Hello everyone! Welcome to another interview on Something Deeper: Anime, Manga and Comics! It has been a long time since I posted up one. Today, I would like to introduce you to Stuart Levy the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of TOKYOPOP.
Before we get into his life at TOKYOPOP, let’s get to know Stu as Stuart Levy the regular guy walking down the streets of Los Angeles. He is in his early 40’s and resides in “part Japan, part United States.” The man loves to travel. He is an American born to an Italian mother and Jewish father. He grew up in a multi-cultural environment in L.A., which included spending time with his Korean neighbors.
During his youth, he “was more of a math-science hard-core geek in junior high, involved in activities such as Dungeons & Dragons, Rubik’s Cube, computer programming, Tolkien, Battlestar Galactica” and so many other things! Long before computer graphics, Levy would write his own computer RPG, which was all text based. Also, he had a love for music especially new wave and punk, such as the Motels and the Clash. Then in high school, he switched to liberal arts, and one of his favorite subjects was English Literature, like TS Eliot. Similar to some of us today, he took a lot of AP exams. Other than being a good young student, Levy had some fun outside the academic world: “video games, basketball, music (many many more bands by now), break-dancing (seriously!), fashion, girls and partying. Snuck into a lot of concerts and hung out backstage too. I was in student council as well. Weird combo of activities.”
By the time Levy hit college, he felt that he had “done it all” and was seeking for something more intellectually stimulating. Unfortunately, he could not find that at the University of California, Los Angeles and completed his degree in Economics within 2 ½ years. “My academic life got really weird – hanging out with friends, writing poetry, playing music, and cramming for finals. It wasn’t my favorite time.” So, with a Bachelor of Arts in Business/Economics, did Levy have everything he needed to one day start a manga publishing company? In general, he was “always…good with numbers and had an interest in business. So, in that sense, running my own business was a natural for me.” In regards to his courses, he is unsure if it had a direct impact, however, he believes that it may have had an indirect influence on him. “I also got exposed to how media and advertising influences the human brain – a fascinating class with a brilliant professor.”
Ok, so Levy had something that would help, but what else did he need that might be useful? After college, he received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. “Finally I got away from Los Angeles and was in a new city, on the other side of the country. It’s strange but sometimes I felt like I needed a passport since everything was so different…In general, those 3 years were a valuable experience.” Levy learned quite a bit, both in and outside of class. However, he focused mainly on business-related law, such as contracts, intellectual property and antitrust, which “has been very helpful in both running a business and negotiate deals.” He also studied comparative law in a study abroad program at Tokyo University. “It was my first time to Japan, and obviously changed my life!”
© 2010 Linda Thai
Thank you Stuart Levy for your photograph!
Stay tune for Part 2 of the Stuart Levy interview!
No comments:
Post a Comment