Starto Entertainment

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Starto Entertainment Inc.
Native name
株式会社スタートエンターテイメント
Stāto entāteimento
Company typePrivate K.K.
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedOctober 17, 2023; 7 months ago (2023-10-17)[1]
FounderAtsushi Fukuda[2][3]
HeadquartersMinato, Tokyo, Japan[4]
Area served
Asia
Key people
Atsushi Fukuda (CEO)
Number of employees
185[5]
Websitecorporate.starto.jp

Starto Entertainment (Japanese: スタートエンターテインメント, Hepburn: Stāto entāteinemento) is a Japanese entertainment company that provides artist management services established on October 17, 2023.[1] The CEO is Atsushi Fukuda.[2][6] Many of the groups and artists formerly affiliated with Johnny & Associates belong to this company. It began full operations from April 2024.[7]

Company Formation Background[edit]

After his death in 2019, Johnny & Associates' founder Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse was revealed in 2023.

Main article: Johnny & Associates § Sexual abuse cases

In October 2, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Kitagawa's niece and successor, decided to compensate the victims and close the business.[8] The name “Johnny” was erased from the company name because of Fujishima's desire to "erase all traces of Johnny Kitagawa from this world".[9] Johnny & Associates changed its name to Smile-Up and concentrated on compensating the victims.[8] Together with the change of activities of what was now Smile-Up, the establishment of a new company was being sought to ensure the continued activities of the talent belonging to Johnnys & Associates, and Atsushi Fukuda, president of consulting firm Speedy Inc. was chosen to serve as its CEO.[2]

Fukuda previously served as vice-president of Sony Pictures Entertainment and also as president and CEO of Sony Digital Entertainment,[10] and had been involved in corporate management and the talent agency business since founding Speedy Inc in 2017.[11] Fukuda was chosen as a candidate for CEO because Smile-Up was interested in promoting “agent contract,” a free work style, for its talent in the future.[12] Fukuda, said to be well versed in the field of talent agent contracts, is known for having re-launched the career of actress Rena Nonen,[13] who had been in a slump after quitting her agency.[14]

New company name "Starto Entertainment" was announced on December 8, 2023.[15] The company name was chosen after much discussion from among 140,156 entries from fan club members. The name was chosen, because “... it is derived from ‘Star’ and ‘To,’ as in ‘to head toward the future,’”.[15] On its official website, the company says, “We will accompany the current stars and those who will emerge in the future, following their individual personalities and goals. And from here, we will start a new legend. This is what we are trying to express”.[16] Fukuda also announced in his comments, that same day, that the artists can choose between a traditional management contract or a more liberal agent contract.[17][18]

In establishing Starto Entertainment Inc, 10 million yen in capital was invested by management and employees, and neither Smile-Up, its affiliated companies, nor Julie Keiko Fujishima, the founding family member and president of the former Johnny & Associates, invested in the company.[19] At a press conference on December 9, 2023, CEO Fukuda announced that the company had found a way to obtain a loan from a financial institution for several hundred million yen in working capital for the time being.[20]

Starto announced that it began full-fledged operations on April 10, 2024.[21] As of April, it had 295 performers under contract in 28 groups, and 185 staff members. Many of the staff had previously worked for Johnny & Associates and were not involved in sexual abuse.[7] Starto also said that it had established internal and external reporting channels for early detection of problems.[21]

Background of CEO Fukuda's appointment[edit]

Fukuda stated the circumstances surrounding his appointment at a press conference on December 9, 2023.[22] Initially, he was the most critical of Johnny Kitagawa's problems.[25] Fukuda decried the crimes committed by Johnny Kitagawa, saying that the crimes committed were not at a level that could ever be forgiven in the world.[26]

At the time of the October 2 press conference, Noriyuki Higashiyama was to be president of the new company,[27] so Higashiyama, Julie Keiko Fujishima, and Yoshihiko Inohara had an opportunity to meet with Fukuda to talk to him about an agent contract. As he listened to what the three of them had to say, he came to realize that there was a culture within Johnny & Associates like a “lineage of admiring cool senior,”[22] and that this culture had generated so much content that it now influences Korean popular music, etc. and that it would be a shame to see this disappear in the face of this criticism.[22] Fukuda also said that he thought it would be a loss of Japan if their singing, dancing, and acting content were to fall apart, even though it is a treasure of Japan.[28]

