Chronological Milestones, Notable, and Memorable Achievements with Photos.
I grew up in the music world. My mentor was MANNIE KLEIN, second trumpet for THE TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA (with vocalist FRANK SINATRA) in the 30's, and ARTURO TOSCANINI'S NBC RADIO SYMPHONY in the 40's. I grew up partly in Japan. My Japanese, creative, and technological ability has allowed me work in television, film, videogames, publishing, and music with the best artists, craftsmen and technology in the entertainment business in unique, groundbreaking, and influential ways.
1973 Learned FORTRAN and BASIC computer programming languages at The American School in Japan.
1980 Bachelor of Science, International Business Management, Cal State University, Los Angeles. Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma.
1981-1982 Assistant to the General Manager, FUJISANKEI GROUP/LOS ANGELES OFFICE. Because the Fuji/Sankei Group is a multiple mass media company, I learned to apply cross media synergy between movies, TV, music, broadcast/tape/disc/satellite/cable distribution, publishing, news, sports, politics, advertising and publicity, as well as a full range of experience in television and music production. The experience was valuable because at the time, American companies were precluded by anti-trust laws from integrating vertically, or laterally. I also gained extensive experience in applying for licenses, clearing the local politics for a foreign corporation, setting up cable and subscription services and making entertainment business deals in the U.S..
1981 Successfully proposed the concept for "All Night Fuji", the successful late night midnight to 5 AM low cost show to Producer Taku "Hit Studio" Hikita and the Programming Head at Fuji TV. Until then, Japanese TV broadcasting ended around midnight so everything changed thereafter.
1982 As Assistant Television Producer/Production Manager, I made all the technical arrangements for a two way live satellite TV "Hit Studio" segment with SONY artist JULIO IGLESIAS from his home in Miami, Florida to Fuji TV, Japan. The SONY music producer from Japan was Mr. TERRY TSUTSUMI.
1982 Successfully proposed the idea of using an Academy Award winning music composer for the movie "ANTARCTICA", a movie that Fuji/Sankei co-financed.
1983-1986 Independent bi-lingual production manager/first assistant director for numerous 35mm film movies and commercials. Worked one on one with DIANE LANE, KEANU REEVES, and SYLVESTER STALLONE for TV commercials. Played guitars on sessions with MITCH MITCHELL (drummer, Jimi Hendrix Experience) and George "Baboo" Pierre (percussion, Ry Cooder/David Lindley).
1987-1991 Chief Producer, Brentwood Pictures, a subsidiary of Aoi Promotions, a Nikkei listed company. The commercial production company started with a $1million line of credit. I joined the company nine months after inception. I had the privilege of mentoring the producers until we grossed $7, $10, then $13 million from years 3 through 5. We bought a $3 million building on San Vicente Bl., in Brentwood, CA. We rented the first floor to the late comedian John Candy's production company. I left because of differences in corporate ideology; the annual gross then dropped to $3 million.
1987 Started producing music sessions on Non-linear Direct to Disc Synclavier systems with Emmy winning composer Anthony Marinelli.
1988 Produced and technical
directed the filming and recording of Adrian Belew (guitarist, King Crimson/Tom
Tom Club) for a Japanese TV commercial.
1989 Producer/Unit Director-Live
Action/Music Producer. "VOYAGE OF DE LIEFDE" for HUIS TEN BOSCH
THEME PARK, Nagasaki, Japan. Grand Prix Winner, 1989 International Audio/Visual
Fair. I was responsible for directing the three Panavision 65mm camera
full scale live action period sea battle as well as producing the entire
music score. The film was for the WORLD'S LARGEST "GREAT VOYAGE SIMULATION
THEATER with 236 seats on a moving floor. The theme park was brand new
and the attraction was critical in attracting a large crowd.
1990 Collaborated, as producer,
with INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC and CHARLIE GIBSON (ACADEMY AWARD, VFX,
"BABE") on the "From A to Z" computer graphics TV
commercial for Recruit Magazine. The project resulted in groundbreaking
algorithms for computer graphics. I got to learn the secrets of bringing
life to animation and inanimate images from the best VFX/CGI movie craftsmen
in the world. It became one of the most successful ad campaigns to ever
hit Tokyo and it spun off a big hit record. Magazine sales went up 120%.
