of those assets. Fair value is generally determined using the asset’s expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable. If long-lived assets are determined to be recoverable, but the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives are shorter than originally estimated, the net book values of the long-lived assets are depreciated over the newly determined remaining estimated useful lives.

 

The Company considers the following to be some examples of important indicators that may trigger an impairment review: (i) significant under-performance or losses of assets relative to expected historical or projected future operating results; (ii) significant changes in the manner or use of assets or in the Company’s overall strategy with respect to the manner or use of the acquired assets or changes in the Company’s overall business strategy; (iii) significant negative industry or economic trends; (iv) increased competitive pressures; and (v) regulatory changes. The Company evaluates acquired assets for potential impairment indicators at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of such events.

 

The key assumptions used in management’s estimates of projected cash flow deal largely with forecasts of sales levels, gross margins, and operating costs of the manufacturing facilities. These forecasts are typically based on historical trends and take into account recent developments as well as management’s plans and intentions. Any difficulty in manufacturing or sourcing raw materials on a cost effective basis would significantly impact the projected future cash flows of the Company’s manufacturing facilities and potentially lead to an impairment charge for long-lived assets. Other factors, such as increased competition or a decrease in the desirability of the Company’s products, could lead to lower projected sales levels, which would adversely impact cash flows. A significant change in cash flows in the future could result in an impairment of long lived assets.

 

The impairment charges, if any, are included in operating expenses in the accompanying statements of operations.

 

Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

 

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

 

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company follows paragraph 310-10-50-9 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to estimate the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company performs on-going credit evaluations of its customers and adjusts credit limits based upon payment history and the customer’s current credit worthiness, as determined by the review of their current credit information; and determines the allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical write-off experience, customer specific facts and economic conditions.

 

Outstanding account balances are reviewed individually for collectability. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable. Bad debt expense is included in general and administrative expenses, if any. Pursuant to paragraph 310-10-50-2 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. The Company has adopted paragraph 310-10-50-6 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification and determine when receivables are past due or delinquent based on how recently payments have been received.

 

F- 10
 

  

The Company does not have any off-balance-sheet credit exposure to its customers.

 

Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment is recorded at cost. Expenditures for major additions and betterments are capitalized. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Depreciation of property and equipment is computed by the straight-line method (after taking into account their respective estimated residual values) over the assets estimated useful life of three (3) to five (5) years. Upon sale or retirement of property and equipment, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in statements of operations.

 

Derivative Instruments

 

The Company evaluates its convertible debt, warrants or other contracts to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with Paragraph 810-10-05-4 of the Codification and Paragraph 815-40-25 of the Codification. The result of this accounting treatment is that the fair value of the embedded derivative is marked-to-market each balance sheet date and recorded as a liability. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the consolidated statements of operations as other income or expense. Upon conversion or exercise of a derivative instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the conversion date and then that fair value is reclassified to equity.

 

In circumstances where the embedded conversion option in a convertible instrument is required to be bifurcated and there are also other embedded derivative instruments in the convertible instrument that are required to be bifurcated, the bifurcated derivative instruments are accounted for as a single, compound derivative instrument.

 

The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Equity instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification are reclassified to liability at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. Derivative instrument liabilities will be classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument is expected within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

 

The Company marks to market the fair value of the remaining embedded derivative warrants at each balance sheet date and records the change in the fair value of the remaining embedded derivative warrants as other income or expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

 

The Company utilizes the Lattice model that values the liability of the derivative warrants based on a probability weighted discounted cash flow model with the assistance of the third party valuation firm. The reason the Company picks the Lattice model is that in many cases there may be multiple embedded features or the features of the bifurcated derivatives may be so complex that a Black-Scholes valuation does not consider all of the terms of the instrument. Therefore, the fair value may not be appropriately captured by simple models. In other words, simple models such as Black-Scholes may not be appropriate in many situations given complex features and terms of conversion option (e.g., combined embedded derivatives). The Lattice model is based on future projections of the various potential outcomes. The features that were analyzed and incorporated into the model included the exercise and full reset features. Based on these features, there are two primary events that can occur; the Holder exercises the warrants or the warrants are held to expiration. The Lattice model analyzed the underlying economic factors that influenced which of these events would occur, when they were likely to occur, and the specific terms that would be in effect at the time (i.e. stock price, exercise price, volatility, etc.). Projections were then made on the underlying factors which led to potential scenarios. Probabilities were assigned to each scenario based on management projections. This led to a cash flow projection and a probability associated with that cash flow. A discounted weighted average cash flow over the various scenarios was completed to determine the value of the derivative warrants.

 

Related Parties

 

The Company follows subtopic 850-10 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for the identification of related parties and disclosure of related party transactions.

 

Pursuant to Section 850-10-20 the related parties include a. affiliates of the Company; b. entities for which investments in their equity securities would be required, absent the election of the fair value option under the Fair Value Option Subsection of Section 825–10–15, to be accounted for by the equity method by the investing entity; c. trusts for the benefit of employees, such as pension and profit-sharing trusts that are managed by or under the trusteeship of management; d. principal owners of the Company; e. management of the Company; f. other parties with which the Company may deal if one party controls or can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests; and g. other parties that can significantly influence the management or operating policies of the transacting parties or that have an ownership interest in one of the transacting parties and can significantly influence the other to an extent that one or more of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests.

 

F- 11
 

 

The financial statements shall include disclosures of material related party transactions, other than compensation arrangements, expense allowances, and other similar items in the ordinary course of business. However, disclosure of transactions that are eliminated in the preparation of consolidated or combined financial statements is not required in those statements. The disclosures shall include: a. the nature of the relationship(s) involved; b. a description of the transactions, including transactions to which no amounts or nominal amounts were ascribed, for each of the periods for which income statements are presented, and such other information deemed necessary to an understanding of the effects of the transactions on the financial statements; c. the dollar amounts of transactions for each of the periods for which income statements are presented and the effects of any change in the method of establishing the terms from that used in the preceding period; and d. amounts due from or to related parties as of the date of each balance sheet presented and, if not otherwise apparent, the terms and manner of settlement.

 

Commitments and Contingencies

 

The Company follows subtopic 450-20 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to report accounting for contingencies. Certain conditions may exist as of the date the consolidated financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company assesses such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or unasserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

 

If the assessment of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potential material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, and an estimate of the range of possible losses, if determinable and material, would be disclosed.

 

Loss contingencies considered remote are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantees would be disclosed. Management does not believe, based upon information available at this time, that these matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, there is no assurance that such matters will not materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, and results of operations or cash flows.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

The Company follows paragraph 605-10-S99-1 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for revenue recognition. The Company will recognize revenue when it is realized or realizable and earned. The Company considers revenue realized or realizable and earned when all of the following criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) the product has been shipped or the services have been rendered to the customer, (iii) the sales price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.

 

Unearned convention revenue is deposits received for conventions that have not yet taken place, which are fully or partially refundable depending upon the terms and conditions of the agreements.

 

Stock-Based Compensation for Obtaining Employee Services

 

The Company accounts for its stock based compensation in which the Company obtains employee services in share-based payment transactions under the recognition and measurement principles of the fair value recognition provisions of section 718-10-30 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. Pursuant to paragraph 718-10-30-6 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, all transactions in which goods or services are the consideration received for the issuance of equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The measurement date used to determine the fair value of the equity instrument issued is the earlier of the date on which the performance is complete or the date on which it is probable that performance will occur. If shares of the Company are thinly traded the use of share prices established in the Company’s most recent private placement memorandum (“PPM”), or weekly or monthly price observations would generally be more appropriate than the use of daily price observations as such shares could be artificially inflated due to a larger spread between the bid and asked quotes and lack of consistent trading in the market.

 

F- 12
 

  

The fair value of share options and similar instruments is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing valuation model. The ranges of assumptions for inputs are as follows:

 

Expected term of share options and similar instruments: The expected life of options and similar instruments represents the period of time the option and/or warrant are expected to be outstanding. Pursuant to Paragraph 718-10-50-2(f)(2)(i) of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification the expected term of share options and similar instruments represents the period of time the options and similar instruments are expected to be outstanding taking into consideration of the contractual term of the instruments and employees’ expected exercise and post-vesting employment termination behavior into the fair value (or calculated value) of the instruments. Pursuant to paragraph 718-10-S99-1, it may be appropriate to use the simplified method , i.e., expected term = ((vesting term + original contractual term) / 2) , if (i) A company does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term due to the limited period of time its equity shares have been publicly traded; (ii) A company significantly changes the terms of its share option grants or the types of employees that receive share option grants such that its historical exercise data may no longer provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term; or (iii) A company has or expects to have significant structural changes in its business such that its historical exercise data may no longer provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term. The Company uses the simplified method to calculate expected term of share options and similar instruments as the company does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term.

 

Expected volatility of the entity’s shares and the method used to estimate it. Pursuant to ASC Paragraph 718-10-50-2(f)(2)(ii) a thinly-traded or nonpublic entity that uses the calculated value method shall disclose the reasons why it is not practicable for the Company to estimate the expected volatility of its share price, the appropriate industry sector index that it has selected, the reasons for selecting that particular index, and how it has calculated historical volatility using that index. The Company uses the average historical volatility of the comparable companies over the expected contractual life of the share options or similar instruments as its expected volatility. If shares of a company are thinly traded the use of weekly or monthly price observations would generally be more appropriate than the use of daily price observations as the volatility calculation using daily observations for such shares could be artificially inflated due to a larger spread between the bid and asked quotes and lack of consistent trading in the market.

 

Expected annual rate of quarterly dividends. An entity that uses a method that employs different dividend rates during the contractual term shall disclose the range of expected dividends used and the weighted-average expected dividends. The expected dividend yield is based on the Company’s current dividend yield as the best estimate of projected dividend yield for periods within the expected term of the share options and similar instruments.

 

Risk-free rate(s). An entity that uses a method that employs different risk-free rates shall disclose the range of risk-free rates used. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for periods within the expected term of the share options and similar instruments.

 

The Company’s policy is to recognize compensation cost for awards with only service conditions and a graded vesting schedule on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.

 

Equity Instruments Issued to Parties Other Than Employees for Acquiring Goods or Services

 

The Company accounts for equity instruments issued to parties other than employees for acquiring goods or services under guidance of Sub-topic 505-50 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Sub-topic 505-50”).

 

Pursuant to ASC Section 505-50-30, all transactions in which goods or services are the consideration received for the issuance of equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The measurement date used to determine the fair value of the equity instrument issued is the earlier of the date on which the performance is complete or the date on which it is probable that performance will occur. If shares of the Company are thinly traded the use of share prices established in the Company’s most recent private placement memorandum (“PPM”), or weekly or monthly price observations would generally be more appropriate than the use of daily price observations as such shares could be artificially inflated due to a larger spread between the bid and asked quotes and lack of consistent trading in the market.

 

F- 13
 

 

The fair value of share options and similar instruments is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing valuation model. The ranges of assumptions for inputs are as follows:

 

Expected term of share options and similar instruments: Pursuant to Paragraph 718-10-50-2(f)(2)(i) of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification the expected term of share options and similar instruments represents the period of time the options and similar instruments are expected to be outstanding taking into consideration of the contractual term of the instruments and holder’s expected exercise behavior into the fair value (or calculated value) of the instruments. The Company uses historical data to estimate holder’s expected exercise behavior . If the Company is a newly formed corporation or shares of the Company are thinly traded the contractual term of the share options and similar instruments is used as the expected term of share options and similar instruments as the Company does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term.

 

Expected volatility of the entity’s shares and the method used to estimate it. Pursuant to ASC Paragraph 718-10-50-2(f)(2)(ii) a thinly-traded or nonpublic entity that uses the calculated value method shall disclose the reasons why it is not practicable for the Company to estimate the expected volatility of its share price, the appropriate industry sector index that it has selected, the reasons for selecting that particular index, and how it has calculated historical volatility using that index. The Company uses the average historical volatility of the comparable companies over the expected contractual life of the share options or similar instruments as its expected volatility. If shares of a company are thinly traded the use of weekly or monthly price observations would generally be more appropriate than the use of daily price observations as the volatility calculation using daily observations for such shares could be artificially inflated due to a larger spread between the bid and asked quotes and lack of consistent trading in the market.

 

Expected annual rate of quarterly dividends. An entity that uses a method that employs different dividend rates during the contractual term shall disclose the range of expected dividends used and the weighted-average expected dividends. The expected dividend yield is based on the Company’s current dividend yield as the best estimate of projected dividend yield for periods within the expected term of the share options and similar instruments.

 

Risk-free rate(s). An entity that uses a method that employs different risk-free rates shall disclose the range of risk-free rates used. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for periods within the expected term of the share options and similar instruments.

 

Pursuant to ASC paragraph 505-50-25-7, if fully vested, non-forfeitable equity instruments are issued at the date the grantor and grantee enter into an agreement for goods or services (no specific performance is required by the grantee to retain those equity instruments), then, because of the elimination of any obligation on the part of the counterparty to earn the equity instruments, a measurement date has been reached. A grantor shall recognize the equity instruments when they are issued (in most cases, when the agreement is entered into). Whether the corresponding cost is an immediate expense or a prepaid asset (or whether the debit should be characterized as contra-equity under the requirements of paragraph 505-50-45-1) depends on the specific facts and circumstances. Pursuant to ASC paragraph 505-50-45-1, a grantor may conclude that an asset (other than a note or a receivable) has been received in return for fully vested, non-forfeitable equity instruments that are issued at the date the grantor and grantee enter into an agreement for goods or services (and no specific performance is required by the grantee in order to retain those equity instruments). Such an asset shall not be displayed as contra-equity by the grantor of the equity instruments. The transferability (or lack thereof) of the equity instruments shall not affect the balance sheet display of the asset. This guidance is limited to transactions in which equity instruments are transferred to other than employees in exchange for goods or services. Section 505-50-30 provides guidance on the determination of the measurement date for transactions that are within the scope of this Subtopic.

 

Pursuant to Paragraphs 505-50-25-8 and 505-50-25-9, an entity may grant fully vested, non-forfeitable equity instruments that are exercisable by the grantee only after a specified period of time if the terms of the agreement provide for earlier exercisability if the grantee achieves specified performance conditions. Any measured cost of the transaction shall be recognized in the same period(s) and in the same manner as if the entity had paid cash for the goods or services or used cash rebates as a sales discount instead of paying with, or using, the equity instruments. A recognized asset, expense, or sales discount shall not be reversed if a stock option that the counterparty has the right to exercise expires unexercised.

 

Pursuant to ASC paragraph 505-50-30-S99-1, if the Company receives a right to receive future services in exchange for unvested, forfeitable equity instruments, those equity instruments are treated as unissued for accounting purposes until the future services are received (that is, the instruments are not considered issued until they vest). Consequently, there would be no recognition at the measurement date and no entry should be recorded.

 

F- 14
 

  

Income Tax Provision

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under Section 740-10-30 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based upon differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance to the extent management concludes it is more likely than not that the assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the statements of operations in the period that includes the enactment date.

 

The Company adopted section 740-10-25 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Section 740-10-25”). Section 740-10-25 addresses the determination of whether tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements. Under Section 740-10-25, the Company may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position should be measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent (50%) likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Section 740-10-25 also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties on income taxes, accounting in interim periods and requires increased disclosures.

 

The estimated future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities are reported in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, as well as tax credit carry-backs and carry-forwards. The Company periodically reviews the recoverability of deferred tax assets recorded on its consolidated balance sheets and provides valuation allowances as management deems necessary.

 

Management makes judgments as to the interpretation of the tax laws that might be challenged upon an audit and cause changes to previous estimates of tax liability. In addition, the Company operates within multiple taxing jurisdictions and is subject to audit in these jurisdictions. In management’s opinion, adequate provisions for income taxes have been made for all years. If actual taxable income by tax jurisdiction varies from estimates, additional allowances or reversals of reserves may be necessary.

 

Uncertain Tax Positions

 

The Company did not take any uncertain tax positions and had no adjustments to its income tax liabilities or benefits pursuant to the provisions of Section 740-10-25 for the year ended December 31, 2012 or 2011 .

 

Net Income (Loss) per Common Share

 

Net income (loss) per common share is computed pursuant to Section 260-10-45 of the Codification. Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock and potentially outstanding shares of common stock during the period to reflect the potential dilution that could occur from common shares issuable through convertible debt, stock options or warrants.

 

The following table shows the potentially outstanding dilutive common shares excluded from the diluted net income (loss) per share calculation as they were anti-dilutive:

 

    For the Year Ended December 31, 2012     For the Year Ended December 31, 2011  
Convertible preferred stock     9,775,268       3,877,500  
                 
Convertible promissory notes     -       1,945,373  
Stock purchase warrants     7,987,274       7,031,024  
Stock options     3,350,000       450,000  
Total     21,112,542       13,303,897  

  

Cash Flows Reporting

 

The Company adopted paragraph 230-10-45-24 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for cash flows reporting, classifies cash receipts and payments according to whether they stem from operating, investing, or financing activities and provides definitions of each category, and uses the indirect or reconciliation method (“Indirect method”) as defined by paragraph 230-10-45-25 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification to report net cash flow from operating activities by adjusting net income to reconcile it to net cash flow from operating activities by removing the effects of (a) all deferrals of past operating cash receipts and payments and all accruals of expected future operating cash receipts and payments and (b) all items that are included in net income that do not affect operating cash receipts and payments

 

F- 15
 

  

Subsequent Events

 

The Company follows the guidance in Section 855-10-50 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification for the disclosure of subsequent events. The Company will evaluate subsequent events through the date when the financial statements were issued. Pursuant to ASU 2010-09 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, the Company as an SEC filer considers its financial statements issued when they are widely distributed to users, such as through filing them on EDGAR.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

 

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-08

 

In September 2011, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-08 “ Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for Impairment” (“ASU 2011-08”). This Update is to simplify how public and nonpublic entities test goodwill for impairment. The amendments permit an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. Under the amendments in this Update, an entity is not required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount.

 

The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted.

 

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-11

 

In December 2011, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet: Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” (“ASU 2011-11”). This Update requires an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. The objective of this disclosure is to facilitate comparison between those entities that prepare their financial statements on the basis of U.S. GAAP and those entities that prepare their financial statements on the basis of IFRS.

 

The amended guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods.

 

FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2012-02

 

In July 2012, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2012-02 “ Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment” (“ASU 2012-02”).

 

This Update is intended to reduce the cost and complexity of testing indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill for impairment. This guidance builds upon the guidance in ASU 2011-08, entitled Testing Goodwill for Impairment . ASU 2011-08 was issued on September 15, 2011, and feedback from stakeholders during the exposure period related to the goodwill impairment testing guidance was that the guidance also would be helpful in impairment testing for intangible assets other than goodwill.

 

The revised standard allows an entity the option to first assess qualitatively whether it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, thus necessitating that it perform the quantitative impairment test. An entity is not required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset and perform the quantitative impairment test unless the entity determines that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired.

 

This Update is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed in fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Earlier implementation is permitted.

 

Other Recently Issued, but not yet Effective Accounting Pronouncements

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.

 

F- 16
 

  

Note 3 – Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment consisted of the following:

 

    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011     Estimated Useful Life  
Computer Equipment   $ 7,607       10,206       3 years  
      7,607       10,206          
Less: Accumulated depreciation     (4,270 )     (2,158 )        
    $ 3,337     $ 8,048          

 

Depreciation Expense

 

Depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was $3,014 and $2,750, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2012 the Company abandoned certain computer equipment and recognized a loss on disposal of computer equipment of $1,697.

 

Note 4 – Convertible Promissory Notes

 

August 19, 2011 Convertible Notes

 

On August 19, 2011, Wizard World entered into stock subscription agreements with certain investors in connection with an offering of up to $455,000 principal amount of Convertible Promissory Notes, with $453,100 being issued. The Notes accrue interest at 14% per annum and are due four (4) months from the date of issuance. The Notes are convertible to common shares at $0.40 per share. These notes are currently in default.

 

In conjunction with the Notes, each investor was granted a Common Stock Purchase Warrant exercisable for one share of common stock of the Company for each $2.00 of investment. The Warrants are earned upon issuance with an exercise price of $0.40 per common share expiring five (5) years from the date of issuance, which may be paid via a cashless exercise.

 

On August 3, 2012, four (4) note-holders converted notes and accrued interest into the Company’s Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, by entering into Securities Exchange Agreements for the issuance and sale of (i) an aggregate of $406,039 in Series A Preferred. The Series A Preferred is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), at a conversion price of $0.40 per share, subject to adjustment.

 

One (1) note-holder was re-paid $25,000 on his convertible note, and converted his remaining principal of $78,100 into the Company’s Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. The note-holder forgave the accrued interest due in the amount of $21,298.

 

December 6, 2011 Convertible Debentures

 

Issuance of Convertible Debentures

 

On December 6, 2011, Wizard World entered into stock subscription agreements with certain accredited investors, for the issuance and sale of an aggregate of $325,000 in Senior Convertible Debentures. The Debentures bear interest at six percent (6%) per annum, maturing February 28, 2012. The notes, at issuance, gave rise to a debt discount of $206,375 which is being amortized over the lives of the notes. The debt discount was fully amortized as of February 28, 2012.

 

Mandatory Conversion of Debentures to Series A Convertible Preferred Stock

 

In connection with the March 30, 2012 Series A Preferred Stock Closing, and pursuant to mandatory conversion features of those certain Senior Convertible Debentures in the aggregate amount of $325,000, issued on December 6, 2011, the Debentures were mandatorily converted (into shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Warrants upon the same terms of the Offering. A total of 3,250 shares of Series A Preferred and 162,500 Warrants were issued by the Company to the Debenture Investors pursuant to the Mandatory Conversion.

 

F- 17
 

  

Note 5 - Commitments and Contingencies

 

Employment and Director Agreements

 

John M. Macaluso Agreements

 

Employment Agreement

 

On March 19, 2012, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. John Macaluso (“Macaluso”), a director of the Company, in connection with his appointment as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. The initial term of the Agreement is for a period of three (3) years, commencing on March 19, 2012. The term of the Employment Agreement will be automatically extended for additional terms of one (1) year each, unless either the Company or Macaluso gives prior written notice of non-renewal to the other party no later than sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the then current Term.

 

During the Term, the Company will pay Macaluso a base salary consisting of the following: (i) for the period from the Commencement Date to June 30, 2012, a salary of $10,000 per month; (ii) for the period from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012, a salary of $30,000 per month, $20,000 of which shall be paid in cash and $10,000 of which shall accrue until December 31, 2012, for a total accrual amount of $60,000. In addition to the Base Salary, the Company agreed to issue to Macaluso a common stock purchase warrant to purchase 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.44 per share. The warrants vest quarterly over the Initial Term.

 

Option Agreement

 

In connection with the Employment Agreement, Macaluso entered into an option agreement with the Company, pursuant to which the Company granted to Macaluso options to purchase 2,750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to Macaluso continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

Director Agreement

 

On May 13, 2011, Wizard World entered into a Director Agreement with Mr. John Macaluso in connection with his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Company. The term of the Director Agreement is from May 13, 2011 through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting. The Director Agreement may, at the option of the Board, be automatically renewed on such date that Mr. Macaluso is re-elected to the Board.