Afterwards, Higashiyama then decided against becoming president of the new company,[29] and Yoshihiko Inohara asked Fukuda to become president.[22] Fukuda initially declined, saying that it was too much of a burden, but he accepted, partly to protect their culture and partly because he wanted to reform the old traditions that persisted in the Japanese entertainment industry.[30] Fukuda said that since taking over as CEO, he plans to meet with all of talents, including Takuya Kimura, the star talent of Starto, in order to deepen mutual understanding.[31]

History[edit]

2024[edit]

On April 10, a concert We Are! Let's get the party Starto! was held at Tokyo Dome, featuring artists from Staro, giving the impression that the new company was in full swing. The event was directed by Jun Matsumoto (Arashi) and Tadayoshi Okura (Super Eight), and featured a total of 13 groups and 72 artists.[32] This performance was also held on May 29 and 30 at Kyocera Dome Osaka. A portion of the performance on May 29 was streamed live on YouTube, and the performance on May 30 was streamed for a fee.[33]

In response to the 2024 Noto earthquake that occurred on January 1, a charity song “We are” was released by Starto artists of 14 groups of 75 people.[34] The song will be available for digital release on April 10th and CD release on June 12th, and all proceeds will be donated to support earthquake relief efforts.[34]

Artists[edit]

Those who made their CD debut as a group are commonly referred to as "debut group".[35] There are also individual actors and entertainers. Those who belong to Starto but have not yet debuted or started acting are trainees and are commonly referred to as “junior".[36] Although 4U is a group with a long history of activity, it has not made its CD debut.[37] New trainees were being recruited starting May 25, 2024.[38]

Debut group[edit]

Actors, Soloists and Entertainers[edit]

Trainees (Junior)[edit]

Notable Groups[edit]

