21. Making it in Japan, film production, and Mr+Positive with Peter Grasse.

How does a native from Philly become one of Tokyo’s hottest producers?

In episode 21 of The B-side, I chat with Peter Grasse, an internationally recognised, multi-award-winning producer, who has helped shape the reputation of Asia-Pacific’s most dynamic production companies.

Peter joined Curious Film Auckland as General Manager in 2004 and soon after launched new production offices in Sydney and Singapore. He moved to Japan in 2016 and launched Dictionary Films Tokyo, where he produced work which would go on to win top advertising honours worldwide.

He continues to cultivate the Asia-Pacific region’s most inspiring new talent as Mr+Positive.

Peter talks about his love of anthropology how an Ainu tree sap ceremony in Hokkaido led to a realisation that at 25 he should dedicate his energy to more exciting pursuits.

We jam on some of the differences between the Japanese ad industry and that of the west. He shares his views on their attitudes towards creativity and ideas, and how non-Japanese can make it in the local creative industries. And we dig into why Japanese ads are known for being so batshit crazy.

We discuss the role of tech, award shows, the rise of branded content. And we lament on the current state of advertising creativity and the rarity of brutally simple, smart, and well-crafted ideas.

Peter is a super funny and incredibly interesting dude to chat to. I loved this chat, it’s a wild one, and you’re going to love it. Cheers.

You can find Peter and learn more about Mr+Positive here: https://www.mrpositive.work