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As U.S.-based anime/manga fanbases growing rapidly thanks to video streaming, many entertainment, publishing, and toy companies are looking to leap into the industry. NPD Entertainment’s Industry Analyst Kristen McLean and Nonlinear World’s Anime/Manga expert Dallas Middaugh will be giving a first look at some cutting edge data on how anime and manga are driving fan engagement in the U.S., followed by an open discussion with Ben Applegate (Director of Publishing Services, Penguin Random House) about the growing opportunities for content creators and IP holders in the U.S. market.

About the Speakers

Kristen McLean

Kristen McLean is the Executive Director of Business Development at the NPD Books practice, the team behind NPD BookScan, the industry-standard data set for tracking US Book sales. Kristen is also the primary Books Analyst within NPD’s larger Entertainment practice, and she has been a major driver in expanding NPD BookScan’s coverage of the manga, and comic and graphic novel markets. A twenty-five year veteran of the publishing industry, Kristen speaks broadly to entertainment industry leaders about trends in books, media, and retail culture, and she is deeply interested in the confluence of emerging consumer behavior, technology, literacy, and generational shift in the Digital Age.

Ben Applegate

Ben Applegate has been working in English-language manga since 2007 as a translator, editor, and publishing professional. In his capacity as director of publishing services at Penguin Random House Publisher Services, he has managed publishing, editorial, and production work for the Kodansha Comics print program since 2015. Prior to that, he was senior editor on the Kodansha Comics team. He lives in Peter Parker’s hometown of Forest Hills, New York, with his wife Winnie and two superb cats.

Dallas Middaugh

Dallas Middaugh has worked in the manga and anime field for almost 20 years, during which time he has authored, edited or published over 2000 books. He is the founder of several manga publishing companies and imprints, including Penguin Random House’s Del Rey Manga in 2004, Seven Seas in 2005, and Kodansha Comics in 2010. He was the first person in the US to license Attack on Titan in 2011, two years before its anime debut. Middaugh spent four years at Crunchyroll, where, in addition to managing the manga program, he was head of events and was responsible for the creation and/or execution of Crunchyroll Expo, Crunchyroll Movie Night, and the Anime Awards. His company, Nonlinear World, is a pop culture consultancy working with clients in manga, comics, and anime on events, publishing, marketing, and industry analysis.