Dr.
Kitatani is the Lester Smith Distinguished Professor of Media
Management at
The Edward
Murrow School of Communication, Washington State University
and is a trustee of the Washington State University Foundation.
He is also a senior advisor to the Sports and
Entertainment
Academy, the Graduate School of Business,
Indiana University. He holds an MA and Ph.D. in Communications
Policy, Management and Law from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Kitatani lectures on media law and management at
Indiana University and
Washington
State
University. His 1991 book, American
CATV, is regarded as essential reading for media
professionals in
Japan. In
December 1999, his new book The Entertainment Business
was published in
Japan.
Dr. Kenji Kitatani is among the foremost experts in
the U.S. and Japanese entertainment/
media business landscapes. From 1991 to 2003, Dr. Kitatani
served on the Board of Directors of Tokyo Dome Corporation,
Japan's leading leisure and
entertainment conglomerate. He was also President of Tokyo Dome
Enterprises Corporation. At Tokyo Dome, Dr. Kitatani was
responsible for promoting a variety of sports events, including
the annual NFL preseason game series, and a number of concerts
featuring talent such as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie,
Michael Jackson, and Madonna. His negotiation of the PGA Tour
made Tokyo Dome Corporation the sole licenser of official TPC
gold courses in
Japan.
Dr. Kitatani joined Sony Corporation in October 1999 as
Executive Strategist, Media Content, Broadcasting and
Communications. In May 2001, Dr. Kitatani was appointed
Executive Vice President, Business Planning, Sony Corporation of
America. In this position, he helped
develop, expand, and coordinate the business relationships for
SCA's operating units, including Sony Electronics, Sony Music
Entertainment, Sony Picture Entertainment, and Sony Corporation.
Dr. Kitatani was in charge of corporate marketing and event
promotion, which included helping coordinate the interests of
Sony Corporation and the
U.S. operating companies for sports events such
as the Sony Open in
Hawaii. Dr. Kitatani also helped spearhead the
$600 million consolidation of media buying and planning
activities for Sony's
U.S. and Canadian operating companies
in 2002. He held the additional title of Group Executive
Officer, Sony Corporation. In August 2005, he returned to Tokyo
and served as Executive Advisor until April 2006.
Prior to joining Sony Corporation,
Dr. Kitatani worked
for Tokyo Broadcasting System as Counsel on International
Affairs and President of Media Research Institute. He negotiated
contracts and coordinated coverage for many major sporting
events, including the Super Bowl,
Indianapolis 500,
World Figure Skating Championships, U.S. Open Tennis, and the
World Volleyball Championships. Dr. Kitatani managed the
Hollywood film and Broadway musical investment funds for
TBS, Itochu, and Suntory between 1987 and 1994.
Dr. Kitatani currently serves as a board director of PIA
Corp. He joined Oak Lawn Marketing in April 2006 as their
executive advisor. Oak Lawn Marketing is the largest television
shopping (DRTV) company in Japan.
In November 2006, "
Terje"
- an outdoor multi-media performance based on Henrik Ibsen's
poem of the same name - will take place November 2006. Dr.
Kitatani is executive producing this major collaborative event
for the Kingdom of Norway with a translated production in
Yokahama, Japan.
Dr. Kitatani is preparing to establish a new live entertainment
company covering Japan, China, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore. Also
on the horizon is the establishment of a new television network
company in Japan.
Dr.
Kenji Kitatani