Leading with Perspective – with Alvin Lu

About this episode

Alvin Lu discusses embracing uncertainty and the evolution of manga in Western culture as the CEO of Kodansha USA Publishing.

How to embrace uncertainty and channel chaos as the leader of a legacy brand? In this episode, we are joined by Alvin Lu, CEO of Kodansha USA Publishing, fresh from the opening of Kodansha House – an immersive space where people can experience all things Manga – which runs throughout October in New York City. Kodansha USA Publishing, or KUP, is a subsidiary of Kodansha, one of Japan’s largest and oldest publishing houses primarily known for being an industry leader in Manga, Japanese comics from which most anime is based off. Joined by ReD partner Maria Cury, Alvin speaks about manga’s shift into mainstream Western culture, how Kodansha's dedication to quality and creativity has been fundamental to its success, and the art of balancing personal intuition with deep audience understanding as a leader.

People in this episode

Guest: Alvin Lu

Topics covered

• leadership
• manga
• publishing
• mainstream culture
• creativity

Keywords

• Kodansha
• Kodansha House
• New York City
• legacy brand
• audience understanding

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Kodansha USA Publishing, Kodansha House

Places: New York City, Japan

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