Crunchyroll’s Women’s Network Spotlight of the Month - August Edition: Samantha Herek

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am Samantha Herek, one of Crunchyroll’s English language ADR Producers. I manage half the team of 11 ADR Voice Directors alongside my colleague Zach Bolton at the Dallas Crunchyroll office. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, I moved to a ranch in Texas with my mother at 9 years-old and now consider myself a naturalized Texan. After growing up around the film industry, falling in love with theatre, and acting as an adolescent, I maintained that interest as a hobby as an adult until my career eventually brought me back into the entertainment world; when I was hired as the night-shift Assistant ADR Producer for Funimation in 2016.?

Who has been the most influential female leader in your career and why?

I have been lucky to have a number of influential female leaders in my career, so it’s difficult to choose just one! Our department’s recent VP, Karen Mika, and a previous manager of mine at the Fort Worth Museum, Anne Haskel, shared some key traits that I learned a lot from. Both are savvy businesswomen who cut straight to the chase, but also maintain a sense of humor. They have high expectations and also have your back and give credit where it’s due.?

Are you an anime fan?? What do you think about the growing popularity of anime in mainstream pop culture, especially with celebrities, athletes, and other entertainers?

I didn’t start out as an anime fan, but I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for the art form and the huge impact it has on an ever-increasing fan-base. I grew up with anime in the periphery of my life, with friends who were big fans and introduced me to titles like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and Ghost in the Shell as a teenager. However, other than that early exposure, I didn’t dive into learning about anime and becoming a fan myself until I started working for Funimation. It’s amazing to be working in a space where you can see the momentum continue to pick up and what feels like exponential growth happening every year. One of the main reasons for that mainstream exposure is due to athletes and entertainers embracing anime and introducing it to a wider and younger audience. To me, it’s great to see anime becoming increasingly popular and mainstream, since there are so many beautiful stories for people to discover. There’s something special about animation in general and anime, in particular, that cuts through and allows people to see themselves and feel seen in a way they may not have experienced with other mediums.

As a female in the anime industry, what opportunities do you see for other women?

I can’t speak for the anime industry as a whole, but in the area I work in (localization and production), I see plenty of opportunities for other women! So many industries have long been dominated by men, entertainment obviously being no exception. However, at Funimation before, and now Crunchyroll, I have seen an increasing number of women in leadership positions. Even in the last several years in our production department, we have continued to increase the number of women holding positions at all levels: Production Assistants, Voice Directors, ADR Engineers, Producers/Managers, and VPs! We’re not quite to an equal 50/50 split, but there has been significant gains and we’re only continuing to grow, so there’s plenty of opportunity there!

What is one piece of advice that you would give to young women starting their career?

Stay true to yourself and your values and don’t lose track of the things in life that matter most to you outside of work. It can be very difficult to regain balance in your life if you allow one sphere to take priority over others. Work hard and kick ass at your job, but make sure you leave space for yourself while you do it. You are your best and most important advocate.