Executives[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "旧ジャニーズ新会社名、STARTO ENTERTAINMENT". nikkei.com (in Japanese). 2023-12-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Atsushi Fukuda Takes the Helm at STARTO ENTERTAINMENT: A Vision for Talent, Modernization, and Addressing Industry Concerns". Tokyohive. December 9, 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  3. ^ Bunna Takizawa (December 8, 2023). "Former Johnny's agency to be renamed Starto Entertainment". asahi.com. Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  4. ^ "プライバシーポリシー". Starto Entertainment (in Japanese). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  5. ^ "株式会社STARTO ENTERTAINMENT 始動します". Starto Entertainment (in Japanese). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  6. ^ "Operations Firm for Johnny Named Starto Entertainment". The Japan News. Yomiuri shinbun. December 8, 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  7. ^ a b "Talent agency Starto Entertainment starts full operations". NHK World Japan. April 12, 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  8. ^ a b "Talent agency to remove 'Johnny' from name, focus on compensation". asahi.com. October 2, 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  9. ^ "消えたジャニーズ　「SMILE-UP.」に社名変更　サイトも移転". asahi.com (in Japanese). 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  10. ^ "Johnny & Associates Agency Changes Name to Starto Entertainment". animenews. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  11. ^ "東山紀之断念の新会社社長に"敏腕"福田淳氏就任へ　役割増える副社長井ノ原快彦とタッグ". nikkan. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  12. ^ "ジャニーズ事務所、所属タレントと個別に契約、エージェント会社成立へ". oricon (in Japanese). 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  13. ^ "旧ジャニーズ問題、福田淳氏は「最適な人選」新エージェント会社社長就任へ　のん排除した大手芸能勢力からは反発か". zakzak (in Japanese). 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  14. ^ "旧ジャニーズ､福田新社長就任で何が変わるのか". toyokeizai (in Japanese). 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  15. ^ a b "Johnny's changes name to Starto Entertainment". Japan Times. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  16. ^ "「ＳＴＡＲＴＯ」どう略す？　旧ジャニーズマネジメント会社、新社名に反響　トレンド入り". sankei.com (in Japanese). 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  17. ^ "『STARTO ENTERTAINMENT』本格始動 福田淳CEOが決意のメッセージ「史上最高のエンターテイメントをつくる」". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  18. ^ "旧ジャニーズ事務所の新マネジメント会社福田淳CEO、就任のあいさつ　タレントは「日本の宝」". nikkan (in Japanese). 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  19. ^ "旧ジャニーズ新会社名は｢STARTO ENTERTAINMENT｣". nikkei (in Japanese). 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  20. ^ "旧ジャニーズ新会社の福田CEO「運転資金確保にメド」". nikkei (in Japanese). 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  21. ^ a b "STARTO社が本格始動、所属タレントは28組295人…性加害に加担していないことを確認". yomiuri.co.jp (in Japanese). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  22. ^ a b c d "福田淳氏「この集団と私の３６年間の経験を掛け合わせ化学反応を」…報道陣への発言詳報＜上＞". yomiuri.co.jp (in Japanese). The Yomiuri Shimbun. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  23. ^ Soichiro Matsutani (2023-12-14). "STARTO・福田淳CEOが過去に語っていたこと──テレビ局や芸能界への提言 #専門家のまとめ". yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  24. ^ "ジャニーズ問題、新社長候補の福田淳さんの過去の投稿めぐりネット上で就任反対運動". chunichi.co.jp. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  25. ^ To the point that conservative fans of Johnny & Associates's talents campaigned against his inauguration over his past statements.[23][24]
  26. ^ "福田淳氏、旧ジャニーズの「コンテンツ救いたかった」…井ノ原快彦氏はスマイル社の副社長退任". yomiuri.co.jp (in Japanese). yomiuri shinbun. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  27. ^ "ジャニーズ新会社名、ファンクラブで募集　社長は東山紀之氏". mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Mainichi shinbun. 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  28. ^ "旧ジャニーズ新会社 福田淳社長「このまま瓦解は日本の損失」". NHK (in Japanese). 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  29. ^ "旧ジャニ社長の東山氏、タレントマネジメントの新会社社長に就任せず". asahi.com (in Japanese). 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  30. ^ "「芸能界近代化のきっかけに」　旧ジャニーズ新会社・福田淳CEO". mainichi.jp (in Japanese). Mainichi shinbun. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  31. ^ "旧ジャニーズ新会社トップは外部招聘　木村拓哉さんらともすでに面談". asahi.com (in Japanese). 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  32. ^ "STARTO社13組、東京ドームで感謝の思い届ける「明るい未来にお付き合いください」". natalie (in Japanese). 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  33. ^ "STARTO所属14組による大型イベント、京セラドーム公演の生配信決定". natalie (in Japanese). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  34. ^ a b "STARTO for you Launches Charity Song "We Are" to Aid Noto Peninsula Earthquake Victims". tokyohive (in Japanese). April 8, 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  35. ^ "ジャニーズの"デビュー"って一体なに？人気ジャニーズJr.のファンがCDデビューを待ち望むワケ". vivi.tv (in Japanese). 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  36. ^ "ジャニーズJr". tower (in Japanese). 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  37. ^ "ふぉ～ゆ～、CDデビューはしていないけど初の映画主題歌 メンバー辰巳雄大が出演『僕らの千年』【コメントあり】". oricon (in Japanese). 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  38. ^ "STARTO ENTERTAINMENT Kicks Off Junior Talent Search to Discover Future Stars". Tokyohive. 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  39. ^ "堂本剛がSMILE－UP．独立発表「解散は考えておりません」入所から33年、キンキは継続へ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  40. ^ "トニセン、新曲「回れよ地球」11・1に配信 藤巻亮太が作詞作曲でポジティブな思い届ける「まず俺らが楽しまなくちゃ」". Oricon (in Japanese). 27 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  41. ^ "トニセン、Twitter開設「昭和生まれの小粋な3人組です」新曲は初の配信リリース". My Navi (in Japanese). 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  42. ^ "株式会社TOKIOがSTARTO ENTERTAINMENTとエージェント契約を締結、5月に新社屋へ移転". natalie (in Japanese). 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  43. ^ "嵐、「STARTO ENTERTAINMENT」グループエージェント契約". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  44. ^ "King & Prince、新会社設立を報告 STARTO ENTERTAINMENTとグループエージェント契約を締結". oricon. 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  45. ^ "A.B.C-Z河合郁人12・21でグループ脱退へ ジャニーズ事務所には引き続き所属". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  46. ^ a b c d e "Imformation". Starto Entertainment. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  47. ^ "『STARTO ENTERTAINMENT』「より質の高い意思決定を行う体制」へ 監査役の就任&取締役会設置会社への移行を発表". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-06-03.

External links[edit]

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