By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
VIZ Media has appointed WP Brands as its Oceania licensing agency for the Australia and New Zealand regions.
WP Brands is a licensing, marketing, and content syndication specialist for the Oceania markets. The agency offers its services for all categories of entertainment and lifestyle properties.
“This is an amazing opportunity, and we are absolutely thrilled to partner with VIZ Media,” said WP Brands’ Lim Mi-Kyoung.
“VIZ has been leading the manga and anime markets over many decades, and we very much look forward to developing strategic merchandising programs for VIZ Media’s properties as well as keeping our local Oceania fans happy.”
WP Brands’ will work alongside VIZ Media to develop a strategic plan for the company’s expansion in the Oceania market. The agency will also work toward signing and managing licensees across general merchandise, experiences, retail partnerships, and promotions on behalf of VIZ Media.
“VIZ is excited to welcome WP Brands as our newest agency partner covering Australia and New Zealand,” said VIZ Media’s Laura Takaragawa. “This is the perfect time to launch this partnership as anime has experienced an explosion in popularity across the globe. We are looking forward to supercharging our licensing efforts for the VIZ portfolio to bring great merchandise to our anime fans in Oceania.”
VIZ Media is a US-based entertainment company that specializes in anime distribution, manga publishing, and licensing for Japanese entertainment properties. The company’s brand portfolio includes franchises such as Naruto, Bleach, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Inuyasha, Death Note, and more.
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