 

Mr. Macaluso received, upon execution of the Director Agreement and pursuant to a Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement, entered into as of May 13, 2011, by and between the Company and Mr. Macaluso, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.0001 per share, at an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the execution date of the Director Agreement. The option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter ending July 31, 2011, and pro-rated for the number of days Mr. Macaluso served on the Board during such fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Mr. Macaluso ceases to be a member of Board at any time during the three (3) year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

John D. Maatta Agreement

 

On May 25, 2011, Wizard World entered into a Director Agreement with Mr. John D. Maatta in connection with his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Company. The term of the Director Agreement commences on May 25, 2011 and continues through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting. However, the Director Agreement may, at the option of the Board, be automatically renewed on such date that Mr. Maatta is re-elected to the Board.

 

Mr. Maatta received, upon execution of the Director Agreement and pursuant to a Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement, entered into as of May 25, 2011, by and between the Company and Mr. Maatta, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.0001 per share, at an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the execution date of the Director Agreement. The option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter ending July 31, 2011, and pro-rated for the number of days Mr. Maatta served on the Board during such fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Mr. Maatta ceases to be a member of the Board at any time during the three (3)-year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

F- 18
 

  

Greg Suess Agreement

 

On May 9, 2011, Wizard World entered into a Director Agreement, made as of May 9, 2011, with Mr. Greg Suess in connection with his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Company. The term of the Director Agreement is from May 9, 2011 through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting. The Director Agreement may, at the option of the Board, be automatically renewed on such date that Mr. Suess is re-elected to the Board.

 

Mr. Suess received, upon execution of the Director Agreement, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the execution date of the Director Agreement. The option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter ending July 31, 2011, and pro-rated for the number of days Mr. Suess served on the Board during the fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Mr. Suess ceases to be a member of the Board at any time during the three (3) year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

ROAR Agreement

 

On September 1, 2012, the Company entered into an agreement with ROAR, LLC, (“ROAR”) a entity controlled by a Director of the Company. ROAR agrees to provide the Company strategic management consulting services. The term is for 3 months and following the initial three months, month to month thereafter. The Company agrees to compensate ROAR with a $5,000/month payment and a 10% commission on any contractual introduction for business development introduced by ROAR.

 

Gareb Shamus Agreement

 

On May 25, 2011, Wizard World, Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Gareb Shamus, President and CEO of the Company.

 

On May 25, 2011, the Company also entered into a Director Agreement with Mr. Shamus. The term of the Director Agreement commences on May 25, 2011 and continues through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting. However, the Director Agreement may, at the option of the Board, be automatically renewed on such date that Mr. Shamus is re-elected to the Board.

 

For Mr. Shamus’ service on the Board, he received, upon execution of the Director Agreement, and in accordance with a Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement, entered into as of May 25, 2011, by and between the Company and Mr. Shamus, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.0001 per share, at an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the execution date of the Director Agreement. The option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests 33% annually over a period of three (3) years, pro-rated for the number of days Mr. Shamus served on the Board.

 

On December 1, 2011, Mr. Gareb Shamus resigned his positions as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company.

 

Note 7 – Stockholders’ Deficit

 

Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock

 

On March 30, 2012, the Company closed on a first round of financing related to an offering of up to $2,000,000 of the Company’s Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, by entering into subscription agreements with ten (10) accredited investors for the issuance and sale of (i) an aggregate amount of $825,000 (8,250 shares) in Series A Preferred and (ii) Common Stock Purchase Warrants, on the basis of one warrant for every $2.00 of investment.

 

In connection with the Closing, and pursuant to mandatory conversion features of those certain Senior Convertible Debentures in the aggregate amount of $325,000, issued on December 6, 2011, the Debentures were mandatorily converted (into shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Warrants upon the same terms of the Offering. A total of 3,250 shares of Series A Preferred and 162,500 Warrants were issued by the Company to the Debenture Investors pursuant to the Mandatory Conversion.

 

F- 19
 

 

The Company paid $142,250 in stock issuance costs to complete the convertible preferred stock and warrant raise. In addition, the Company issued 206,250 warrants to the placement agent. The warrants were recorded as stock issuance costs.

 

On April 27, 2012, the Company entered into Subscription Agreements with the Subscribers for the issuance and sale of (i) $725,000 (7,250 shares) in shares of Series A Preferred with the rights and preferences set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate to set forth Designations, Voting Powers, Preferences, Limitations, Restrictions, and Relative Rights of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and (ii) 362,500 Warrants. The Series A Preferred is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a per share conversion price of $0.40, subject to adjustment, and the Warrants are exercisable to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock at a per share exercise price of $0.60, subject to adjustment.

 

The Company paid $90,986 in stock issuance costs to complete the convertible preferred stock and warrant raise. In addition, the Company issued 181,250 warrants to the placement agent. The warrants were recorded as stock issuance costs.

 

On August 3, 2012, four (4) note-holders exchanged notes and accrued interest into the Company’s Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, by entering into Securities Exchange Agreements for the issuance and sale of (i) an aggregate of $406,039 (4,060 shares) in Series A Preferred. The Series A Preferred is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a conversion price of $0.40 per share, subject to adjustment.

 

Common Stock

 

On December 17, 2010, the Company entered into a financial reporting services agreement with Brio Financial Group (“Brio”). Pursuant to the agreement the Company is required to pay the firm $4,500 per month. In addition, a retainer of $8,000 is included in prepaid expenses as of December 31, 2010 and was expensed during the year ended December 31, 2011. The Company also agreed to issue Brio 30,000 shares of restricted common stock per quarter payable at the end of each quarter. Through September 30, 2012, Brio has earned 240,000 shares of common stock valued at $0.40 - $0.60 per share, or $108,000 in the aggregate, and recorded as consulting expense. On September 28, 2012, the Company issued the consultant 240,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to satisfy an accrued liability and account payable in the amount of $108,000, in accordance with the consultant’s agreement.

 

On January 14, 2011, the directors of the Company approved by unanimous written consent and the stockholders of the Company holding a majority in interest of the Company’s voting equity approved by written consent the appointment of Mr. Vadim Mats as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, effective as of January 14, 2011. Mr. Mats earns 10,000 shares of the company’s common stock quarterly. The Company has valued the issuance and has recorded and accrual of $28,000. On September 28, 2012, the Company issued the Director 60,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to satisfy an accrued liability due under the Director’s agreement.

 

On February 1, 2011, the Company entered into an engagement with Lucosky Brookman (“Lucbro”) to provide legal services with respect to certain securities work. Pursuant to the agreement the Company is required to pay the firm $4,000 per month along with 5,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company also agreed to issue Lucbro 150,000 shares of restricted common stock upon execution of the agreement. As of September 30, 2012, Lucbro had earned 450,000 shares of the Company’s common stock valued at $0.40 - $0.60 per share, or $186,000 in the aggregate, and recorded as consulting expense. On September 28, 2012, the Company issued Lucbro 450,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to satisfy the accrued liability of $186,000.

 

On March 23, 2011, Wizard World entered into a Director Agreement with Michael Mathews, pursuant to which Mr. Mathews was appointed Chairman of the Company’s board of directors. The term of the Director Agreement is from March 23, 2011 through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting. The Director Agreement may, at the option of the Board, be automatically renewed on such date that Mr. Mathews is re-elected to the Board. Under the Director Agreement, Mr. Mathews shall be paid a quarterly stipend of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000). Mr. Mathews has waived this stipend through September 30, 2012.

 

On March 23, 2011, the Company entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Mathews pursuant to which Mr. Mathews will, among other things, develop a digital platform for the Company and establish digital planning systems that will include all forms of digital media and social, search, content, and video applications. The term of the Consulting Agreement is for a four (4) year period. As compensation for his services, Mr. Mathews shall receive, with the first issuance of 250,000 shares occurring on March 23, 2011, and the second issuance of 250,000 on March 31, 2012, one million (1,000,000) restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, issuable in four yearly installments. As of September 30, 2012, the Company is yet to issue Mr. Mathews 500,000 shares of common stock per the vesting arrangement. The Company has valued the issuance and has recorded and accrual of $275,000.

 

On March 23, 2011, the Company entered into a Consulting Agreement with Brad Powers pursuant to which Mr. Powers will, among other things, develop a digital platform for the Company and establish digital planning systems that will include all forms of digital media and social, search, content, and video applications. The term of the Consulting Agreement is for a four (4) year period. As compensation for his services, Mr. Powers shall receive 62,500 shares of restricted Company common stock upon execution of the agreement and an additional 62,500 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, issuable in annual installments on the anniversary of the execution of the agreement. The 156,250 shares vested as of September 30, 2012 were valued at $0.40 - $0.60 per share, or $68,750 in the aggregate, and recorded as consulting fees. The common stock has not yet been issued and the liability is included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. On October 17, 2012, the Company entered into a termination agreement with Brad Powers. The Consultant agreed to forfeit all shares of common stock that were due to him.

 

F- 20
 

  

On December 21, 2011, Wizard World, entered into a stock subscription agreement with one investor, the Michael Mathews 2011 Children’s GRAT (the “Trust”). Michael Mathews is the Company’s Executive Chairman. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company issued 357,143 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, at $0.70 per share, for a total subscription price of $250,000.

 

Warrants

 

On January 3, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with a consultant to assist the Company in general corporate activities, including, but not limited to, strategic planning; management and business operations; introductions to further the Company’s business goals; provide advice and services related to the Company’s growth initiatives; and any other consulting or advisory services which the Company reasonably requests that Consultant provide to the Company. The Term is for six months and the consultant was compensated with 1,000,000 stock purchase warrants with a maturity of 5 years and an exercise price of $0.40 per share. As of December 31, 2011, the Company expensed $222,761 to consulting expense for this issuance. On March 19, 2012, the consultant agreed to cancel these 1,000,000 warrants.

 

On January 3, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with a consultant to assist the Company in general corporate activities, including, but not limited to, strategic planning; management and business operations; introductions to further the Company’s business goals; provide advice and services related to the Company’s growth initiatives; and any other consulting or advisory services which the Company reasonably requests that Consultant provide to the Company. The Term is for six months and the consultant was compensated with 1,000,000 stock purchase warrants with a maturity of 5 years and an exercise price of $0.40 per share. As of December 31, 2011, the Company expensed $222,761 to consulting expense for this issuance. On March 19, 2012, the consultant agreed to cancel these 250,000 warrants.

 

On March 3, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with a consultant to assist the Company in general corporate activities, including, but not limited to, strategic planning; management and business operations; introductions to further the Company’s business goals; provide advice and services related to the Company’s growth initiatives; and any other consulting or advisory services which the Company reasonably requests that Consultant provide to the Company. The Term is for six months and the consultant was compensated with 1,000,000 stock purchase warrants with a maturity of 5 years and an exercise price of $0.40 per share. As of December 31, 2011, the Company expensed $222,761 to consulting expense for this issuance. On March 19, 2012, the consultant agreed to cancel these 250,000 warrants.

 

The following is a summary of the Company’s warrant activity:

 

    Warrants     Weighted Average Exercise Price  
             
Outstanding – December 31, 2011     6,956,024     $ 0.40  
Granted     2,531,250     $ 0.60  
Exercised     -     $ -  
Forfeited/Cancelled     (1,500,000 )   $ 0.40  
Outstanding – December 31, 2012     7,987,274     $ 0.45  
Exercisable – December 31, 2012     7,987,274     $ 0.45  

 

Warrants Outstanding   Warrants Exercisable
                             
Range of exercise price   Number
Outstanding
  Weighted Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
(in years)
      Weighted Average
Exercise Price
      Number
Exercisable
    Weighted
Average
Exercise Price
 
$ 0.40 – 0.60   7,987,274 3.35   $ 0.45   7,987,274   $ 0.45  

   

At December 31, 2012 and 2011 the total intrinsic value of warrants outstanding and exercisable was $0 and $0, respectively.

 

F- 21
 

 

Equity Incentive Plan

 

On July 9, 2012, the Board of Directors approved by unanimous written consent the Amended Plan amending Section 4 of the Plan solely to increase the number of authorized shares subject to the Plan from 5,000,000 shares to 7,500,000 shares of common stock.

 

On May 9, 2011, the Board of Directors of Wizard World approved, authorized and adopted (subject to stockholder approval) the 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan provides for the issuance of up to 3,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, of the Company through the grant of non-qualified options (the “Non-qualified Options”), incentive options (the “Incentive Options” and together with the Non-qualified Options, the “Options”) and restricted stock (the “Restricted Stock”) to directors, officers, consultants, attorneys, advisors and employees.

 

The 2011 Award Plan shall be administered by a committee consisting of two or more independent, non-employee and outside directors (the “Committee”). In the absence of such a Committee, the Board of the Company shall administer the Plan.

 

Each Option shall contain the following material terms:

 

(i) the exercise price, which shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value (defined as the closing price on the final trading day immediately prior to the grant on the principal exchange or quotation system on which the common stock is listed or quoted, as applicable) of the common stock of the Company, provided that if the recipient of the Option owns more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of the Company, the exercise price shall be at least 110% of the Fair Market Value;

 

(ii) the term of each Option shall be fixed by the Committee, provided that such Option shall not be exercisable more than five (5) years after the date such Option is granted, and provided further that with respect to an Incentive Option, if the recipient owns more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of the Company, the Incentive Option shall not be exercisable more than five (5) years after the date such Incentive Option is granted;

 

(iii) subject to acceleration in the event of a Change of Control of the Company (as further described in the Plan), the period during which the Options vest shall be designated by the Committee or, in the absence of any Option vesting periods designated by the Committee at the time of grant, shall vest and become exercisable in equal amounts on each fiscal quarter of the Company through the four (4) year anniversary of the date on which the Option was granted;

 

(iv) no Option is transferable and each is exercisable only by the recipient of such Option except in the event of the death of the recipient; and

 

(v) with respect to Incentive Options, the aggregate Fair Market Value of common stock exercisable for the first time during any calendar year shall not exceed $100,000.

 

Each award of Restricted Stock is subject to the following material terms:

 

(i) no rights to an award of Restricted Stock is granted to the intended recipient of Restricted Stock unless and until the grant of Restricted Stock is accepted within the period prescribed by the Committee;

 

(ii) Restricted Stock shall not be delivered until they are free of any restrictions specified by the Committee at the time of grant;

 

(iii) recipients of Restricted Stock have the rights of a stockholder of the Company as of the date of the grant of the Restricted Stock;

 

(iv) shares of Restricted Stock are forfeitable until the terms of the Restricted Stock grant have been satisfied or the employment with the Company is terminated; and

 

(v) the Restricted Stock is not transferable until the date on which the Committee has specified such restrictions have lapsed.

 

Note 8 – Income Tax Provision

 

Deferred Tax Assets

 

At December 31, 2012, the Company has available for federal income tax purposes a net operating loss (“NOL”) carry-forwards of approximately $1,435,000, that may be used to offset future taxable income through the fiscal year ending December 31, 2032. No tax benefit has been reported with respect to these net operating loss carry-forwards in the accompanying consolidated financial statements since the Company believes that the realization of its net deferred tax asset of approximately $487,000 was not considered more likely than not and accordingly, the potential tax benefits of the net loss carry-forwards are fully offset by a valuation allowance of $487,000 .

 

F- 22
 

  

Deferred tax assets consist primarily of the tax effect of NOL carry-forwards. The Company has provided a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets because of the uncertainty regarding its realizabilition. The valuation allowance increased approximately $67,000 and $239,000 for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

 

Components of deferred tax assets are as follows:

 

    December 31, 2012     December 31,  2011  
Net deferred tax assets – Non-current:                
                 
Expected income tax benefit from NOL carry-forwards   $ 487,000     $ 420,000  
Less valuation allowance     (487,000 )     (420,000 )
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance   $ -     $ -  

 

Income Tax Provision in the Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

A reconciliation of the federal statutory income tax rate and the effective income tax rate as a percentage of income before income taxes is as follows:

 

    For the Year Ended December 31, 2012     For the Year Ended December 31, 2011  
                 
Federal statutory income tax rate     34.0 %     34.0 %
                 
Change in valuation allowance on net operating loss carry-forwards     (34.0 )%     (34.0 )%
                 
Effective income tax rate     0.0 %     0.0 %

 

Note 9 – Subsequent Events

 

The Company has evaluated all events that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date when the financial statements were issued to determine if they must be reported. The Management of the Company determined that there were certain reportable subsequent events to be disclosed as follows:

 

On March 17, 2013, the Company appointed two new directors to the Board.  Each director was awarded non-qualified stock options to purchase up to 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.40 per share.  The option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter ended March 31, 2013, and pro-rated for the number of days each director serves on the Board during such fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if either new director ceases to be a member of Board at any time during the three (3)-year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.  

  

F- 23
 

 

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

There are no reportable events under this item for the year ended December 31, 2012.

 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

 

(a) EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Based on their evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) are not effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in report that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

(b) MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

 

This Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls. Internal Control Over Financial Reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the issuer’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:

 

  (1) Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the issuer;

 

  (2) Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the issuer are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the registrant; and
     
  (3) Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the issuer’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

28
 

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is appropriately recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the specified time periods.

 

Management has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on the framework established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”).

 

Based on this assessment, management concluded that as of December 31, 2012, it had material weaknesses in its internal control procedures.

 

A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of December 31, 2012, we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective. The Company’s assessment identified certain material weaknesses which are set forth below:

 

Functional Controls and Segregation of Duties

 

Because of the company’s limited resources, there are limited controls over information processing, and no internal controls over the accuracy, completeness and authorization of transactions.

 

There is an inadequate segregation of duties consistent with control objectives. Our Company’s management is composed of a small number of individuals resulting in a situation where limitations on segregation of duties exist. In order to remedy this situation we would need to hire additional staff to provide greater segregation of duties. Currently, it is not feasible to hire additional staff to obtain optimal segregation of duties. Management will reassess this matter in the following year to determine whether improvement in segregation of duty is feasible.

 

There is a lack of top level reviews in place to review targets, product development, joint ventures or financing. All major business decisions are carried out by the officers with board of director approval when needed.

 

Accordingly, as the result of identifying the above material weaknesses we have concluded that these control deficiencies resulted in a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by the Company’s internal controls.

 

Management believes that the material weaknesses set forth above were the result of the scale of our operations and are intrinsic to our small size. Management believes these weaknesses did not have a material effect on our financial results and intends to take remedial actions upon receiving funding for the Company’s business operations.

 

This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to temporary rules of the SEC that permit the Company to provide only management’s report herein.

 

29
 

 

(c) CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

 

We are committed to improving our financial organization. As part of this commitment, we will create a position to segregate duties consistent with control objectives and will increase our personnel resources and technical accounting expertise within the accounting function when funds are available to us by preparing and implementing sufficient written policies and checklists which will set forth procedures for accounting and financial reporting with respect to the requirements and application of US GAAP and SEC disclosure requirements.

 

Management believes that preparing and implementing sufficient written policies and checklists will remedy the material weaknesses pertaining to insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting and financial reporting with respect to the requirements and application of US GAAP and SEC disclosure requirements. We intend to take appropriate and reasonable steps to make the necessary improvements to remediate these deficiencies, including:

 

  (1) We will document a formal code of ethics.
     
  (2) We will revise processes to provide for a greater role of independent board members in the oversight and review until such time that we are adequately capitalized to permit hiring additional personnel to address segregation of duties issues, ineffective controls over the revenue cycle and insufficient supervision and review by our corporate management.
     
  (3) We will continue to update the documentation of our internal control processes, including formal risk assessment of our financial reporting processes.

 

We intend to consider the results of our remediation efforts and related testing as part of our year-end 2012 assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Subsequent to December 31 2012, we have undertaken the following steps to address the deficiencies stated above:

 

  Continued the development and documentation of internal controls and procedures surrounding the financial reporting process, primarily through the use of account reconciliations, and supervision.

 

Item 9B. Other Information.

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

The following table discloses our directors and executive officers as of April 1, 2013. There are no familial relationships between or among the directors or executive officers of the Company.

 

Name   Age     Title
           
John M. Macaluso (1)     56     Chief Executive Officer, Chairman
             
Michael Mathews (1)     51     Chairman
             
John Maatta     60     Director
             
GregSuess     40     Director
             
Vadim Mats     28     Director
             
Paul L. Kessler     52     Director
             
Kenneth Shamus     42     Director

 

  (1) Effective October 10, 2012, Mr. Mathews resigned as Chairman of the Board and the Board appointed Mr. Macaluso as Chairman of the Board

  

John M. Macaluso, age 56, Chief Executive Officer, Director

 

John M. Macaluso has served as a member of our Board since May 13, 2011. Mr. Macaluso is the founder, sole owner and Chief Executive Officer of California Concepts, a domestic manufacturer of domestic and imported women’s and girls’ clothing, which operated as such from 1987 through 2007. In 2007, Mr. Macaluso exited the clothing business and transitioned California Concepts into a real estate development business, managing projects in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Big Sky, Montana at the Yellowstone Club, among others.

 

The Board believes that Mr. Macaluso’s business experience with managing gross profit margins, markdown allowances, budgets and negotiating effective costs of goods purchased will be a significant asset to the Company with respect to, among other things, its operating budget as a growing public company.

 

John Maatta, age 60, Director

 

John Maatta has been a member of our Board since May 25, 2011. Since 2006, Mr. Maatta has been the Chief Operating Officer of The CW Network, which is America’s fifth broadcast network and a network that focuses substantially on targeting young adults between the ages of 18 and 34. From September 2005 through September 2006, Mr. Maatta served as the Chief Operating Officer of The WB, a Warner Bros. television network (“The WB”), where he had direct oversight of all business and operations departments, such as business affairs, finance, network distribution (which included The WB 100+ station group), technology, legal, research, network operations, broadcast standards and human resources. While Chief Operating Officer at The WB, Mr. Maatta also served as The WB’s General Counsel. Mr. Maatta is currently a director of Trader Vics, Inc., a Polynesian-style restaurant chain, a position he has held since 1998. Mr. Maatta received a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of San Francisco in 1974, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 1977.

 

31
 

 

The Board believes that Mr. Maatta’s experience with operating companies in the entertainment industry and his contacts in the industry will be an important factor in the Company’s growth as a digital entertainment and event company.

 

Greg Suess, age 40, Director

 

Greg Suess has been a director of our Company since May 9, 2011. In 2000, he founded ROAR, a Beverly Hills-based management and consulting company that focuses on media and entertainment and provides comprehensive management services for its clients, including talent and brand management, managing partnerships, strategic alliances and marketing strategies that engage consumers through entertainment, music and lifestyle experiences. Mr. Suess is, and has been since inception, a partner at ROAR. Since 1997, Greg has been with the law firm of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard, Avchen& Shapiro, LLP, where he is currently Partner and focuses on general corporate law and media and entertainment. Mr. Suess also serves on the board of directors of Research Solutions, Inc. Mr. Suess holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California (Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies), and holds a JD/MBA from Pepperdine University. He is a member of the State Bar of California.

 

The Board believes that Mr. Suess’ extensive experience and background in the media and entertainment industry complements the Company’s events business, its new digital initiatives and its new online media Wizard World Digital, which covers new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world.

