Matt Edelman, CEO, Cusp

Matt Edelman is redefining the art of adaptation. From 1993 to 1999, he worked for the Hollywood division of Marvel Comics, shepherding the company's superhero properties to both the big and small screens. He was a producer on the first “X-Men” feature film as well as the animated “Spider-Man” television series. For Edelman, the format keeps getting smaller: Now founder and CEO of media and entertainment consulting and production company Cusp, he's adapting comics, magazines and even TV shows to create branded content for distribution over wireless devices.

“I'm a producer. I'm taking an intellectual property and looking at a medium where it doesn't have a creative expression,” Edelman said. “I don't know anybody else doing what I'm doing. Not every company needs someone like me, but if they haven't focused on their wireless presence, they might fall through the cracks.”

Edelman launched Los Angeles-based Cusp in October 2001 after a stint as president of Eruptor Entertainment, the new media start-up perhaps best remembered for “PortaPam,” a unique spin on the GigaPet technology that enabled users to manage the career of a virtual Pamela Anderson via PDA. Cusp inaugurated its wireless business last summer, producing Spider-Man-themed mobile games for Cingular. The firm's clients currently include not only Marvel but also television production company Reveille and magazine publisher Primedia (which is the parent company of Wireless Review).

The challenge facing Edelman is translating print and broadcast media to a technology significantly different from both. “I want what you experience over your phone to be consistent with the brand itself, but also appropriate for the device you're using,” he said. “I don't think you want to read an entire magazine on your phone, so instead you get highlights, news clips, games and ringtones. The idea is to look at what can be experienced on a phone, and match the brand with what that experience can be.”