Michael Masukawa Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

San Jose, Ca, Us

-Manage IP Partnerships and approvals for Nex's upcoming slate of games from NBCUniversal/DreamWorks, Mattel, Sesame Workshop and other important partners.-Business Development for new strategic retail, marketing, and IP/Content partnerships.-Project Manage internal company initiatives, content development and special promotional campaigns.

Consulting for companies and professionals in the Location-based Entertainment, Immersive, VR/AR, Film/TV and Gaming industries.

Studio City, Ca, Us

Literary Manager for screenwriters and writer/director clients.-Produced independent projects such as the feature film FRANSGIVING (currently distributed by Buffalo8).-Executive Producer for several independent films and documentaries.

Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Fr

LA-based producer and business/creative development executive for leading XR/immersive entertainment content producer, ATLAS V, while also supporting and sourcing opportunities for sister companies ALBYON and ASTREA. Atlas V is a Paris-based immersive content studio with two related companies: ASTREA publishes, markets and distributes XR Content both DTC and for LBE opportunities, and ALBYON is a production services company that works on third party projects as well as Atlas V projects. -Business Development, IP/Talent/Writer/Director Packaging, Funding and Distribution. -Creative Development, Partner Sourcing and Pitching.

Toronto, On, Ca

-Secured publishing approval from Meta to release a new VR game on the highly curated Quest 2 storefront. -Developed the company’s core business strategy and unlocked synergistic opportunities after Hasbro acquisition, leading to 5+ major brand projects. -Built the business plan for a new mobile games division which grew to 40+ employees and secured 3+ new projects. -Led content distribution efforts and negotiated six-figure licensing deals.-Produced and led a team that developed the Dungeons & Dragons Immersive Tavern Experience for San Diego Comic Con 2022 in partnership with Paramount, eOne and NVE.

Toronto, On, Ca

-Negotiated 150+ distribution deals with VR arcades, attraction manufacturers and worldwide VR content platforms located in 15+ countries.-Developed new business opportunities for our suite of Vusr software products, finding and securing enterprise and entertainment industry Licensees. -Led product development and pitch efforts for our software management system, working closely with our developers on prioritizing our feature roadmap.

Toronto, On, Ca

-Helped write CMF and OMDC applications that resulted in funding for THE GREAT C, a VR narrative project based on a Philip K. Dick short story. -Managed relationship with PKD Estate and Co-Produced the project, working closely with the writer, Brandon Montclare, and the Toronto team leading production of the project. Negotiated composer deal with Junkie XL. Identified and negotiated with potential co-production partners and financiers. -Identified, negotiated and secured distribution opportunities for THE GREAT C, helping bring it to the Kaleidoscope First Look VR Financing Market and premiering it at the Venice Film Festival (and later winning the Positron Visionary Award at the Cannes XR Film Festival). -Created pitch documents and decks, supported content development efforts and established new relationships to obtain IP, financing and distribution. -Developed VR narrative and game projects, working closely with both our LA team and our Toronto HQ office, as well as external developer partners. -Tracked market trends, studied new VR/AR technology, and cultivated new business and partnership opportunities for our VR distribution and publishing platform, Vusr, bringing in new clients such as AMC.

Los Angeles, Us

-Supported development & production on Piller/Segan's procedural series for Corus Entertainment, PRIVATE EYES, which sold to Ion Media for distribution in the United States and went on to run for 5 seasons. -Oversaw prep, casting and production for the Lifetime TV movie SEA CHANGE, based off the novel of the same name.-Created pitch decks and supported project development by hunting for IP and talented writers.-Managed the internship program.

Culver City, Ca, Us

-Studio Executive on THE SHANNARA CRONICLES for MTV, a big budget 10-episode fantasy series based on the #1 internationally best selling book series by Terry Brooks, showrun by GOUGH & MILLAR (INTO THE BADLANDS, SMALLVILLE) and Executive Produced by Jon Faverau and Dan Farah (READY PLAYER ONE), filmed in New Zealand. -Studio Executive on THE SON for AMC, a 10-episode western drama series showrun by MCGREEVY & SHIPMAN (HEMLOCK GROVE), based on the novel by Philipp Meyer and starring Pierce Brosnan.-Developed relationships with network, studio and production company executives.-IP Acquisition & Content Packaging: searched for adaptable books, comics/graphic novels and formats; met literary agents and managers that specialized in IP rights; read and met with new writers and directors. -Developed and packaged a slate of TV projects; created writer, director and buyer lists. -Tracked competitive development. -Maintained and updated company’s internal Production and Development Report for weekly meetings.

