How Crunchyroll Builds and Scales Global Fandom Communities w/ Siobhan Sullivan

0:00Steven Slayer Infinity Castle became the highest grossing international film ever released in North America. And it also set records as the biggest opening day for an anime film.

0:16Hey, Chauvin, welcome to the show. How are you? I'm great. Oh, thank you. How are you doing? It's good. It's a lot. You know, of course, it's now that we're recording, it's Q4. And for the, you know, agency side, I mean, brands are busy. But, you know, as an agency, multiple brands to work together everyone is all the time in priority right and emergency mode so it is what it is i guess yes i feel you i'm counting down how many weeks we have left to plan for the end of the year but we're not we're busy we're gonna look back at 2026 and say wow all the great things we've achieved right so 100 100 and you know like today's gonna be definitely an interesting episode it's something that we didn't cover much i'd say in the past i I mean, we did somehow, but not as in-depth as today.

1:04Before we get started, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? We use this thing called the map. Basically, it's divided in three main areas. So it's the mission, the first one. What do you aim to achieve with your work? Achievements. So any notable milestones can be in your career, your life, or both. And the last one is the purpose. So in addition to the mission, what do you do? It's why do you do what you do. Yes, I really love this framing. So thank you. I was like thinking through this of just what was that really deep core inside me's perspective. But yeah, I would say my mission is to create work that really leaves people with something, whether that's like joy or inspiration or fulfillment or wonder.

1:47Right. There's so many positive emotions I think could come through our work as marketers. And so that's what I really hope to achieve through anything I do in life. Yeah, just want to make the world a little bit brighter for communities, whether that's the content creators themselves or just the message we put out there. Especially with anime, it's such a huge fandom that they're just so excited for content in general. So yeah, hopefully providing that delight. And let's see, achievements. Okay, well, so I've been at Crunchyroll for a very long time. A little bit over eight years, which is crazy.

2:22It's such a surreal thing to think back of when I started, where anime was definitely more in a niche phase, a little bit more underground. And now where it is is massive. Like when I started my first week at Crunchyroll, we had hit one million paid subscribers. And now we're at 17 million paid subscribers. Wow. OK, that's a big jump for sure. A big jump. And, you know, through those eight years, we launched games, mobile games, events, the anime awards. So many big things. And so I feel really proud to have taken, you know, put my hand in there at some points and getting those initiatives even bigger and shining so brightly as they do right now.

3:04But I think on a more personal lens of achievement, you know, I am a hardcore anime fan. I grew up with it since I was very young. So for me, it's thinking back to like elementary school version of myself and being able to say, hey, Siobhan, you're watching anime at 5 a.m. I promise. In 30 years, this will be a part of your career and something that I'm sure little Siobhan would be so, so thrilled to know that she's a part of. Amazing. And I don't know if you want to add anything also on the purpose. I mean, you kind of touched base on that, but I may put it. It's together, right? Maybe some other background I think your listeners might find interesting.

3:43So I'll go back that I used to be a content creator back in my day. I was a fashion blogger. And this was like right when Instagram was becoming a big thing. And so at that time, my mission was to make fashion blogging and like those, I would say, more organic creators take the stage with the fashion industry. As far as being pacemakers, it's not just hobbyists that are like putting content out there, but they really are meaningfully driving culture, driving change. So really trying to find places to empower their voices. I was able to actually talk at London Fashion Week. And at that time, I explained what fashion blogging was to some of these industry professionals who just weren't even sure, like, what is this?

4:28Like, what is it? So that was a very it was definitely a career highlight, but matching my purpose on like empowerment, drawing inspiration, you know, seeing that connection that I hope to have, which is advocating for fashion bloggers. But, you know, now I see it more as me empowering the anime community. So, again, just finding places to really distill that joy, putting it out on the center stage of entertainment culture and just, yeah, highlighting or empowering our anime fans as a part of it. So maybe that's the angle I'll put on my purpose. Amazing. No, it's very funny also when you mentioned about like, you know, fashion blogging.

5:10And I did the same with Lola about fashion, but blogging, like before it was a thing and people thought I was either crazy or why are we wasting time with this internet thing that no one is looking at? And, you know, look at us now, right? Like we knew that it was coming, right? So, you know, sometimes you just have to believe in something and, you know, continue with that. So, and, you know, like you said fandom, right? So in other episodes, we did cover community versus audience, right? So like going from a passive audience and just like scrolling, like, you know, do scrolling to actually having like these active, you know, community that is part of your co-creation.

