Gen Fukunaga

Gen Fukunaga (福永 元, Fukunaga Gen, born March 22, 1962) is a Japanese-born American engineer and entrepreneur. He established Funimation (now Crunchyroll), 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.[5]

Gen Fukunaga
福永 元[1]
Fukunaga in 2018
Born (1962-03-22) March 22, 1962[2][3][4]
Itami, Hyōgo, Japan
Other namesEugene Fukunaga
Gene Fukunaga
Alma materPurdue University (BSEE, MSEE)
Columbia University (MBA)
Occupations
  • Engineer
  • entrepreneur
Years active1989–2019
SpouseCindy Brennan
Children3

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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9] So Fukunaga went to a coworker named 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.[10] With that, Funimation was established in 1994.[11]

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.[12] In 2017, 95% of Funimation was sold to Sony Pictures Television Networks for US$143 million, with Fukunaga retaining a 5% stake.[13]

In 2019, Fukanaga stepped down as general manager of Funimation.[14] His remaining equity interest was repurchased by Sony Pictures when he left the firm. In 2022, Funimation changed its name to Crunchyroll LLC, after a streaming service of the same name it had a acquired one year earlier.

During an October 2023 seminar[15] 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.

References
  1. "福永元のフィルモグラフィー｜最新映画情報 - シネマクエスト". cinemaquest.nagoyatv.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  2. DBZ Uncensored: Interview With Gen Fukunaga
  3. Rojas, Justin (March 21, 2014). "It's Gen's Birthday – Buy Yourself a Present!". FUNimation.
  4. Ferreira, Mike (March 23, 2014). "Anime Boston 2014: FUNimation Online Panel". Anime Herald.
  5. Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga Named GameSamba Chairman
  6. Abril, Danielle (May 9, 2017). "How Gen Fukunaga Turned an Interest Into a $100M Venture". D Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  7. Rogers, Bruce (January 14, 2019). "The Man Who Brought Anime To America: Sony Pictures Television's Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga". Forbes. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. Weinstein, Adam. "Rick Santorum's Wholesome Film Studio Has a Smutty Anime Secret". Gawker. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  9. "Dragon Ball Z Blu-ray Live Interview w/ Gen Fukunaga". FUNimation. October 6, 2011. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  10. Green, Scott (November 11, 2017). "Funimation Initial Investor Allen Cocanougher Passes Away". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  11. "20 Years of the Best in Anime". Funimation. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  12. Navarre Sells Funimation to Group with Gen Fukunaga
  13. "Funimation Agrees To Be Acquired By Sony Pictures Television Networks". Funimation. August 1, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  14. Spangler, Todd (February 1, 2019). "Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga Moves Into Chairman Role, Sony Seeks New GM for Anime Service (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  15. Regev, Nir (October 12, 2023). "Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga on Business of Anime, Piracy". The Natural Aristocrat. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
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