Spotlight: Pioneering New-Era Entertainment and the Possibilities It Sees for the Entertainment Business (Part 1)

Since 2020, the spread of COVID-19 had brought much of the world's live entertainment to a standstill. Amidst this, January 2021 saw the launch of "spotlight," a project team within Dentsu Live Inc. bringing together members active at the forefront of global entertainment. It embraces various purposes: reviving entertainment, building new styles for the new normal era, and creating innovative content that can be shared globally from Japan.

We spoke with Naoto Yamada and Misato Kaneda, producers within the team, about the strengths of "spotlight," which brings together members from Japan and abroad, and the future possibilities for the entertainment business the team envisions. In Part 1, we introduce the background behind the launch of "spotlight" and the unique advantages of its international team.

A Team Pioneering New-Era Entertainment Born Precisely During the "Headwinds" of the Pandemic

Q. One major feature of "spotlight," launched with the goal of creating new live performances, is that it brings together members active at the forefront both domestically and internationally. First, could you tell us about your backgrounds and why an international team was formed during the pandemic?

Yamada: After joining Dentsu Tech Inc. in 2004, I worked in departments related to events and spaces, including Dentsu Inc.'s Space Branding Office. I moved to Dentsu Live Inc. in 2017, where I've since planned and produced various show content and events across the live entertainment field. Since the pandemic, I've increasingly focused on online content and DX initiatives.

Kaneda: I joined Dentsu Tech in 2012 as a mid-career hire and worked on the same team as Yamada. Later, I handled large-scale entertainment content like live shows and fireworks festivals, managing everything from planning and production to execution and operations.

Yamada: The impetus for launching "spotlight" came from an unexpected request by a client we were handling together with Kaneda: "We want to create circus-like content as entertainment that appeals to a broad audience." While reaching out to people knowledgeable about circus within our community, we met Koichiro Mikuriya, who now serves as the spatial production producer for "spotlight." Furthermore, since he was close with James Tanabe, who previously served as Senior Director and Artist Director for the world-renowned circus entertainment group Cirque du Soleil, we decided to collaborate.

Kaneda: Thanks to James and his team, we formed a performance group featuring artists from both Japan and abroad, including performers from Cirque du Soleil. This allowed us to successfully launch our first entertainment event in 2016. Then in 2018, we created a new show incorporating popular Japanese artists, which also received favorable reviews. During that process, I strongly felt this show couldn't have been achieved by Japanese talent alone, truly realizing the value of collaborating with international partners.

Yamada: Since we had gathered members with outstanding abilities and proven track records, I wanted to continue working with this team going forward. However, with a temporary team, we had to repeatedly present each member's background and the team's capabilities for every single project, inevitably increasing the workload. That's why we decided to establish a solid project team, and that's how "spotlight" was launched.

Q. I see. But "spotlight" launched in January 2021, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time when live entertainment like shows and concerts faced a critical crisis. Why start during such a period?

Yamada: At the time, our own work had decreased significantly, and Cirque du Soleil had even temporarily disbanded. But rather than feeling discouraged, we felt strongly that "it would be a waste to just wait." We were confident that the situation would change soon and that entertainment would become indispensable to both society and corporate activities. We realized that if we waited until the last minute to act, it would be too late, so we wanted to start gaining insights and building networks early on.

Also, around that time, Dentsu Live Inc. was working on transitioning events online, so we discussed wanting to advance the online shift for entertainment alongside James and his team.

Kaneda: It was a silver lining, I suppose. Amidst the decline in work, we had the time to launch new initiatives. The rapid shift to online meetings also significantly brought us closer to our overseas teams. Previously, we often needed to travel locally, but during the pandemic, online communication became the norm. Of course, we had online meetings before, but they became more casual and routine after the pandemic hit.

Collaborating with overseas creators brings new insights and possibilities

Q. So the pandemic situation actually worked in your favor for getting overseas members active at the forefront of entertainment to participate. You mentioned that the two of you were central to the initial launch on the Japanese side. How were the other members gathered?

Yamada: At launch, we weren't sure how things would go, so rather than a large-scale recruitment drive, we reached out to people we knew personally. Many were fluent in English and had extensive experience with international projects. Going forward, we'd like to bring in younger members too.

Q. Indeed, if interactions with overseas partners increase, English proficiency becomes crucial. Beyond language, when working with international creators, are there differences from Japan that cause confusion, or conversely, provide inspiration?

Yamada: First, our current overseas team members have a strong affinity for Japan. Especially James, as a marketer, has a keen interest in the Japanese market. He possesses comparative data analyzing Japan against other countries and shares that knowledge with us. What surprised me was that when comparing factors like population, education levels, percentage of affluent residents, and tourist numbers, Shibuya apparently has the potential to be a major entertainment hub on par with Las Vegas. Yet currently, there aren't nearly enough facilities comparable to major international entertainment cities. Since James asked us, "Why aren't you building those kinds of venues?", we've started thinking about it ourselves.

Kaneda: There's also a lot to learn about team building. For example, in the workshops we held for our collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, we started by gathering not just the creators, but also the client, cast, and other stakeholders together. Everyone participated in brainstorming sessions. This approach not only gathered the diverse range of ideas needed for the project, but also helped the international team bond through the workshops. Crucially, fostering a sense of ownership among the client side – making them feel "we're creating this together" – was vital for the entire team.

Furthermore, the idea is that the ideas and insights generated in the workshop belong to all participants, not just the project leader. I really appreciated this approach, which fosters an attitude of energizing the entire industry without feeling any barriers.

Yamada: I think holding such workshops isn't limited to entertainment; they could be beneficial in various creative fields. It also seems like it could develop into a business facilitating workshops focused on creating new things.

"spotlight" was launched by leveraging the adversity of the pandemic, building on a team formed during the unique project "Creating Circus as a New Entertainment Show." Expectations are high for the potential of "spotlight," an international project team, to generate insights about Japanese entertainment and foster creativity through exchanges with overseas creators. The second part will introduce the expanding entertainment ventures "spotlight" will pursue going forward.