William Atsushi Bailey
Creative Producer & Strategist
EN|日本語
Services · Tokyo / Vancouver

Good creative in the wrong context is bad strategy.

Ideas have accents.

You have an idea that works at home and a launch in Japan. Somewhere between the two, the tone, the timing or a reference nobody here recognises can ruin it. I work on that gap: what the idea needs to change to land here, and how to get it made properly, the way it’s done in Japan.

Start a conversation →
William Atsushi Bailey
Select brands
I’ve worked with
Red BullPlayStationP&GEA SportsRiot GamesX GamesLinkedInActivision Blizzard KingRed BullPlayStationP&GEA SportsRiot GamesX GamesLinkedInActivision Blizzard King
Telly Award · NYX Award
Shorty Awards Honoree
Drawing of William in his chair, throwing a ball at the whiteboard while he thinks
01

Strategy

Shape the idea

For teams who make their own work and need it to land in Japan. I help decide what stays, what changes, and why.

A reveal that builds hype in Los Angeles can land flat in Tokyo, and a line that’s playful in English can read as rude in Japanese. I work on the decisions behind the work: message, tone, talent, format, references and timing. You leave with direction your own team can run with.

Not sure your idea fits the context?Talk through an idea →
Sound familiar?
  • The global campaign tested well at home, and nobody here is sure it will land.
  • HQ wants to change nothing. The local team wants to change everything.
  • You need a Japanese version of a show, format or event, and subtitles won’t do it.
  • You’re bringing a brand to Japan and want it to feel local without losing what makes it yours.
What I do
  • Context review. A close read of an idea, campaign or format, with clear recommendations.
  • Creative development. Concepts, scripts, tone of voice and casting direction for the Japanese version.
  • Format and IP adaptation. Rebuilding shows, showcases and events for a Japanese audience, inside the brand’s or IP holder’s rules.
  • Transcreation. Taglines, scripts and messaging rebuilt for meaning in Japanese or English, checked by native writers.
  • Audience research. Desk research and interviews on what your audience already knows, likes and expects.
  • Launching in Japan. The creative side of entering the market: brand adjustments, the launch campaign, the content plan.
Ways to work
  • Context review · 1–2 weeks, fixed scope. You send the idea, script or format, plus any research you have. I work out what must not change, what should, and why. You get a written recommendation and a working session with your team, so you can brief production or adapt the work with confidence.
  • Creative development · scoped to your launch or production. You get the concept, scripts and a tone-of-voice guide for Japan.
  • Ongoing creative partner · monthly, for teams with a steady flow of work for Japan.
See it in the work
State of Play 日本LCS 2024X Games
02

Creative Production

Make it in Japan

For work that needs making. I produce campaigns, content and live or streamed events in Japan, bilingual from brief to delivery.

Producing in Japan from overseas takes a lot of trust: in schedules, in approvals, in people you haven’t met. I’m the producer who speaks both languages, knows how a global show is meant to run and how a Japanese crew works, and keeps everyone on one timeline.

Have a project with a date on it?Brief me on a project →
Sound familiar?
  • Your HQ and your Japanese team are working from two different briefs.
  • Brand and licensor approvals are slowing everything down.
  • You need someone on the ground who has run productions at global scale.
What I do
  • Campaign and content production. Video, social and branded content.
  • Live and streamed events. Broadcasts, showcases, esports, fan events and brand activations.
  • Bilingual coordination between overseas clients, agencies and Japanese teams.
  • Approvals inside protected IP. I’ve worked within the brand rules of Riot Games, EA Sports, Red Bull, PlayStation and Wizards of the Coast.
  • AI-assisted production, only where your AI policy allows. Research, previz, concept approvals in the edit, media management and versioning, to save time and budget. Confidential material stays in approved environments, and key talent and creators stay at the centre of the work.
Ways to work
  • Project producer · one production, scoped and quoted. You get the plan, the schedule, the team and the delivery.
  • Japan-side producer · for overseas teams shooting, streaming or staging in Japan.
  • Producer on retainer · for brands and agencies with regular work in Japan.
See it in the work
Red Bull WololoX Games (Telly Award)Battle of the Paddles (NYX Gold)State of Play 日本Gran Turismo World Series
Strategy without production is a PDF.
Production without strategy is a gamble.

Hire me for either. If you have your own team, hire me for the thinking. If you have the idea, hire me to make it. Hire me for both, and the person who shaped the idea is in the room when it’s made.

Start a conversation →
Why teams trust me with their IP

Trusted inside protected IP.

Most of my career has been spent inside some of entertainment’s most guarded brands. In a new market, carelessness with the rules does more damage than a shortage of ideas. My job is knowing which rules carry the brand and which can flex, then using that room to make the work feel local.

Riot Games · EA Sports · Red Bull · PlayStation · Wizards of the Coast

FAQ

Questions

Can I hire you just for production?

Yes. Most of my work has been production. If something in the creative might not land in Japan, I’ll flag it, and if you want me to dig into it properly, we can add strategy to the scope.

Can I hire you just for the strategy?

Yes. If you have your own makers, Strategy gives them direction they can run with. A context review is a good place to start.

Do you work with agencies or directly with brands?

Both. Agencies often bring me in as their Japan-side producer or strategist, working under their name and their client relationship.

How is transcreation different from translation?

Translation carries the words across. Transcreation carries the effect: it rebuilds the message so a Japanese audience feels what the original audience felt. I direct it and work with native writers on the final words.

Do you work outside Japan?

Yes. I’ve produced across North America and Europe, and I’m in Canada regularly. Japan is where I add the most.

We’re a Canadian company looking at Japan. Can you help?

Yes, on the creative side: how your brand should look and sound here, the launch campaign and the content. For legal, tax and distribution, I’ll point you to the right specialists.

How do you price?

Every project is scoped and quoted after a first conversation. A context review has a fixed scope, so you know what you’re getting before we start.

Do you use AI?

Only where your AI policy, and the rights holder’s, allows it, and only where I think it’s the right tool. I know how this work is done the traditional way, and that comes first. Where it fits, AI saves time and budget and opens up options: research, previz, media management and versioning. Confidential material stays in approved environments, and key talent and creators stay at the centre of the work.

Tell me what you’re working on.

A launch date, a script, a format, or a hunch that something won’t land. Any of those is a good place to start.

Start a conversation →
Based in
Tokyo, Vancouver. Working in English & 日本語
Pages
WorkServicesStoryWritingContactThings I like
Case studies
Red Bull WololoState of Play 日本Gran Turismo World SeriesBattle of the PaddlesX GamesLCS 2024
Connect
LinkedInInstagramSubstackContact formStart a conversation →