By Yuri Kageyama, Business Writer
TOKYO (AP) --Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio of Hayao Miyazaki, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network Corp., both sides said Thursday.
Succession worries had been a priority at Ghibli, as Miyazaki has turned 82, and producer Toshio Suzuki is 75, the companies said in a joint statement.
The boards of both companies agreed at meetings Thursday that the major commercial broadcast network will become Studio Ghibli's top shareholder, with a 42.3% stake. Financial details were not given.
Nippon TV said it will send executives to support Ghibli's management, while honoring its creative independence so it can focus on animation and other artistic projects.
The deal was first discussed last year at an "onsen" hot springs, the companies said, when Suzuki asked Nippon TV executive Yoshikuni Sugiyama for help in managing Ghibli. Sugiyama promised to give support.
Miyazaki's son Goro is also an animation director and has been mentioned as a possible successor. But he had expressed doubts, saying the responsibility was too great.
Ghibli and Nippon TV have collaborated in the past, since "Nausicaรค of the Valley of the Wind" aired on TV in 1985. Nippon TV has also helped produce various Ghibli works, starting with Miyazaki's 1989 "Kiki's Delivery Service." It also helped set up the museum devoted to Ghibli works in Tokyo.
Earlier this year, Miyazaki finished "The Boy and the Heron," completed after seven years. It is based on a book but is also loosely based on Miyazaki's wartime childhood. The Japanese title, which better expresses its theme, translates to: "How Will You Live?"
Miyazaki won an Oscar for his 2001 "Spirited Away." He has occasionally declared he was retiring but has always returned to his craft.
He has produced an extensive range of animation works enjoyed by adults as well as children, including "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Ponyo."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTEยฎ,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
โSMPTEโs membership has spoken,โ said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann DโAmato. โThese officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!โ
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More