About The Speaker
Joanna Metoki
Joanna Metoki is a second-generation (Nisei) Japanese-American and a proud Los Angeles native with deep roots in the Little Tokyo community in downtown L.A. Being a bilingual English and Japanese speaker, she was determined from a very young age to utilize her linguistic skills to help build a bridge between the U.S. and Japan. After living in Japan as an English teacher, she decided to take her experiences to contribute to the growth and development of the Japanese community in the U.S. She combined her skills as an educator with her passion for Japanese pop-culture to begin her work as a marketer in the anime industry. As a member of this flourishing industry, she not only lent her skills as a dedicated marketer but also worked with the community members to manage and host engaging events that succeeded in connecting the fans to the members of the industry. In 2017, she founded her event marketing agency Tasty Design Studio where she designs and manages custom experiences that bring the fans and the brands they love closer together. In 2020, Tasty Design Studio established the GLOW UPS ONLY initiative to inspire and empower womxn of the pop culture entertainment industry by helping them align their professional goals to their life’s purpose.