1990 Directed BRUCE WILLIS
in a NTT cellphone TV commercial. Mr. Willis didn't want to do the main
shot. He was adamant that he would look bad. The clients were up in arms.
I then got the call to direct the shoot. Mr. Willis did it for me, was
very happy and the cellphones sold out. He complemented me as one of the
best directors; it felt great.
1992 Produced the photo
book "Secrets" featuring BROOKE SHIELDS. I re-established confidence
in herself and she got back on track as an actress.
1992 Directed the first completely tapeless audio/video ADR session in history for SEGA's "JURASSIC PARK" VIDEOGAME for the SEGA Genesis platform. SEGA had already succeeded in getting most of the components of personal computers, in the form of videogame platforms, underneath the home TV set, but RAM was too expensive and SEGA was ideologically not inclined toward Personal Computer/Videogame/Television integration at the time.
1992-1993 Program
Creator and Director for "CINECHART USA" for WOWOW, the satellite
movie subscription network of the JAPAN SATELLITE BROADCASTING CO.. The
show was a high rotation weekly Hollywood movie preview/top ten box office
information show. Wowow, a brand new service at the time, had promised
their audience up to the week movie previews and scenes from next week's
Hollywood movie releases, but the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) didn't want to release trailers and electronic press kits of Hollywood's
current and upcoming releases to Japan because of different international
movie release schedules. Based on the argument that CNN was already there
and that Wowow has a trendsetter audience, I convinced the MPAA otherwise,
started a MPAA MEMBER COMPANY called Cinechart, and directed and provided
this show for a couple of years until Wowow stabilized.
1995 Executive Producer
for a visual effects laden Kirin Mets TV commercial. Because Vfx Supervisor
John Dykstra was busy with Batman, I had the opportunity to put together
an all-star visual effects crew comprised of JOHN LEONETTI (DIRECTOR OF
PHOTOGRAPHY, "MASK"), PAMELA EASELY (VFX OSCAR NOMINEE, "CLIFFHANGER",
"TRUE LIES", "TERMINATOR II"), and DOUG SMITH (VFX
OSCAR, "INDEPENDENCE DAY"). Conducted early transfer of video
elements over the internet from Los Angeles to Tokyo.
1995 Conducted the first internet transfer of photographic elements from the U.S.A. to Dentsu Advertising, Japan.
1996 In the pursuit of
the development and application of 3D Virtual Cinema, I teamed with EVANS
& SUTHERLAND (E&S), the preeminent computer imaging company which provides
top secret real-time 3D satellite imaging services and technologies to
the American intelligence and defense community. We made a car commercial
for Daihatsu Automotive with Dentsu Advertising. The project was to help
E&S adapt their technology from military to civilian use. E&S is, historically,
the fountainhead of computer graphics. I am the second outsider since
Robert Able, the father of computer graphics for movies ("Tron"),
that E&S opened their doors to. The E&S PROJECT MANAGER assigned to me
was MR. JIM OLHAUSEN. His previous job was AERONAUTICAL AND FLIGHT TEST
ENGINEER FOR THE F-16 FALCON FIGHTER PROGRAM at General Dynamics.
1996 Worked with Dentsu Advertising to develop internet philosophy. Visited MIT Media Lab.
1997 My work with Evans & Sutherland caught the attention of MR. SHOICHIRO IRIMAJIRI of SEGA (FORMER PRESIDENT OF HONDA AMERICA) and he introduced me to CSK, the parent company of SEGA, and for the first time, I was introduced to the world of consumer electronics development. I worked on proposals for wireless pocket data receivers and automotive heads up display projects.
1997-1998 Producer/Consultant to Asayan TV Talent Show. I was brought in by DENTSU TV DEVELOPMENT to collaborate with TETSUYA KOMURO in pre-screening talent who would then receive a record contract. We had a version of the show in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The SONY executives were KEN OHTAKE and YAZ NOYA of ANTINOS MANAGEMENT, a SONY Music Group Company. I learned a lot about the pop idol business.
1999 Creative Director.
Noevir Cosmetics. Designed the ad campaign for a national cosmetics company.
I used the song, "Fly Away" by LENNY KRAVITZ.
2001 Director of Computer
Graphics, Sonic Adventure 2.
2002 Directed the music
video for China's top pop idol Wu Amin for the song "Full Moon".
It was the first Chinese music video shot in the United States.
Los Angeles , California, USA