DIFF INSIDE FILM with Crunchyroll’s Adam Zehner
Film students and aficionados were in the audience at Violet Crown Cinema Dallas on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, for DIFF INSIDE FILM with Adam Zehner, who manages Funimation/Crunchyroll’s Japanese partnerships as Senior Vice President, Global Acquisitions and Global Content Planning.
In a discussion moderated by DIFF Artistic Director James Faust, attendees learned about the world of film buying and distribution, including valuable insights into what distributors are looking for, what a typical film deal looks like, and more.
Adam Zehner has managed Funimation/Crunchyroll’s Japanese partnerships since 2005. As head of Acquisitions, Adam has licensed more than 2,000 titles, including such hits as Attack on Titan, Your Name, My Hero Academia, One Piece, Tokyo Ghoul, Fairy Tail and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Adam’s a passionate advocate for the power of Japanese creators and he works to ensure their stories translate to the local audiences Crunchyroll serves. A key responsibility for Adam is securing a strong pipeline of content for Crunchyroll’s growing membership and ensuring the needs of Japanese partners and creators are met in order to facilitate more great content making it from studio to screen.
After graduating from the University of Texas, where he received degrees in Asian Studies, Acting, and Playwriting, Adam spent 6 years living in the Tohoku region of Japan.
Special thanks to MERCURY ONE, OM FILMS/THE NIRAJ BHATIA FOUNDATION and VIOLET CROWN CINEMA DALLAS, sponsors of this presentation of DIFF INSIDE FILM.