Crunchyroll:

Crunchyroll is the world's most popular anime brand. We’re an international business focused on creating both online and offline experiences for anime fans, through content (licensed, co-produced, and originals), merchandise, events, gaming, news, and more.

About the team:

The Crunchyroll Originals team is responsible for sourcing compelling stories and projects and acquiring and developing IP for Crunchyroll Originals initiatives. The team manages all levels of the development process from: sourcing and developing to greenlighting and production, including pairing projects with creative writers and artists, and providing creative guidance and feedback to showrunners on outlines, scripts and cuts. The team is tasked with creating content that not only resonates with Crunchyroll’s core audience, but expands our audience beyond traditional Anime fans. The team often collaborates across time-zones, with half of our titles being produced out of our Japanese studio and the other half through our LA studio.

About the role:

We want to win awards; how about you?

Anime and adult animation are growing in popularity globally and Crunchyroll is at the forefront of this trend. Our mission is to define and own animated serial storytelling from a western perspective. This is a golden opportunity to put your stamp on what could be the future of animation and storytelling in the US and across the globe.

The Head of Development for Crunchyroll Originals will lead a team of six stellar Development and Creative Executives with the collective goal of sourcing and creating top quality animated content for the Crunchyroll platform.

This individual will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of development including ensuring a robust development pipeline, sourcing and securing high-profile IP, brokering option and development deals, and working with business development to secure funding partnerships for co-productions, where necessary.

The Head of Development will interface closely with the Head of Crunchyroll Studios to ensure a steady pipeline of original content through Crunchyroll’s two facilities -- LA and Japan -- and to support current Development execs throughout production. The Head of Development will also oversee non-scripted and live-action ancillary content initiatives such as talk shows & documentaries. Though Crunchyroll has been sourcing IP for the past few years, the team and process are still very nascent. As such, so this is a golden opportunity to bring your vision to a growing demographic while venturing into adjacent landscapes internationally.

Location: San Francisco or Los Angeles

Our headquarters is located in downtown San Francisco, where our group of cross-functional experts assemble to create experiences for Crunchyroll and VRV’s passionate communities.

A day in the life of the Head of Development, Crunchyroll Originals:

• Manage a team of six Development and Creative Executives
• Leverage deep industry contacts to source, secure and/or develop top-level IP and talent
• Ensure a well rounded slate of titles and a solid development pipeline to support production and programming goals
• Negotiate and oversee option, development, and talent deals
• Ensure healthy development processes that produces properties ready for green light
• Ensure that the final deliverables from the development and production pipelines are of the highest quality and resonate with the Crunchyroll audience
• Set clear and measurable goals to benchmark the success of each production
• Collaborate with programming to set clear targets for content types, genres, timelines, and release dates
• Work closely with the Head of Studio to ensure productions run smoothly, on budget and on time, and with strong creative oversight
• Align with business development, where needed, to structure and secure funding partnerships for co-productions
• Create opportunities for ancillary revenue streams within and around IP, such as integrating products and characters that can be merchandised
• Liaise with Marketing, Press, Research, Programming as well as Business & Legal Affairs

About You:

• 10+ years of development experience including 3+ years leading a development team at a production studio or cable/premium television network
• Solid roster of popular titles under your belt
• A deep understanding of Anime, animation and serial storytelling
• High-level contacts and ability to build relationships with show creators, creative communities, talent agents, studios, and writers
• Proven track record of sourcing and securing big-name IP and talent, negotiating high-level deals, and developing popular series ahead of the trends
• Extensive experience in giving creative guidance and feedback to showrunners on outlines, scripts, and cuts
• Creative thinker, willing to push traditional boundaries while offering fresh and innovative ideas and strategies
• Entrepreneurial spirit with a desire to build process from the ground up
• Highly strategic and creative thinker with strong analytical and business problem-solving skills
• Excellent persuasive presentation, verbal and written communication skills with the ability to sell ideas concisely to all levels
• Highly collaborative team player with consistent success in cross-functional organizational structures
• Understanding of Japanese production and/or work culture a plus

Benefits and Perks: San Francisco Office

• Competitive salary
• Medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance
• Health care and dependent care FSA
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Employer paid commuter benefit
• On-site gym, showers, yoga, and wellness classes
• Support program for new parents
• Catered lunch 4 days per week
• Fun, passionate and skilled co-workers
• Pet friendly - pet insurance and dog friendly office

Ellation

What’s with the name, Ellation? We’re all a cast of characters that get passion and strive to celebrate fandom in all its forms. So we’re building a collection of destinations (a constellation, if you will) that connect people with their passions. Each day, we work to achieve complete fan elation (our vision), starting with popular subscription-video-on-demand brands, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and VRV. Our team spans across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Chișinău, and Tokyo to develop the product, design, engineering, marketing, and content that brings our communities of fans together.

Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is the world's most popular anime brand. We’re an international business focused on creating both online and offline experiences for anime fans, through content (licensed, co-produced, and originals), merchandise, events, gaming, news, and more.

Rooster Teeth

Rooster Teeth is the entertainment company for gamers. A pioneer in digital entertainment, we’ve spent 16 years fostering a passionate worldwide community around original western-style anime, animation, podcasts, gaming personalities, and comedy content. Rooster Teeth’s diversified business encompasses subscription video, live events, merchandise, brand integrations, licensed studio productions, game development, and more.

VRV

VRV is a collection of fandom brands on a unified platform and includes Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Viacom’s NickSplat, and more. Our community connects through immersive content experiences in a digitally-driven environment via bundled subscription, a la carte subscription, or ad-supported options.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Ellation. Pursuant to applicable law, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.