 

Vadim Mats, age 28, Director

 

Vadim Mats has been a director of our Company since January 14, 2011. Mr. Mats is also, and has been since June 28, 2010, the Chief Financial Officer of FWS Capital Ltd. Prior to joining FWS Capital Ltd., Mr. Mats served as an accounting consultant to various companies from December 2009 until June 2010. Mr. Mats was also previously the assistant controller at Eton Park Capital Management, a multi-strategy fund, from July 16, 2007 to December 1, 2009. From June 2006 to July 2007, Mr. Mats was a senior fund accountant at The Bank of New York Mellon, where he was responsible for over fifteen funds. Mr. Mats graduated cum laude from the Zicklin School of Business at Bernard Baruch College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, specializing in finance and investments.

 

Mr. Mats’ extensive experience and background in finance, accounting and investment funds will be a significant asset to the Company’s operation as a public company.

 

Paul L. Kessler, age 52

 

Paul L. Kessler, age 52, combines over 30 years of experience as an investor, financier and venture capitalist. In 2000, Mr. Kessler founded Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC, a Los Angeles based investment advisor, and has served as the Principal and Portfolio Manager from 2000 through the present. Mr. Kessler has broad experience in operating, financing, capital formation, negotiating, structuring and re-structuring investment transactions. He is involved in all aspects of the investment process including identification and engagement of portfolio companies. His investment experience encompasses both public and private companies. Mr. Kessler actively works with executives and boards of companies on corporate governance and oversight, strategic repositioning and alignment of interests with shareholders.

 

The Board believes that Mr. Kessler’s extensive experience in matters including capital formation, corporate finance, investment banking, founder, owner, operator of successful companies, corporate governance, as well as his understanding of capital markets, will provide a significant contribution to the growth of the Company.

 

Kenneth Shamus, age 42

 

Kenneth Shamus, age 42, combines over 25 years of experience in the Toys & Collectibles Industry. From 1990 through present, Mr. Shamus is the Chief Executive Officer of ToyWiz, Inc., an online toys, action figures and trading card games company.

 

The Board believes that the combination of Mr. Shamus’s extensive experience in the pop culture space, including toys, games, action figures and collectible trading cards, and his business acumen brings a unique blend of skills to the Company and will help steer the Company’s growth and development.

 

32
 

 

Family Relationships

 

There are no family relationships among our directors, executive officers, or persons nominated or chosen by the Company to become directors or executive officers. Kenneth Shamus is part of the family that owns Kicking the Can LLC, 4 Brothers LLC, It’s All Normal, LLC and Pivot Media LLC.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our Board currently has an Audit Committee and a Compensation Committee.

 

Audit Committee

 

On March 17, 2013, the Board authorized the creation of an Audit Committee. Messrs. Vats, Shamus and Kessler were appointed initial members of the Audit Committee, with Mr. Mats serving as chairman. The Audit Committee has not yet adopted a written charter but its functions shall include: selecting our independent registered public accountants; reviewing the results and scope of the audit and other services provided by our independent registered public accountants; reviewing our financial statements for each interim period and for our year end and our internal financial and accounting controls; and recommending, establishing and monitoring the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures.

 

Compensation Committee

 

On March 17, 2013, the Board authorized the creation of a Compensation Committee. The Board appointed Messrs. Suess, Mats and Maatta as initial members, with Mr. Suess serving as Chairman. While the committee has not yet adopted a written charter, the Compensation Committee shall be responsible for establishing and administering our policies involving the compensation of all of our executive officers and establishing and recommending to our Board the terms and conditions of all employee and consultant compensation and benefit plans.

 

Committee Charters

 

The Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee have not yet adopted written charters which govern their conduct. The committees anticipate adopting such charters by the end of the next fiscal quarter.

 

Board Oversight in Risk Management

 

Risk is inherent with every business, and how well a business manages risk can ultimately determine its success. We face a number of risks, including liquidity risk, operational risk, strategic risk and reputation risk. Our Chief Executive Officer also serves as one of our directors. In the context of risk oversight, at the present stage of our operations we believe that our selection of one person to serve in both positions provides the Board with additional perspective which combines the operational experience of a member of management with the oversight focus of a member of the Board. The business and operations of the Company are managed by our Board as a whole, including oversight of various risks that the Company faces.

 

Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act

 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s directors, executive officers and persons who beneficially own 10% or more of a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act to file reports of beneficial ownership and changes in beneficial ownership with the SEC. Directors, executive officers and greater than 10% stockholders are required by the rules and regulations of the SEC to furnish the Company with copies of all reports filed by them in compliance with Section 16(a).

 

33
 

 

Based solely on our review of certain reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the reports required to be filed with respect to transactions in our common stock during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, were timely.

 

Code of Ethics

 

We have not yet adopted a code of ethics because we wanted to complete our constitution of the Board prior to adopting such code of ethics to allow the entire Board to review and approve a code of ethics.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

There are no material proceedings to which any director or officer, or any associate of any such director or officer, is a party that is adverse to our Company or any of our subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to our Company or any of our subsidiaries. No director or executive officer has been a director or executive officer of any business which has filed a bankruptcy petition or had a bankruptcy petition filed against it during the past ten years. No director or executive officer has been convicted of a criminal offense or is the subject of a pending criminal proceeding during the past ten years. No director or executive officer has been the subject of any order, judgment or decree of any court permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his involvement in any type of business, securities or banking activities during the past ten years. No director or officer has been found by a court to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law during the past ten years.

 

34
 

 

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

 

2012 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

 

Name and Principal Position   Year     Salary  ($)     Bonus  ($)     Stock Awards  ($)     Option Awards  ($)     Non-Equity  Incentive Plan  Compensation  (S)        Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings
($)  
    All Other Compensation  ($)     Total  ($)  
                                                       
Gareb Shamus (1)     2012     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
Former Chief Executive     2011     $ 76,066     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 76,066  
Officer and President     2010     $ 76,800     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 299,235     $ 376,035  
                                                                         
Terry Fields (2)     2012     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
Former Chief Financial     2011     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 1,827     $ 1,827  
Officer     2010     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
                                                                         
Michael Mathews (3)     2012     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
Former Chairman     2011     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
      2010     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
                                                                         
John M. Macaluso (4)     2012     $ 180,000     $ 0     $ 0     $ 264,359     $ 0     $ 50,000     $ 15,780     $ 510,139  
Chief Executive Officer     2011     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
Chairman     2010     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  

 

(1) Mr. Shamus was appointed on December 7, 2010, and therefore did not have any relevant compensation to report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. Mr. Shamus resigned from his respective executive officer and director positions on December 1, 2011. On December 31, 2010, the Company determined that the outstanding loan and interest in the amount of $299,235 to Wizard Entertainment, was uncollectable. Because Wizard Entertainment is controlled by Gareb Shamus, the Company determined that balance should be considered compensation. The Company recorded $299,235 to compensation expense.
   
(2) Mr. Fields resigned from his position as Chief Financial Officer and as a member of the Company’s board of directors on January 4, 2011.
   
(3) Mr. Mathews assumed the role of the Company’s Executive Chairman on December 1, 2011. On March 19, 2012, Mr. Mathews resigned as the Company’s Executive Chairman in order to return to his role as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. On October 10, 2012, Mr. Mathews resigned as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. Mr. Mathews was compensated through his consulting agreement as described below.
   
(4) Mr. Macaluso was appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer on March 19, 2012. On October 10, 2012, Mr. Macaluso was appointed as the Company’s Chairman of the Board.

 

Employment Agreement with John M. Macaluso

 

On March 19, 2012, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Employment Agreement”) with Mr. John M. Macaluso, a director of the Company, in connection with his appointment as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. The initial term of the Agreement is for a period of three (3) years, commencing on March 19, 2012 (the “Commencement Date”) and will be automatically extended for additional terms of one (1) year each (each a “Renewal Term” and together with the Initial Term, the “Term”), unless either the Company or Macaluso gives prior written notice of non-renewal to the other party no later than sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the then current Term.

 

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During the Term, the Company will pay Macaluso a base salary (the “Base Salary”) consisting of the following: (i) for the period from the Commencement Date to June 30, 2012, a salary of $10,000 per month; (ii) for the period from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012, a salary of $30,000 per month, $20,000 of which shall be paid in cash and $10,000 of which shall accrue until December 31, 2012, for a total accrual amount of $60,000 (the “Accrual Amount”). In the event that the Company achieves a Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in the Employment Agreement) of at least $100,000 (the “Adjusted EBITDA Milestone”) during fiscal year 2012, the Accrual Amount shall be immediately payable to Macaluso in cash. In the event that the Adjusted EBITDA Milestone is not reached, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), in its sole discretion, may elect to defer cash payment of the Accrual Amount or any portion thereof for an additional period of up to 12 months; and (iii) for the period from January 1, 2013 until March 18, 2015, the Executive shall be entitled to a salary of $20,000 per month. In addition to the Base Salary, the Company agreed to issue to Macaluso a common stock purchase warrant to purchase 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.44 per share. The warrants vest quarterly over the Initial Term.

 

In connection with the Employment Agreement, Macaluso entered into an option agreement (the “Option Agreement”) with the Company, pursuant to which the Company granted to Macaluso 2,750,000 options (the “Options”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to Macaluso continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

Consulting Agreements

 

Michael Mathews

 

On March 23, 2011, the Company entered into a consulting agreement (the “Mathews Consulting Agreement”) with Mr. Mathews, the Company’s former Chairman , pursuant to which Mr. Mathews will, among other things, develop a digital platform for the Company and establish digital planning systems that will include all forms of digital media and social, search, content, and video applications. The term of the Mathews Consulting Agreement is for a four (4) year period. As compensation for his services, Mr. Mathews shall receive a total of 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, with the first 250,000 shares issued on March 23, 2011. As of March 31, 2013, Mr. Mathews has received 500,000 shares under the Mathews Consulting Agreement.

 

CA Concepts

 

On September 1, 2011, the Company entered into a verbal agreement with California Concepts, Inc. (“Concepts”), to provide consulting services to the Company. John M. Macaluso, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, is the chief executive officer of Concepts. Pursuant to the terms of the consulting agreement, Concepts was to receive $10,000 per month for the consulting services. On February 7, 2012, the Company entered into a formal written agreement, documenting the terms of the previous verbal agreement. On March 19, 2012, in conjunction with Mr. Macaluso’s appointment as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the consulting agreement with Concepts was terminated. Concepts received $40,000 for services rendered during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. For the period from January 1, 2012, until March 19, 2012, Concepts received a total of $25,384.79 for services rendered.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards

 

    2012 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
    OPTION AWARDS   STOCK AWARDS  
Name (a)   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
(b)
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable (c)
    Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised Unearned Options
(#)
(d)
    Option
Exercise
Price
($)
(e)
    Option
Expiration
Date
(f)
    Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
That Have
Not Vested
(#)
(g)
    Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock
That
Have Not
Vested
($)
(h)
    Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
(j)
 
                                                                     

John M. Macaluso (1)

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

  -     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -  
                                                                     
Michael Mathews (2) Former Chairman   -     -       -       -       -       0       0       -       -  

 

(1) Mr. Macaluso was appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer on March 19, 2012. On October 10, 2012, Mr. Macaluso was appointed as the Company’s Chairman of the Board.
   
(2) Mr. Mathews assumed the role of the Company’s Executive Chairman on December 1, 2011. On March 19, 2012, Mr. Mathews resigned as the Company’s Executive Chairman in order to return to his role as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. On October 10, 2012, Mr. Mathews resigned as the Company’s Chairman of the Board.

  

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Director Compensation

 

The following summary compensation table sets forth all compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the named directors by us during the year ended December 31, 2012.

 

                                  Non-Equity              
Name                                 Incentive              
And                     Stock     Option     Plan     All Other        
Principal
Position
  Year     Salary ($)     Bonus ($)     Awards ($)     Awards ($)     Compensation ($)     Compensation ($)     Total ($)  
(a)   (b)     (c)     (d)     (e)     (f)     (g)     (h)     (i)  
                                                 
Michael Mathews     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ 0     $ -     $ 10,000     $ 10,000  
Former Chairman(1)                                                                
                                                                 
John M. Macaluso     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964  
Chairman (2)                                                                
                                                                 
GregSuess     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964  
Director                                                                
                                                                 
John Maatta     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964     $ -     $ -     $ 12,964  
Director                                                                
                                                                 
Vadim Mats     2012     $ -     $ -     $ 8,000     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ 8,000  
Director                                                                
                                                                 
Paul L. Kessler     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
Director(3)                                                                
                                                                 
Kenneth Shamus     2012     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
Director(4)                                                                

 

(1) Mr. Mathews resigned as Chairman on October 10, 2012.
(2) Mr. Macaluso was appointed as Chairman on October 10, 2012.
(3) Mr. Kessler was appointed as a member of the Board on March 17, 2013.
(4) Mr. Shamus was appointed as a member of the Board on March 17, 2013.

 

Director Agreements

 

The Company has entered into director agreements with each of its directors. Each director agreement commences on the date that the respective director was appointed a member of the Board and continues through the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting, unless automatically renewed at the option of the Board on such date that such director is re-elected to the Board. Pursuant to the director agreements entered into with our directors other than Mr. Mathews and Mr. Mats, each director is granted a non-qualified option to purchase up to 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. Mr. Mats’ director agreement provides for a quarterly issuance of 10,000 shares of restricted common stock. Mr. Mats was not granted non-qualified options to purchase the Company’s common stock. Mr. Mathews’ director agreement provides for a quarterly stipend of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000). Other than an initial $10,000 payment, Mr. Mathews waived the remainder of this stipend during the year ended December 31, 2012.

 

37
 

 

In conjunction with the director agreements, we entered into an indemnification agreement with each director that is effective during the term that such director serves as a member of the Board until six years thereafter. The indemnification agreement indemnifies the director to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law for any claims arising out of, or resulting from, among other things, (i) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act as a director or agent of the Company and (ii) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act in respect of any business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other activity of the Company. Further, the director is indemnified for any losses pertaining to such claims, provided, however, that the losses not include expenses incurred by the director in respect of any claim as which such director shall have been adjudged liable to the Company, unless the Delaware Chancery Court rules otherwise.

 

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares, of which 80,000,000 are for shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 are for shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 50,000 have been designated as Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. As of March 28,2013, there were 35,794,878 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, all of which were fully paid, non-assessable and entitled to vote. Each share of our common stock entitles its holder to one vote on each matter submitted to the stockholders.

 

The following table sets forth information as of March 28,2013, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by (i) each of our officers and directors, (ii) our officers and directors as a group and (iii) each person known by us to beneficially own five percent (5%) or more of our outstanding common stock. Unless otherwise specified, the address of each of the persons set forth below is in care of Wizard World, Inc., 1300 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

 

Title of Class   Name of Beneficial Owner (1)     Number of Shares     Percent of Class (2)  
                   
Common     Vadim Mats, Director     60,000 (3)      * %
Common     Greg Suess, Director     0 (4)      * %
Common     John M. Macaluso, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman     8,100,000 (5)     23 %
Common     John Maatta, Director     0 (6)      * %
Common     Paul L. Kessler, Director     8,002,992 (7)     22 %
Common     Kenneth Shamus, Director     0 (8)     * %
                       
Common     All officers and directors as a group (6 persons)     14,879,604       45 %
                       
Common     4 Brothers LLC(9)     3,351,250       9 %
Common     Its All Normal LLC (10)     2,393,750       7 %
Common     Pivot Medica LLC (11)     3,830,000       11 %
Common     Robert Knie     2,400,000 (12)     7 %
Common     The David Rosenberg Irrevocable Trust (13)     2,150,000       6 %
Common     Eric Weisblum     1,950,000       5 %
                       
Common     Gem Funding LLC (14)     0 (15)     * %
                       
Common     All officers, directors and 5% holders as a group(13 persons)     30,954,604       90 %

 

* denotes less than 1%

 

(1) Beneficial ownership generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Unless otherwise indicated, each of the beneficial owners listed above has direct ownership of and sole voting power and investment power with respect to the securities. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d–3(d)(1) under the Exchange Act and includes securities for which the beneficial owner has the right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days.

 

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(2) Based on 35,794,878 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of March 29, 2013.
   
(3) This total does not include shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 150,000 shares of common stock, of which approximately 94,521 have vested.
   
(4) Does not include (i) shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 150,000 shares of common stock, of which approximately 94,521 have vested; (ii) 62,500 shares of common stock underlying Series A Preferred Stock; and warrants to purchase 18,750 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.40.
   
(5) Does not include (i) shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 150,000 shares of common stock, of which approximately 93,973 have vested (ii) shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 2,750,000 shares of common stock, of which 941,781 have vested; (iii) 250,000 shares of common stock underlying Series A Preferred Stock; (iv) warrants to purchase 75,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.40; and (v) warrants to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.40.
   
(6) Does not include shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 150,000 shares of common stock, of which approximately 92,329 have vested.
   
(7) The shares are owned by Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company managed by Bristol Capital Advisors LLC (“Bristol Capital”), a Delaware limited liability company. Mr. Kessler, as the manager of Bristol Capital , acting alone, has voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned. This total does not include: (i) 750,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.40 per share; (ii) 625,000 shares of common stock underlying Series A Preferred Stock and (iii) warrants to purchase 187,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.40.
   
(8) This total does not include shares issuable upon exercise of an option for 150,000 shares of common stock, of which approximately 1,644 have vested. Mr. Shamus is part of the family that owns Kicking the Can LLC, 4 Brothers LLC, It’s All Normal, LLC and Pivot Media LLC.
   
(9) 4 Brothers LLC is organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Gareb Shamus is the managing member of 4 Brothers LLC, and, acting alone, has voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by 4 Brothers LLC.
   
(10) It’s All Normal LLC is organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Gareb Shamus is the managing member of It’s All Normal LLC, and, acting alone, has voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by It’s All Normal LLC.
   
(11) Pivot Media LLC is organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. Gareb Shamus is the managing member of Pivot Media LLC, and, acting alone, has voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by Pivot Media LLC.
   
(12) This total does not include (i) 100,000 shares underlying a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $40,000 (ii) 50,000 warrants at an exercise price of $0.40; and (iii) 750,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.40.
   
(13) The beneficiary of the trust is Natalie Schlossberg and the trustee is Mitch Schlossberg, the son of Natalie Schlossberg.
   
(14) Gem Funding LLC is organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. CorieWeisblum is the managing member of Gem Funding LLC, and, acting alone, has voting and dispositive power over the shares beneficially owned by Gem Funding LLC.
   
(15) This total does not include warrants to purchase 2,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.40 per share.

 

39
 

 

Stock Option Issuances Under the 2011 Incentive Compensation and Award Plan

 

Option Grants

 

On May 9, 2011, as subsequently amended on September 14, 2011, April 11, 2012 and July 9, 2012, we adopted the 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan, which was authorized and approved by the Board, and have granted to all directors (other than our former Chairman Michael Mathews, who received restricted stock awards) options to purchase our common stock pursuant to the terms of their employment, consulting and/or director agreements.

 

In conjunction with the director agreements and indemnification agreements described above, we entered into a Non-qualified Stock Option Agreement (“Stock Option Agreement”) with each director, pursuant to which the director was granted a non-qualified stock purchase option (the “Non-qualified Option”) to purchase up to an aggregate of one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) shares of our common stock, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. The exercise price for the Non-qualified Option is the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the execution date of the director agreement. The Non-qualified Option is exercisable for a period of five years and vests in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, and pro-rated for the number of days the director served on the Board during such fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the director ceases to be a member of Board at any time during the three (3)-year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested portion of the Non-qualified Option shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

In addition, in connection with Mr. Macaluso’s Employment Agreement, Mr. Macaluso entered into an option agreement, dated March 19, 2012 (the “Option Agreement”), with the Company, pursuant to which the Company granted to Mr. Macaluso 2,750,000 options (the “Options”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to Mr. Macaluso continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

Restricted Stock Awards

 

On March 23, 2011, we entered into the Consulting Agreement with our Chairman Michael Mathews, pursuant to which Mr. Mathews will, among other things, develop a digital platform for the Company and establish digital planning systems that will include all forms of digital media and social, search, content, and video applications. The term of the Consulting Agreement is for a four (4) year period. As compensation for his services, Mr. Mathews received, with the first issuance of 250,000 shares occurring on March 23, 2011, one million (1,000,000) restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, issuable in four yearly installments. Mr. Mathews has received 500,000 shares under the Consulting Agreement as of the date hereof.

 

On January 14, 2011, we entered into a director agreement with Vadim Mats . The term of the Agreement is for one year. As compensation for his services, Mr. Mats shall receive at the end of every fiscal   quarter during the Directorship Term ten thousand (10,000) shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. For any period during the term that Mr. Mats does not serve a full quarter, the amount of shares of common stock issued shall be pro-rated based on the number of days during such quarter that the Mr. Mats was a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. On April 11, 2012, Mr. Mats waived his right to receive the stock award granted to him under his director agreement going forward.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

General

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000 shares, of which 80,000,000 shares are common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 20,000,000 are for shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 50,000 have been designated as Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”).

 

Common Stock

 

As of March 28,2013, there were 35,794,878 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding held by 31 beneficial owners or record.

 

40
 

 

Voting Rights

 

Each share of stock entitles the holder to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a stockholder vote. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at an annual shareholders’ meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors. Any other action shall be authorized by a majority of the votes cast, unless otherwise provided under the Delaware General Corporation Law. Holders of our stock representing a majority of the voting power of our capital stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, are necessary to constitute a quorum at any meeting of our stockholders.

 

Dividend Rights

 

Holders of our common stock are entitled to share in all dividends that our board of directors, in its discretion, declares from legally available funds, but only after we have satisfied our dividend obligations to the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock.

 

Liquidation Rights

 

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each outstanding share entitles its holder to participate pro rata in all assets that are legally available for distribution and remain after (i) payment of liabilities and (ii) payment in full of all amounts due to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock (on an as converted basis).

 

Conversion and Redemption Rights

 

Holders of our common stock have no pre-emptive rights, no conversion rights and there are no redemption provisions applicable to our common stock.

 

Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock

 

As of March 28,2013, there were approximately 39,101 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding held by approximately 47 shareholders of record. Each share of our Series A Preferred Stock has a stated value equal to $100.00 (the “Stated Value”).

 

Voting Rights

 

The holders of our Series A Preferred Stock do not vote together with the holders of our common stock on an as converted basis. The vote of the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock is required, however, to (i) amend our certificate of incorporation or bylaws in a way that would be adverse to the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock, (ii) redeem or repurchase our stock (other than with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock), (iii) effect a liquidation event, (iv) declare or pay dividends (other than on the Series A Preferred Stock), and (v) issue any securities in parity or senior to the rights of the Series A Preferred Stock.

 

Dividends

 

The holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to receive preferential dividends at the rate of 8% per share per annum of the Stated Value out of any funds legally available, and before any dividend or other distribution will be paid or declared and set apart for payment on any shares of our common stock. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the dividend rate will increase to 15% per annum on the Stated Value. The dividends compound annually and are fully cumulative, accumulate from the date of original issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock, and are payable annually on the last day of each calendar year, in arrears, (i) in cash; (ii) at our option, in additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock valued at the Stated Value in an amount equal to 150% of the cash dividend otherwise payable; or (iii) at our option, a combination of cash and additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock.

