Turning Your Touhou Fandom into a Career @ Anime Expo

[myonners]

Hello all,

If you're going to Anime Expo, then there is a Touhou panel with a little twist.

http://sched.co/3YLu

Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/1052954828065180/

***What is This Panel***

If one had the option to choose what they love at the expense of a career, what would he/she pick? Most likely the latter. What if one were to do both a career from what they love? Is it possible to follow the Touhou fandom and let that lead into something special?

Yes. If you think someone might benefit from this, then share & invite a friend today! Also, don't be a stranger! Chat with other people here so a new opportunity might appear!

***Details***

--When--
Friday, July 3rd
5:30PM-6:30PM PDT

--Where--
Live Programming 6 (LP6) (LACC - 402AB)

--What is this Panel?--
The goal of this panel is to help one discover how following the Touhou fandom can turn into a lifelong career.

The points that will be addressed are the following:

- Transition skills gained from one's passion of the Touhou fandom into a job career,
- Strategically use those skills to create monetization schemes centered around the Touhou fandom,
- Utilizing distribution platforms to help launch your career,
- Utilize social networking to create a fanbase, followers and friends SO you can create new opportunities for your career.

***Why did I Create this Panel?***

I noticed a glaring issue that was consistent in every con I attended. I asked if [insert con-goer here] will stop loving their fandoms. Most said, "I have to give up [Touhou] so I can [pay rent]." Unfortunately, every convention had con-goers that said this...some won't be able to attend this panel because of their lifelong commitments (aka jobs & real-life).

I asked myself if it's possible to have a sustainable career while following your favorite fandom. I asked distributors, localization companies, consulting firms, retailers, and exhibitors. Some said this, "I love [Touhou] and it's art. So I decided to sell it and here I am." Others say a different tale, "By day, I work at [insert job career here.] But I make sure to pursue my love for [Touhou] SO I can do what I want."

I hope this panel will equip you with what you need to succeed in life without sacrificing your love for the Touhou fandom!

[Kiro]

That's an interesting idea for a panel. But call me skeptical on how successful or likely your ideas and points can be made into a realistic career.

Here are some questions:

Is this specific to Touhou fandom or a more general approach to the Japanese hobbies?

Are these art or music tailored careers? How does someone who just likes the world of Touhou and doesn't want to create content get a career?

Is the end result of a career because of the love for Touhou or in spite of it?

I'm at lunch right now but I'll have more questions later. Prep for the doubters and I think you'll have a good panel. Good luck.

[myonners]

Apologies, I haven't been able to come across to answer these questions.  I'll be more active in the nearer future.

Q: Is this specific to Touhou fandom or a more general approach to the Japanese hobbies?
- Answer: No but Touhou is a good focal point since it is doujin.  Key theme - Doujin distribution platform. 

Q: Are these art or music tailored careers? How does someone who just likes the world of Touhou and doesn't want to create content get a career?
- Answer #1: Yes and no - music and art have well-establish distribution platforms (sound cloud, pixiv, tumblr, Google Play, Doujinpress, MoTK, TOM, etc.) so there will be some room for discussion regarding this.
The main discussion is to create one's own form of distribution channel - distributing doujin is just as important as creating content.
- Liking a fandom is about being in a community; communities create markets; markets create opportunities; opportunites create capital; capital is where one comes in - either one can monetize from it or the latter.  Creating music/art content is not the only way to turn it into a career - it can just be mutual friends who meet to be part of a project larger than themselves (TouhouCon, Skullgirls, OT [occupational therapy], etc.).

Is the end result of a career because of the love for Touhou or in spite of it?
- Answer: Both.  It's possible to land a career because of Touhou or the latter - opportunities can come from anywhere.  Following what one enjoys to create opportunities is imperative to launching one's career.

***

Your skepticism warrants honest questions - please ask.  I admit that I don't know all the answers, but I also believe that this issue is consistent in every con I attend.  I am where I am today because of my decision to follow the Touhou fandom and fighting games.  So if someone can benefit from this panel and land a career because of it, then I consider this a success.  If not, then I need to learn and make it better.

[Kiro]

Hey myonners, thanks for the reply. First of all, what exactly is your career right now?

In regards to doujin distribution, you would need steady access to doujin sources. Isn't that a little restrictive for the average fan who probably has no Japanese contacts and inadequate fluency in the Japanese language? You'd have to be able to convince a variety of doujin producers of the benefits of being able to distribute internationally.

This is an assumption I'm making, but producing doujin materials is not even considered a viable career in Japan itself. People like Tony Taka are a minority who become mainstream and are distributed at big chains like Kinokuniya. Doujin artists are usually small time, creating their content on the side of either school or work because doujin works are limited print and sell for a tiny profit. It seems like a big thing because there are so many of them, but it is probably a rotating door. How do you convince these older artists and new upcoming artists to produce more for an international market they do not understand or care about? ZUN himself didn't pay attention to the scene outside of Japan until recently and he's the biggest of them all and didn't make a career out of it in the beginning.

If this is the only real career path you are talking about, isn't the need for a doujin distributor rather low? Doujin fandom is pretty niche in the United States so the demand isn't quite as high to urge pushing a roomful of people into this occupation. You can argue with the new Touhou games now being digitally distributed, there is an emerging market for doujin material. But that's pretty much just ZUN's work and can such a market be sustained by other doujin derivatives (Kancolle, Vocaloid, etc?)

A relavent example to use for your advertised career path is N-Forza here at MotK. Still, I am not certain he intends to make a career out of it. It's a lot of work for him to go to the conventions and get his shopping list done along with his other convention duties and day job. If someone could help him do this, or help do the shipping, it'd probably be best, but you'd have to be physically working with him in Japan. Otherwise, you're an unnecessary middle man.

I really feel based on your comments and my questions that if you want to be a part of the doujin industry, you have to start by spending a lot of time in Japan and be able to speak Japanese. That's a very upfront committment that is needed. Be straightforward about this point in your panel. Your panel will not have an easy path to the Touhou fan's dream career, they will need to work very hard for it.

And of course, if we are only talking specifically about Touhou, the fandom only lasts as long as ZUN keeps producing new material. When he stops, it will slowly but surely sink over time.

---

If you are wondering, I am personally not interested in making a career out of my Touhou fandom. I'm just playing devil's advocate with the theme of your panel.

[pineyappled]

But how will I get to Gensokyo without sacrificing my life