World Summit 2009 Presenters: Ed King

Ed King has been painting his whole life but it's the neo pop part that is quite new in his artistic vocabulary. Having found this style in 2003, it has become his most popular and best selling. The combination of the vibrant colors, the black outlines, and his signature stitching has won over the hearts and minds of South Florida. While Miami is his home base, Ed King has paintings, prints, and calendars in homes all over the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Australia, and more. King's work definitely speaks to the global community.

Beyond the upbeat look and feel of the work is an undercurrent of positive messages of prosperity and happiness which is displayed for each painting in his online gallery. The work is universal and King's buyers are of every age, from five to seventy five years old. "There is a ‘fun-tellectual' aspect to my work that people really connect with," states King. "I create pieces that warm the heart and make people smile while creating other pieces that make people think, talk and debate."

King started selling his artwork to the point where his full time job was getting in the way of his artistic production - so he quit his job as a graphic designer in 2006. Since then, his business has grown by leaps and bounds and, in 2008, King doubled his sales despite the lagging economy. "It's all marketing," King says. "Going on meetings, shaking hands, and participating in as many shows, networkers and events as possible. The key to all of this is saying 'yes' to as many opportunities as I can - even if I don't think they are worth my time. You never know who's going to be in the room!"

King has built a network of corporate clients which help make Ed King Pop Art a force in the arts community in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. With collaborations with Miami Children's Hospital, Family Resource Center of South Florida, The Coffee Scene, and DKM Sunscreen, King has positioned his artwork with family oriented corporations and organizations which use his work for their marketing and outreach efforts. His artwork was also used for the 2009 Carnaval on the Mile poster and King has been selected to represent the Sunny Isles Beach Jazz Festival poster design for Fall of 2009.

King recently attended the International Licensing Trade Show in Las Vegas to expand his reach in the arts and entertainment market place. He dubbed 2009 "the year of licensing" for his business and is determined to land a licensing or distribution contract for his work.

"I want to do it all: create fine artwork, products, apparel, movies, everything. And I think to do this, you have to be real - you have to create something that people are willing to invest in both financially and emotionally. The work I am creating right now, in this unique neo pop style, is straight from the heart. I can't think of a better way to be spending my time."

Ed King's work can be found on his website. You can also see videos on his YouTube channel. Just search for Ed King Pop Art on the YouTube site and view videos of news coverage, press conferences, and even a video post card from the licensing show in Las Vegas.

Ed King Website