 

41
 

 

Liquidation

 

Upon the occurrence of a “liquidation event”, the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to receive, before any payment or distribution is made on any shares of our common stock, out of the assets available for distribution to our stockholders, an amount equal to two (2) times the Stated Value and all accrued and unpaid dividends. If the assets available are insufficient to pay the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock in full, then the assets will be distributed pro rata among the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock.

 

A “liquidation event” occurs in the event of (i) our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, whether voluntary or involuntary, (ii) (A) our purchase or redemption of any shares of any class of our stock or (B) a merger or consolidation with or into any entity, unless, among other things, the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock receive securities of the surviving corporation having substantially similar rights and our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction are holders of at least a majority of the voting securities of the surviving entity.

 

Redemption

 

Upon (i) the occurrence of an event of default, (ii) a “change in control” or (iii) our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, and if the holder of the Series A Preferred Stock so elects, we must pay a sum of money determined by multiplying the then current purchase price of the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock by 110%, plus accrued but unpaid dividends, no later than thirty (30) business days after request for redemption is made. “Change in Control” means (i) our Company no longer having a class of shares publicly traded, listed or quoted, (ii) our becoming a subsidiary of another entity, (iii) a majority of our board of directors as of the Closing Date no longer serving as our directors of the Corporation, and (iv) the sale, lease or transfer of substantially all of our assets or the assets of our subsidiary.

 

Conversion

 

Each holder of our Series A Preferred Stock has the right at any time after the issuance of Series A Preferred Stock to convert the shares at the Stated Value and accrued but unpaid declared dividends into shares of our common stock at a conversion rate of $0.40 per share.

 

Except under certain circumstances (such as the issuance of our common stock pursuant to a stock option plan), if we issue shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our common stock, for a purchase price, conversion price or exercise price that is less than the then current conversion price of our Series A Preferred Stock, then the conversion price of our Series A Preferred Stock will be reduced to such lower price.

 

The conversion price for our Series A Preferred Stock is further adjusted in the event of: (i) a declaration of any dividend or distribution on our common stock, (ii) stock split or (iii) reclassification of our common stock, proportionately so that the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to receive the kind and number of shares or other securities to which they would have owned or have been entitled to receive after the happening of any of such events had such shares of our Series A Preferred Stock been converted immediately prior to the happening of such event.

 

If we merge with or into any other corporation where we are not the surviving entity, then unless the right to convert shares of our Series A Preferred Stock is terminated as part of such merger, then, if permitted under applicable law, the holder of our Series A Preferred Stock will have the right to convert each of their shares of Series A Preferred Stock into the same kind and amount of shares of stock receivable upon the merger. A similar provision applies to the sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

 

If a holder of our Series A Preferred Stock notifies us of such holder’s election to convert and we do not deliver the shares of common stock issuable upon such conversion, and the holder has to buy shares of our common stock on the open market because of their obligation to deliver shares of common stock, then we will pay such holder the difference between the price paid on the open market and the Stated Value. We will also pay interest at the annual rate of 15% for each day that we are late as well as $100 per business day for each $10,000 of Stated Value and dividend which is not timely delivered.

 

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Neither we nor the holder of our Series A Preferred may convert any amount that would result in the holder having a beneficial ownership of our common stock which would be in excess of the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates on the conversion date and (ii) the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion, which would result in the aggregate beneficial ownership by such holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. The holder of our Series A Preferred Stock may waive the conversion limitation in whole or in part upon and effective after sixty one (61) days’ prior written notice to our Company.

 

Common Stock Purchase Warrants

 

Our Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Warrants”) have a term of five years after their issuance date. As of March 28,2013, we have the following warrants outstanding:

 

CLASS OF WARRANT   NUMBER OF UNDERLYING SHARES     EXERCISE PRICE  
             
Series A     2,000,000     $ 0.25  
                 
Series B     1,956,024     $ 0.40  
                 
Series C     1,000,000     $ 0.44  
                 
Series D     1,531,250     $ 0.60  

 

The warrant holder may pay the exercise price in cash or through a cashless exercise if the fair market value of our common stock is greater than the current exercise price.

 

If we issue common stock, except in the event of certain circumstances (such as the issuance of common stock pursuant to a stock option plan), for a consideration less than the exercise price then in effect, then the exercise price will be reduced to the lower exercise price. Upon any reduction of the exercise price, the number of shares of our common stock that the warrant holder is entitled to receive upon exercise will also be adjusted.

 

If, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding, (i) we merge or consolidate with or into another entity, (ii) we sell all or substantially all of our assets, (iii) we effect a tender offer or exchange offer, (iv) we consummate a stock purchase agreement or other business combination with another person or entity that results in such person or entity acquiring more than 50% of our outstanding shares of common stock, (v) any “person” or “group” (as these terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of 50% or more of our common stock in the aggregate or (vi) we effect any reclassification of our common stock or any share exchange where our common stock is converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, then the warrant holder will have the right to receive, for each share of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant, (a) the number of shares of common stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of our Company if we are the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration receivable by the warrant holder of the number of shares of common stock for which the Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such event or (b) under certain transactions (such as where the consideration paid to holders of our common stock consists solely of cash), cash equal to the Black-Scholes value. To the extent necessary to effectuate the above, any successor or surviving entity will issue to the warrant holder a new warrant evidencing the warrant holder's right to exercise such warrant as described above.

 

The warrant holder cannot exercise any amount that would result in the holder having a beneficial ownership of our common stock which would be in excess of the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates on the exercise date and (ii) the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise, which would result in the aggregate beneficial ownership by such holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. The warrant holder may waive the exercise limitation in whole or in part upon and effective after sixty one (61) days’ prior written notice to our Company.

 

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Non-Qualified Stock Options

 

Our Non-qualified Stock Options are issued pursuant to our Plan. We have issued Non-qualified Stock Options to each of our directors (other than our former Chairman Michael Mathews, who received restricted stock awards), pursuant to which each director may purchase up to an aggregate of one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) shares of our Common Stock. The Non-qualified Stock Options vests quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to the optionee continuing to be a member of our board of directors on each applicable vesting date, and remains exercisable until 5:30 p.m. New York time on the date that is the fifth (5th) year anniversary of the date of grant. All or any part of the vested but unexercised portion of the Non-qualified Stock Option is subject to forfeiture under certain circumstances, such as in the event of a breach of insider trading rules or obligations of confidentiality, in the event that the optionee or such optionee’s affiliates competes with our Company or solicits our employees or customers, and in the event of death, disability or retirement.

 

In addition, in connection with Mr. Macaluso’s Employment Agreement, Mr. Macaluso entered into an option agreement, dated March 19, 2012 (the “Option Agreement”), with the Company, pursuant to which the Company granted to Mr. Macaluso 2,750,000 options (the “Options”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to Mr. Macaluso continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions

 

Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire or may discourage acquisition bids for us. Our Board may, without action of our stockholders, issue authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock. The existence of unissued preferred stock may enable the Board, without further action by the stockholders, to issue such stock to persons friendly to current management or to issue such stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. Our shares of preferred stock could therefore be issued quickly with terms that could delay, defer, or prevent a change in control of us, or make removal of management more difficult.

 

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.

 

We present all possible transactions between us and our officers, directors and 5% stockholders, and our affiliates, to our Board for their consideration and approval. Any such transaction will require approval by a majority of the disinterested directors and such transactions will be on terms no less favorable than those available to disinterested third parties. During their year ended December 31, 2012, the Company had the following transactions with related persons reportable under Item 404 of Regulation S-K:

 

Effective September 1, 2011, the Company entered into a consultant agreement with California Concepts, Inc., a company owned by current Chief Executive Officer and Director John M. Macaluso, for management consulting services provided by Mr. Macaluso. The agreement was for $10,000 per month. On March 30, 2012, upon Mr. Macaluso’s appointment as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the consultant agreement was terminated.

 

On May 31, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with ToyWiz, Inc. (“ToyWiz”), a company run by a director of the Company, to monetize the ToyWiz website. Under the terms of such agreement, ToyWiz is paid 50% of the advertising revenue attributable to the ToyWiz site, with a minimum guarantee of $5,000.00 per month.

 

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On September 1, 2012, the Company entered into an agreement with ROAR, LLC (“ROAR”), an entity controlled by a director of the Company. ROAR agrees to provide the Company strategic management consulting services. The term is for three (3) months and following the initial three (3) months, month to month thereafter. The Company agrees to compensate ROAR with a $5,000/month payment and a 10% commission on any contractual introduction for business development introduced by ROAR.

 

Director Independence

 

The common stock of the Company is currently quoted on the OTCBB and OTCQB, quotation systems which currently do not have director independence requirements. On an annual basis, each director and executive officer will be obligated to disclose any transactions with the Company in which a director or executive officer, or any member of his or her immediate family, have a direct or indirect material interest in accordance with Item 407(a) of Regulation S-K. Following completion of these disclosures, the Board will make an annual determination as to the independence of each director using the current standards for “independence” that satisfy the criteria for the Nasdaq.

 

As of April 1, 2013, the Board determined that the following directors are independent under these standards:

 

John Maatta; Vadim Mats; and Greg Suess.

 

The Company has a standing Compensation Committee and a standing Audit Committee. As of April 1, 2013, the Board has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are independent and Mr. Mats is an independent member of the Audit Committee.

 

Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

 

Audit Fees

 

(a) The aggregate fees billed by Li & Company, P.C. for the audit of the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, were $90,500 and $45,000, respectively.

 

Audit Related Fees

 

(b) Li & Company, P.C. did not bill the Company any amounts for assurance and related services that were related to its audit or review of the Company’s financial statements during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

 

Tax Fees

 

(c) The aggregate fees billed by Li & Company, P.C. for tax compliance, advice and planning were $0 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and $0 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

 

All Other Fees

 

(d) Li & Company, P.C. did not bill the Company for any products and services other than the foregoing during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

 

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PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
     
2.1   Share Purchase and Share Exchange Agreement, dated November 5, 2010, by and among GoEnergy, Inc., StratoMalamas, an individual and the majority stockholder of GoEnergy, Inc., Kick the Can Corp., a Nevada corporation, Kicking the Can, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company and the majority shareholder of Kick the Can Corp., and certain shareholders of Kick the Can Corp. that are signatories thereto (as filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on November 16, 2010).
     
3.1   Certificate of Incorporation of GoEnergy, Inc. (as filed as Exhibit 1.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2003).
     
3.2   Bylaws (as filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2003).
     
3.3   Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation of GoEnergy, Inc., dated December 6, 2010 (as filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on December 13, 2010).
     
3.4   Certificate of Correction, dated December 8, 2010 (as filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on December 13, 2010).
     
3.5   Second Certificate of Correction filed January 20, 2011 (as filed as Exhibit 3.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 25, 2011).
     
3.6   Certificate to set forth Designations, Voting Powers, Preferences, Limitations, Restrictions, and Relative Rights of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (as filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on December 13, 2010).
     
3.7   Certificate of Amendment to Certificate to set forth Designations, Voting Powers, Preferences, Limitations, Restrictions, and Relative Rights of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, $.0001 par value per share (as filed as Exhibit 4.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011).
     
3.8   Certificate of Amendment to Certificate to set forth Designations, Voting Powers, Preferences, Limitations, Restrictions, and Relative Rights of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, $.0001 par value per share (as filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 30, 2012).
     
3.9   Amended and Restated Series A Certificate of Designations, dated March 29, 2012 (as filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 30, 2012).
     
4.1   Form of 2011 Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrant (as filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011).
     
4.2   Form of Convertible Promissory Note, dated August 19, 2011 (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 30, 2011).
     
4.3   Form of Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrant (as filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 5, 2012).

 

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4.4   Form of Senior Convertible Debenture (as filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 5, 2012).
     
10.1   Director Agreement, dated January 18, 2011, by and between GoEnergy, Inc. and Vadim Mats (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 18, 2011).
     
10.2   Director Agreement, dated March 23, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Michael Mathews (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2011).
     
10.3   Consultant Agreement, dated March 23, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Michael Mathews (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2011).
     
10.4   Form of 2011 Series A Subscription Agreement (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 25, 2011).
     
10.5   Director Agreement, dated May 9, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Greg Suess(as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on May 9, 2011).
     
10.6   2011 Stock Incentive and Award Plan (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2011).
     
10.7   Amendment to the 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 15, 2011).
     
10.8   2011 Amended and Restated Stock Incentive and Award Plan (as filed as Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).
     
10.9   Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2011).
     
10.10   Director Agreement, dated May 13, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and John M. Macaluso (as filed as Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).
     
10.11   Director Agreement, dated May 25, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and John Maatta (as filed as Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).
     
10.12   Employment Agreement, dated May 25, 2011, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Gareb Shamus (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on May 31, 2011).
     
10.13   Form of Subscription Agreement, dated August 19, 2011 (as filed as Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).
     
10.14   Office Service Agreement, dated January 18, 2011, by and between Kick the Can Corp. and NYC Office Suites (as filed as Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 13, 2011).
     
10.15   Internet Domain Name Assignment Agreement, dated January 2011, by and between Gareb Shamus Enterprises, Inc. and Kick the Can Corp. (as filed as Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 13, 2011).
     
10.16   Mid-Ohio Acquisition Agreement, dated November 13, 2010, by and between Kicking the Can L.L.C and GCX Holdings LLC (as filed as Exhibit 10.15 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A, filed with the SEC on November 16, 2011).
     
10.17   Form of Senior Convertible Debenture, dated December 6, 2011(as filed as Exhibit 10.17 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).

 

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10.18   Subscription Agreement, dated December 21, 2011, by and between the Company and the Michael Mathews 2011 Children’s GRAT(as filed as Exhibit 10.18 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2012).
     
10.19   Consultant Agreement, dated March 23, 2011, between Wizard World, Inc. and Michael Mathews (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 25, 2011).
     
10.20   Employment Agreement, dated March 19, 2012, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and John M. Macaluso, individually (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 19, 2012).
     
10.21   Option Agreement, dated March 19, 2012, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and John M. Macaluso, individually (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 19, 2012).
     
10.22   Indemnification Agreement, dated March 19, 2012, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and John M. Macaluso, individually (as filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 19, 2012).
     
10.23   Form of Subscription Agreement (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 5, 2012).
     
10.24   Second Amended and Restated 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on July 13, 2012).
     
10.25   Director Agreement, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler*
     
10.26   Director Agreement, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Kenneth Shamus*
     
10.27   Director and Officer Indemnification, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler*
     
10.28   Director and Officer Indemnification, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Kenneth Shamus*
     
10.29   Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler*
     
10.30   Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement, dated March 17, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. and Kenneth Shamus*
     
17.1   Letter of Resignation from Michael Mathews, dated October 10, 2012 (as filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on October 18, 2012).
     
31.1   Certification by the Principal Executive Officer of Registrant pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a))*
     
31.2   Certification by the Principal Financial Officer of Registrant pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a))*
     
32.1   Certification by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
     
32.2   Certification by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
     
101. INS   XBRL Instance Document**
     
101. SCH   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema**
     
101. CAL   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calcaulation Linkbase**
     
101. DEF   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase**
     
101. LAB   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbasse**
     
101. PRE   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase**

 

* filed herewith

 

** In accordance with Regulation S-T, the XBRL-related information on Exhibit No.101 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K shall be deemed “furnished” herewith and not “filed.”

 

48
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  WIZARD WORLD, INC.
     
Date: April 1, 2013 By: /s/ John M. Macaluso
  Name: John M. Macaluso
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
    (Principal Executive Officer)
    (Principal Financial Officer)
    (Principal Accounting Officer)

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ John M. Macaluso   Chief Executive Officer, Principal Executive   April 1, 2013
John M. Macaluso   Officer, Principal Financial Officer, Principal    
    Accounting Officer, Chairman of the Board    
         
/s/ John Maatta   Director   April 1, 2013
John Maatta        
         
/s/ Vadim Mats   Director   April 1, 2013
Vadim Mats        
         
/s/ Greg Suess   Director   April 1, 2013
Greg Suess        
         
/s/ Paul L. Kessler   Director   April 1, 2013
Paul L. Kessler        
         
/s/ Kenneth Shamus   Director   April 1, 2013
Kenneth Shamus        

 

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DIRECTOR AGREEMENT

 

This DIRECTOR AGREEMENT is made as of the 17 th day of March, 2013 (the “Agreement”), by and between Wizard World, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Paul L. Kessler, an individual with an address c/o Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC, 10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1050, Los Angeles, California 90024 (the “Director”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company appointed the Director on March 17, 2013, and desires to enter into an agreement with the Director with respect to such appointment; and

 

WHEREAS, the Director is willing to accept such appointment and to serve the Company on the terms set forth herein and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Position . Subject to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, the Company shall cause the Director to be appointed, and the Director hereby agrees to serve the Company in such position, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, provided , however , that the Director’s continued service on the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) after the next annual stockholders’ meeting shall be subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders.

 

2. Duties . (a) During the Directorship Term (as defined herein), the Director shall make reasonable business efforts to attend all Board meetings, serve on appropriate sub committees as reasonably requested by the Board, make himself available to the Company at mutually convenient times and places, attend external meetings and presentations, as appropriate and convenient, and perform such duties, services and responsibilities, and have the authority commensurate to such position.

 

(b) The Director will use his best efforts to promote the interests of the Company. The Company recognizes that the Director (i) is or may become a full-time executive employee of another entity and that his responsibilities to such entity must have priority and (ii) sits or may sit on the board of directors of other entities. Notwithstanding the same, the Director will use reasonable business efforts to coordinate his respective commitments so as to fulfill his obligations to the Company and, in any event, will fulfill his legal obligations as a Director. Other than as set forth above, the Director will not, without the prior notification to the Board, engage in any other business activity which could materially interfere with the performance of his duties, services and responsibilities hereunder or which is in violation of the reasonable policies established from time to time by the Company, provided that the foregoing shall in no way limit his activities on behalf of (i) any current employer and its affiliates or (ii) the board of directors of any entities on which he currently sits. At such time as the Board receives such notification, the Board may require the resignation of the Director if it determines that such business activity does in fact materially interfere with the performance of the Director’s duties, services and responsibilities hereunder.

 

 
 

  

3. Compensation .

 

(a) Stock Option. The Director shall receive, upon execution of this Agreement, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price per share equal to $0.40. Such option shall be exercisable for a period of five years. The option shall vest in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter in which the Director enters into this Agreement, and pro-rated for the number of days the Director serves on the Board during the fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Director ceases to be a member of Board at any time during the three (3) year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

(b) Independent Contractor. The Director’s status during the Directorship Term shall be that of an independent contractor and not, for any purpose, that of an employee or agent with authority to bind the Company in any respect. All payments and other consideration made or provided to the Director under this Section 3 shall be made or provided without withholding or deduction of any kind, and the Director shall assume sole responsibility for discharging all tax or other obligations associated therewith.

 

(c) Expense Reimbursements. During the Directorship Term, the Company shall reimburse the Director for (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Director in attending any in-person meetings, provided that the Director complies with the generally applicable policies, practices and procedures of the Company for submission of expense reports, receipts or similar documentation of such expenses, and (ii) any costs associated with filings required to be made by the Director or any of the entities managed or controlled by Director to report beneficial ownership or the acquisition or disposition of securities of the Company. Any reimbursements for allocated expenses (as compared to out-of-pocket expenses of the Director) must be approved in advance by the Company.

 

4. Directorship Term . The “Directorship Term,” as used in this Agreement, shall mean the period commencing on the date hereof and terminating on the earlier of the date of the next annual stockholders meeting and the earliest of the following to occur:

 

(a) the death of the Director;

 

(b) the termination of the Director from his membership on the Board by the mutual agreement of the Company and the Director;

 

(c) the removal of the Director from the Board by the majority stockholders of the Company; and

 

(d) the resignation by the Director from the Board.

 

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5. Director’s Representation and Acknowledgment . The Director represents to the Company that his execution and performance of this Agreement shall not be in violation of any agreement or obligation (whether or not written) that he may have with or to any person or entity, including without limitation, any prior or current employer. The Director hereby acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement (and any other agreement or obligation referred to herein) shall be an obligation solely of the Company, and the Director shall have no recourse whatsoever against any officer, director, employee, stockholder, representative or agent of the Company or any of their respective affiliates with regard to this Agreement.

 

6. Director Covenants .

 

(a) Unauthorized Disclosure. The Director agrees and understands that in the Director’s position with the Company, the Director has been and will be exposed to and receive information relating to the confidential affairs of the Company, including, but not limited to, technical information, business and marketing plans, strategies, customer information, other information concerning the Company’s products, services, promotions, development, financing, expansion plans, business policies and practices, and other forms of information considered by the Company to be confidential, and proprietary and in the nature of trade secrets. The Director agrees that during the Directorship Term and thereafter, the Director will keep such information confidential and will not disclose such information, either directly or indirectly, to any third person or entity without the prior written consent of the Company; provided , however , that (i) the Director shall have no such obligation to the extent such information is or becomes publicly known or generally known in the Company’s industry other than as a result of the Director’s breach of his obligations hereunder and (ii) the Director may, after giving prior notice to the Company to the extent practicable under the circumstances, disclose such information to the extent required by applicable laws or governmental regulations or judicial or regulatory process. This confidentiality covenant has no temporal, geographical or territorial restriction. Upon termination of the Directorship Term, the Director will promptly return to the Company and/or destroy at the Company’s direction all property, keys, notes, memoranda, writings, lists, files, reports, customer lists, correspondence, tapes, disks, cards, surveys, maps, logs, machines, technical data, other product or document, and any summary or compilation of the foregoing, in whatever form, including, without limitation, in electronic form, which has been produced by, received by or otherwise submitted to the Director in the course or otherwise as a result of the Director’s position with the Company during or prior to the Directorship Term, provided that the Company shall retain such materials and make them available to the Director if requested by him in connection with any litigation against the Director under circumstances in which (i) the Director demonstrates to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company that the materials are necessary to his defense in the litigation and (ii) the confidentiality of the materials is preserved to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company.

 

(b) Non-Solicitation. During the Directorship Term and for a period of three (3) years thereafter, the Director shall not interfere with the Company’s relationship with, or endeavor to entice away from the Company, any person who, on the date of the termination of the Directorship Term and/or at any time during the one year period prior to the termination of the Directorship Term, was an employee or customer (including those reasonably expected to be a customer) of the Company or otherwise had a material business relationship with the Company.

 

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(c) Remedies. The Director agrees that any breach of the terms of this Section 6 would result in irreparable injury and damage to the Company for which the Company would have no adequate remedy at law. The Director therefore also agrees that in the event of said breach or any threat of breach, the Company shall be entitled to an immediate injunction and restraining order to prevent such breach and/or threatened breach and/or continued breach by the Director and/or any and all entities acting for and/or with the Director, without having to prove damages or paying a bond, in addition to any other remedies to which the Company may be entitled at law or in equity. The terms of this paragraph shall not prevent the Company from pursuing any other available remedies for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including, but not limited to, the recovery of damages from the Director. The Director acknowledges that the Company would not have entered into this Agreement had the Director not agreed to the provisions of this Section 6.

 

(d) The provisions of this Section 6 shall survive any termination of the Directorship Term, and the existence of any claim or cause of action by the Director against the Company, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Company of the covenants and agreements of this Section 6.

