Naomi Osaka and LeBron James Join Forces On New Media Company
June 24, 2022
Four-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion, Naomi Osaka has partnered with NBA legend, Lebron James and American entrepreneur, Maverick Carter, to launch a new media company named Hana Kuma, which translates to “flower bear” in Japanese. The entertainment company will produce stories that cross cultural barriers and tackle important issues of society.
The partnership comes under James’ and Carter’s SpringHill Company, which recently announced a joint venture with US advertising company Interpublic Group to connect creators of color. He praised Osaka and believed that the new partnership would “help empower her to do even more great things.”
Osaka announced her new enterprise on Instagram saying, “I’ve built my career taking a different approach than those around me and because my journey has been so different it’s opened my eyes to all the incredible stories out there that aren’t getting told. Stories that are global, about a variety of cultures and points of view about important social issues. That’s why I’m launching Hana Kuma, a media platform focused on stories that are culturally specific but universal. Stories that are bold and playful like me.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hana Kuma has multiple projects lined up, the first being a documentary about former Hawaiian congresswoman, Patsy Mink. She was the first woman of color elected to Congress and the sponsor of Title IX, the historic US legislation which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs that receive Federal funding.
SpringHill will provide production, development and strategic resources to Hana Kuma. Together, they are building a business model “to center athletes as creators” and “to act as an incubator for athletes who want to create and story tell beyond their sport in creative, impactful and thought-provoking ways.” Content will include scripted and unscripted television series, documentaries, anime and branded content.
“There has been an explosion of creators of color finally being equipped with resources and a huge platform,” says Osaka, who has a Haitian father and Japanese mother. “In the streaming age, content has a more global perspective. You can see this in the popularity of television from Asia, Europe and Latin America that the unique can also be universal. My story is a testament to that as well. I’m so excited for what we are building at Hana Kuma. We will bring stories to life with this goal in mind: to make unique perspectives feel universal and inspire people along the way.”
Hana Kuma also has partnerships with crypto exchange platform FTX and health platform Modern Health. The new media company is the latest high-profile business venture for Osaka. In May, she launched Evolve agency in partnership with her agent Stuart Duguid. The agency newly signed its first client, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios and is a “unique place for a small number of generational athletes who can transcend their sport and influence broader culture.”
Speaking about Evolve, Osaka said, “I think role models are really important, just to see somebody do something – and it makes you feel like you can do the same thing, too. I found it really interesting that there wasn’t a female athlete that’s done this before, but there have been so many men. So, I think it’s a journey, and I feel like I’m going to learn a lot on the journey.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter