Keynote Speakers

Ian Condry Professor of Japanese Cultural Studies, Global Studies and Languages, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Prof. Ian Condry is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in media, popular culture, and globalization with a focus on contemporary Japan and the US.

Ian Condry is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in media, popular culture, and globalization with a focus on contemporary Japan and the US. His current research interests include social media, in particular the ways platforms for creative communities offer new possibilities for education, the arts, global health, business and political participation. These areas relate to his earlier research on Japanese hip-hop and anime by attending to practices of cultural innovation that go global.

Kazuhito Geni (源井 和仁), Managing Director of Because Co. Ltd, Japan.

Kazuhito Geni is an award-winning media practitioner, and Managing Director of Because Co. Ltd. He has written numerous songs for many J-pop and K-pop artists, is a stage director and has produced a variety of musicals, including his highly acclaimed “天使達－ANGELS －俺たちは天使か!?” (Angels – are we angels?) http://www.musical.ne.jp/ANGELS/index.html and most recently, Thomas the Tank Engine which has played across more than 60 cities across Japan http://www.thomas-musical.com/

Currrently, his interests are within 2.5D Musicals (2.5D theatre involves adaptation of anime, manga and video games)