Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have released the latest episode of The Anime Business on YouTube featuring Part 3 of a far ranging trio of interviews with John O’Donnell, the former Managing Director of Central Park Media (CPM).
O’Donnell is one of the founding fathers of the North American anime industry. His company, Central Park Media (CPM), was among the first to license, dub and distribute anime home media for domestic audiences.
The Anime Business Episode 13 is available now on the official AnimEigo YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/@AnimEigo/videos
Viewers are also invited to stream the first two interview segments with O’Donnell:
- Interview Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmw3SlXL_mI&t=1745s
- Interview Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf11HmK6jZ4&t=39s
In the concluding installment, O’Donnell reminiscences on the variety of major changes that took place in the early to mid-2000s that began to impact the market and wider industry. By this time, several companies were well established in North America that included ADV, Manga Entertainment, and Pioneer / Geneon, in addition to Central Park Media. During this era, he notes that licensing fees varied widely as well as the types of titles being distributed. “Tier 1” titles often sold upward of 100,000 units but were massively expensive to license. “Tier 2” titles were not as well-known but were cheaper to acquire but were very profitable for CPM with smaller production runs.
O’Donnell also recalls how cash flow influenced every business decision. Anime and manga initially began with humble retail roots, being stocked primarily by small and independent stores. By the early 2000s, major chains like Musicland, Suncoast Video, TransWorld and Boaders dominated the retail space. At one point, Musicland accounted for 30% of Central Park Media’s anime sales. O’Donnell recalls the constant challenge of maintaining revenue for payroll and operating expenses as he navigated national retailers that would regularly delay payments and give excuses, which caused often created a myriad of issues for CPM’s cash flow.
When the financial crisis hit in 2008, many of these retailers folded and eventually also led to the closure of CPM later that year. Other notable anime companies such as ADV, Manga Entertainment and Pioneer also folded. But O’Donnell looks back on the undeniable impact he had on popularizing and commercializing anime, the brand he created, and the strong reputation Central Park Media still retains among both fans and fellow industry players.
Source: Press Release