 

7. Indemnification . The Company agrees to indemnify the Director for his activities as a member of the Board as set forth in the Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A .

 

8. Non-Waiver of Rights . The failure to enforce at any time the provisions of this Agreement or to require at any time performance by the other party hereto of any of the provisions hereof shall in no way be construed to be a waiver of such provisions or to affect either the validity of this Agreement or any part hereof, or the right of either party hereto to enforce each and every provision in accordance with its terms. No waiver by either party hereto of any breach by the other party hereto of any provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions at that time or at any prior or subsequent time.

 

9. Notices . Every notice relating to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given by personal delivery, overnight delivery or by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested; to:

 

If to the Company:

 

Wizard World, Inc.

1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2 nd Floor

New York, NY 10019

Attn: jmacaluso@caconcepts.com

Telephone: (646) 380-2486

Facsimile: (212) 707-8180

 

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with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Lucosky Brookman LLP

33 Wood Avenue South, 6 th Floor

Iselin, New Jersey 08830

Attn: Joseph M. Lucosky, Esq.

Telephone: (732) 395-4400

Facsimile: (732) 395-4401

 

If to the Director:

 

Paul L. Kessler

c/o Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC

10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1050

Los Angeles, California 90024

Telephone: (310) 331-8480

Facsimile: (310) 331-8490

 

Either of the parties hereto may change their address for purposes of notice hereunder by giving notice in writing to such other party pursuant to this Section 9.

 

10. Binding Effect/Assignment . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective heirs, executors, personal representatives, estates, successors (including, without limitation, by way of merger) and assigns, as applicable. Notwithstanding the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, neither the Director nor the Company shall assign all or any portion of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party.

 

11. Entire Agreement . This Agreement (together with the other agreements referred to herein) sets forth the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, between them as to such subject matter.

 

12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement, or any application thereof to any circumstances, is invalid, in whole or in part, such provision or application shall to that extent be severable and shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Agreement.

 

13. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without reference to the principles of conflict of laws. All actions and proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be heard and determined in any court in the State of New York and the parties hereto hereby consent to the jurisdiction of such courts in any such action or proceeding; provided , however , that neither party hereto shall commence any such action or proceeding unless prior thereto the parties have in good faith attempted to resolve the claim, dispute or cause of action which is the subject of such action or proceeding through mediation by an independent third party.

 

14. Legal Fees . The parties hereto agree that the non-prevailing party in any dispute, claim, action or proceeding between the parties hereto arising out of or relating to the terms and conditions of this Agreement or any provision thereof (a “Dispute”), shall reimburse the prevailing party for reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by the prevailing party in connection with such Dispute; provided , however , that the Director shall only be required to reimburse the Company for its fees and expenses incurred in connection with a Dispute if the Director’s position in such Dispute was found by the court, arbitrator or other person or entity presiding over such Dispute to be frivolous or advanced not in good faith.

 

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15. Modifications . Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be modified, altered, amended or waived except by an instrument in writing duly signed by the party to be charged.

 

16. Tense and Headings . Whenever any words used herein are in the singular form, they shall be construed as though they were also used in the plural form in all cases where they would so apply. The headings contained herein are solely for the purposes of reference, are not part of this Agreement and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

 

17. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

[-Signature Page Follows-]

  

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Director Agreement to be executed by authority of its Board of Directors, and the Director has hereunto set his hand, on the day and year first above written.

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

 

By: /s/ John Macaluso  
  John Macaluso  
  Chief Executive Officer  

 

DIRECTOR

 

/s/ Paul L. Kessler  
Paul L. Kessler  

 

[Signature page to Director Agreement]

  

 
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

See attached.

 

[Exhibit A to Director Agreement]

 

 
 

 

 

DIRECTOR AGREEMENT

 

This DIRECTOR AGREEMENT is made as of the 17 th day of March, 2013 (the “Agreement”), by and between Wizard World, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Kenneth Shamus, an individual with an address at 11 Deer Horn Trail, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458(the “Director”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company appointed the Director on March 17, 2013, and desires to enter into an agreement with the Director with respect to such appointment; and

 

WHEREAS, the Director is willing to accept such appointment and to serve the Company on the terms set forth herein and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Position . Subject to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, the Company shall cause the Director to be appointed, and the Director hereby agrees to serve the Company in such position, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, provided , however , that the Director’s continued service on the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) after the next annual stockholders’ meeting shall be subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders.

 

2. Duties . (a) During the Directorship Term (as defined herein), the Director shall make reasonable business efforts to attend all Board meetings, serve on appropriate sub committees as reasonably requested by the Board, make himself available to the Company at mutually convenient times and places, attend external meetings and presentations, as appropriate and convenient, and perform such duties, services and responsibilities, and have the authority commensurate to such position.

 

(b) The Director will use his best efforts to promote the interests of the Company. The Company recognizes that the Director (i) is or may become a full-time executive employee of another entity and that his responsibilities to such entity must have priority and (ii) sits or may sit on the board of directors of other entities. Notwithstanding the same, the Director will use reasonable business efforts to coordinate his respective commitments so as to fulfill his obligations to the Company and, in any event, will fulfill his legal obligations as a Director. Other than as set forth above, the Director will not, without the prior notification to the Board, engage in any other business activity which could materially interfere with the performance of his duties, services and responsibilities hereunder or which is in violation of the reasonable policies established from time to time by the Company, provided that the foregoing shall in no way limit his activities on behalf of (i) any current employer and its affiliates or (ii) the board of directors of any entities on which he currently sits. At such time as the Board receives such notification, the Board may require the resignation of the Director if it determines that such business activity does in fact materially interfere with the performance of the Director’s duties, services and responsibilities hereunder.

 

 
 

  

3. Compensation .

 

(a) Stock Option. The Director shall receive, upon execution of this Agreement, a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price per share equal to $0.40. Such option shall be exercisable for a period of five years. The option shall vest in equal amounts over a period of three (3) years at the rate of twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares per fiscal quarter at the end of such quarter, commencing in the quarter in which the Director enters into this Agreement, and pro-rated for the number of days the Director serves on the Board during the fiscal quarter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Director ceases to be a member of Board at any time during the three (3) year vesting period for any reason (such as resignation, withdrawal, death, disability or any other reason), then any un-vested options shall be irrefutably forfeited.

 

(b) Independent Contractor. The Director’s status during the Directorship Term shall be that of an independent contractor and not, for any purpose, that of an employee or agent with authority to bind the Company in any respect. All payments and other consideration made or provided to the Director under this Section 3 shall be made or provided without withholding or deduction of any kind, and the Director shall assume sole responsibility for discharging all tax or other obligations associated therewith.

 

(c) Expense Reimbursements. During the Directorship Term, the Company shall reimburse the Director for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Director in attending any in-person meetings, provided that the Director complies with the generally applicable policies, practices and procedures of the Company for submission of expense reports, receipts or similar documentation of such expenses. Any reimbursements for allocated expenses (as compared to out-of-pocket expenses of the Director) must be approved in advance by the Company.

 

4. Directorship Term . The “Directorship Term,” as used in this Agreement, shall mean the period commencing on the date hereof and terminating on the earlier of the date of the next annual stockholders meeting and the earliest of the following to occur:

 

(a) the death of the Director;

 

(b) the termination of the Director from his membership on the Board by the mutual agreement of the Company and the Director;

 

(c) the removal of the Director from the Board by the majority stockholders of the Company; and

 

(d) the resignation by the Director from the Board.

 

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5. Director’s Representation and Acknowledgment . The Director represents to the Company that his execution and performance of this Agreement shall not be in violation of any agreement or obligation (whether or not written) that he may have with or to any person or entity, including without limitation, any prior or current employer. The Director hereby acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement (and any other agreement or obligation referred to herein) shall be an obligation solely of the Company, and the Director shall have no recourse whatsoever against any officer, director, employee, stockholder, representative or agent of the Company or any of their respective affiliates with regard to this Agreement.

 

6. Director Covenants .

 

(a) Unauthorized Disclosure. The Director agrees and understands that in the Director’s position with the Company, the Director has been and will be exposed to and receive information relating to the confidential affairs of the Company, including, but not limited to, technical information, business and marketing plans, strategies, customer information, other information concerning the Company’s products, services, promotions, development, financing, expansion plans, business policies and practices, and other forms of information considered by the Company to be confidential, and proprietary and in the nature of trade secrets. The Director agrees that during the Directorship Term and thereafter, the Director will keep such information confidential and will not disclose such information, either directly or indirectly, to any third person or entity without the prior written consent of the Company; provided , however , that (i) the Director shall have no such obligation to the extent such information is or becomes publicly known or generally known in the Company’s industry other than as a result of the Director’s breach of his obligations hereunder and (ii) the Director may, after giving prior notice to the Company to the extent practicable under the circumstances, disclose such information to the extent required by applicable laws or governmental regulations or judicial or regulatory process. This confidentiality covenant has no temporal, geographical or territorial restriction. Upon termination of the Directorship Term, the Director will promptly return to the Company and/or destroy at the Company’s direction all property, keys, notes, memoranda, writings, lists, files, reports, customer lists, correspondence, tapes, disks, cards, surveys, maps, logs, machines, technical data, other product or document, and any summary or compilation of the foregoing, in whatever form, including, without limitation, in electronic form, which has been produced by, received by or otherwise submitted to the Director in the course or otherwise as a result of the Director’s position with the Company during or prior to the Directorship Term, provided that the Company shall retain such materials and make them available to the Director if requested by him in connection with any litigation against the Director under circumstances in which (i) the Director demonstrates to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company that the materials are necessary to his defense in the litigation and (ii) the confidentiality of the materials is preserved to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company.

 

(b) Non-Solicitation. During the Directorship Term and for a period of three (3) years thereafter, the Director shall not interfere with the Company’s relationship with, or endeavor to entice away from the Company, any person who, on the date of the termination of the Directorship Term and/or at any time during the one year period prior to the termination of the Directorship Term, was an employee or customer (including those reasonably expected to be a customer) of the Company or otherwise had a material business relationship with the Company.

 

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(c) Remedies. The Director agrees that any breach of the terms of this Section 6 would result in irreparable injury and damage to the Company for which the Company would have no adequate remedy at law. The Director therefore also agrees that in the event of said breach or any threat of breach, the Company shall be entitled to an immediate injunction and restraining order to prevent such breach and/or threatened breach and/or continued breach by the Director and/or any and all entities acting for and/or with the Director, without having to prove damages or paying a bond, in addition to any other remedies to which the Company may be entitled at law or in equity. The terms of this paragraph shall not prevent the Company from pursuing any other available remedies for any breach or threatened breach hereof, including, but not limited to, the recovery of damages from the Director. The Director acknowledges that the Company would not have entered into this Agreement had the Director not agreed to the provisions of this Section 6.

 

(d) The provisions of this Section 6 shall survive any termination of the Directorship Term, and the existence of any claim or cause of action by the Director against the Company, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Company of the covenants and agreements of this Section 6.

 

7. Indemnification . The Company agrees to indemnify the Director for his activities as a member of the Board as set forth in the Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A .

 

8. Non-Waiver of Rights . The failure to enforce at any time the provisions of this Agreement or to require at any time performance by the other party hereto of any of the provisions hereof shall in no way be construed to be a waiver of such provisions or to affect either the validity of this Agreement or any part hereof, or the right of either party hereto to enforce each and every provision in accordance with its terms. No waiver by either party hereto of any breach by the other party hereto of any provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions at that time or at any prior or subsequent time.

 

9. Notices . Every notice relating to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given by personal delivery, overnight delivery or by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested; to:

 

If to the Company:

 

Wizard World, Inc.

1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2 nd Floor

New York, NY 10019

Attn: jmacaluso@caconcepts.com

Telephone: (646) 380-2486

Facsimile:(212) 707-8180

 

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with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Lucosky Brookman LLP

33 Wood Avenue South, 6 th Floor

Iselin, New Jersey 08830

Attn: Joseph M. Lucosky, Esq.

Telephone: (732) 395-4400

Facsimile: (732) 395-4401

 

If to the Director:

 

Kenneth Shamus

11 Deer Horn Trail

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 074584

 

Either of the parties hereto may change their address for purposes of notice hereunder by giving notice in writing to such other party pursuant to this Section 9.

 

10. Binding Effect/Assignment . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective heirs, executors, personal representatives, estates, successors (including, without limitation, by way of merger) and assigns, as applicable. Notwithstanding the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, neither the Director nor the Company shall assign all or any portion of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party.

 

11. Entire Agreement . This Agreement (together with the other agreements referred to herein) sets forth the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, between them as to such subject matter.

 

12. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement, or any application thereof to any circumstances, is invalid, in whole or in part, such provision or application shall to that extent be severable and shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Agreement.

 

13. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without reference to the principles of conflict of laws. All actions and proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be heard and determined in any court in the State of New York and the parties hereto hereby consent to the jurisdiction of such courts in any such action or proceeding; provided , however , that neither party hereto shall commence any such action or proceeding unless prior thereto the parties have in good faith attempted to resolve the claim, dispute or cause of action which is the subject of such action or proceeding through mediation by an independent third party.

 

14. Legal Fees . The parties hereto agree that the non-prevailing party in any dispute, claim, action or proceeding between the parties hereto arising out of or relating to the terms and conditions of this Agreement or any provision thereof (a “Dispute”), shall reimburse the prevailing party for reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by the prevailing party in connection with such Dispute; provided , however , that the Director shall only be required to reimburse the Company for its fees and expenses incurred in connection with a Dispute if the Director’s position in such Dispute was found by the court, arbitrator or other person or entity presiding over such Dispute to be frivolous or advanced not in good faith.

 

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15. Modifications . Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be modified, altered, amended or waived except by an instrument in writing duly signed by the party to be charged.

 

16. Tense and Headings . Whenever any words used herein are in the singular form, they shall be construed as though they were also used in the plural form in all cases where they would so apply. The headings contained herein are solely for the purposes of reference, are not part of this Agreement and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

 

17. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

[-Signature Page Follows-]

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Director Agreement to be executed by authority of its Board of Directors, and the Director has hereunto set his hand, on the day and year first above written.

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

 

By: /s/ John Macaluso  
  John Macaluso  
  Chief Executive Officer  

 

DIRECTOR

 

/s/ Kenneth Shamus  
Kenneth Shamus  

 

[Signature page to Director Agreement]

  

 
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

See attached.

 

[Exhibit A to Director Agreement]

 

 
 

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

This Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2013 (the “Agreement” ), is made by and between Wizard World, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” ), and Paul L. Kessler (the “Indemnitee” ).

 

RECITALS:

 

A. Section 141 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that the business and affairs of a corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of its board of directors.

 

B. By virtue of the managerial prerogatives vested in the directors and officers of a Delaware corporation, directors and officers act as fiduciaries of the corporation and its stockholders.

 

C. It is critically important to the Company and its stockholders that the Company be able to attract and retain the most capable persons reasonably available to serve as directors and officers of the Company.

 

D. In recognition of the need for corporations to be able to induce capable and responsible persons to accept positions in corporate management, Delaware law authorizes (and in some instances requires) corporations to indemnify their directors and officers, and further authorizes corporations to purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of their directors and officers.

 

E. The Delaware courts have recognized that indemnification by a corporation serves the dual policies of (1) allowing corporate officials to resist unjustified lawsuits, secure in the knowledge that, if vindicated, the corporation will bear the expense of litigation, and (2) encouraging capable women and men to serve as corporate directors and officers, secure in the knowledge that the corporation will absorb the costs of defending their honesty and integrity.

 

F. The number of lawsuits challenging the judgment and actions of directors and officers of Delaware corporations, the costs of defending those lawsuits and the threat to personal assets have all materially increased over the past several years, chilling the willingness of capable women and men to undertake the responsibilities imposed on corporate directors and officers.

 

G. Recent federal legislation and rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the national securities exchanges have exposed such directors and officers to new and substantially broadened civil liabilities.

 

H. Under Delaware law, a director’s or officer’s right to be reimbursed for the costs of defense of criminal actions, whether such claims are asserted under state or federal law, does not depend upon the merits of the claims asserted against the director or officer and is separate and distinct from any right to indemnification the director may be able to establish.

 

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I. Indemnitee is, or will be, a director of the Company and his or her willingness to serve in such capacity is predicated, in substantial part, upon the Company’s willingness to indemnify him in accordance with the principles reflected above, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware, and upon the other undertakings set forth in this Agreement.

 

J. In recognition of the need to provide Indemnitee with substantial protection against personal liability, in order to procure Indemnitee’s service as a director of the Company and to enhance Indemnitee’s ability to serve the Company in an effective manner, and in order to provide such protection pursuant to express contract rights (intended to be enforceable irrespective of, among other things, any amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws (collectively, the “Constituent Documents” ), any change in the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board” ) or any change-in-control or business combination transaction relating to the Company), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for the indemnification and advancement of Expenses (as defined herein) to Indemnitee on the terms, and subject to the conditions, set forth in this Agreement.

 

K. In light of the considerations referred to in the preceding recitals, it is the Company’s intention and desire that the provisions of this Agreement be construed liberally, subject to their express terms, to maximize the protections to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder.

 

AGREEMENT:

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Certain Definitions . In addition to terms defined elsewhere herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement with initial capital letters:

 

(a) “Change in Control” shall have occurred at such time, if any, as Incumbent Directors cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the directors. For purposes of this Section 1(a), “Incumbent Directors” means the individuals who, as of the date hereof, are directors of the Company and any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election, nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, or appointment, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the then Incumbent Directors (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as a nominee for director, without objection to such nomination); provided, however, that an individual shall not be an Incumbent Director if such individual’s election or appointment to the Board occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest (as described in Rule 14a-12(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board.

 

(b) “Claim” means (i) any threatened, asserted, pending or completed claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, investigative or other, and whether made pursuant to federal, state or other law; and (ii) any inquiry or investigation, whether made, instituted or conducted by the Company or any other Person, including, without limitation, any federal, state or other governmental entity, that Indemnitee reasonably determines might lead to the institution of any such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company intends the indemnity to be provided hereunder in respect of acts or failure to act prior to, on or after the date hereof.

 

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(c) “Controlled Affiliate” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company. For purposes of this definition, “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of an entity or enterprise, whether through the ownership of voting securities, through other voting rights, by contract or otherwise; provided that direct or indirect beneficial ownership of capital stock or other interests in an entity or enterprise entitling the holder to cast 15% or more of the total number of votes generally entitled to be cast in the election of directors (or persons performing comparable functions) of such entity or enterprise shall be deemed to constitute control for purposes of this definition.

 

(d) “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Claim in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(e) “Expenses” means reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses and all other costs and expenses paid or payable in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to investigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in (including on appeal), any Claim.

 

(f) “Indemnifiable Claim” means any Claim based upon, arising out of or resulting from (i) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in his capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, as to which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company, (ii) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in respect of any business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other activity of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence, or (iii) Indemnitee’s status as a current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a current or former director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence or any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in connection with any obligation or restriction imposed upon Indemnitee by reason of such status. In addition to any service at the actual request of the Company, for purposes of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to be serving or to have served at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of another entity or enterprise if Indemnitee is or was serving as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, agent, trustee or other fiduciary of such entity or enterprise and (i) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was a Controlled Affiliate, (ii) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was an employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or a Controlled Affiliate, or (iii) the Company or a Controlled Affiliate (by action of the Board, any committee thereof or the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) (other than as the CEO himself)) caused or authorized Indemnitee to be nominated, elected, appointed, designated, employed, engaged or selected to serve in such capacity.

 

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(g) “Indemnifiable Losses” means any and all Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim; provided, however, that Indemnifiable Losses shall not include Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Claim (or any matter or issue therein) as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such Indemnifiable Claim was brought shall have determined upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such Expenses as the court shall deem proper.

 

(h) “Independent Counsel” means a nationally recognized law firm, or a member of a nationally recognized law firm, that is experienced in matters of Delaware corporate law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company (or any subsidiary) or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements) or (ii) any other named (or, as to a threatened matter, reasonably likely to be named) party to the Indemnifiable Claim giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

 

(i) “Losses” means any and all Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties (whether civil, criminal or other) and amounts paid or payable in settlement, including, without limitation, all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of any of the foregoing.

 

(j) “Person” means any individual, entity or group, within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(k) “Standard of Conduct” means the standard for conduct by Indemnitee that is a condition precedent to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from an Indemnifiable Claim. The Standard of Conduct is (i) good faith and a reasonable belief by Indemnitee that his action was in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful, or (ii) any other applicable standard of conduct that may hereafter be substituted under Section 145(a) or (b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law or any successor to such provision(s).

 

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2. Indemnification Obligation . Subject only to Section 7 and to the proviso in this Section, the Company shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware in effect on the date hereof or as such laws may from time to time hereafter be amended to increase the scope of such permitted indemnification, against any and all Indemnifiable Claims and Indemnifiable Losses; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 5, Indemnitee shall not be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement in connection with (i) any Claim initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or any director or officer of the Company unless the Company has joined in or consented to the initiation of such Claim or the Claim relates to or arises from the enforcement or prosecution of a right to indemnification under this Agreement, or (ii) the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Nothing herein is intended to limit the scope of permitted indemnification to Indemnitee under the laws of the State of Delaware

 

3. Advancement of Expenses . Indemnitee shall have the right to advancement by the Company prior to the final disposition of any Indemnifiable Claim of any and all actual and reasonable Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim paid or incurred by Indemnitee. Without limiting the generality or effect of any other provision hereof, Indemnitee’s right to such advancement is not subject to the satisfaction of any Standard of Conduct. Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, within five business days after any request by Indemnitee that is accompanied by supporting documentation for specific reasonable Expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, the Company shall, in accordance with such request (but without duplication), (a) pay such Expenses on behalf of Indemnitee, (b) advance to Indemnitee funds in an amount sufficient to pay such Expenses, or (c) reimburse Indemnitee for such Expenses; provided that Indemnitee shall repay, without interest, any amounts actually advanced to Indemnitee that, at the final disposition of the Indemnifiable Claim to which the advance related, were in excess of amounts paid or payable by Indemnitee in respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim. In connection with any such payment, advancement or reimbursement, at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall execute and deliver to the Company an undertaking, which need not be secured and shall be accepted without reference to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses, by or on behalf of the Indemnitee, to repay any amounts paid, advanced or reimbursed by the Company in respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim in respect of which it shall have been determined, following the final disposition of such Indemnifiable Claim and in accordance with Section 7, that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder.

 

4. Indemnification for Additional Expenses . Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request accompanied by supporting documentation for specific Expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, any and all actual and reasonable Expenses paid or incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Claim made, instituted or conducted by Indemnitee for (a) indemnification or reimbursement or advance payment of Expenses by the Company under any provision of this Agreement, or under any other agreement or provision of the Constituent Documents now or hereafter in effect relating to Indemnifiable Claims, and/or (b) recovery under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company; provided, however, if it is ultimately determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement, advance or insurance recovery, as the case may be, then the Indemnitee shall be obligated to repay any such Expenses to the Company; provided further, that, regardless in each case of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement, advance or insurance recovery, as the case may be, Indemnitee shall return, without interest, any such advance of Expenses (or portion thereof) which remains unspent at the final disposition of the Claim to which the advance related.

