Takashima
Production Manager
When I'm not working, I often watch anime or play games.
When I attend checks for projects at work, I can enjoy it as a viewer as well, so it's a good deal for me [laughs].
The main game I play is FF14, and I'm currently working hard to get money for the next big expansion!
Interview with Takashima
Can you tell us what kind of work you do?
I am currently working as a production manager on a TV series.
At Polygon Pictures, under a Production Manager (PM), there is a Production Coordinator (PC) who is in charge of each episode and department, but to put it simply, my main job is to organize these people and keep the project running smoothly.
In the projects I was in charge of before, there were about 3 PCs, but in the project I'm in charge of now, the number of participating artists is very large, and at the most there are about 7 PCs involved. With twice as many staff, the amount of information flying around every day is easily doubled, so it is quite a challenge just to keep up with it all.
It is also difficult to take care of each individual as the number of people increases, so it is a problem of how to manage the workload. This amount of work has probably never been done before, even at Polygon Pictures... After consulting with my supervisor, the Line Producer (LP), we decided to appoint leaders among the PCs and for them to follow each other's lead. This allowed me to balance the scope of my duties and my actual capacity, and I was finally able to feel that “I can do this!”
What is your most memorable project?
A TV series called Estab Life: Great Escape (broadcast in 2022).
Of course, every project has its own emotional attachment, but this series is particularly memorable because it was the first project on which I was the PM. Also, until then I had always been in charge of overseas projects, but this was my first domestic TV series. When you have a client abroad, there is a time difference and you have to wait for translations, but in Japan you can communicate with them in real time, so the pace is different and I had the feeling that my actions were reflected more directly in the work.
This series was also the first time I was able to witness the dubbing after the CG process was completed. Watching what happens to the videos we had completed and how they are completed was really impressive. It was a part of the project that I wouldn't have been able to experience in most overseas projects.
Also, I am not very good at English, so it was easier for me to catch the reactions of the viewers than in an overseas project, so I was more motivated!
Thank you to those who watched the show!
Is there anything you are into at the moment?
I play games all the time. Right now I'm playing Pikmin 4.
I'm almost finished with it, so I'm thinking of playing the new Mario game next...
What are your tips on making work fulfilling?
I am always trying to do my job in a way that makes everyone in the team as happy as possible.
For example, in my role I often facilitate meetings, and try to create an atmosphere where everyone can speak up as much as possible.
If the atmosphere is tense, it is difficult to ask questions or seek advice, which leads to delays in finding out what the problems are.
Of course, sometimes it's necessary to just say what’s really on our minds [laughs], but I try to create a good team atmosphere so that we can end the day with a smile, both for myself and the team.
In order to do this, I have to have a balanced mind, so I try not to overdo it and use up 100% of my energy at work. No matter how busy I am, I make sure to have my personal time every day, even just 30 minutes in my case to play games!
Message to those interested in working in Polygon Pictures
One of the strengths of Polygon Pictures that I personally feel is the variety of projects. There are both international and domestic titles, and from TV series to game-related projects.
I tend to get bored easily [laughs], so being able to work on different types of projects each time suits me well. Of course there are people who want to do one thing all the time, and I think we have staff like that, but if you want to be involved in a variety of titles and projects with a wide range of people, both domestic and international, this is a good place to work.
— Have you acquired anything from your time here?
The ability to adapt and be flexible, I suppose...
Each project has completely different characteristics, so as I worked on different titles, I came to feel that I could take on anything!
Takashima’s History
2017
2019
2022
2023
After graduating from university, joined Polygon Pictures as a new graduate employee
Worked on Amazon original “Lost in Oz”
In charge of Netflix's “Transformers: War for Cybertron”
Worked as production manager on Fuji TV series “Estab Life”
Animated series for a major video streaming service (title yet to be released), which is currently in production!
One photo from the library
These are the doughnuts I'm into these days.
They look and taste great!
They're not exactly the same, but Polygon Pictures sometimes gives out free doughnuts (Doughnut Day), which I always look forward to.
