June 13, 2009

Director/animator Yutaka Yamamoto to appear at Otakon

Known for Use of Live-Action Film Techniques

Baltimore, MD (June 13, 2009) – Innovative Japanese director and animator Yutaka Yamamoto will be a guest at Otakon 2009.

Yamamoto was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1974. After graduating from Kyoto University's Literature Department, he worked for Kyoto Animation and then Animation Do, eventually starting his own independent studio, Ordet. He's known for his detailed direction and for his use of live-action film techniques.

Yamamoto has worked as an animator, storyboard artist, and episode director on several anime TV series including Hare+Guu, Atashinchi, Full Metal Panic?Fumoffu, and AIR. In 2006, Yamamoto served as series director and writer for the smash hit The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. After stepping up to full directorial duties with 2007's Lucky Star, his most recent work is Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 25,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 70,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see http://www.otakon.com/

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