 

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5. Partial Indemnity . If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of any Indemnifiable Loss but not for the entire amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.

 

6. Procedure for Notification . To obtain indemnification under this Agreement in respect of an Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefore, including a brief description (based upon information then available to Indemnitee) of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss. If, at the time of the receipt of such request, the Company has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in effect under which coverage for such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss is potentially available, the Company shall give prompt written notice of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss to the applicable insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the applicable policies. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all Indemnifiable Claims and Indemnifiable Losses in accordance with the terms of such policies. The Company shall provide to Indemnitee a copy of such notice delivered to the applicable insurers, substantially concurrently with the delivery thereof by the Company. The failure by Indemnitee to timely notify the Company of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss shall not relieve the Company from any liability hereunder unless, and only to the extent that, the Company did not otherwise learn of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss and to the extent that such failure results in forfeiture by the Company of substantial defenses, rights or insurance coverage.

 

7. Determination of Right to Indemnification .

 

(a) To the extent that Indemnitee shall have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any Indemnifiable Claim or any portion thereof or in defense of any issue or matter therein, including, without limitation, dismissal without prejudice, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim in accordance with Section 2 and no Standard of Conduct Determination (as defined in Section 7(b)) shall be required.

 

(b) To the extent that the provisions of Section 7(a) are inapplicable to an Indemnifiable Claim that shall have been finally disposed of, any determination required to be made under the laws of the State of Delaware as to whether Indemnitee has satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct (a “Standard of Conduct Determination” ) shall be made as follows: (i) if a Change in Control shall not have occurred, or if a Change in Control shall have occurred but Indemnitee shall have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to this clause (i), (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (B) if such Disinterested Directors so direct, by a majority vote of a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of all Disinterested Directors, or (C) if there are no such Disinterested Directors, or if a majority of the Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; and (ii) if a Change in Control shall have occurred and Indemnitee shall not have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to clause (i) above, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee.

 

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(c) If (i) Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses pursuant to Section 7(a), (ii) no determination of whether Indemnitee has satisfied any applicable standard of conduct under Delaware law is a legally required condition precedent to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses, or (iii) Indemnitee has been determined or deemed pursuant to Section 7(b) to have satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct, then the Company shall pay to Indemnitee, within five business days after the later of (x) the notification date in respect of the Indemnifiable Claim or portion thereof to which such Indemnifiable Losses are related, out of which such Indemnifiable Losses arose or from which such Indemnifiable Losses resulted, and (y) the earliest date on which the applicable criterion specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above shall have been satisfied, an amount equal to the amount of such Indemnifiable Losses. Nothing herein is intended to mean or imply that the Company is intending to use Section 145(f) of the Delaware General Corporation Law to dispense with a requirement that Indemnitee meet the applicable Standard of Conduct where it is otherwise required by such statute.

 

(d) If a Standard of Conduct Determination is required to be, but has not been, made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 7(b)(i), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board or a committee of the Board, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him or her of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Standard of Conduct Determination is required to be, or to have been, made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 7(b)(ii), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee, and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either case, Indemnitee or the Company, as applicable, may, within five business days after receiving written notice of selection from the other, deliver to the other a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not satisfy the criteria set forth in the definition of “Independent Counsel” in Section 1(h), and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the Person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is properly and timely made and substantiated, (i) the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit and (ii) the non-objecting party may, at its option, select an alternative Independent Counsel and give written notice to the other party advising such other party of the identity of the alternative Independent Counsel so selected, in which case the provisions of the two immediately preceding sentences and clause (i) of this sentence shall apply to such subsequent selection and notice. If applicable, the provisions of clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to successive alternative selections. If no Independent Counsel that is permitted under the foregoing provisions of this Section 7(d) to make the Standard of Conduct Determination shall have been selected within 30 calendar days after the Company gives its initial notice pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 7(d) or Indemnitee gives its initial notice pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 7(d), as the case may be, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person or firm selected by such court or by such other person as such Court shall designate, and the person or firm with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person or firm so appointed will act as Independent Counsel. In all events, the Company shall pay all of the actual and reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel incurred in connection with the Independent Counsel’s determination pursuant to Section 7(b).

 

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8. Cooperation . Indemnitee shall cooperate with reasonable requests of the Company in connection with any Indemnifiable Claim and any individual or firm making such Standard of Conduct Determination, including providing to such Person documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to defend the Indemnifiable Claim or make any Standard of Conduct Determination without incurring any unreimbursed cost in connection therewith. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request accompanied by supporting documentation for specific costs and expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, any and all costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the Person defending the Indemnifiable Claim or making such Standard of Conduct Determination.

 

9. Presumption of Entitlement . Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, in making any Standard of Conduct Determination, the Person making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee has satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct.

 

10. No Other Presumption . For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any Claim by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, will not create a presumption that Indemnitee did not meet any applicable Standard of Conduct or that indemnification hereunder is otherwise not permitted.

 

11. Non-Exclusivity . The rights of Indemnitee hereunder will be in addition to any other rights Indemnitee may have under the Constituent Documents, or the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, any other contract or otherwise (collectively, “Other Indemnity Provisions” ); provided, however, that (a) to the extent that Indemnitee otherwise would have any greater right to indemnification under any Other Indemnity Provision, Indemnitee will without further action be deemed to have such greater right hereunder, and (b) to the extent that any change is made to any Other Indemnity Provision which permits any greater right to indemnification than that provided under this Agreement as of the date hereof, Indemnitee will be deemed to have such greater right hereunder. The Company may not, without the consent of Indemnitee, adopt any amendment to any of the Constituent Documents the effect of which would be to deny, diminish or encumber Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement.

 

12. Liability Insurance and Funding . For the duration of Indemnitee’s service as a director of the Company and for a reasonable period of time thereafter, which such period shall be determined by the Company in its sole discretion, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts (taking into account the scope and amount of coverage available relative to the cost thereof) to cause to be maintained in effect policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing coverage for directors and/or officers of the Company, and, if applicable, that is substantially comparable in scope and amount to that provided by the Company’s current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Upon reasonable request, the Company shall provide Indemnitee or his or her counsel with a copy of all directors’ and officers’ liability insurance applications, binders, policies, declarations, endorsements and other related materials. In all policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance obtained by the Company, Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits, subject to the same limitations, as are accorded to the Company’s directors and officers most favorably insured by such policy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the Company may, but shall not be required to, create a trust fund, grant a security interest or use other means, including, without limitation, a letter of credit, to ensure the payment of such amounts as may be necessary to satisfy its obligations to indemnify and advance expenses pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) in renewing or seeking to renew any insurance hereunder, the Company will not be required to expend more than 2.0 times the premium amount of the immediately preceding policy period (equitably adjusted if necessary to reflect differences in policy periods).

 

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13. Subrogation . In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the related rights of recovery of Indemnitee against other Persons (other than Indemnitee’s successors), including any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(f). Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required to evidence such rights (all of Indemnitee’s reasonable Expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and charges, related thereto to be reimbursed by or, at the option of Indemnitee, advanced by the Company).

 

14. No Duplication of Payments .

 

(a) The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment to Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Losses to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise already actually received payment (net of Expenses incurred in connection therewith) under any insurance policy, the Constituent Documents and Other Indemnity Provisions or otherwise (including from any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(f)) in respect of such Indemnifiable Losses otherwise indemnifiable hereunder.

 

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 14(a) above, the Company hereby acknowledges that Indemnitee may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by one or more venture capital funds, the general partners, managing members or other control persons and/or any affiliated management companies of such venture capital funds, and certain of its or their affiliates (collectively, the “ Fund Indemnitors ”). The Company hereby agrees that in connection with any Indemnifiable Claim, (i) it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Fund Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by Indemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement and the Company’s Constituent Documents (or any other agreement between the Company and Indemnitee), without regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against the Fund Indemnitors, and, (iii) it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Fund Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Fund Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Fund Indemnitors on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which Indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Fund Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company. The Company and Indemnitee agree that the Fund Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 14(b).

 

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15. Defense of Claims . Subject to the provisions of applicable policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, if any, the Company shall be entitled to participate in the defense of any Indemnifiable Claim or to assume or lead the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee; provided that if Indemnitee determines, after consultation with counsel selected by Indemnitee, that (a) the use of counsel chosen by the Company to represent Indemnitee would present such counsel with an actual or potential conflict, (b) the named parties in any such Indemnifiable Claim (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and Indemnitee and Indemnitee shall conclude that there may be one or more legal defenses available to him or her that are different from or in addition to those available to the Company, (c) any such representation by such counsel would be precluded under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, or (d) Indemnitee has interests in the claim or underlying subject matter that are different from or in addition to those of other Persons against whom the Claim has been made or might reasonably be expected to be made, then Indemnitee shall be entitled to retain separate counsel (but not more than one law firm plus, if applicable, local counsel in respect of any particular Indemnifiable Claim for all indemnitees in Indemnitee’s circumstances) at the Company’s expense. The Company shall not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any threatened or pending Indemnifiable Claim effected without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnitee, effect any settlement of any threatened or pending Indemnifiable Claim which the Indemnitee is or could have been a party unless such settlement solely involves the payment of money and includes a complete and unconditional release of the Indemnitee from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such Indemnifiable Claim. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee shall unreasonably withhold its consent to any proposed settlement; provided that Indemnitee may withhold consent to any settlement that does not provide a complete and unconditional release of Indemnitee.

 

16. Mutual Acknowledgment . Both the Company and the Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or otherwise. Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company may be required in the future to undertake to the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit the question of indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company’s right under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee and, in that event, the Indemnitee’s rights and the Company’s obligations hereunder shall be subject to that determination.

 

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17. Successors and Binding Agreement .

 

(a) This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company and any successor to the Company, including, without limitation, any Person acquiring directly or indirectly all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company whether by purchase, merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise (and such successor will thereafter be deemed the “Company” for purposes of this Agreement), but shall not otherwise be assignable or delegatable by the Company.

 

(b) This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Indemnitee’s personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, distributees, legatees and other successors.

 

(c) This Agreement is personal in nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or delegate this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder except as expressly provided in Sections 17(a) and 17(b). Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, Indemnitee’s right to receive payments hereunder shall not be assignable, whether by pledge, creation of a security interest or otherwise, other than by a transfer by the Indemnitee’s will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, in the event of any attempted assignment or transfer contrary to this Section 17(c), the Company shall have no liability to pay any amount so attempted to be assigned or transferred.

 

18. Notices . For all purposes of this Agreement, all communications, including without limitation notices, consents, requests or approvals, required or permitted to be given hereunder must be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when hand delivered or dispatched by electronic facsimile transmission (with receipt thereof orally confirmed), or one business day after having been sent for next-day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Company (to the attention of the Secretary of the Company) and to Indemnitee at the applicable address shown on the signature page hereto, or to such other address as any party hereto may have furnished to the other in writing and in accordance herewith, except that notices of changes of address will be effective only upon receipt.

 

19. Governing Law . The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the principles of conflict of laws of such State. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of or relates to this Agreement, waive all procedural objections to suit in that jurisdiction, including, without limitation, objections as to venue or inconvenience, agree that service in any such action may be made by notice given in accordance with Section 18 and also agree that any action instituted under this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware.

 

20. Validity . If any provision of this Agreement or the application of any provision hereof to any Person or circumstance is held invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal, the remainder of this Agreement and the application of such provision to any other Person or circumstance shall not be affected, and the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal shall be reformed to the extent, and only to the extent, necessary to make it enforceable, valid or legal. In the event that any court or other adjudicative body shall decline to reform any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal as contemplated by the immediately preceding sentence, the parties hereto shall take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate to replace the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal with one or more alternative provisions that effectuate the purpose and intent of the original provisions of this Agreement as fully as possible without being invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal.

 

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21. Miscellaneous . No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified or discharged unless such waiver, modification or discharge is agreed to in writing signed by Indemnitee and the Company. No waiver by either party hereto at any time of any breach by the other party hereto or compliance with any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, expressed or implied with respect to the subject matter hereof have been made by either party hereto that is not set forth expressly in this Agreement.

 

22. Certain Interpretive Matters . Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (1) “it” or “its” or words of any gender include each other gender, (2) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (3) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (4) the terms “Article,” “Section,” “Annex” or “Exhibit” refer to the specified Article, Section, Annex or Exhibit of or to this Agreement, (5) the terms “include,” “includes” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation” (whether or not so expressed), and (6) the word “or” is disjunctive but not exclusive. Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such number will refer to calendar days unless business days are specified and whenever action must be taken (including the giving of notice or the delivery of documents) under this Agreement during a certain period of time or by a particular date that ends or occurs on a non-business day, then such period or date will be extended until the immediately following business day. As used herein, “business day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or a United States federal holiday.

 

23. Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. Any prior agreements or understandings between the parties hereto with respect to indemnification are hereby terminated and of no further force or effect. This Agreement is not the exclusive means of securing indemnification rights of Indemnitee and is in addition to any rights Indemnitee may have under any Constituent Documents.

 

24. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

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25. Duration of Agreement . This Agreement shall continue until and terminate upon the later of: (a) six years after the date that the Indemnitee shall have ceased to serve as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise which the Indemnitee served at the request of the Company; (b) the expiration of the applicable statutes of limitations pertaining to any and all potential proceedings covered by the indemnification provided for herein; or (c) the final termination of all pending proceedings in respect of which the Indemnitee is granted rights of indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder and of any proceeding commenced by the Indemnitee pursuant to this Agreement relating thereto.

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK]

  

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Indemnitee has executed and the Company has caused its duly authorized representative to execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.

  

  WIZARD WORLD, INC.
     
  By: /s/ John Macaluso
    John Macaluso
    Chief Executive Officer
     
  INDEMNITEE :
     
  /s/ Paul L. Kessler
  Paul L. Kessler
   
  Address: c/o Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC
  10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1050
    Los Angeles, California 90024

 

[Signature page to Kessler Indemnification Agreement]

 

 
 

 

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

 

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

This Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2013 (the “Agreement” ), is made by and between Wizard World, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” ), and Kenneth Shamus (the “Indemnitee” ).

 

RECITALS:

 

A. Section 141 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that the business and affairs of a corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of its board of directors.

 

B. By virtue of the managerial prerogatives vested in the directors and officers of a Delaware corporation, directors and officers act as fiduciaries of the corporation and its stockholders.

 

C. It is critically important to the Company and its stockholders that the Company be able to attract and retain the most capable persons reasonably available to serve as directors and officers of the Company.

 

D. In recognition of the need for corporations to be able to induce capable and responsible persons to accept positions in corporate management, Delaware law authorizes (and in some instances requires) corporations to indemnify their directors and officers, and further authorizes corporations to purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of their directors and officers.

 

E. The Delaware courts have recognized that indemnification by a corporation serves the dual policies of (1) allowing corporate officials to resist unjustified lawsuits, secure in the knowledge that, if vindicated, the corporation will bear the expense of litigation, and (2) encouraging capable women and men to serve as corporate directors and officers, secure in the knowledge that the corporation will absorb the costs of defending their honesty and integrity.

 

F. The number of lawsuits challenging the judgment and actions of directors and officers of Delaware corporations, the costs of defending those lawsuits and the threat to personal assets have all materially increased over the past several years, chilling the willingness of capable women and men to undertake the responsibilities imposed on corporate directors and officers.

 

G. Recent federal legislation and rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the national securities exchanges have exposed such directors and officers to new and substantially broadened civil liabilities.

 

H. Under Delaware law, a director’s or officer’s right to be reimbursed for the costs of defense of criminal actions, whether such claims are asserted under state or federal law, does not depend upon the merits of the claims asserted against the director or officer and is separate and distinct from any right to indemnification the director may be able to establish.

 

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I. Indemnitee is, or will be, a director of the Company and his or her willingness to serve in such capacity is predicated, in substantial part, upon the Company’s willingness to indemnify him in accordance with the principles reflected above, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware, and upon the other undertakings set forth in this Agreement.

 

J. In recognition of the need to provide Indemnitee with substantial protection against personal liability, in order to procure Indemnitee’s service as a director of the Company and to enhance Indemnitee’s ability to serve the Company in an effective manner, and in order to provide such protection pursuant to express contract rights (intended to be enforceable irrespective of, among other things, any amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws (collectively, the “Constituent Documents” ), any change in the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board” ) or any change-in-control or business combination transaction relating to the Company), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for the indemnification and advancement of Expenses (as defined herein) to Indemnitee on the terms, and subject to the conditions, set forth in this Agreement.

 

K. In light of the considerations referred to in the preceding recitals, it is the Company’s intention and desire that the provisions of this Agreement be construed liberally, subject to their express terms, to maximize the protections to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder.

 

AGREEMENT:

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Certain Definitions . In addition to terms defined elsewhere herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement with initial capital letters:

 

(a) “Change in Control” shall have occurred at such time, if any, as Incumbent Directors cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the directors. For purposes of this Section 1(a), “Incumbent Directors” means the individuals who, as of the date hereof, are directors of the Company and any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election, nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, or appointment, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the then Incumbent Directors (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as a nominee for director, without objection to such nomination); provided, however, that an individual shall not be an Incumbent Director if such individual’s election or appointment to the Board occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest (as described in Rule 14a-12(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board.

 

(b) “Claim” means (i) any threatened, asserted, pending or completed claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, investigative or other, and whether made pursuant to federal, state or other law; and (ii) any inquiry or investigation, whether made, instituted or conducted by the Company or any other Person, including, without limitation, any federal, state or other governmental entity, that Indemnitee reasonably determines might lead to the institution of any such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company intends the indemnity to be provided hereunder in respect of acts or failure to act prior to, on or after the date hereof.

 

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(c) “Controlled Affiliate” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company. For purposes of this definition, “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of an entity or enterprise, whether through the ownership of voting securities, through other voting rights, by contract or otherwise; provided that direct or indirect beneficial ownership of capital stock or other interests in an entity or enterprise entitling the holder to cast 15% or more of the total number of votes generally entitled to be cast in the election of directors (or persons performing comparable functions) of such entity or enterprise shall be deemed to constitute control for purposes of this definition.

 

(d) “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Claim in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(e) “Expenses” means reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses and all other costs and expenses paid or payable in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to investigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in (including on appeal), any Claim.

 

(f) “Indemnifiable Claim” means any Claim based upon, arising out of or resulting from (i) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in his capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, as to which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company, (ii) any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in respect of any business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other activity of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence, or (iii) Indemnitee’s status as a current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a current or former director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence or any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in connection with any obligation or restriction imposed upon Indemnitee by reason of such status. In addition to any service at the actual request of the Company, for purposes of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to be serving or to have served at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of another entity or enterprise if Indemnitee is or was serving as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, agent, trustee or other fiduciary of such entity or enterprise and (i) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was a Controlled Affiliate, (ii) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was an employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or a Controlled Affiliate, or (iii) the Company or a Controlled Affiliate (by action of the Board, any committee thereof or the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) (other than as the CEO himself)) caused or authorized Indemnitee to be nominated, elected, appointed, designated, employed, engaged or selected to serve in such capacity.

 

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(g) “Indemnifiable Losses” means any and all Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim; provided, however, that Indemnifiable Losses shall not include Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Claim (or any matter or issue therein) as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such Indemnifiable Claim was brought shall have determined upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such Expenses as the court shall deem proper.

 

(h) “Independent Counsel” means a nationally recognized law firm, or a member of a nationally recognized law firm, that is experienced in matters of Delaware corporate law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company (or any subsidiary) or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements) or (ii) any other named (or, as to a threatened matter, reasonably likely to be named) party to the Indemnifiable Claim giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

 

(i) “Losses” means any and all Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties (whether civil, criminal or other) and amounts paid or payable in settlement, including, without limitation, all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of any of the foregoing.

 

(j) “Person” means any individual, entity or group, within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(k) “Standard of Conduct” means the standard for conduct by Indemnitee that is a condition precedent to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from an Indemnifiable Claim. The Standard of Conduct is (i) good faith and a reasonable belief by Indemnitee that his action was in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful, or (ii) any other applicable standard of conduct that may hereafter be substituted under Section 145(a) or (b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law or any successor to such provision(s).

 

2. Indemnification Obligation . Subject only to Section 7 and to the proviso in this Section, the Company shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware in effect on the date hereof or as such laws may from time to time hereafter be amended to increase the scope of such permitted indemnification, against any and all Indemnifiable Claims and Indemnifiable Losses; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 5, Indemnitee shall not be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement in connection with (i) any Claim initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or any director or officer of the Company unless the Company has joined in or consented to the initiation of such Claim or the Claim relates to or arises from the enforcement or prosecution of a right to indemnification under this Agreement, or (ii) the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Nothing herein is intended to limit the scope of permitted indemnification to Indemnitee under the laws of the State of Delaware

 

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3. Advancement of Expenses . Indemnitee shall have the right to advancement by the Company prior to the final disposition of any Indemnifiable Claim of any and all actual and reasonable Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim paid or incurred by Indemnitee. Without limiting the generality or effect of any other provision hereof, Indemnitee’s right to such advancement is not subject to the satisfaction of any Standard of Conduct. Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, within five business days after any request by Indemnitee that is accompanied by supporting documentation for specific reasonable Expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, the Company shall, in accordance with such request (but without duplication), (a) pay such Expenses on behalf of Indemnitee, (b) advance to Indemnitee funds in an amount sufficient to pay such Expenses, or (c) reimburse Indemnitee for such Expenses; provided that Indemnitee shall repay, without interest, any amounts actually advanced to Indemnitee that, at the final disposition of the Indemnifiable Claim to which the advance related, were in excess of amounts paid or payable by Indemnitee in respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim. In connection with any such payment, advancement or reimbursement, at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall execute and deliver to the Company an undertaking, which need not be secured and shall be accepted without reference to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses, by or on behalf of the Indemnitee, to repay any amounts paid, advanced or reimbursed by the Company in respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim in respect of which it shall have been determined, following the final disposition of such Indemnifiable Claim and in accordance with Section 7, that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder.

 

4. Indemnification for Additional Expenses . Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request accompanied by supporting documentation for specific Expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, any and all actual and reasonable Expenses paid or incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Claim made, instituted or conducted by Indemnitee for (a) indemnification or reimbursement or advance payment of Expenses by the Company under any provision of this Agreement, or under any other agreement or provision of the Constituent Documents now or hereafter in effect relating to Indemnifiable Claims, and/or (b) recovery under any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company; provided, however, if it is ultimately determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement, advance or insurance recovery, as the case may be, then the Indemnitee shall be obligated to repay any such Expenses to the Company; provided further, that, regardless in each case of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement, advance or insurance recovery, as the case may be, Indemnitee shall return, without interest, any such advance of Expenses (or portion thereof) which remains unspent at the final disposition of the Claim to which the advance related.

 

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5. Partial Indemnity . If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of any Indemnifiable Loss but not for the entire amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.

