Manager, Digital Distribution

About Our Company

VIZ Media has been bringing the finest in manga, anime, and global entertainment to English-speaking fans across the world for over thirty years. From classic series like Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Naruto to current hits like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Chainsaw Man, we continue to offer the best in action, romance, fantasy, and adventure stories for fans of all ages.

Our critically acclaimed manga, graphic novels, and books have won Eisner, YALSA, and Hugo awards and are available in both print and digital editions, and our premier catalog of anime titles can be seen on TV and via streaming and digital download, as well as in collectible Blu-ray and DVD sets at major retailers.

Learn more about VIZ Media, anime, and manga at www.viz.com.

Job Summary

VIZ Media, the world leader in English-language versions of manga and anime (Japanese comics and animation), is looking for a Manager, Digital Distribution to support the strategic business efforts for our Digital Distribution team. This role will work closely with the Senior Director, Digital Distribution on the day-to-day maintenance of domestic transactional accounts with minimal/ad-hoc support in international/non-theatrical expansion, and AVOD/SVOD business as needed. This role is responsible for overseeing sales & merchandising workflows to support on-platform business opportunities, platform partnerships, and competitive pricing & windowing.  

What you’ll do:

1. Own responsibility for growth, oversight, and management across all assigned platform partners representing VIZ as the direct contact for accounts day to day needs
2. Secure placement and merchandising for VIZ content by proactively pitching new release, catalog, key IP franchises, and promotional programs.
3. Create all sales materials and pitch decks to highlight VIZ core initiatives and tailored to accounts strategic initiatives
4. Manage promotional title selections, pricing strategy, approvals, and execution
5. Utilize and update internal trackers to track content availabilities, partner selections, release dates, and deliveries.
6. Develop strong partnerships via regular calls and in-person meetings when needed.
7. Forge strong relationships with internal teams (production, content, marketing, legal, publicity etc.) to ensure complete and timely delivery of material, assets, and approvals for partners.
8. Monitor key performance metrics/postmortems, incorporate findings into sales strategies, and implement those strategies to foster long-term account growth.
9. Become the internal key point of contact on assigned accounts, relaying key observations, competitive landscape, and industry trends to stakeholders and senior leadership.

The ideal candidate has:

• 4+ years of account management or partner relationship experience within content distribution, acquisitions, or streaming industry
• Experience in home entertainment content sales and/or licensing
• Thorough understanding of the global home entertainment landscape, especially EST/TVOD
• Proven partner management success with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. 
• Established relationships and contacts with EST/TVOD platforms required. AVOD & SVOD contacts a plus. 
• Passion for and knowledge across TV & film, particularly knowledge of the anime and animation category
• Exceptional communication (both verbal and written), presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to develop creative, clear, and concise narratives for a wide variety of audiences
• Experience building and maintaining positive relationships with partners, demonstrating empathy, and managing conflicts (both internal and external) effectively and professionally.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to extrapolate data and market trends to identify business opportunities and make informed decisions.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), project management systems (i.e. Asana, Wrike, etc.) and data reporting tools such as Tableau
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or related field, or equivalent experience, with a record that demonstrates suitable preparation for this position

Work Environment & Schedule

Location: The Manager, Digital Distribution position is open to candidates within California. If the candidate is local to the San Francisco Bay Area, this will be a hybrid position with 1 day of work onsite at our downtown San Francisco office expected weekly. If the candidate is located outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, this can be a remote position with occasional travel to San Fra