Chiru Labs 

Steve W. Chung, a former executive at Fox and Korea’s CJ ENM, has been appointed as the inaugural COO of Azuki, an anime community platform and digital art collection.

Azuki pitches itself as operating at the intersection of art, technology, and culture and as “a brand revolutionizing the future of anime by developing decentralized IPs and enriching the fandom experience with innovative blockchain products.”

Azuki has embraced blockchain technology as a means of making it possible for fans to formally own a state in content, by tapping the transparency of digital blockchain ledgers so that all stakeholders can see the revenue-generating progress of a title. Industry observers have speculated that blockchain and cryptocurrencies might one day become a solution to the age-old problems of Hollywood accounting for profit participants.

Chung was appointed global chief growth officer of CJ ENM in August 2022 and saw that role expanded in January last year to head all of the group’s operations outside Korea. 

Before that, Chung served as chief growth officer at Fox Corp. Earlier experience saw Chung as the founder and CEO of Frankly, a publicly-traded media tech company based in San Francisco. He was also a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and an executive producer at the Shanghai Media Group in China.  

Chung will also separately be signing up as a contributor to the AnimeCoin Foundation and be closely involved with the launch of AnimeChain, a blockchain network designed for and by anime fans that will act as the first step in redefining anime community engagement.

Comics in the style of Japanese and Korean cartoons are increasingly being created for digital platforms and animated versions are being created worldwide.

Azuki says it will be expanding in anime and wider entertainment businesses. “I am thrilled to join this world-class team to develop the next generation powerhouse in the industry as anime content and consumers quickly expand to become an ever more important and mainstream segment of global media,” said Chung.

“Even as a new entrant, Azuki already has a proven track record of building a passionate community and has a clear vision of how to build IP and experiences tailor made for anime fans, working alongside some of the greatest creators in the industry to achieve something that’s never been done before.”

Written by Patrick Frater

Link: https://variety.com/2024/global/asia/steve-chung-azuki-anime-platform-1236042171/