Masao Maruyama (film producer)
| Masao Maruyama | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 19, 1941 Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
| Occupation | Film and television producer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
Masao Maruyama (丸山 正雄 Maruyama Masao?, born June 19, 1941) is a Japanese film producer, animation developer, the co-founder, board of directors member, and producer of animation studio Madhouse, one of the leading animation production companies in the world. Born in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, he is a 40-plus year veteran of the animation business.
Maruyama graduated Hosei University in 1963, and soon after, he found work at Mushi Production as an animator. It was here that he met many of Madhouse's future staff members.
In October 1972, this core group of artists (who included Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri) left Mushi Production and founded Madhouse. Since that time, Maruyama has focused mainly on producing and planning Madhouse's upcoming projects. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he also did production design on several films. In 2002, Maruyama was awarded the "Special/Lifetime Achievement" Award at the 7th Animation Kobe in recognition and honor of his contributions to the industry. He was the first producer to be given the award.
As the main producer and studio head of Madhouse, Maruyama is personally responsible for green-lighting new projects. As a result, projects are often directly pitched to him by outside interests or brought to him by creators within the company. He also has a significant amount of influence in determining the staff of these new projects, particularly in the assignment of directorial duties. In addition, he is frequently involved in the planning phase of major studio productions.
In 2010, Maruyama served as the executive producer for an anime project based on the TV show Supernatural, entitled Supernatural The Animation, and is the world's first animated project from a Japanese anime studio based on an overseas drama series.
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