July 2, 2025
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s manufacturing firm is supporting the way forward for anime content material.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc. is becoming a member of forces with a newly fashioned studio that’s trying to introduce the subsequent wave of anime content material to international audiences.
Westbrook Inc. has teamed up with U.S.-based animation studio Studio Azuki to develop, produce, and globally distribute authentic anime and diversifications, Selection reported. The partnership will mix Azuki’s distinct artistic imaginative and prescient with Westbrook’s Hollywood affect to scale and develop the worldwide attain of next-generation anime initiatives.
“At Westbrook, our mission has at all times been to inform tales that join, encourage, and transcend borders,” stated Westbrook CEO Ko Yada.
Partnering with Studio Azuki is a strong step in that route. Their artistic imaginative and prescient and cultural perception align seamlessly with our international technique. Collectively, we’re excited to determine and develop initiatives that resonate deeply with audiences world wide, mixing genuine storytelling with boundary-pushing innovation.”
Initially launched as an NFT mission, Azuki has advanced right into a studio working on the intersection of anime manufacturing, know-how, and social media. Its mission is to foster collaboration between international creators and Japanese anime expertise.
The studio’s push for anime content material is in response to the booming international anime fandom, particularly within the U.S., the place the eagerness for the style spans mainstream audiences, Hollywood creatives, celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, who incorporates anime into her music and visuals, and main manufacturers. Studio Azuki goals to mix international momentum for anime with Japan’s wealthy anime tradition to create revolutionary manufacturing fashions, improve storytelling, encourage fan collaboration, and launch codecs tailor-made for the social media period.
“With a global-first, creator-centric, and social-native strategy, Studio Azuki is our daring step towards constructing the subsequent technology of anime, one which empowers creators and connects instantly with followers,” stated Feb Tea, head of content material at Azuki Labs.
Azuki is bringing its Anime 2.0 imaginative and prescient to life by means of a number of initiatives, together with the Enter The Backyard anthology sequence, produced in collaboration with Dentsu and Anime.com, and supported as an early contributor to the Animecoin Basis.
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