5:45They come to your Discord channels to check, you know, what is going on and do a bit testing of your thumbnails and so on. How do you go to even again, like, you know, these even extra step right in the fandom? Like how Crunchyroll is helping with that? How do you build fandom? Oh, my gosh. Yes, it's. Yeah, it's a big question for sure. built right it's like the organic creation of that micro community that just spreads right and how does Crenshaw interject well you know it is really elevating their voices but I realized maybe I should set the ground a little bit on what anime is maybe for some listeners and give them that context since it's new to some people but I guess first off so anime is a medium not a genre amongst anime itself there are genres so like romance sci-fi you know things that are very recognizable.

6:35But we also have like a subgenre like isekai. So it's this trope where you basically move from the normal world into some fantasy world and you're starting life from zero. I really enjoy those. And then also magical girls is another subgenre I really like. So you can imagine these female-led stories about courage and beauty and friendship. Those are really great. But even just with those two examples, right, you can see very distinctive audiences most likely that are drawn to it. So when I think about Crunchyroll and how we can play a part is to identify all of those sub-genres of fandom and creating content that speaks and resonates to all of those different types of fans that make up our community.

7:17So I see building fandom as giving back to the fans. What is something that they would get excited about? So is it a behind-the-scenes look at how animation is created is it a behind the scenes of how voice acting is is made things like that that's where i see us giving back to fans in order to grow fandom and and how does that translate in you know influencer marketing and also in the bigger like you know group of the of the creative economy as you said it changed so much in the past you know 10 years right from the niche thing to you know now we have like we're gonna also go you know in a second about also events in real life and so on and everything but if you have to translate it right when it comes to specifically like social media influencer marketing creative economy what is happening these days yeah yeah it's a really fun space to be in there's just so much diversity in the types of content creators we can work with that resonate so for example i mean well one i'm always looking for authentic anime fans right and it doesn't have to be that they're hardcore anime fans they could be you know starting off their anime journey they're still really valuable it's speaking to those different types of people, right?

8:28And so, for example, when I look at those core influencers, sorry, hardcore anime fan influencers, I'm going to connect them with series that maybe are maybe more of those deep cut series. Whereas for maybe some more generalist content creators, we're working more with like the top, the most popular series. So let's say a solo leveling, right? Like there's all this momentum and discussion about it. So it's a good entryway for casual viewers to come to the fold. So we start to match up, you know, what are the series? What are those content creators already creating content around? And then just creating that perfect fit.

9:06And I do need to highlight one cool thing in particular is that we have VTubers. So these are virtual anime YouTubers who are periodalities on themselves. I think that's really unique to Crunchyroll, being able to tap into that. I'd love to see other brands tap into VTubers. I don't know. Have you heard of other brands maybe tapping into that creator? You know, that is actually an interesting one because we did like three years ago something, actually a report about virtual influencers, but we didn't like, you know, cover that much because again, it's very niche. There was not much interest from brands.

9:44So I think that it's like, you know, and things change so much. Before it was only CGI influencers. now we have AI influencers like there is so much going on but I think there is so much confusion and brands are a bit I would say skeptical but you know all the time I feel that if they don't understand it properly they don't want to invest and even just explaining to them if you're not an expert might be very difficult because then it's chaotic because you're not an expert telling to another non-expert about this world and then you do something that if you are actually an expert you would be what is this, right?

10:15Yeah, it feels like we're at this big turning point of, you know anime, VTubers, like this whole cultural momentum of fandom, like, you know, looking at, you know, the Gabe Awards and some of the winners are VTubers, like amazing and makes it really excited for the next five years where we're going to look back and think about a type of creator or influencer that we could have never envisioned. So we'll see. We'll see how that changes. Hey, if your brand is ready to grow, we are here to help. At the Influencer Marketing Factory, we run full-service influencer campaigns that actually move the needle.

10:52We handle everything. Creator identification, campaign strategy, contract, shipping, logistics, you name it. We have supported brands of every size, from world-recognized Fortune 500 companies to ambitious PTC startups. And with our in-depth ROI tracking, you always know what's working and why. Just visit the influencermarketingfactory.com to learn more and get started. And on this, you know, like, of course, many times when it comes to this type of content, we think about online, right? Because, of course, it's the easiest way to meet because it's remote, because you can easily create things.

11:25But something that we work recently is a new survey and infographic about Creators IRL, right? So basically, creators actually creating their own events could be sport matches, could be, you know, like a live podcast recording, right? It could be many different things. You know, we know about all the niches, right, happening these days. in your world specifically how are things changing like are you seeing more in-person events what what people want to see during these events is it for meet and greets it is to meet with other people from the same community tell me a bit more about that oh yeah no in-person events in particular for you know anime community are really meaningful since we have anime conventions we have multiple every year so for example we'll invite our content creators early to get a vip experience allow them to create footage that can post themselves on social and allow you know that amplification of a specific convention so one type of activation we've done recently that was just so exciting something really new and fresh for me was this red carpet experience we had for demon slayer infinity castle the theatrical experience so we were at the chinese theater with our beautiful red carpets.

