New York, USA
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 James, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Osaka, the world’s highest-earning athlete at 24, told the Times in an interview that her goal with Hana Kuma (meaning “flower” and “bear” in Japanese) is to produce series, documentaries, anime and content. with integrated advertising.
“What excites me is being able to inspire people and tell new stories, particularly the ones that I would have liked to see as a child. I always wanted to see someone like me,” said the champion of Japanese and Haitian descent.
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.
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.
The former tennis world number one and winner of four Grand Slams has taken other steps beyond sport and presented an athlete representation agency in May, for which Nick Kyrgios signed on Tuesday.
Both in the sports agency and in the content production company, Osaka has had her agent, Stuart Duguid, as a partner.
