{"id":32814,"date":"2025-03-31T15:17:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/?p=32814"},"modified":"2025-03-31T15:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T19:17:07","slug":"viz-media-announces-leadership-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/viz-media-announces-leadership-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"VIZ Media Announces Leadership Transition:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VIZ Media Announces Leadership Transition: Ken Sasaki Named Chairman, Brad Woods Appointed CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAN FRANCISCO, CA \u2013 March 31, 2025 <\/strong>\u2013 VIZ Media, a leading producer and distributor of manga and anime, announces a major leadership transition as Ken Sasaki moves into the role of Chairman & Executive Advisor, and Brad Woods is appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This change marks an important moment for VIZ Media, reinforcing its position as a global powerhouse in Japanese pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ken Sasaki: An Instrumental Leader In VIZ Media\u2019s Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As CEO for 13 years, Ken Sasaki transformed VIZ Media from a specialty publisher into the leading force for Japanese pop culture in the West. Under his leadership, VIZ forged landmark industry partnerships, pioneered digital strategies, and helped propel manga and anime into the mainstream across North America, UK & Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Now, as Chairman & Executive Advisor, he continues to shape the company\u2019s strategic direction as it enters its next phase of global expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ken holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor\u2019s degree in engineering from Keio University. He has also worked extensively in both Japan and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ken Sasaki, VIZ Media Chairman & Executive Advisor<\/em>

“What we\u2019ve built at VIZ Media is nothing short of extraordinary,”\u00a0<\/em>said Sasaki.\u00a0“Manga and anime have become global phenomena, and VIZ is at the center of this movement. With Brad Woods taking the lead, VIZ is poised to expand its influence in ways the industry has never seen before.<\/em>“<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Brad Woods: Driving the Next Phase of Global Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As VIZ Media\u2019s new President and CEO, Brad Woods brings over 25 years of experience in entertainment, marketing, and brand strategy, including a decade at VIZ Media, where he played a key role in transforming manga and anime into mainstream entertainment. With a strong background in franchise expansion, digital innovation, and consumer engagement, Woods has led record-breaking sales initiatives, strategic brand partnerships, and VIZ\u2019s expansion across publishing, digital media, streaming, and consumer products. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Mattel, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, leveraging his expertise in franchise management, digital transformation, and global brand growth. He holds an MBA from USC\u2019s Marshall School of Business and a BS from the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brad Woods, VIZ Media President and Chief Executive Officer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnime and manga are no longer niche\u2014they are global cultural forces shaping entertainment, fashion, gaming, and beyond,\u201d <\/em>said Woods. \u201cWith VIZ Media\u2019s unparalleled catalog and commitment to innovation, we are poised to reach broader audiences and set new industry standards. I\u2019m honored to lead VIZ into this next chapter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

About VIZ Media:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever manga and anime fans are, we are! VIZ Media is No. 1 in Japanese pop culture, introducing fans to what\u2019s now, new, and next. Home to the world\u2019s most influential and groundbreaking storytellers and artists, who today drive multiple industries, from publishing and animation to film and gaming. If it\u2019s big in Japan, you can find it at VIZ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VIZ Media is proudly certified as a Most Loved Workplace\u00ae in America and Inc. Magazine\u2019s Best Workplace. For more information on VIZ Media, visit: https:\/\/www.viz.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VIZ Media Announces Leadership Transition: Ken Sasaki Named Chairman, Brad Woods Appointed CEO SAN FRANCISCO, CA \u2013 March 31, 2025 \u2013 VIZ Media, a leading producer and distributor of manga and anime, announces a major leadership transition as Ken Sasaki moves into the role of Chairman & Executive Advisor, and Brad Woods is appointed President and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":32815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32818,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32814\/revisions\/32818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}