TBS Producer, Ishimaru Selected by NEXT GENERATION ASIA. Another honoree from TBS.

2010.03.12

Akihiko ISHIMARU (TBS), the producer of “ROOKIES,” ”MR.BRAIN,” ”JIN” was selected to be part of NEXT GENERATION ASIA 2010, presented by The Hollywood Reporter.

This honor is an Asian version of NEXT GENERATION initiative which started 16 years ago. The award is given out to individuals in the entertainment industry, who are under 35 years of age, whose work is commercially successful and/or highly regarded, and who have the potential to shape the entertainment landscape in the future.

The Asian version started last year to honor those rising talents in the Asian entertainment industry, including the movie and TV business. Twenty top up-and-comers are selected by an impartial panel of judges from Hollywood.

There were only 4 winners from Japan, including Yoshikazu TANAKA, the company founder of GREE who ranked in ; and Ishimaru is the only honoree from the TV industry. This is the second year in a row for a TBS producer to be recognized by NEXT GENERATION ASIA, after producer Katsuaki SETOGUCHI earned this award last year due to his huge success with “BOYS OVER FLOWERS the movie” and “Around 40.” This is the first time individuals from the same company have been honored in consecutive　years in Japan.

The drama series “ROOKIES” became a smash hit and ended up earning 8.5 billion yen at the box office making it the #1 live-action movie even among Hollywood films presented in Japan last year. “MR.BRAIN” and “JIN” were respectively the 1st and the 2nd highest rated dramas among all Japanese commercial broadcasters in 2009.

It is this wide range of success and performance that was highly regarded by the selection committee. (The Hollywood Reporter/Tokyo Correspondent)

■ Ishimaru commented

“I feel extremely honored to be selected as one of the ‘NEXT GENERATION ASIA 2010’. At the same time, I feel that the reason I have received this honor is due to my good fortune of having met with these great works and having had the privilege of working with such talented cast and staff.

I hope the people of Asia and throughout the world can discover new humanity through dramas and films; and I hope I can continue to convey the value of life and the light inside all people through my work in the future.”

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TBS Producer, Ishimaru Selected by NEXT GENERATION ASIA. Another honoree from TBS.