ADV Films and Geneon Ent. (USA) announced a new distribution agreement. Beginning Oct. 1st, ADV Films will be Geneon Ent. USA's sole distributor. ADV Films will handle all sales and distribution duties for the combined catalog as well as certain marketing functions.
Geneon Ent. (USA) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based advertising giant Dentsu Inc. Geneon is a pioneer of anime in America, having helped to launch POKEMON, APPLESEED and AKIRA on home video. More recent hits include some of the best-selling franchises in anime today, such as HELLSING, ERGO PROXY and the new hit series BLACK LAGOON.
"This is a great alliance," said Geneon president and CEO Eiji Orii. "The efficiencies we'll achieve ultimately will mean more anime for the fans to enjoy."
ADV co-founder and president John Ledford concurred. "This alliance makes both companies stronger. Anime as an entertainment category is in competition with every other form of entertainment, and our partnership with Geneon gives us the scale to help widen the anime market in North America. As we look ahead to an increasingly digital future, scale matters. In bringing anime to new media platforms, ADV Films and Geneon can only benefit from the added clout this alliance brings."
For consumers and retailers, this transition should be seamless. Geneon's publishing plans will continue unabated, as ADV Films works with distribution partners to make the transition a smooth one.
In the 15 years since its inception, ADV Films (
www.advfilms.com ) has become the #1 producer-distributor of anime outside of Japan and has the largest English-language anime library in the world. With best-selling titles such as NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, RAHXEPHON, ROBOTECH, FULL METAL PANIC, HELLO KITTY AND AZUMANGA DAIOH, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. Always on the forefront, ADV is introducing North America to bold new anime franchises such as the new GUYVER, LE CHEVALIER D'EON, GANTZ AND ELFEN LIED. ADV Films' library also includes popular live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Co.'s FARSCAPE, the nationally syndicated GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA and the Saturn Award-nominated MUTANT X.
Parent company A.D. Vision Inc. encompasses a variety of complementary media divisions, spanning publishing, television, licensing and merchandising. Its Anime Network is "America's #1 Anime Channel," reaching more than 40 million households. Anime Network is the nation's top video-on-demand (VOD) offering as well as a 24/7 linear cable channel and is the first television network dedicated to bringing anime and anime-related programming to consumers nationwide. The company has two publishing arms: NEWTYPE USA, North America's top-selling anime and manga monthly magazine, and ADV MANGA, dedicated to publishing graphic novels. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan.
A leading supplier of Japanese animation in North America, Geneon Ent. (USA) Inc. (
www.Geneon-Ent.com ) is a full-service producer and distributor of entertainment content including film, music, animation and television shows on DVD and CD. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Geneon Ent.'s parent company is Tokyo-based advertising giant Dentsu Inc.
