Pulitzer Winners Ann Telnaes and Jim Morin Switch Syndicates

By: Dave Astor On May 1, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes will join the Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate, whose roster of creators is marketed by the New York Times Syndicate.

Telnaes previously told E&P she was leaving Tribune Media Services effective April 30, but had not said where she might be going.

CWS also announced that longtime Miami Herald editorial cartoonist Jim Morin recently joined the syndicate from King Features.

Last year, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader editorial cartoonist Joel Pett moved to CWS from Universal Press Syndicate. So CWS has now signed three Pulitzer winners in a row. Telnaes won in 2001, Pett in 2000, and Morin in 1996.

"We're very proud of our lineup of American editorial cartoonists," CWS President Jerry Robinson told E&P this morning. This five-person lineup also includes Jeff Danziger, the New York City-based creator who joined CWS from TMS in early 2004; and Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher, The Sun of Baltimore artist who has been with CWS for many years.

CWS -- based in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., and New York City -- originally made its reputation as a distributor of foreign cartoonists in various packages. Robinson said the syndicate continues to represent several hundred of the top cartoonists from more than 75 countries.

Why are prominent American cartoonists switching to CWS? Robinson said reasons include the syndicate's international reach, the attention it can give to its small lineup of U.S. cartoonists (whom it sells individually rather than in packages), the syndicate's understanding of editorial cartoonists (Robinson worked as one himself for several decades), and the marketing strength of the New York Times Syndicate (with which CWS aligned in 2003).

Robinson praised the newest additions. "Ann and Jim are intelligent, very astute in their commentary, and know every nuance of the issues," he said. "They employ humor to help make their points, but they don't do strictly gags. And they're exceptional artists with distinct styles." He noted that Telnaes gives her cartoons a look and design that partly reflects her past work in animation. And CWS Editor Jens Robinson told E&P that Morin also does caricatures that are being syndicated by CWS/NYTS.

The Washington, D.C.-based Telnaes, who couldn't be reached for comment today, also does a weekly cartoon for Women's eNews and contributes to the "Six Chix" comic syndicated by King.