 

6. Procedure for Notification . To obtain indemnification under this Agreement in respect of an Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefore, including a brief description (based upon information then available to Indemnitee) of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss. If, at the time of the receipt of such request, the Company has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in effect under which coverage for such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss is potentially available, the Company shall give prompt written notice of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss to the applicable insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the applicable policies. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all Indemnifiable Claims and Indemnifiable Losses in accordance with the terms of such policies. The Company shall provide to Indemnitee a copy of such notice delivered to the applicable insurers, substantially concurrently with the delivery thereof by the Company. The failure by Indemnitee to timely notify the Company of any Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss shall not relieve the Company from any liability hereunder unless, and only to the extent that, the Company did not otherwise learn of such Indemnifiable Claim or Indemnifiable Loss and to the extent that such failure results in forfeiture by the Company of substantial defenses, rights or insurance coverage.

 

7. Determination of Right to Indemnification .

 

(a) To the extent that Indemnitee shall have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any Indemnifiable Claim or any portion thereof or in defense of any issue or matter therein, including, without limitation, dismissal without prejudice, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Indemnifiable Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from such Indemnifiable Claim in accordance with Section 2 and no Standard of Conduct Determination (as defined in Section 7(b)) shall be required.

 

(b) To the extent that the provisions of Section 7(a) are inapplicable to an Indemnifiable Claim that shall have been finally disposed of, any determination required to be made under the laws of the State of Delaware as to whether Indemnitee has satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct (a “Standard of Conduct Determination” ) shall be made as follows: (i) if a Change in Control shall not have occurred, or if a Change in Control shall have occurred but Indemnitee shall have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to this clause (i), (A) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (B) if such Disinterested Directors so direct, by a majority vote of a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of all Disinterested Directors, or (C) if there are no such Disinterested Directors, or if a majority of the Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; and (ii) if a Change in Control shall have occurred and Indemnitee shall not have requested that the Standard of Conduct Determination be made pursuant to clause (i) above, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion addressed to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee.

 

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(c) If (i) Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses pursuant to Section 7(a), (ii) no determination of whether Indemnitee has satisfied any applicable standard of conduct under Delaware law is a legally required condition precedent to indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against any Indemnifiable Losses, or (iii) Indemnitee has been determined or deemed pursuant to Section 7(b) to have satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct, then the Company shall pay to Indemnitee, within five business days after the later of (x) the notification date in respect of the Indemnifiable Claim or portion thereof to which such Indemnifiable Losses are related, out of which such Indemnifiable Losses arose or from which such Indemnifiable Losses resulted, and (y) the earliest date on which the applicable criterion specified in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above shall have been satisfied, an amount equal to the amount of such Indemnifiable Losses. Nothing herein is intended to mean or imply that the Company is intending to use Section 145(f) of the Delaware General Corporation Law to dispense with a requirement that Indemnitee meet the applicable Standard of Conduct where it is otherwise required by such statute.

 

(d) If a Standard of Conduct Determination is required to be, but has not been, made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 7(b)(i), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board or a committee of the Board, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him or her of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Standard of Conduct Determination is required to be, or to have been, made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 7(b)(ii), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee, and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either case, Indemnitee or the Company, as applicable, may, within five business days after receiving written notice of selection from the other, deliver to the other a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not satisfy the criteria set forth in the definition of “Independent Counsel” in Section 1(h), and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the Person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is properly and timely made and substantiated, (i) the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit and (ii) the non-objecting party may, at its option, select an alternative Independent Counsel and give written notice to the other party advising such other party of the identity of the alternative Independent Counsel so selected, in which case the provisions of the two immediately preceding sentences and clause (i) of this sentence shall apply to such subsequent selection and notice. If applicable, the provisions of clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to successive alternative selections. If no Independent Counsel that is permitted under the foregoing provisions of this Section 7(d) to make the Standard of Conduct Determination shall have been selected within 30 calendar days after the Company gives its initial notice pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 7(d) or Indemnitee gives its initial notice pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 7(d), as the case may be, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person or firm selected by such court or by such other person as such Court shall designate, and the person or firm with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person or firm so appointed will act as Independent Counsel. In all events, the Company shall pay all of the actual and reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel incurred in connection with the Independent Counsel’s determination pursuant to Section 7(b).

 

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8. Cooperation . Indemnitee shall cooperate with reasonable requests of the Company in connection with any Indemnifiable Claim and any individual or firm making such Standard of Conduct Determination, including providing to such Person documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to defend the Indemnifiable Claim or make any Standard of Conduct Determination without incurring any unreimbursed cost in connection therewith. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request accompanied by supporting documentation for specific costs and expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, any and all costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the Person defending the Indemnifiable Claim or making such Standard of Conduct Determination.

 

9. Presumption of Entitlement . Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, in making any Standard of Conduct Determination, the Person making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee has satisfied the applicable Standard of Conduct.

 

10. No Other Presumption . For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any Claim by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, will not create a presumption that Indemnitee did not meet any applicable Standard of Conduct or that indemnification hereunder is otherwise not permitted.

 

11. Non-Exclusivity . The rights of Indemnitee hereunder will be in addition to any other rights Indemnitee may have under the Constituent Documents, or the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, any other contract or otherwise (collectively, “Other Indemnity Provisions” ); provided, however, that (a) to the extent that Indemnitee otherwise would have any greater right to indemnification under any Other Indemnity Provision, Indemnitee will without further action be deemed to have such greater right hereunder, and (b) to the extent that any change is made to any Other Indemnity Provision which permits any greater right to indemnification than that provided under this Agreement as of the date hereof, Indemnitee will be deemed to have such greater right hereunder. The Company may not, without the consent of Indemnitee, adopt any amendment to any of the Constituent Documents the effect of which would be to deny, diminish or encumber Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement.

 

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12. Liability Insurance and Funding . For the duration of Indemnitee’s service as a director of the Company and for a reasonable period of time thereafter, which such period shall be determined by the Company in its sole discretion, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts (taking into account the scope and amount of coverage available relative to the cost thereof) to cause to be maintained in effect policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing coverage for directors and/or officers of the Company, and, if applicable, that is substantially comparable in scope and amount to that provided by the Company’s current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Upon reasonable request, the Company shall provide Indemnitee or his or her counsel with a copy of all directors’ and officers’ liability insurance applications, binders, policies, declarations, endorsements and other related materials. In all policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance obtained by the Company, Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits, subject to the same limitations, as are accorded to the Company’s directors and officers most favorably insured by such policy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the Company may, but shall not be required to, create a trust fund, grant a security interest or use other means, including, without limitation, a letter of credit, to ensure the payment of such amounts as may be necessary to satisfy its obligations to indemnify and advance expenses pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) in renewing or seeking to renew any insurance hereunder, the Company will not be required to expend more than 2.0 times the premium amount of the immediately preceding policy period (equitably adjusted if necessary to reflect differences in policy periods).

 

13. Subrogation . In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the related rights of recovery of Indemnitee against other Persons (other than Indemnitee’s successors), including any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(f). Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required to evidence such rights (all of Indemnitee’s reasonable Expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and charges, related thereto to be reimbursed by or, at the option of Indemnitee, advanced by the Company).

 

14. No Duplication of Payments .

 

(a) The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment to Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Losses to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise already actually received payment (net of Expenses incurred in connection therewith) under any insurance policy, the Constituent Documents and Other Indemnity Provisions or otherwise (including from any entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of the definition of “Indemnifiable Claim” in Section 1(f)) in respect of such Indemnifiable Losses otherwise indemnifiable hereunder.

 

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 14(a) above, the Company hereby acknowledges that Indemnitee may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by one or more venture capital funds, the general partners, managing members or other control persons and/or any affiliated management companies of such venture capital funds, and certain of its or their affiliates (collectively, the “ Fund Indemnitors ”). The Company hereby agrees that in connection with any Indemnifiable Claim, (i) it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Fund Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by Indemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement and the Company’s Constituent Documents (or any other agreement between the Company and Indemnitee), without regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against the Fund Indemnitors, and, (iii) it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Fund Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Fund Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Fund Indemnitors on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which Indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Fund Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company. The Company and Indemnitee agree that the Fund Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 14(b).

 

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15. Defense of Claims . Subject to the provisions of applicable policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, if any, the Company shall be entitled to participate in the defense of any Indemnifiable Claim or to assume or lead the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee; provided that if Indemnitee determines, after consultation with counsel selected by Indemnitee, that (a) the use of counsel chosen by the Company to represent Indemnitee would present such counsel with an actual or potential conflict, (b) the named parties in any such Indemnifiable Claim (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and Indemnitee and Indemnitee shall conclude that there may be one or more legal defenses available to him or her that are different from or in addition to those available to the Company, (c) any such representation by such counsel would be precluded under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, or (d) Indemnitee has interests in the claim or underlying subject matter that are different from or in addition to those of other Persons against whom the Claim has been made or might reasonably be expected to be made, then Indemnitee shall be entitled to retain separate counsel (but not more than one law firm plus, if applicable, local counsel in respect of any particular Indemnifiable Claim for all indemnitees in Indemnitee’s circumstances) at the Company’s expense. The Company shall not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any threatened or pending Indemnifiable Claim effected without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnitee, effect any settlement of any threatened or pending Indemnifiable Claim which the Indemnitee is or could have been a party unless such settlement solely involves the payment of money and includes a complete and unconditional release of the Indemnitee from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such Indemnifiable Claim. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee shall unreasonably withhold its consent to any proposed settlement; provided that Indemnitee may withhold consent to any settlement that does not provide a complete and unconditional release of Indemnitee.

 

16. Mutual Acknowledgment . Both the Company and the Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or otherwise. Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company may be required in the future to undertake to the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit the question of indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company’s right under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee and, in that event, the Indemnitee’s rights and the Company’s obligations hereunder shall be subject to that determination.

 

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17. Successors and Binding Agreement .

 

(a) This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company and any successor to the Company, including, without limitation, any Person acquiring directly or indirectly all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company whether by purchase, merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise (and such successor will thereafter be deemed the “Company” for purposes of this Agreement), but shall not otherwise be assignable or delegatable by the Company.

 

(b) This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Indemnitee’s personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, distributees, legatees and other successors.

 

(c) This Agreement is personal in nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or delegate this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder except as expressly provided in Sections 17(a) and 17(b). Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, Indemnitee’s right to receive payments hereunder shall not be assignable, whether by pledge, creation of a security interest or otherwise, other than by a transfer by the Indemnitee’s will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and, in the event of any attempted assignment or transfer contrary to this Section 17(c), the Company shall have no liability to pay any amount so attempted to be assigned or transferred.

 

18. Notices . For all purposes of this Agreement, all communications, including without limitation notices, consents, requests or approvals, required or permitted to be given hereunder must be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when hand delivered or dispatched by electronic facsimile transmission (with receipt thereof orally confirmed), or one business day after having been sent for next-day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, addressed to the Company (to the attention of the Secretary of the Company) and to Indemnitee at the applicable address shown on the signature page hereto, or to such other address as any party hereto may have furnished to the other in writing and in accordance herewith, except that notices of changes of address will be effective only upon receipt.

 

19. Governing Law . The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the principles of conflict of laws of such State. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of or relates to this Agreement, waive all procedural objections to suit in that jurisdiction, including, without limitation, objections as to venue or inconvenience, agree that service in any such action may be made by notice given in accordance with Section 18 and also agree that any action instituted under this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware.

 

20. Validity . If any provision of this Agreement or the application of any provision hereof to any Person or circumstance is held invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal, the remainder of this Agreement and the application of such provision to any other Person or circumstance shall not be affected, and the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal shall be reformed to the extent, and only to the extent, necessary to make it enforceable, valid or legal. In the event that any court or other adjudicative body shall decline to reform any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal as contemplated by the immediately preceding sentence, the parties hereto shall take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate to replace the provision so held to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal with one or more alternative provisions that effectuate the purpose and intent of the original provisions of this Agreement as fully as possible without being invalid, unenforceable or otherwise illegal.

 

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21. Miscellaneous . No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified or discharged unless such waiver, modification or discharge is agreed to in writing signed by Indemnitee and the Company. No waiver by either party hereto at any time of any breach by the other party hereto or compliance with any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, expressed or implied with respect to the subject matter hereof have been made by either party hereto that is not set forth expressly in this Agreement.

 

22. Certain Interpretive Matters . Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (1) “it” or “its” or words of any gender include each other gender, (2) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (3) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (4) the terms “Article,” “Section,” “Annex” or “Exhibit” refer to the specified Article, Section, Annex or Exhibit of or to this Agreement, (5) the terms “include,” “includes” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation” (whether or not so expressed), and (6) the word “or” is disjunctive but not exclusive. Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such number will refer to calendar days unless business days are specified and whenever action must be taken (including the giving of notice or the delivery of documents) under this Agreement during a certain period of time or by a particular date that ends or occurs on a non-business day, then such period or date will be extended until the immediately following business day. As used herein, “business day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or a United States federal holiday.

 

23. Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. Any prior agreements or understandings between the parties hereto with respect to indemnification are hereby terminated and of no further force or effect. This Agreement is not the exclusive means of securing indemnification rights of Indemnitee and is in addition to any rights Indemnitee may have under any Constituent Documents.

 

24. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

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25. Duration of Agreement . This Agreement shall continue until and terminate upon the later of: (a) six years after the date that the Indemnitee shall have ceased to serve as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company or of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise which the Indemnitee served at the request of the Company; (b) the expiration of the applicable statutes of limitations pertaining to any and all potential proceedings covered by the indemnification provided for herein; or (c) the final termination of all pending proceedings in respect of which the Indemnitee is granted rights of indemnification or advancement of Expenses hereunder and of any proceeding commenced by the Indemnitee pursuant to this Agreement relating thereto.

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Indemnitee has executed and the Company has caused its duly authorized representative to execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

  WIZARD WORLD, INC.
     
  By: /s/ John Macaluso
    John Macaluso
    Chief Executive Officer
     
  INDEMNITEE :
     
  /s/ Kenneth Shamus
  Kenneth Shamus
  Address: 11 Deer Horn Trail
    Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

 

[Signature page to Shamus Indemnification Agreement]

 

 
 

 

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

 

DIRECTOR

 

THIS NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (the “ Agreement ”) entered into as of the 17th day of March, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. (the “ Company ”) and Paul L. Kessler (the “ Optionee ”).

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority of the Board of Directors (the “ Board ”), the Company has granted the Optionee the right to purchase common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“ Common Stock ”) of the Company pursuant to stock options granted under an equity incentive plan approved by the Board;

 

WHEREAS, the Company and Optionee are entering into that certain Director Agreement of even date herewith (the “ Director Agreement ”) whereby, among other things, the Optionee shall serve as member of the Board.

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises hereafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Grant of Non-Qualified Options . The Company hereby irrevocably grants to the Optionee, as a matter of separate agreement and not in lieu of salary or other compensation for services, the right and option to purchase all or any part of an aggregate of 150,000 shares of authorized but unissued or treasury common stock of the Company (the “ Options ”) on the terms and conditions herein set forth. The Common Stock shall be unregistered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), unless the Company voluntarily files a registration statement covering such shares Common Stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Options are not intended to be Incentive Stock Options as defined by Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”).

 

2. Price . The exercise price of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options granted hereunder shall be $0.40.

 

3. Vesting .

 

(a) The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to the Optionee continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

(b) Subject to Sections 3(c) and 4 of this Agreement, Options may be exercised by providing to the Company the Notice of Option Exercise in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A after vesting and remain exercisable until 5:30 p.m. New York time on the date that is the fifth (5 th ) year anniversary of the date of this Agreement.

 

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(c) However, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, at the option of the Board in its sole and absolute discretion, all Options shall be immediately forfeited in the event any of the following events occur:

 

(i) The termination of the Optionee’s employment with the Company for Cause or without Good Reason, as such terms are defined in the employment agreement of such Optionee, or if such term or terms is not defined in the employment agreement or there is not an employment agreement, as defined by the Second Amended and Restated 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan of the Company (the “ 2011 Plan ”);

 

(ii) The Optionee purchases or sells securities of the Company without written authorization in accordance with the Company’s insider trading policy then in effect, if any;

 

(iii) The Optionee (A) discloses, publishes or authorizes anyone else to use, disclose or publish, without the prior written consent of the Company, any proprietary or confidential information of the Company, including, without limitation, any information relating to existing or potential customers, business methods, financial information, trade or industry practices, sales and marketing strategies, employee information, vendor lists, business strategies, intellectual property, trade secrets or any other proprietary or confidential information or (B) directly or indirectly uses any such proprietary or confidential information for the individual benefit of the Optionee or the benefit of a third party;

 

(iv) During the term of employment and for a period of two (2) years thereafter, the Optionee disrupts or damages, impairs or interferes with the business of the Company or its Affiliates by recruiting, soliciting or otherwise inducing any of their respective employees to enter into employment or other relationship with any other business entity, or terminate or materially diminish their relationship with the Company or its Affiliates, as applicable;

 

(v) During the term of employment and for a period of one (1) year thereafter, the Optionee solicits or directs business of any person or entity who is (A) a customer of the Company or its Affiliates at any time or (B) solicited to be a “prospective customer” of the Company or its Affiliates, in any case either for such Optionee or for any other person or entity. For purposes of this clause (v), “ prospective customer ” means a person or entity who contacted, or is contacted by, the Company or its Affiliates regarding the provision of services to or on behalf of such person or entity; provided that the Optionee has actual knowledge of such prospective customer;

 

(vi) The Optionee fails to reasonably cooperate to effect a smooth transition of the Optionee’s duties and to ensure that the Company is apprised of the status of all matters the Optionee is handling or is unavailable for consultation after termination of employment of the Optionee if such availability is a condition of any agreement to which the Company and the Optionee are parties;

 

(vii) The Optionee fails to assign all of such Optionee’s rights, title and interest in and to any and all ideas, inventions, formulas, source codes, techniques, processes, concepts, systems, programs, software, computer data bases, trademarks, service marks, brand names, trade names, compilations, documents, data, notes, designs, drawings, technical data and/or training materials, including improvements thereto or derivatives therefrom, whether or not patentable or subject to copyright or trademark or trade secret protection, developed and produced by the Optionee used or intended for use by or on behalf of the Company or the Company’s clients;

 

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 (viii) The Optionee acts in a disloyal manner to the Company, such as making comments, whether oral or in writing, that tend to disparage or injure (i) the reputation or business of the Company or its Affiliates, or is likely to result in discredit to, or loss of business, reputation or goodwill of, the Company or its Affiliates or (ii) its directors, officers or stockholders; or

 

(ix) A finding by the Board that the Optionee has acted against the interests of the Company or in a manner that has or may have a detrimental effect on the Company.

 

(d) For purposes of this Agreement, “ Affiliate ” means with respect to a person or entity, any other person or entity controlled by, in control of or under common control with such person or entity, and “controlled,”“controlled by,” and “under common control with” shall mean direct or indirect possession of the power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise) of a person or entity.

 

4. Termination of Relationship .

 

(a) If for any reason, except death or disability as provided below, the Optionee ceases to perform the services for which the Options were granted, all unvested options shall be automatically and irrefutably forfeited effective three months from the date the Optionee ceases to perform such services, except as otherwise provided herein.

 

(b) If the Optionee shall die while performing services for the Company, such Optionee’s estate or any Transferee (as defined hereinafter) shall have the right within twelve (12) months from the date of death to exercise the Optionee’s vested Options, subject to Section 3(c) hereof. For the purpose of this Agreement, “ Transferee ” shall mean an individual to whom such Optionee’s vested Options are transferred by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.

 

(c) If the Optionee shall become disabled while performing services for the Company within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, the three-month period referred to in Section 4(a) of this Agreement shall be extended to one year.

 

5. Profits on the Sale of Certain Shares; Redemption . If any of the events specified in Section 3(c) of this Agreement occur within one (1) year from the last date the Optionee performed services for which the Options were granted (the “ Termination Date ”), all profits earned from the sale of the Company’s securities, including the sale of shares of Common Stock underlying the Options, during the two (2) year period commencing one (1) year prior to the Termination Date shall be forfeited and forthwith paid by the Optionee to the Company within ten (10) days after the Optionee receives written demand from the Company for such payment and a copy of the documentation of the sale, including, without limitation, the purchase price therefor. Further, in such event, the Company may at its option redeem shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of the Options by payment of the exercise price to the Optionee. The Company’s rights under this Section 5 do not lapse one year from the Termination Date, but are a contract right subject to any appropriate statutory limitation period.

 

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6. Transfer . No transfer of the Options by the Optionee by will or by the laws of descent and distribution shall be effective to bind the Company unless the Company shall have been furnished with written notice thereof and a copy of the letters testamentary or such other evidence as the Board may deem necessary to establish the authority of the estate and the acceptance by the Transferee or Transferees of the terms and conditions of the Options.

 

7. Method of Exercise . The Options shall be exercisable by a written notice in the manner and form identified on Exhibit A hereto which information shall include:

 

(a) state the election to exercise the Options, the number of shares to be exercised, the natural person in whose name the stock certificate or certificates for such shares of Common Stock is to be registered and such person’s address and social security number (or if more than one, the names, addresses and social security numbers of such persons);

 

(b) contain such representations and agreements as to the holder’s investment intent with respect to such shares of Common Stock as set forth in Section 11 hereof;

 

(c) be signed by the person or persons entitled to exercise the Options and, if the Options are being exercised by any person or persons other than the Optionee, be accompanied by proof, satisfactory to counsel for the Company, of the right of such person or persons to exercise the Options; and

 

(d) be accompanied by full payment of the purchase or exercise price in United States dollars in cash or by bank or cashier’s check, certified check or money order or in the form of shares pursuant to the 2011 Plan.

 

The certificate or certificates for shares of Common Stock as to which the Options shall be exercised shall be registered in the name of the person or persons exercising the Options.

 

8. Sale of Shares Acquired Upon Exercise of Options . If the Optionee is an officer (as defined by Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“ Section 16(b) ”), any shares of the Company’s Common Stock acquired pursuant to Options granted hereunder cannot be sold by the Optionee, subject to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, until at least six (6) months elapse from the date of grant of the Options, except in the case of death or disability or if the grant was exempt from the short-swing profit provisions of Section 16(b).

 

9. Adjustments . Upon the occurrence of any of the following events, the Optionee’s rights with respect to Options granted to such Optionee hereunder shall be adjusted as hereinafter provided unless otherwise specifically provided in a written agreement between the Optionee and the Company relating to such Options:

 

(a) If the shares of Common Stock shall be subdivided or combined into a greater or smaller number of shares, respectively, or if the Company shall issue any shares of its Common Stock as a stock dividend on its outstanding shares of Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock deliverable upon the exercise of the Options shall be appropriately increased or decreased proportionately, and appropriate adjustments shall be made in the exercise price per share to reflect such subdivision, combination or stock dividend, as applicable;

 

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(b) If the Company is to be consolidated with or acquired by another entity pursuant to an acquisition, the board of directors of any entity assuming the obligations of the Company hereunder (the “ Successor Board ”) shall either (i) make appropriate provision for the continuation of such Options by substituting on an equitable basis for the shares then subject to such Options the consideration payable with respect to the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company in connection with such acquisition or (ii) terminate all Options in exchange for a cash payment equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Options over the exercise price thereof;

 

(c) In the event of a recapitalization or reorganization of the Company (other than a transaction described in Section 9(b) above) pursuant to which securities of the Company or of another corporation are issued with respect to the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Optionee upon exercising the Options shall be entitled to receive for the purchase price paid upon such exercise, the securities such Optionee would have received if such Optionee had exercised such Optionee’s Options prior to such recapitalization or reorganization;

 

(d) Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock of any class or securities convertible into shares of Common Stock of any class shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or exercise price of shares subject to Options. No adjustments shall be made for dividends or other distributions paid in cash or in property other than securities of the Company;

 

(e) No fractional shares shall be issued and the Optionee shall receive from the Company cash based on the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock in lieu of such fractional shares; or

 

(f) The Board or the Successor Board shall determine the specific adjustments to be made under this Section 9, and its determination shall be conclusive. If the Optionee receives securities or cash in connection with a corporate transaction described in Section 9(a), (b) or (c) above as a result of owning such restricted Common Stock, such securities or cash shall be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions applicable to the restricted Common Stock with respect to which such securities or cash were issued, unless otherwise determined by the Board or the Successor Board.

