Tennis player Naomi Osaka has created a content production company called Hana Kuma together with SpringHill, the entertainment company co-founded by basketball player LeBron Jamesas reported on Tuesday by The New York Times.
(Keep reading: Sports programming on TV for this Wednesday, June 22).
The 24-year-old highest-paid athlete in the world told the Times in an interview that his goal with ‘Hana Kuma’ (meaning ‘flower’ and ‘bear’ in Japanese) is to produce series, documentaries, anime, and ad-integrated content.
This woman is amazing and the stories she is going to bring to life are exactly the representation of who we are.
“What excites me is being able to inspire people and tell new stories, particularly the ones that I would have liked to see when I was a child. I always wanted to see someone like me,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion.
In a statement to the media, Osaka added that it will produce “culturally specific yet universal stories for all audiences” and said there is an “explosion of creators of color” equipped with resources and a large fan base.
The production company’s first project will be a documentary for The New York Times about Patsy Mink, a Japanese-born politician who was the first Asian-American woman of color to be elected to US Congress.
(Also: Jeter Downs, first sanandresano in the Major Leagues).
According to the Times, the SpringHill conglomerate, co-founded by LeBron James and his partner Maverick Carter, will provide financing, operations and production services to Hana Kuma.
“I feel incredibly proud (…) This woman is incredible and the stories she is going to bring to life are exactly the representation of who we are!” Lebron stressed on his Twitter account.
The former number one in the tennis world and of Japanese-Haitian descent has taken other steps beyond sports and presented an athlete representation agency in May, for which Nick Kyrgios, an Australian tennis player and Wimbledon finalist, signed on Tuesday.
Both in the sports agency and in the content production company, Osaka has had her sports agent, Stuart Duguid, as a partner.
(Read: The intimacy of ‘the hand of God’ narrated by Maradona himself).
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