Culver City, Ca, Us

-Assisted the new company CEO as well as other new executives as we grew the LA office into our new HQ. Eventually, things stabilized and I became primarily responsible for just the CEO and CFO while continuing to manage the interns.-Oversaw and managed another office move. -Learned a lot about building a company, running an independent studio, and how to package and sell scripted series. -Wrote notes for projects in development and pitch new projects and IP opportunities internally. -Updated our internal documents tracking network needs, making relationships at the new buyers forming at the time such as Hulu and Amazon. -Wrote notes on our straight-to-series order for SOUTH OF HELL on WeTV, a horror series starring Mena Suvari and executive produced by Eli Roth and Jason Blum, shot in Charleston, South Carolina. -Also received a straight-to-series order for TABOO to BBC and FX, a drama series starring Tom Hardy.

Culver City, Ca, Us

-Assisted the VP of Development & Literary Acquisitions, supporting him with finding interesting unpublished material, making IP inquiries and negotiating for the Film/TV adaptation rights. -Completed a heavy weekend read, wrote notes on projects in development and production, maintained a database of submissions and IP inquiries, wrote OWAs that we sent to agencies, created lists and grids for various tracking projects, including director, writer and talent lists.-Oversaw and managed entire office move from West Hollywood to Century City. -Created the Sonar internship program, recruited and interviewed interns, wrote an intern handbook and assigned duties for up to four interns in the office per day to bolster the amount of submissions we could have covered, freeing the development up to pursue unpublished manuscripts and other exciting material. -Learned a lot about tax credit eligibility rules and overseas productions as we produced one TV movie in South Africa and a four-hour miniseries in Toronto.

Burbank, California, Us

-Assisted two busy Current Programming executives at ABC Television Studios, providing full administrative support with phones, scheduling, series coverage and more. -Covered seven series (four dramas and three comedies) including ONCE UPON A TIME, NASHVILLE, TROPHY WIFE, MIXOLOGY, THE NEIGHBORS, KILLER WOMEN and DEVIOUS MAIDS.

-Assisted a new television executive in Bad Robot's TV department with phones, scheduling and full administrative support. -Read and watched episodic materials for the first season of REVOLUTION and the second season of PERSON OF INTEREST, giving notes and reading staffing samples. -Reviewed materials and gave notes on two new television pilots that both got series orders upon their completion, BELIEVE and ALMOST HUMAN. Also read and met with potential writers to staff for these series. -Supported post-production of STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS with a few miscellaneous tasks, including a filter for the ACTION MOVIE EFFECTS app.

Los Angeles, California, Us

After the agents bought out the private equity investor and the company became ICM Partners, I was recruited to join the Contract Admin Department where I: -Launched a brand new position that proactively updated, maintained, organized and streamlined the contact database used by the entire agency, including sensitive client, lawyer and manager information. -Managed and assigned duties to one temp assistant and directed a team of ten interns to help update contact information from existing contacts in our contact database system to jumpstart this massive undertaking. -Worked with department coordinators to verify information in our OWA, ODA and other internal grids.

Los Angeles, California, Us

-Joined the Floater Pool, serving as a temporary assistant for over thirty-two different agents, handling phones, submissions, scheduling, client liaison and payments, gaining experience with assisting a great variety of personalities across all departments at ICM. -Frequently recruited to write high priority coverage and character breakdowns for agents, coordinators, assistants and the story department.

Los Angeles, California, Us

-Sorted mail and rotated through different administrative duties including floor coverage, check runs, reception & client information coverage, deliveries, client transportation and more. -Conducted informational interviews with different agents to learn about all aspects of the business and extensively read hot studio scripts, specs, network and cable television pilots and client scripts. -Wrote character breakdowns and coverage for agents, coordinators, and assistants, shadowed and assisted the TV Lit Coordinators, reading and evaluating scripts from prospective clients. -Scouted potential screenwriter clients at the AFI Screenwriters Showcase. -Selected by Corporate Communications to be interviewed for a Hollywood Reporter article on Agency mailrooms.

Los Angeles, California, Us

-Worked closely with the TV Lit Coordinators as well as assistants in the department, helping with administrative tasks and reading pilot pickup scripts and client samples.-Completed an extensive project organizing the DVD library for the department's TV Director clients.

Los Angeles, California, Us

-Shadowed and assisted agency assistants in the Motion Picture Talent and Motion Picture Literary departments, aiding with administrative tasks.-Read scripts and created character breakdowns, trying to find opportunities for our Talent clients.

-Reviewed and wrote coverage for a wide range of submissions including scripts, books, manga, graphic novels, and foreign films, working closely with the Director of Development and Creative Executive. -Covered desks as needed for assistants who went on vacation.-Completed an extensive administrative project to update John Davis' contact database via cold calls to verify contact information.

-Office management and phone coverage for the VP of Development, Creative Executive and main line.-Updated scene breakdowns for projects in development, read submissions and wrote coverage.

-Worked closely with the Story Editor and Vice President of the Story Department, updating shooting scripts, printing and delivering the weekend read to studio executives, reading screenplays and other industry material.