Crunchyroll has brought on board licensing veteran John Leonhardt as its new Head of Consumer Products. In this roll, Leonhardt is responsible for leading the consumer products team and building merchandising programs around the world-leading anime content offerings on Crunchyroll for its enthusiastic fan community of more than 45 million registered users and 2 million subscribers.
“Crunchyroll is the global leader in anime, and I have always admired the company’s deep connection to their passionate fans and insight into the marketplace,” said Leonhardt. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this dynamic team, as we create 360-experiences for our community around the content they love with merchandise, gaming, events and more.”
Prior to joining Crunchyroll, Leonhardt led Dimensional Branding Group’s licensing and brand extension practice on behalf of its clients. He brings over 20 years of experience managing the intellectual property portfolios of leading corporate brands, gaming companies, publishers, celebrities and inventors. His unique background of cross-discipline experience from investment banking, music management, entertainment development and videogame licensing provided DBG clients with an edge, ensuring a trajectory for success. Notable clients and brands included Yahoo!, eBay, Sony Playstation, Chronicle Books, Sega, Temple Run, King Kong, John Wayne, Malibu Rum, Angry Birds, Talking Tom and Highlights for Children.
Over the course of his career, Leonhardt has created and/or co-founded the licensing departments or divisions of Sega of America, Yahoo!, Sony Playstation, Imangi Studios and Highlights for Children. By identifying opportunities for growth, he established best practices and created significant sources of recurring revenue for these companies and their future valuations.
Leonhardt graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles and lives in Marin County in Northern California with his wife and two children.
Crunchyroll boasts the world’s largest anime collection with more than 1,000 titles and 30,000+ episodes. Crunchyroll simultaneously translates seasonal simulcast titles in eight languages for fans around the world.
