Senior Advisor + Branding Producer
NAOSHI ISHIHARA
Born in Tokyo, Japan, he has been working in event planning and production for the Dentsu Group since the age of 19, and has experience in producing many events, including corporate events, concerts, fashion events, and sporting events. He was a founding member of the first “Best Jeanist Award” in 1984, and has worked as a producer for 33 years before retiring from the project.
He was also invited as an advisor to the Japan Pro Surfing Association (JPSA), providing advice and support for the professional surfing league and sponsorship of domestic tours. He was a hidden hero acquiring a major automobile manufacturer as an annual sponsor for a professional surfing event, which was still a minor professional sport, and gained popularity and raised awareness to the professional surfing industry in Japan. He has also been involved in other production projects, such as the overall direction of a popular female artist’s first live performance on a boat on the 10th anniversary of her debut, and participating in the production team of a popular group’s concert at a mobile amusement park, except for the live performance part.
At the age of 30, he launched a unique company that mixed elements of food and beverage, spatial design, and branding, creating a number of high-profile projects. In 1991, he was in charge of branding and promotion of “Juliana Tokyo,” the first disco in Japan to be owned by a foreign company, which quickly became famous throughout Japan and quickly swept the country as a new entertainment format of the time. He was also responsible for the development of the Harajuku Hoop Town, a complex themed on NBA culture, the launch of Japan’s first independent film company, and the production of the Independent Film Festival as an event to mark the 10th anniversary of FM radio station, J-WAVE. In 1995, he opened Japan’s first Internet cafe, “Electronic Cafe Tokyo. At the time, the Internet was not yet widely used in society, but the café attracted a lot of attention from the media. He also participated in the general direction and production team for the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup Sarkar eve of the final game.
He held a presentation for distribution for a leading Japanese eyeglass manufacturer at the former President Obama’s favorite residence in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, which became a hot topic. He also opened two stores in Waikiki and Ala Moana for a well-established shoe retailer, and produced an opening event featuring members of the Grammy Award-winning group, The Black Eyed Peas, which was a big hit among the locals. He also supported the expansion of a long-established Japanese confectionery company into Hawaii, of the company’s business. In addition, he established a Hawaii branch of Japan’s largest PR firm with the goal of aggressively pursuing business acquisitions, and coordinated the complete acquisition of a major Hawaii PR firm.
In 2022, he became an advisor and producer for Clarence Lee Design, a Hawaii branding and design firm. Together, they launched “WAAP,” a life branding service, and are passionate about using their many accomplishments and experience to help Japanese companies successfully expand into Hawaii.