- Date: 11/17/2023
- Panelists: Christopher Macdonald, Lynzee Loveridge, Jacki Jing, Alex Mateo
On July 27, 1998, Justin Sevakis founded Anime News Network (ANN) as a way to create a reliable source of anime news. At the time, most fans tended to rely heavily on hearsay and message board scuttlebutt outside of what they could glean from magazines like Animerica. The site opened with seven stories, which ranged from Disney licensing Princess Mononoke to a rundown of Anime Expo’s security woes.
Though nobody could have guessed at the time, these humble beginnings formed a foundation for what would ultimately become the Internet’s oldest and most trusted anime news source. Canadian corporation Anime News Network, Inc. acquired the publication in 2000, with then-editor-in-chief Christopher Macdonald taking on the role of CEO and Publisher. From that position, Macdonald worked to guide the publication to a sustainable future over the next twenty-three years.
Throughout its existence, Anime News Network chronicled the anime industry’s explosive growth in the 2000s, its destructive fallout in the great crash of 2008, and the subsequent revival that came about in the years that followed. In 2022, Kadokawa Corporation acquired a majority stake in the Anime News Network, ushering in a new era for the organization, as a whole. Though the company is vastly different from the scrappy site that launched a quarter-century ago, they’ve never lost sight of their pursuit of fearless journalism, even as they expand into new markets.
ANN’s first panel of the convention was hosted by Macdonald, as well as Executive Editor Lynzee Loveridge, Video Content Producer Jacki Jing, and Associate Newsroom Editor Alex Mateo. After a brief greeting, Macdonald explained that this would largely be a question-and-answer session.
Loveridge chimed in, adding “You guys make the panel interesting, not us,” before the rest of the panelists introduced themselves.
As the Executive Editor, Loveridge is in charge of all editorial content, such as features, reviews, videos, and convention coverage. She noted that the organization had six freelancers active at this year’s convention.
As a member of Anime News Network’s newsdesk team, Mateo is tasked with working the North American beat in the daytime hours. In addition to writing news articles, he maintains contact with organizations within the industry and writes the occasional interest pieces or convention coverage.
Macdonald noted that, through an odd series of events, much of the six-person news team moved to Japan, leaving Alex as the only North America-based writer in the department for several years. He added, “Our goal is to make sure that news is covered 24/7. That amounts to 168 man-hours per week, plus overlap and redundancy for days off.” With a team of their size, they’re “kind of there-ish.”
Jing explained that she primarily focuses on video, having originally joined as just a host. However, she has since gone on to produce work for Anime News Network’s YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, with several videos cracking a million views. She began discussing a joint project that she worked on with Loveridge, titled “Anime Aunties Visit Japan,” a mixed media travelogue that saw the two crisscrossing the nation and sharing their experiences. Lynzee joined in, as they commiserated over their experiences and they traded a few jokes and anecdotes.
As silence fell on the room once more, Macdonald asked the audience: “Who here is younger than ANN?”
Only one hand went up. The team explained that their average readership is primarily composed of millennials and members of older generations. “We tried really hard to cater to Gen-Z,” Jing noted before they realized that videos based on retro material were getting the strongest response.
Before opening the floor, Chris took a moment to note that “we really appreciate our subscribers,” especially. He explained that “If a hundred subscribers want something, we’ll make it. Otherwise, we’ll need 10-20,000 pageviews to make it worthwhile,” via advertisements.
The first question focused on retired features the team would like to see return, with the questioner making specific nods to Astro Toy—a series of toy reviews originally written by Rob Bricken and later by David Cabrera—and Shelf Life, a weekly roundup of home video capsule reviews. Loveridge explained that they were looking into the possibility of bringing Astro Toy back, though they needed to review the numbers to see if they could make it work. Shelf Life, though, wasn’t likely, as times have changed, and home video consumption habits were vastly different from when the column was active. As such, there is no reason to bring it back beyond covering the rare collector’s edition.
The second question delved into the ever-growing discussions of the use of “AI” large-language models in the organization’s workflows. “In what capacity does the ANN news team want to incorporate AI into the workflow if at all,” asked the attendee. Loverage immediately and emphatically stated “I don’t want to use it at all,” to a round of cheers throughout the room. She added that “You can’t rely on it to be honest or trustworthy,” and explained that the only AI tool she deemed useful was Grammarly, adding “and you still need humans to look at it.”
Macdonald chimed in, explaining that he reviewed the idea with the team. “I’m not ethically against AI,” he continued, saying that “if it can make the team more productive without cutting staff,” he’s all for it. However, “right now, it doesn’t do that. It increases your chances of publishing something completely and utterly fucking wrong.”
