Toho eyes expansion into the US

The Japanese studio behind the Godzilla property, Toho is eyeing further expansion in the US market, welcoming a brace of new hires to help lead the charge.

US-based subsidiary, Toho International has appointed Kristin Parcell (pictured left) as general manager and Stacy Burt (pictured right) as director of marketing to lead the expansion.

Both former Crunchyroll executives, they will focus on building a scalable ecommerce experience catered to fandom for the Godzilla property and its line-up of anime franchises.

The platform is due to launch in 2023.

In addition, Kristin will also be leading licensing efforts for the company encompassing verticals such as physical and virtual merchandise, video games and live events. With her at the helm, Toho for the first time will be actively collaborating with current partners on managing its own licensing rights across all of Toho’s anime IP.

“Kristin and Stacy bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to building a successful e-commerce platform, but the key differentiator that makes them so successful is their deep understanding of fan communities and visionary thinking,” commented Hiro Matsuoka, president of Toho. “They are constantly a step ahead of what is likely to delight fans and then they make it happen. With this team on board to lead Toho’s e-commerce effort, we are sure that we’ll be bringing to market an offering that is absolutely unmatched.”

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