Crunchyroll's Women’s Network Spotlight of the Month - June Edition: Steffi Wong

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Steffi and I work in the Finance department at Crunchyroll. Prior to Crunchyroll, I worked closely with the Crunchyroll teams due to my roles at Warner Media and Otter Media. Since I love anime I am excited to be making an impact on the growth of the anime popularity worldwide!

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

I attended a couple of workshops/talks by Stephanie Ma Stine, currently a co-director at Dreamworks, and her commitment to diversity in storytelling; and teaching the next generation of storytellers is really inspiring, and makes me excited for the stories to come in the future!?

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?

Yes I love anime and I'm definitely excited to see it being embraced in mainstream pop culture, especially when I hear about niche references in songs only anime fans can understand. As an NBA fan I am excited that NBA players like Zion Williamson really embrace it!

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

I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of the influence women can have on the anime industry! In recent years we've seen some anime directed concepts by females and I think it's clear how different and refreshing the perspective can be! Not only creatively, but it would be interesting to see how more females in editing and content curation could influence the types of anime released and how it's marketed. Of course, there are a lot of influences women can have on the business side as well, to influence partnerships, direction and growth!

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

It is such an exciting time in the industry currently! Don't be afraid to explore the opportunities and try out many different things! Similar to life, your career is a journey and you don't have to constantly pursue upward growth, growing horizontally is important to expanding your horizons as well. You will find your way :-)