Early career (1953–1962) Weldon began his career at the
Brisbane Truth newspaper in the process engraving department, working with the
halftone colour etcher. Shortly after, he joined the
Royal Australian Naval Reserve, becoming a
lieutenant in 1956. By 1957, at the age of 23, Weldon had established a new branch of Grenville Publishing in Queensland and employed a staff of eight. Two years later, he was appointed general manager of sales and moved to
Sydney. In 1963, he published his first book,
Cake Decorating and Icing by
Beryl Guertner. In 1971, he became president of the World Life-Saving Movement, started by the
International Life-Saving Federation (ILS). The following year, he established Australia's first large-scale animation studio, a joint venture with
Hanna-Barbera. The venture, Hanna-Barbera Australia, evolved into
Neil Balnaves'
Southern Star Group.
Paul Hamlyn Group acquired Australian publishers Lansdowne Press,
Ure Smith, and Jacaranda. He continued to build a bestselling list in Australia and developed local publishing lists in
New Zealand and the
Philippines. He also developed a limited edition list and expanded the Heritage partworks to include Australia's Wildlife Heritage under the imprint Lansdowne Press.
Australian publishing (1980–1989) In 1980, Weldon founded Kevin Weldon & Associates and achieved success with
A Day in the Life of Australia, with subsequent volumes produced in India, China, Africa, the Soviet Union and the United States. In the following years, he entered the local US market with joint ventures, notably in
Texas. He also guided the takeover of British publisher
Marshall Cavendish by
Straits Times, Singapore. In 1984, Weldon founded Weldon Owen Publishing with John Owen. The first US office was set up in
Seattle, Washington, in 1988 and moved to
San Francisco a year later. He also formed a joint venture with newspaper groups
John Fairfax Ltd and
David Syme Ltd for "Australians: A Historical Library". In 1985, he purchased 50% of the Paul Hamlyn Group with
James Hardie Industries Ltd under a new entity, Weldon Hardie Group, three years later he bought our Hardie's share to own the company outright changing the name to the Weldon International. Retail sales increased and Weldon diversified, taking an interest in films and developing complementary book products, including
Wall of Iron and
Over China.
International publishing (1990–2000s) Kevin Weldon initiated a policy of devolution in which Weldon International was recast into smaller publishing and marketing units, operating independently. With no territorial limits imposed, export was encouraged, and Weldon International exports would account for 55% of Australia's total export of book products. The group's policy of devolution spurred growth, and Weldon International rose to 183rd on Australia's top 500 exporters list. In 2012, Weldon launched
The New Long March, a co-publishing project between China's Qingdao Publishing Group and Weldon International. The book, celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the
Long March, was launched at the
London Book Fair and included an
augmented reality feature, revealing extra content using an app.
The Ripper Group In 2015, Weldon established The Ripper Group, an organization using
remotely piloted aircraft systems and broad education in the field of
search and rescue. == Community service and philanthropy ==