AnimeCons.co.uk Press Releases


December 14, 2005

News for Anime Expo 2006:

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Anime (SPJA) begins search for head

Host of North America's largest anime/manga convention seeks candidates for the position of CEO

Anaheim, California (December 14, 2005) -- The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Anime (SPJA), a non-profit corporation established in 1992, is actively seeking qualified candidates to lead over 450 employees, volunteers and staff as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The SPJA owns and manages the largest anime convention in North America (Anime Expo®-July 1-4, 2006 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA) with over 33,000+ attendees in 2005 and 100% growth over the past three (3) years.

The mission of the SPJA is:

  • Promote anime and manga as well as arts that influence or are influenced by them
  • Provide a common forum for enthusiasts to interact
  • To foster the trade, commerce and interests of all members of the industry and fan-dom
  • To collect and disseminate information of value related to the anime and manga industry to the public
  • To perform other activities that may be necessary or incidental to the aforementioned purposes

The SPJA Chief Executive Officer position requires strong public relations and communication skills with a strong sense of business sense to manage a diverse staff and work with sponsors and business partners and push the organization in a healthy long-lasting direction in a fast-paced and multi-faceted environment. The CEO reports to the Board of Directors that is composed of representatives within the business community and convention staff. The ideal candidate will have experience managing small-to-medium sized organizations of 500 diverse individuals. The position is part-time (approximately 20 hours a week for most of the year), but full-time/on-demand hours required for the final 6-8 weeks prior to and through Anime Expo®.

General CEO responsibilities include leadership, conduit of information, decision-making, management and Board development. Skills required are strong communication skills, on-call availability during business hours and the ability to travel internationally, ability to motivate and develop staff/volunteers, the ability to organize a virtual organization and the maintenance of budgets. Individuals that are interested can send a cover sheet and resume via e-mail to [email protected] or by mail to:

Attention: CEO Application
Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
1733 S. Douglass Rd., Suite G
Anaheim, CA 92806

Additional information on the CEO position can be found on the SPJA website (www.spja.org).

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property -- Anime Expo®.

Located in Anaheim, California - Anime Expo®, the world's largest anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and explore various aspects of anime/ manga, as well as for members of the industry to conduct business. AX 2006 will be held July 1 - 4, 2006 at the Anaheim Convention Center. More information can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

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