 

10. Necessity to Become Holder of Record . Neither the Optionee, the Optionee’s estate, nor the Transferee have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any shares of Common Stock covered by the Options until such Optionee, estate or Transferee, as applicable, shall have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock. No adjustment shall be made for cash dividends or cash distributions, ordinary or extraordinary, in respect of such shares of Common Stock for which the record date is prior to the date on which such Optionee, estate or Transferee, as applicable, shall become the holder of record thereof.

 

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11. Conditions to Exercise of Options .

 

(a) In order to enable the Company to comply with the Securities Act and relevant state law, the Company may require the Optionee, the Optionee’s estate or any Transferee, as a condition of the exercising of the Options granted hereunder, to give written assurance satisfactory to the Company that the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options are being acquired for such Optionee’s, estate’s or Transferee’s, as applicable, own account, for investment only, with no view to the distribution of same, and that any subsequent resale of any such shares of Common Stock either shall be made pursuant to a registration statement under the Securities Act and applicable state law which has become effective and is current with regard to the shares of Common Stock being sold, or shall be pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state law.

 

(b) The Options are subject to the requirement that, if at any time the Board shall determine, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options upon any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body, is necessary as a condition of, or in connection with the issue or purchase of such shares of Common Stock under the Options, the Options may not be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected.

 

12. Duties of Company . The Company will at all times during the term of the Options:

 

(a) Reserve and keep available for issue such number of shares of its authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Agreement;

 

(b) Pay all original issue taxes with respect to the issue of shares of Common Stock pursuant hereto and all other fees and expenses necessarily incurred by the Company in connection therewith; and

 

(c) Use its best efforts to comply with all laws and regulations which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, shall be applicable thereto.

 

13. Severability . In the event any parts of this Agreement are found to be void, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless be binding with the same effect as though the void parts were deleted.

 

14. Arbitration . Any controversy, dispute or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or its interpretation, application, implementation, breach or enforcement which the parties hereto are unable to resolve by mutual agreement, shall be settled by submission by either party of the controversy, claim or dispute to binding arbitration in New York County, New York (unless the parties agree in writing to a different location), before a single arbitrator in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The decision and award made by the arbitrator shall be final, binding and conclusive on all parties hereto for all purposes, and judgment may be entered thereon in any court having jurisdiction thereof.

 

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15. Benefit . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

16. Notices and Addresses . All notices, offers, acceptance and any other acts under this Agreement (except payment) shall be in writing, and shall be sufficiently given if delivered to the addressees in person, by FedEx or similar receipted delivery, or by facsimile delivery as follows:

 

  The Optionee: Paul L. Kessler
    c/o Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC
    10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1050
    Los Angeles, CA 90024
    Telephone: (310) 331-8480
     
  The Company: Wizard World, Inc.
    1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2 nd Floor
    New York, NY 10019
    Facsimile: (212) 707-8180

 

or to such other address as either of them, by notice to the other, may designate from time to time. The transmission confirmation receipt from the sender’s facsimile machine shall be evidence of successful facsimile delivery. Time shall be counted to, or from, as the case may be, the delivery in person or by mailing.

 

17. Attorney’s Fees . In the event that there is any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or to the interpretation, breach or enforcement thereof, and any action or proceeding is commenced to enforce the provisions of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled from the non-prevailing party to its reasonable attorneys’ fee, costs and expenses.

 

18. Governing Law . This Agreement and any dispute, disagreement, or issue of construction or interpretation arising hereunder whether relating to its execution, its validity, the obligations provided herein or performance, shall be governed or interpreted according to the laws of the State of New York without regard to choice of law considerations.

 

19. Oral Evidence . This Agreement, along with the 2011 Plan and the Director Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes all prior oral and written agreements between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated except by a statement in writing signed by the party or parties against which enforcement or the change, waiver discharge or termination is sought.

 

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20. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. The execution of this Agreement may be made by facsimile signature, which shall be deemed to be an original.

 

21. Section Headings . Section headings herein have been inserted for reference only and shall not be deemed to limit or otherwise affect, in any matter, or be deemed to interpret in whole or in part, any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

 

[-signature page follows-]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have set their hand the day and year first above written.

 

  WIZARD WORLD, INC.
     
  By: /s/ Johan Macaluso
  Name: John Macaluso
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
  OPTIONEE
     
  By: /s/ Paul L. Kessler
  Name: Paul L. Kessler

 

[Signature page to Non-qualified Stock Option Agreement]

  

 
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF NOTICE OF OPTION EXERCISE

 

To: Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”)

 

(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase __________ shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement by and between the Company and the undersigned dated as of __________ ___, 20__, and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full as set forth below.

 

(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):

 

[  ] in lawful money of the United States in the form of a check made payable by the undersigned to the Company; or

 

[  ] in lawful money of the United States in the form of a wire transfer to the account specified by the Company;

 

[  ] in the form of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 5(d) of the Plan.

 

(3) Please issue a certificate or certificates representing the Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:

 

____________________________________

 

The Shares shall be delivered via overnight courier (with tracking information to be provided to the undersigned) to the following address:

 

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Attn: ________________________

Tel: _________________________

 

  OPTIONEE
   
   

 

[Exhibit A to Non-qualified Stock Option Agreement]

 

 
 

 

 

WIZARD WORLD, INC.

NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

 

DIRECTOR

 

THIS NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT (the “ Agreement ”) entered into as of the 17th day of March, 2013, by and between Wizard World, Inc. (the “ Company ”) and Kenneth Shamus (the “ Optionee ”).

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority of the Board of Directors (the “ Board ”), the Company has granted the Optionee the right to purchase common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“ Common Stock ”) of the Company pursuant to stock options granted under an equity incentive plan approved by the Board;

 

WHEREAS, the Company and Optionee are entering into that certain Director Agreement of even date herewith (the “ Director Agreement ”) whereby, among other things, the Optionee shall serve as member of the Board.

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises hereafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Grant of Non-Qualified Options . The Company hereby irrevocably grants to the Optionee, as a matter of separate agreement and not in lieu of salary or other compensation for services, the right and option to purchase all or any part of an aggregate of 150,000 shares of authorized but unissued or treasury common stock of the Company (the “ Options ”) on the terms and conditions herein set forth. The Common Stock shall be unregistered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), unless the Company voluntarily files a registration statement covering such shares Common Stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Options are not intended to be Incentive Stock Options as defined by Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”).

 

2. Price . The exercise price of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options granted hereunder shall be $0.40.

 

3. Vesting .

 

(a) The Options shall vest quarterly over a three (3) year period, subject to the Optionee continuing to perform services for the Company in the capacity in which the grant was received on each applicable vesting date. In lieu of fractional vesting, the number of Options shall be rounded up each time until fractional Options are eliminated.

 

(b) Subject to Sections 3(c) and 4 of this Agreement, Options may be exercised by providing to the Company the Notice of Option Exercise in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A after vesting and remain exercisable until 5:30 p.m. New York time on the date that is the fifth (5th) year anniversary of the date of this Agreement.

 

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(c) However, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, at the option of the Board in its sole and absolute discretion, all Options shall be immediately forfeited in the event any of the following events occur:

 

(i) The termination of the Optionee’s employment with the Company for Cause or without Good Reason, as such terms are defined in the employment agreement of such Optionee, or if such term or terms is not defined in the employment agreement or there is not an employment agreement, as defined by the Second Amended and Restated 2011 Incentive Stock and Award Plan of the Company (the “ 2011 Plan ”);

 

(ii) The Optionee purchases or sells securities of the Company without written authorization in accordance with the Company’s insider trading policy then in effect, if any;

 

(iii) The Optionee (A) discloses, publishes or authorizes anyone else to use, disclose or publish, without the prior written consent of the Company, any proprietary or confidential information of the Company, including, without limitation, any information relating to existing or potential customers, business methods, financial information, trade or industry practices, sales and marketing strategies, employee information, vendor lists, business strategies, intellectual property, trade secrets or any other proprietary or confidential information or (B) directly or indirectly uses any such proprietary or confidential information for the individual benefit of the Optionee or the benefit of a third party;

 

(iv) During the term of employment and for a period of two (2) years thereafter, the Optionee disrupts or damages, impairs or interferes with the business of the Company or its Affiliates by recruiting, soliciting or otherwise inducing any of their respective employees to enter into employment or other relationship with any other business entity, or terminate or materially diminish their relationship with the Company or its Affiliates, as applicable;

 

(v) During the term of employment and for a period of one (1) year thereafter, the Optionee solicits or directs business of any person or entity who is (A) a customer of the Company or its Affiliates at any time or (B) solicited to be a “prospective customer” of the Company or its Affiliates, in any case either for such Optionee or for any other person or entity. For purposes of this clause (v), “ prospective customer ” means a person or entity who contacted, or is contacted by, the Company or its Affiliates regarding the provision of services to or on behalf of such person or entity; provided that the Optionee has actual knowledge of such prospective customer;

 

(vi) The Optionee fails to reasonably cooperate to effect a smooth transition of the Optionee’s duties and to ensure that the Company is apprised of the status of all matters the Optionee is handling or is unavailable for consultation after termination of employment of the Optionee if such availability is a condition of any agreement to which the Company and the Optionee are parties;

 

2
 

  

(vii) The Optionee fails to assign all of such Optionee’s rights, title and interest in and to any and all ideas, inventions, formulas, source codes, techniques, processes, concepts, systems, programs, software, computer data bases, trademarks, service marks, brand names, trade names, compilations, documents, data, notes, designs, drawings, technical data and/or training materials, including improvements thereto or derivatives therefrom, whether or not patentable or subject to copyright or trademark or trade secret protection, developed and produced by the Optionee used or intended for use by or on behalf of the Company or the Company’s clients;

 

(viii) The Optionee acts in a disloyal manner to the Company, such as making comments, whether oral or in writing, that tend to disparage or injure (i) the reputation or business of the Company or its Affiliates, or is likely to result in discredit to, or loss of business, reputation or goodwill of, the Company or its Affiliates or (ii) its directors, officers or stockholders; or

 

(ix) A finding by the Board that the Optionee has acted against the interests of the Company or in a manner that has or may have a detrimental effect on the Company.

 

(d) For purposes of this Agreement, “ Affiliate ” means with respect to a person or entity, any other person or entity controlled by, in control of or under common control with such person or entity, and “controlled,”“controlled by,” and “under common control with” shall mean direct or indirect possession of the power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise) of a person or entity.

 

4. Termination of Relationship .

 

(a) If for any reason, except death or disability as provided below, the Optionee ceases to perform the services for which the Options were granted, all unvested options shall be automatically and irrefutably forfeited effective three months from the date the Optionee ceases to perform such services, except as otherwise provided herein.

 

(b) If the Optionee shall die while performing services for the Company, such Optionee’s estate or any Transferee (as defined hereinafter) shall have the right within twelve (12) months from the date of death to exercise the Optionee’s vested Options, subject to Section 3(c) hereof. For the purpose of this Agreement, “ Transferee ” shall mean an individual to whom such Optionee’s vested Options are transferred by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.

 

(c) If the Optionee shall become disabled while performing services for the Company within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, the three-month period referred to in Section 4(a) of this Agreement shall be extended to one year.

 

5. Profits on the Sale of Certain Shares; Redemption . If any of the events specified in Section 3(c) of this Agreement occur within one (1) year from the last date the Optionee performed services for which the Options were granted (the “ Termination Date ”), all profits earned from the sale of the Company’s securities, including the sale of shares of Common Stock underlying the Options, during the two (2) year period commencing one (1) year prior to the Termination Date shall be forfeited and forthwith paid by the Optionee to the Company within ten (10) days after the Optionee receives written demand from the Company for such payment and a copy of the documentation of the sale, including, without limitation, the purchase price therefor. Further, in such event, the Company may at its option redeem shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of the Options by payment of the exercise price to the Optionee. The Company’s rights under this Section 5 do not lapse one year from the Termination Date, but are a contract right subject to any appropriate statutory limitation period.

 

3
 

 

6. Transfer . No transfer of the Options by the Optionee by will or by the laws of descent and distribution shall be effective to bind the Company unless the Company shall have been furnished with written notice thereof and a copy of the letters testamentary or such other evidence as the Board may deem necessary to establish the authority of the estate and the acceptance by the Transferee or Transferees of the terms and conditions of the Options.

 

7. Method of Exercise . The Options shall be exercisable by a written notice in the manner and form identified on Exhibit A hereto which information shall include:

 

(a) state the election to exercise the Options, the number of shares to be exercised, the natural person in whose name the stock certificate or certificates for such shares of Common Stock is to be registered and such person’s address and social security number (or if more than one, the names, addresses and social security numbers of such persons);

 

(b) contain such representations and agreements as to the holder’s investment intent with respect to such shares of Common Stock as set forth in Section 11 hereof;

 

(c) be signed by the person or persons entitled to exercise the Options and, if the Options are being exercised by any person or persons other than the Optionee, be accompanied by proof, satisfactory to counsel for the Company, of the right of such person or persons to exercise the Options; and

 

(d) be accompanied by full payment of the purchase or exercise price in United States dollars in cash or by bank or cashier’s check, certified check or money order or in the form of shares pursuant to the 2011 Plan.

 

The certificate or certificates for shares of Common Stock as to which the Options shall be exercised shall be registered in the name of the person or persons exercising the Options.

 

8. Sale of Shares Acquired Upon Exercise of Options . If the Optionee is an officer (as defined by Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“ Section 16(b) ”), any shares of the Company’s Common Stock acquired pursuant to Options granted hereunder cannot be sold by the Optionee, subject to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, until at least six (6) months elapse from the date of grant of the Options, except in the case of death or disability or if the grant was exempt from the short-swing profit provisions of Section 16(b).

 

4
 

  

9. Adjustments . Upon the occurrence of any of the following events, the Optionee’s rights with respect to Options granted to such Optionee hereunder shall be adjusted as hereinafter provided unless otherwise specifically provided in a written agreement between the Optionee and the Company relating to such Options:

 

(a) If the shares of Common Stock shall be subdivided or combined into a greater or smaller number of shares, respectively, or if the Company shall issue any shares of its Common Stock as a stock dividend on its outstanding shares of Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock deliverable upon the exercise of the Options shall be appropriately increased or decreased proportionately, and appropriate adjustments shall be made in the exercise price per share to reflect such subdivision, combination or stock dividend, as applicable;

 

(b) If the Company is to be consolidated with or acquired by another entity pursuant to an acquisition, the board of directors of any entity assuming the obligations of the Company hereunder (the “ Successor Board ”) shall either (i) make appropriate provision for the continuation of such Options by substituting on an equitable basis for the shares then subject to such Options the consideration payable with respect to the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company in connection with such acquisition or (ii) terminate all Options in exchange for a cash payment equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Options over the exercise price thereof;

 

(c) In the event of a recapitalization or reorganization of the Company (other than a transaction described in Section 9(b) above) pursuant to which securities of the Company or of another corporation are issued with respect to the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Optionee upon exercising the Options shall be entitled to receive for the purchase price paid upon such exercise, the securities such Optionee would have received if such Optionee had exercised such Optionee’s Options prior to such recapitalization or reorganization;

 

(d) Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock of any class or securities convertible into shares of Common Stock of any class shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or exercise price of shares subject to Options. No adjustments shall be made for dividends or other distributions paid in cash or in property other than securities of the Company;

 

(e) No fractional shares shall be issued and the Optionee shall receive from the Company cash based on the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock in lieu of such fractional shares; or

 

(f) The Board or the Successor Board shall determine the specific adjustments to be made under this Section 9, and its determination shall be conclusive. If the Optionee receives securities or cash in connection with a corporate transaction described in Section 9(a), (b) or (c) above as a result of owning such restricted Common Stock, such securities or cash shall be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions applicable to the restricted Common Stock with respect to which such securities or cash were issued, unless otherwise determined by the Board or the Successor Board.

 

10. Necessity to Become Holder of Record . Neither the Optionee, the Optionee’s estate, nor the Transferee have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any shares of Common Stock covered by the Options until such Optionee, estate or Transferee, as applicable, shall have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock. No adjustment shall be made for cash dividends or cash distributions, ordinary or extraordinary, in respect of such shares of Common Stock for which the record date is prior to the date on which such Optionee, estate or Transferee, as applicable, shall become the holder of record thereof.

 

5
 

  

11. Conditions to Exercise of Options .

 

(a) In order to enable the Company to comply with the Securities Act and relevant state law, the Company may require the Optionee, the Optionee’s estate or any Transferee, as a condition of the exercising of the Options granted hereunder, to give written assurance satisfactory to the Company that the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options are being acquired for such Optionee’s, estate’s or Transferee’s, as applicable, own account, for investment only, with no view to the distribution of same, and that any subsequent resale of any such shares of Common Stock either shall be made pursuant to a registration statement under the Securities Act and applicable state law which has become effective and is current with regard to the shares of Common Stock being sold, or shall be pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state law.

 

(b) The Options are subject to the requirement that, if at any time the Board shall determine, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the listing, registration or qualification of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Options upon any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body, is necessary as a condition of, or in connection with the issue or purchase of such shares of Common Stock under the Options, the Options may not be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected.

 

12. Duties of Company . The Company will at all times during the term of the Options:

 

(a) Reserve and keep available for issue such number of shares of its authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Agreement;

 

(b) Pay all original issue taxes with respect to the issue of shares of Common Stock pursuant hereto and all other fees and expenses necessarily incurred by the Company in connection therewith; and

 

(c) Use its best efforts to comply with all laws and regulations which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, shall be applicable thereto.

 

13. Severability . In the event any parts of this Agreement are found to be void, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless be binding with the same effect as though the void parts were deleted.

 

14. Arbitration . Any controversy, dispute or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or its interpretation, application, implementation, breach or enforcement which the parties hereto are unable to resolve by mutual agreement, shall be settled by submission by either party of the controversy, claim or dispute to binding arbitration in New York County, New York (unless the parties agree in writing to a different location), before a single arbitrator in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. The decision and award made by the arbitrator shall be final, binding and conclusive on all parties hereto for all purposes, and judgment may be entered thereon in any court having jurisdiction thereof.

 

6
 

 

15. Benefit . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

16. Notices and Addresses . All notices, offers, acceptance and any other acts under this Agreement (except payment) shall be in writing, and shall be sufficiently given if delivered to the addressees in person, by FedEx or similar receipted delivery, or by facsimile delivery as follows:

 

  The Optionee: Kenneth Shamus
    11 Deer Horn Trail
    Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
    Telephone: (201) 825-2202
     
  The Company: Wizard World, Inc.
    1350 Avenue of the Americas, 2 nd Floor
    New York, NY 10019
    Facsimile: (212) 707-8180

 

or to such other address as either of them, by notice to the other, may designate from time to time. The transmission confirmation receipt from the sender’s facsimile machine shall be evidence of successful facsimile delivery. Time shall be counted to, or from, as the case may be, the delivery in person or by mailing.

 

17. Attorney’s Fees . In the event that there is any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or to the interpretation, breach or enforcement thereof, and any action or proceeding is commenced to enforce the provisions of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled from the non-prevailing party to its reasonable attorneys’ fee, costs and expenses.

 

18. Governing Law . This Agreement and any dispute, disagreement, or issue of construction or interpretation arising hereunder whether relating to its execution, its validity, the obligations provided herein or performance, shall be governed or interpreted according to the laws of the State of New York without regard to choice of law considerations.

 

19. Oral Evidence . This Agreement, along with the 2011 Plan and the Director Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes all prior oral and written agreements between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated except by a statement in writing signed by the party or parties against which enforcement or the change, waiver discharge or termination is sought.

 

7
 

  

20. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. The execution of this Agreement may be made by facsimile signature, which shall be deemed to be an original.

 

21. Section Headings . Section headings herein have been inserted for reference only and shall not be deemed to limit or otherwise affect, in any matter, or be deemed to interpret in whole or in part, any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

 

[-signature page follows-]

   

8
 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have set their hand the day and year first above written.

 

  WIZARD WORLD, INC.
     
  By: /s/ John Macaluso
  Name: John Macaluso
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
  OPTIONEE
     
  By: /s/ Kenneth Shamus
  Name: Kenneth Shamus

 

[Signature page to Non-qualified Stock Option Agreement]

  

 
 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF NOTICE OF OPTION EXERCISE

 

To: Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”)

 

(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase __________ shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement by and between the Company and the undersigned dated as of __________ ___, 20__, and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full as set forth below.

 

(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):

 

[  ] in lawful money of the United States in the form of a check made payable by the undersigned to the Company; or

 

[  ] in lawful money of the United States in the form of a wire transfer to the account specified by the Company;

 

[  ] in the form of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 5(d) of the Plan.

 

(3) Please issue a certificate or certificates representing the Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:

 

____________________________________

 

The Shares shall be delivered via overnight courier (with tracking information to be provided to the undersigned) to the following address:

 

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Attn: ________________________

Tel: _________________________

  

  OPTIONEE
   
   

 

[Exhibit A to Non-qualified Stock Option Agreement]

 

 
 

 

 

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, John M. Macaluso, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Form 10-K of Wizard World, Inc.;
     
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
     
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
     
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13-a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
     
  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
     
  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
     
  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
     
  d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
     
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
     
  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
     
  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: April 1, 2013 By: /s/ John M. Macaluso
    John M. Macaluso
   

Principal Executive Officer

Wizard World, Inc.

 

 
 

 

 

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, John M. Macaluso, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Form 10-K of Wizard World, Inc.;
     
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
     
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
     
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13-a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
     
  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
     
  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
     
  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
     
  d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
     
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
     
  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
     
  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: April 1, 2013 By: /s/ John M. Macaluso
    John M. Macaluso
    Principal Financial Officer
    Wizard World, Inc.

 

 
 

 

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with this Annual Report of Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”), on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, I, John M. Macaluso, Principal Executive Officer of the Company, certify to the best of my knowledge, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Sec. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

  (1) Such Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

  (2) The information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date: April 1, 2013 By: /s/ John M. Macaluso
    John M. Macaluso
    Principal Executive Officer
    Wizard World, Inc.

 

 
 

 

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with this Annual Report of Wizard World, Inc. (the “Company”), on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, I, John M. Macaluso, Principal Financial Officer of the Company, certify to the best of my knowledge, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Sec. 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

  (1) Such Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

  (2) The information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date: April 1, 2013 By: /s/ John M. Macaluso
    John M. Macaluso
    Principal Financial Officer
    Wizard World, Inc.