Dick Sano This is Me

 View all 8 references Web References

1. 1. :: Metropolis Tokyo :: FEATURE - Coming to a theater near you

   metropolis.japantoday.com/toky - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/18/2006   Last Visited: 5/18/2006

   One genre that requires more time for marketing is animation, says Dick Sano, general manager of Buena Vista International Japan.
   ...
   "We request the release date after considering what our competitors are releasing," says Sano.
   ...
   Given the high price of admission tickets, many people prefer to wait six months for the DVD, which does hit attendance, Sano admits. "Film distributors and theater owners have been trying joint campaigns to encourage people to go to the movies, especially teenagers who make up less than 10 percent of moviegoers in Japan." What if the US head office requests a big promotion, but the Japan office doesn't think the movie will appeal to audiences? "Early on, we had to keep proving ourselves to the home office, but nowadays it is easier," answers Sano.
   ...
   Sano says marketing won't be difficult. "We'll play up the Chinese actresses and sell it as a heart-warming story about the life of a young girl." He admits, however, that promoting A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be a challenge.
   ...
   Sano says he would like to use a more descriptive Japanese title rather than katakana, but the time lag between releases makes it difficult.
   ...
   Dubbed versions are popular, too, says Sano, adding that they provide 80 percent of Buena Vista's box office in animation.
   ...
   "We have corporate alliances with companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald's," says Sano.

2. 2. Headline News

   news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=t - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/6/2004   Last Visited: 7/7/2004

   "We are very much interested in taking charge of major territories," said BVIJ president Dick Sano, who described the deal as a milestone in Japan's CG animation history.

3. 3. On the other side, 'Pearl Harbor' is a hard sell

   www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001 - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/13/2001   Last Visited: 7/16/2001

   It was not [ director Michael Bay's ] intention to make a war movie , it was a pure love story , says Dick Sano , vice president and general manager of Buena Vista , the distributor of the film here. Only because it was Pearl Harbor , only because it is 60 years to the date [ of the attack ] , and only because there were nine corpses of the Ehime Maru lying in the water [ near Hawaii ] says Sano , are people asking if the film will stir up resentment between the two countries.
   
   Many here say that they doubt it will. But some , such international relations professor Tadae Takubo , say that the film certainly doesn't play a good role for the betterment of relations..
   
   It's a simple-minded film , because Japan is all to be blamed , and the US has nothing to do with the sneak attack.