Crunchyroll convened content creator Jordan Howlett, rapper Big Sean, and figure skater Amber Glenn for a panel on anime fandom at the company’s inaugural Anime Future Forum, held October 7 at New York’s Javits Convention Center ahead of New York Comic Con.

The session, titled “The Influencers Shaping Anime Fandom,” had the three discuss how anime informs identity, discipline, creativity and community, according to Crunchyroll. It was one of several conversations at the event, which also featured director James Gunn, MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka, and “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” director Bob Persichetti, who joined Sony Pictures Animation President Kristine Belson for a discussion on animation’s creative reach.

Howlett, known to 50 million followers as “Jordan the Stallion,” was named Blenders Eyewear’s first Chief Content Officer in July, a role in which he shapes the brand’s campaigns and has input on its products. His appearance at Crunchyroll’s forum puts him alongside directors and studio executives on the event’s roster, underscoring how anime programming now draws on creator audiences as directly as it does industry credentials.

Photo (L-R): Lena Lemon, Big Sean, Amber Glenn, and Jordan Howlett

The forum drew representatives from more than 90 companies and was expected to attract more than 500 attendees, including roughly 200 traveling from Japan, Variety reported. Executives from Toho, MAPPA and Sony Music’s Aniplex were among the studio leaders present.

Crunchyroll Chief Operating Officer Gita Rebbapragada said the event grew out of the company’s Anime Awards in Tokyo. “We were overwhelmed by the energy, not only around the awards, but in the conversations happening between people who care deeply about anime and its future. That stayed with us,” she told Variety. Fandom was one of four conference tracks, alongside technology, storytelling and IP protection. “With growth comes diversity,” Rebbapragada said. “We don’t say it’s a genre; it’s a medium.”

Crunchyroll, which Sony Pictures Entertainment has owned since 2021 after merging it with Funimation, used the forum as a lead-in to New York Comic Con. The company partnered with Sony Pictures on the theatrical release of “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” in 2025, which set U.S. box office records for an anime film.

Photo credit: Crunchyroll

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