12:39And we wanted to, of course, invite talent associated with the film. But we also wanted to invite our content creator partners, the influencer network that we had. Again, they are hardcore fans themselves that bring so much genuine, organic emotion to the red carpet experience. But I wasn't just satisfied to invite them. Me and my team wanted to think about what's another way we can make it feel anime. So once the content creator accepted, we gave them a costuming stipend. So what they did then was taking that to then create custom outfits that are had the flare of the red carpets. So something like a big gown or, you know, a really cool blazer or accessories.

13:22And so what we really were able to do is tap into that creativity that again is so crucial to the anime experience is enjoying like the beauty, the art, things like that too. So the influencers came full force. There was even a snake, if you can believe it. But it was a reference to one of the characters of the show. So yeah, so it was a really wonderful experience on the red carpet. We were also able to then, you know, have a content calendar that was stretched much wider because we were doing interviews with the talent on the carpet. Then we created like these kind of listicle, you know, formats for TikTok.

13:57Like, you know, what is the character that you like the most? Or would you want to be a demon or not? So we were having them amplify their channels. We were extending our content beat. We also did a live stream experience, too. So we were really hitting. We were maximizing every every moment on the red carpet with them. And the results speak for themselves. I mean, not just influencer marketing by any means, but even Slayer Infinity Castle became the highest grossing international film ever released in North America. So this is surpassing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, if you can believe it. And it also set records as the biggest opening day for an anime film.

14:39Congratulations. That's wow. Still amazing, right? Right. But it goes back to the idea of like how, you know, how creators, you know, are going to transform in the next couple of years, how anime has transformed in the next couple of years. It just feels like, who knows, a sense of wonder that I have as a marketer, I would say. And because of these like, you know, the great achievements and these, you know, amazing, you know, crazy numbers, right, that you achieved there. When it comes to like also geographies, right? I'm pretty sure that these days it's international, right? As in terms of audience.

15:15First of all, are you noticing any geos that are like more interested in this type of world than others? And then they, you know, this, you know, like I said, there also the other follow up question that would be, how do you really manage, right? Because we spoke about this in the past. You want to be global but local at the same time when it comes to influencers, creators, because it's culture, right? it's something that can go to hyperlocal but enable her in a city to a global vision. So yeah, I'm curious again, what are the audiences there if there is anything working more than others? And how do you manage having both aspects without, again, either getting people confused about things or still able to get a peer rouge between everything?

15:57Oh yeah, that's a great question. Well, as far as content creators go, just more broadly, you know, I see a lot of fandom coming from Latin America. So we have some really big names out there with significant impact. And more recently, I was diving further into India and the anime influencers out there too, with just really engaged communities, really seeking for more anime content. So Crunchyroll bringing out dubs and like all the different languages in India, which are, you know, there's many, many of them. And so it's really cool to see those different content creators within a singular country able to represent for a specific language that they're familiar with, right?

16:39So maybe going to your question of like, how can we really specialize to that community? It is drilling down to like, very, very fine detail. You know, what is the voice that this content creator is going to give to maybe this piece of content or cultural. But then another initiative that I think represents the question that you're saying is the anime awards that I referred to. So it's an event, our flagship event that's in Japan. We have creators, animators, directors on the ground, in the room, receiving awards that really showcase how the fandom in the West really appreciates their work. And so on the one hand, my perspective is that anime is global, right?

17:19We all are enjoying the content. We're all celebrating the creators from Japan, for example. But when it was the people that we wanted to to send, we wanted to make sure we had representation from like, for example, from Italy, Brazil, you know, also thinking about demographics within the United States. So like Hispanic Americans, things like that, too. They're really trying to find, again, those different places for people to watch the anime awards and feel like, hey, this person represents me. It's almost like an event, right of just being like that's my country so um that's where i saw the the opportunity in one global we're all coming together different languages different countries but we're allowing different segments of the community to shine and then of course they're so excited to be there so they're creating their own organic content driving that our media together and it's also again going back to the red carpet i love seeing what people dress up for the anime awards because it's its own like you know our oscars so it's really cool to see everybody show up at like just with the deference for anime itself so i can imagine the yeah the power of earned media with something like that because it's so sensational right it's so different from many other things that you can see so even just i think that i'm pretty sure that just one clip about someone with a specific like you know things going like you know on the on the red carpet just that you you get viral, right?

18:46You earn it in a, I would say easier way, right? But compared to maybe a boring video that you already saw a thousand times. And now it's like, and as you said, also representation, right? We spoke about this in the past, about how you want to be filled, right? Be part of something. And this happened already, right? In the past with, you know, think about the Eurovision, right? For singing and, you know, awards and everything. And then you have the World Cup and everything. I mean, the same, right? Also in other aspects and different, like, again, it's not an issue anymore right but having something that is like that i think it's very important for people to feel like part of something and so i'm curious like you know you you told me right what you work around i want to know like a bit more about what is the future for crunch and all and also what is the future of these uh like industry like i i have you seen something that is uh changing drastically or do you feel that it's a bit more like organic when it comes to you know changes in the in the next year or so so many good questions okay there's two there's two So one, something that's been on my mind is just the blurring of the lines of celebrity versus influencers or content creators, whatever sort of nomenclature you want to describe.

