:Gen Fukunaga
{{short description|American engineer}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gen Fukunaga
| image = Gen Fukunaga by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = Fukunaga in 2018
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|03|22}}[http://dbzu.3gkai.com/opinions/gfukunaga.html DBZ Uncensored: Interview With Gen Fukunaga]{{cite web|last1=Rojas|first1=Justin|title=It's Gen's Birthday – Buy Yourself a Present!|url=http://www.funimation.com/blog/2014/03/21/its-gens-birthday-buy-yourself-a-present/|website=FUNimation|date=March 21, 2014|accessdate=}}{{cite web|last1=Ferreira|first1=Mike|title=Anime Boston 2014: FUNimation Online Panel|url=http://www.animeherald.com/2014/03/23/anime-boston-2014-funimation-online-panel/|website=Anime Herald|date=March 23, 2014|accessdate=}}
| birth_place = Itami, Hyōgo, Japan
| alma_mater = Purdue University (BSEE, MSEE)
Columbia University (MBA)
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Engineer
- entrepreneur}}
| years_active = 1989–2019
| spouse = Cindy Brennan
| children = 3
}}
{{nihongo|Gen Fukunaga|福永 元|Fukunaga Gen|born March 22, 1962}} is a Japanese-born American engineer and entrepreneur. He established Funimation (now Crunchyroll, LLC), a company that distributes anime in Canada and the United States. He served as its president and chairman until 2019, where he stepped down. As of October 2011, Fukunaga was named chairman of online video game publisher GameSamba.[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-27/funimation-ceo-gen-fukunaga-named-gamesamba-chairman Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga Named GameSamba Chairman]
Biography
Fukunaga was born in Itami, Hyōgo, Japan, and grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana in the United States. He graduated from West Lafayette High School in 1979.
Fukunaga attended Purdue University where he got his BSEE in 1982 and his MSEE in 1984. He later moved to Boca Raton, Florida to work as an engineer for IBM.{{cite web |last1=Abril |first1=Danielle |title=How Gen Fukunaga Turned an Interest Into a $100M Venture |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2017/may/gen-fukunaga-funimation-entertainment-anime-flower-mound/ |website=D Magazine |date=May 9, 2017 |access-date=January 25, 2021 |language=en}} He then attended Columbia Business School, obtaining an MBA in 1989. He held a position with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) before getting a job with Tandem Computers in Sunnyvale, California.{{cite web|first=Bruce|last=Rogers|title=The Man Who Brought Anime To America: Sony Pictures Television's Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2019/01/14/the-man-who-brought-anime-to-america-sony-pictures-televisions-funimation-ceo-gen-fukunaga/#1ffd5e7166c1|website=Forbes|date=January 14, 2019|access-date=February 1, 2021}}
Fukunaga is also the co-founder and manager of EchoLight Studios, a Texas-based Christian television production company run by Rick Santorum. EchoLight initially shared office space with Fukunaga's Funimation.{{cite web |last1=Weinstein |first1=Adam |title=Rick Santorum's Wholesome Film Studio Has a Smutty Anime Secret |url=http://gawker.com/rick-santorums-wholesome-film-studio-has-a-smutty-anim-1552802755 |website=Gawker |publisher=Gawker Media |accessdate=July 2, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703030939/http://gawker.com/rick-santorums-wholesome-film-studio-has-a-smutty-anim-1552802755 |archivedate=July 3, 2014}}
Originally, Toei Animation told Funimation that they could not have the Dragon Ball series. However, Fukunaga's uncle, Nagafumi Hori, was one of the producers for Toei Company and helped him convince Toei Animation to give the license to Funimation.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atTdTl3UOzI&t=4m33s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/atTdTl3UOzI |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live| title=Dragon Ball Z Blu-ray Live Interview w/ Gen Fukunaga | publisher=FUNimation | date=October 6, 2011 | accessdate=July 17, 2015}}{{cbignore}} So Fukunaga went to coworker Daniel Cocanougher, whose family owned a feed mill in Decatur, Texas, and convinced the Cocanougher family to sell their business and invest in creating a production company.{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Green|title=Funimation Initial Investor Allen Cocanougher Passes Away|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/11/19/funimation-initial-investor-allen-cocanougher-passes-away|website=Crunchyroll|date=November 11, 2017|accessdate=November 10, 2019}} With that, Funimation was established in 1994.{{cite web | url = http://www.funimation.com/20th/ | title = 20 Years of the Best in Anime | website=Funimation | url-status=dead | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20140519074228/http://www.funimation.com/20th/ | archivedate = May 19, 2014 | accessdate=November 10, 2019 }}
In 2005, Funimation was acquired by the Navarre Corporation for US$100.4 million, Fukunaga still remained the company's CEO. In 2011, the company was sold to a group of investors which included Fukunaga himself.[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2005-05-11/navarre-acquires-funimation Navarre Sells Funimation to Group with Gen Fukunaga] In 2017, 95% of Funimation was sold to Sony Pictures Television Networks for US$143 million, with Fukunaga retaining a 5% stake.{{Cite web|url=https://www.funimation.com/blog/2017/08/01/funimation-agrees-acquired-sony-pictures-television-networks/|title=Funimation Agrees To Be Acquired By Sony Pictures Television Networks |website=Funimation|date=August 1, 2017|access-date=November 5, 2017}}
In 2019, Fukunaga stepped down as general manager of Funimation.{{cite web|first=Todd|last=Spangler|title=Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga Moves Into Chairman Role, Sony Seeks New GM for Anime Service (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/funimation-gen-fukunaga-chairman-gm-search-1203125947/|website=Variety|date=February 1, 2019|access-date=March 23, 2022}} His remaining equity interest was repurchased by Sony Pictures when he left the firm. In 2022, Funimation was consolidated into Crunchyroll LLC, after a streaming service of the same name it had an acquired one year earlier, before Funimation's brand and services ultimately shut down in April 2024.
During an October 2023 seminar{{cite web|first=Nir|last=Regev|title=Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga on Business of Anime, Piracy|url=https://thenaturalaristocrat.com/2023/10/12/funimation-founder-gen-fukunaga-on-business-of-anime-piracy/|website=The Natural Aristocrat|date=October 12, 2023|access-date=October 23, 2023}} at Columbia Business School's Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Fukunaga was asked by an audience member why he chose to retire from Funimation. Fukunaga replied, "Honestly, after cashing out twice in the company, I really didn't need to work for a living anymore!"
Personal life
Fukunaga is married to Cindy Brennan, who also was a co-founder and former executive producer at Funimation. They have three children. He has one sister, Nina Fukunaga Johnson, who is a radiation oncologist in Michigan.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE/People/Alumni/OECE/2003/fukunaga.whtml Gen Fukunaga biography writeup] at Purdue University Alumni
- [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gen-fukunaga/5/2b4/29a Gen Fukunaga] at LinkedIn
- {{ann|people|1382}}
- {{IMDb name|1211903|Gen Fukunaga}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fukunaga, Gen}}
Category:American businesspeople in the online media industry
Category:American mass media company founders
Category:American people of Japanese descent
Category:American software engineers
Category:American television executives
Category:Businesspeople from Indiana
Category:Businesspeople from Texas
Category:Columbia Business School alumni
Category:Engineers from Indiana
Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States
Category:People from Itami, Hyōgo
Category:People from Roanoke, Texas
Category:People from West Lafayette, Indiana
Category:Purdue University College of Engineering alumni