I was born to German and Russian parents in the United Kingdom and lived in Spain until the age of sixteen. However, in order to pursue my Japanese language studies, I attended an international High School in England. Ever since I was little, I had been surrounded by many different cultures, which made me naturally interested in learning about other countries. When I first had the opportunity to visit Japan as a high school student, I was deeply impressed by some of its sociocultural habits that made me feel safe and at ease. Something about how considerate people were towards each other made it feel like a place I could call home. This motivated me to apply to a Japanese university that would allow me to live in Japan long term.
Working in the media and entertainment industry on the other hand, had always been my goal since childhood. First inspired by my love for books, movies and music, from all over the world; I aspired to work in the production of long-lasting media with the power to move and inspire people. Growing up, Japanese media in particular, was not as widely known or appreciated outside of Japan, creating situations in which openly liking Japanese entertainment such as anime, was seen as odd and could even make you the target of mockery. Luckily, things seem to have changed a lot since then. With anime and manga becoming more well known internationally as a popular genre, it is now almost regarded as something “cool” to know about. Being able to further aid this perception and contributing to it thriving internationally, is one of the aspects that made me want to work at KADOKAWA, a publishing company that provides opportunities to create and popularize all sorts of media, from manga and novels to anime and games. This wide range of involvement in media production unique to KADOKAWA, is certainly what I believe to be one of its most appealing characteristics.

Currently on my third year after joining KADOKAWA, I am now working at GeeXPlus, a newly established company first founded in 2019. GeeXPlus is an influencer management agency that helps foreign creators capitalize on Japan's content rich culture. In addition to assisting foreign creators in establishing roots in Japan, GeeXPlus creates value for brands by matching them with the creators’ platforms best suiting the audience they are aiming to reach. As a part of the KADOKAWA Group, they also explore new avenues for content creation using officially KADOKAWA owned media, offering influencers the opportunity to work up-close with the ACG industry. This is reflected in projects such as interviews with manga authors and anime producers, live readings of manga and light novels and even LIVE Anime Watch Parties streaming anime in an official capacity. Innovative projects such as these, are made possibly due to GeeXPlus working directly with the companies holding the media’s publishing rights.

On many occasions, KADOKAWA will value passion and interest in a project over age or expertise. Vocalizing my personal interest in working with influencers to promote KADOKAWA’s products, is what first allowed me to start working in this field and eventually reach my current position at GeeXPlus. Continuously pursuing what you’re passionate about, will open many opportunities for you at KADOKAWA. When pursuing your career here, not having been born or raised in Japan should never put you at a disadvantage. If anything, it adds unique perspectives and views to your skillset that others in your team might not be able to think of. Specially when looking to expand KADOKAWA’s business globally, I believe being able to question Japan’s standards and shine a different light on them, should be considered a very valuable skill. Just at GeeXPlus alone, we have people from all over the world working together on our team: American, Australian, British, German, Japanese, Lebanese, Malaysian and Spanish, just to name a few. All throughout the KADOKAWA Group, people from various nationalities come together to combine their knowledge. Since globally expanding the businesses is one of the company’s current main goals, job opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds are certainly widening here at KADOKAWA.

*The contents of this article are as of the time of interview (September 2022).