19:54But, you know, we have celebrities that have massive reach, great fan bases that are driving culture in their own way. But we have influencers that are driving like the same momentum and reach, but just different types of experiences. Right. So we see like gaming influencers with so much sway that I I just could have never conceived, you know, gamers next to maybe a big Hollywood celebrity as far as like how much draw they could they could create on their own. So that's something that I'm thinking more and more about, certainly, is like, how do we want to grade things differently? Just depending on, you know, what is what is the impact or, you know, who are we trying to speak to?

20:34But then to your other question about Crunchyroll and where I see us going in 2026 and beyond is doubling down on the co-creation. So I just spoke about outfits. But beyond that, there's a lot of creativity that I see from our anime content creator network. And so whether that's like martial artists, you know, makeup artists, nail artists, you know, illustration, cosplay, a lot of these creators are just creating like, you know, something that inspires them. So it's not just watching anime, but it's actually doing, which is really fun. And so because of that energy that's just so organic, you know, I want to tap into that and use that as a place to like acknowledge those communities that each of these creators have made.

21:25So one, actually, there's two examples from the last year that I really liked that speak to co-creation. So one, anime fans really love to see the behind the scenes of how anime is made. And so what we did is we got two major influencers who really wanted to experience what it was like to voice act in anime. So what we did is we took them to a soundstage. We had a voice actor from the official show that we were promoting at the time, which is the leveling. So we have the voice actor, these two influencers, and he went through like piece by piece. What are all of the different things you need to factor in on using your voice, standing up a certain way?

22:04And all those little bits and pieces that make a voice acting piece really, really special. And so you could see from those creators, they were absolutely mind blown hearing their voices next to anime. And so again, you're channeling that emotional energy, creating a really great content piece. And then of course, the creators are so excited to show their community, right? Like, I'm a voice actor, you know? So through that piece, for example, just so much attention was drawn in, not just because it was cultural putting something out for a popular show, But really seeing that, you know, that community that's saying like, oh, yeah, my favorite influencer, they got acknowledged by Crunchyroll.

22:41So that's one example. And then another example we did last year also for solo leveling was that there was a content creator that was really great at martial arts and MoGraph. And so what we did is we recreated a scene from the series using different characters assigned to different influencers. So there's like three characters. One character is this. The other one's that. and they're in this like battle mode. So you see them like with Aldix effects, they're doing their fight choreography. It was mind blowing just seeing the final result. But that's another thing is that we get to work with these really, really creative individuals who love anime, right?

23:20And so it was like a showdown of influencers. So people were really excited. So like, oh, who's gonna win? Who's, which character is who? So that's definitely what I wanna do more of this year is just tapping into the different content creators, different angles perspectives and again that inspiration and see what makes them truly feel excited and tapping into that so that's what i hope we do more no i mean i totally get it i'm pretty sure that they were so excited as you said both the influencers involved but also the you know the community watching and i think that you know we've been seeing this trend of showcasing the behind the scene as you said right because first of all i think that is great for people to understand the work behind, because too many times people do not realize that behind a piece of art, behind a series, behind something, the work, the people that are behind that, the endless hours of repolishing and retouching things.

24:16And I do think that it's great for people to, you know, even when you start asking, you know, maybe for a subscription to pay for something, I think that if you start realizing the work that is behind that, you start appreciating much more compared to this is the finished product, enjoy it. And then be like, why should I pay for these? Well, this is why, because this is everything that I'm behind. So I think that behind the scene, no matter the industry where you are, I think it's a great way, right? To show the work that is behind that. Yeah, so true. I feel that. It's just like, it's not a CTA of download now.

24:47It's like, how do we create that folk experience by showing that emotion and making sure that's a proper stage. And of course, the brands really highlighting those people who are a part of the community creating content for this campaign and just inviting others into a world you know and like you said it's not about watching the next show it's about how special an individual show is and then welcoming others to experience it wow this was very interesting i learned a lot it's um not gonna lie new world to me and i uh you know maybe also for some of the people listening so i really appreciate you to you know sharing that with you knowing that you've been doing this for you know many years it is you know your passion so when you combine them together and i can see that from your experience and case studies that you show with us today i can definitely see that you are very passionate about that so that is that is great to see yeah i'm so glad to talk to you guys really great amazing thank you so much again for joining me today this was the influence factor by the influencer marketing factory and i'll see you in the next episode

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