The inquiries continued, with people asking about everything from the manga the ANN crew members wished they could read again for the first time to shows that they thought didn’t age well. Through it all, the banter was light and playful, and they traded jokes and talked up their selections.
One audience attendee asked if there were “any features or styles of reporting that you’d like to do but can’t because you don’t have the resources,” to which Loveridge replied that she would like to focus more on Japanese street fashion. She noted, sadly, that while she’s a fan, the topic doesn’t generally perform well for the publication. Macdonald noted that he would like to see more investigative journalism and deep dives into both the industry and the people who work in it. Jing, meanwhile, hoped that ANN could one day become a TV 24-hour news network, painting a bold vision of news and commentary programs.
Mateo, meanwhile, just gave a glib “I agree with everything that has been said at this point.”
On a question of making difficult ethical decisions, and how to approach them, Jing described several occasions where she had reported on controversial topics but decided to not put her face on it, because comment sections are equal parts ruthless and relentless, especially to women in the industry.
Loveridge, meanwhile, explained that she’s had cases where she didn’t attach her name to a story as the party being reported on was particularly litigious. She added that she had received emails from lawyers in the past, and there are some bad actors in the industry, “emphasis on ‘actors’.”
Later in the panel, an attendee asked whether there were times that the group wanted to say something about the industry, but weren’t able to due to potential issues down the line. Macdonald fielded the inquiry, explaining that “there have been times, but generally, I’ve rebelled on that.” He used his 2021 article on licensing costs as an example, adding that he “was hoping to get some backlash on it, but was disappointed when I didn’t receive that.” He continued, stating that the organization regularly publishes news that’s critical of their sponsors, which was something he was worried about when he sold the organization to Kadokawa.
A later question expanded on his later comment, as an attendee asked, point blank, “Has anything changed for you, personally, under the ownership of Kadokawa?”
Loveridge stated that, as far as editorial content goes, no. She added, “We get the concerns over it, and I did when the deal went through, too, but we don’t get emails from Mr. Kadokawa telling us what to do.”
Granted, as Macdonald quipped, Mr. Kadokawa can’t exactly comment, as he’s currently in jail on bribery charges. Jing and Mateo confirmed, stating that there was “no change” to the organization’s operations from their point of view.
Macdonald agreed with the other panelists’ comments, explaining that the big thing that’s changed for him has been the type of stress he experiences. What used to be fears about money has been replaced by a generally higher-stress workload. He appreciates the change, though, as he went from “stressed and sometimes scared,” to just stressed. The purchase also granted ANN a degree of access, as Kadokawa’s backing lends additional weight to their contact requests.
But, beyond that, he and Lynzee both excitedly shared that, for the first time, they have health insurance.
Other questions were a bit less weighty, ranging from culture shocks when working with foreign clients, to plans for the company’s 25th anniversary, and whether the panelists knew that anime journalism was what they always wanted to do. Through these segments, the ANN team was candid and jovial, as they traded stories about writing fanfiction and previous aspirations, or just remarking on their favorite snacks to much on while watching anime.
Near the end of the panel, an audience member asked, “Knowing what you know in the industry and the state of anime production, why do you think it’s been impossible to get Satoshi Kon’s final film off the ground?”
Macdonald immediately responded, “I cannot answer that question because I know the answer.” He noted that he is actively trying to do something with Kon’s work in New York. He’s currently working with Anime NYC founder Peter Tatara, with the intent of moving things forward on the project. He closed his answer by paraphrasing an interview with Masao Maruyama, in which the producer argued that, “what Satoshi Kon could do in four million [yen], it would cost any other director ten million [yen].”
When asked about the greatest change the team has seen in the industry and community since they joined, Loveridge noted that streaming became the dominant force in the industry, to the point that the industry now looks to them over Blu-Ray sales.
Jing offered a more personal perspective, explaining that, “I’ve seen more anime than Marvel or Star Wars at every geek event I’ve been to.”
The final question was a straightforward “how stable do you think the American industry is for new employees,” to which Macdonald replied, “stable.”
As the audience filed out of the room and into the main concourse, there was a veritable buzz among the attendees. The panel offered a rare peek behind the curtain of North America’s most venerable anime news source, delivered in a laid-back manner. With a quarter-century behind them, the organization has blazed a path that many of us have followed. They’re entering their next era with the wind at their backs, and we can only hope that the next twenty-five years will be as successful for them, as the industry enters its next epoch.
