THE TEACHING HAT
When
Archie talks, people listen, says Nancy Silberkleit of Archie Comics
As
soon as you meet Nancy Silberkleit, she hands you her business card and
asks you to scratch it. An unusual request, but then, it's an unusual
business card: one side has a 'Veronica-fragrance' and the other, a
'Betty-fragrance' and it asks you, 'Are you a Veronica/ Betty?'. "I
oversee a brand that has two powerful women, and they have been my mentors.
I feel that I'm the third girl there and that's what my card
emulates," she says.
Silberkleit, who was an art teacher for three decades, turned CEO with the
death of her husband Michael, who was the son of co-founder Louis
Silberkleit. In India for the INK Talks in Pune, she is keen on engaging with
some of the other prominent women who are attending. She lets on that after
seeing her card, a few other women CEOs have emulated it. "A woman's
card must make an impact," says Silberkleit, who makes it a point to
wear the colour orange, associated with Archie's 'carrot-top'.
Ask Silberkleit about the transition from being a teacher to running a
business and you'll be rewarded with a glare even before you've finished
the question. "I find this question repeated again and again, and I
want people to realise the power of a teacher. I don't think I could've
gone in as CEO without my background," she says. "Anyone looking
at hiring CEOs should get a teacher or a lawyer because we know how to do
our research -we'll never get into anything without doing our research
first," she says.
Silberkleit says she's a part of Riverdale High, only instead of teaching
Archie and his friends, she has a say in what they are doing. "I'm not
taking my teaching hat off. I'm a teacher and it's an asset. When I'm
thrown something, I know how to deal with it. With 300 students, nothing
ever goes smoothly in class. If the teacher leaves me, I'm in trouble as a
CEO," she says.
One change that Silberkleit has brought about is more issue based comics,
with topics ranging from the dangers of recyclable plastic to obesity and
drunk driving. She believes that comic books are a great way of reaching
out to children: "A comic book is like a bowl full of candy that
allows information on serious issues to be presented in a format that is
welcome to children. I oversee education and I'm going to schools with the
power of the comic book and to talk about Archie's. The comics provide a
wonderful platform based on wholesomeness, community, fun and
friendship." Carrot TOP
While Archie and his friends remain on top of the
priority list, Silberkleit's recently created a foundation called Rise
Above Social Issues, which helps tackle problems affecting young people,
like discrimination and bullying. When she read about a young school kid
committing suicide because he was bullied, the teacher in her knew what had
to be done. "Comic books are a great tool to give the child so that
they know what to do when they are being bullied," she says.
"It's important to teach kids how to make a better choice in life and
not let anyone else define what they want you to be."
Silberkleit has also started Comic Book Fairs in
collaboration with schools across the US to reintroduce children to comic
books. One reason behind this passion to get kids to read is what she says
was her dark secret. Till she joined the company as co-CEO, Silberkleit
hadn't read a single Archie's comic. "Whenever my husband would ask me
to look over a comic and give him my opinion, I would run into the kitchen
or say I needed to prepare for school the next day," she says. The
reason: she never cultivated a love for reading, having had to repeat
first-grade for being a slow learner. Now she's a voracious reader.
Archie Comics has been making sure that the
characters and their stories remain relevant over seven decades after the
first comic book came out. For this, Silberkleit gives full credit to the
creative team for making sure that Archie hasn't lost touch with the times.
"Our writers and artists have their ears to the ground and have been
able to tap into that formula. The beat still goes on today, even if you
pick up the comic after 20 years," she says.
Of course there has been some impact that
technology has had on people's reading habits and not as many people are
picking up comic books. Realising this, the company has come up with an app
that allows you to read the comics on your phone, and this has been fairly
popular. Silberkleit is pleasantly surprised at the fan following the
comics have all over the world, especially in India. She's now focused on
preserving the legacy that she has inherited, at the same time making sure
that she uses the power of comic books to make a contribution to society.
"When Archie speaks, people listen," she says.
Priyanka Sangani CDET121116
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