Funimation founder and former CEO Gen Fukunaga has joined adult anime production company Bizaar Studios as a stakeholder and strategic advisor.
Fukunaga will develop original animation with the company, including projects with Webtoons, and will join an advisory board that includes Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, music mogul Jimmy Iovine and filmmaker Conrad Vernon.
Mr. Fukunaga brings decades of experience building Funimation to the leading American anime distribution company with more than 1,000 brands, including Dragon Ball Z. Under his leadership, the company managed all areas of title production, marketing, sales and distribution, including annual production of more than 1,000 television episodes and films in English. Funimation also operated subscription streaming services, home video and digital sales, theatrical distribution, and partnerships with more than 100 manufacturers of character-based products.
“I grew up on Dragon Ball Z, which set a high bar for ambitious animation,” Bizarre Studio co-founder Jeremy Iovine said. “Gen’s perspective helps shape the way we think about impactful, long-lasting stories across everything we create at Bizarre, and we are honored to work with him.”
“What resonates with today’s audiences increasingly lives outside the traditional narrative framework,” Fukunaga added. “Bizaar Studios is reinvigorating the medium of animation for a new generation of creators. I’m excited to see the team push boundaries and challenge convention.”
Fukunaga founded Funimation in 1994 and sold the company to Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2017. He has been actively investing in early stage entertainment ventures since 2005 and serves as a director, partner or advisor to various entertainment companies.
Bizaar Studios, led by co-founders Iovine, Amir Mohamadzadeh, and Eric Bromberg, recently launched Bizaar FAST Channel. The channel is a 24/7 free streaming destination currently available on Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play, Plex, and HiSense, offering hundreds of hours of carefully selected adult animation content.
