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NEWS: Anime Expo Parent's CEO Michael Lattanzio Steps Down

If they are going to try and fill this position, I will apply to it this time. It's high time that a real otaku is in charge!

sykoeent wrote:

If they are going to try and fill this position, I will apply to it this time. It's high time that a real otaku is in charge!

Honestly, exactly what did (or didn't) this guy do that was bad? If it's a long list, just break down in a nutshell.

I can't possibly be as bad as what happened with the HP CEO and Java. 20 Million dollar settlement and a massive amount of angry and lawyer speak.

Perez was one of several individuals who temporarily headed SPJA during the interim period between Pon and Karahashi's tenures.

sykoeent wrote:

If they are going to try and fill this position, I will apply to it this time. It's high time that a real otaku is in charge!

Honestly, exactly what did (or didn't) this guy do that was bad? If it's a long list, just break down in a nutshell.

I can't possibly be as bad as what happened with the HP CEO and Java. 20 Million dollar settlement and a massive amount of angry and lawyer speak.

AX Concom Voices Concerns

In an attempt to reconcile differences, a list of other concerns was raised during the November 21 meeting. Among those are several issues claiming a misuse of SPJA funds for travel. The first was Lattanzio's invoice of US$8,447.80 for two business class seats to Japan for himself and Groomes through Yamato Travel Bureau. Although details of his contract regarding travel stipends were not disclosed, Lattanzio commented that business class accommodations were among the "perks" listed, saying, "I don't know how many know CEOs in the business, but there are certain 'perks'—privileges." He added that, "before we plan any event or business trip, it has to get board approval, so I went through my process. I went through the proper channels in accordance with my responsibilities."

One of the responses regarding this issue is that none of the previous SPJA CEOs have flown business class on AX's dime, to which Sabec responded, "That's probably true, but… you guys have may not have necessarily been in a professional enough organization to know the world from my perspective…. If you're asking a new executive to come on board that has a lot of experience in the entertainment industry… you know he's reasonably going to expect the same kind of treatment that other executives at his level receive."

Other travel concerns regarded Perez' numerous flights to San Francisco, with the provision, "It has yet to be established of whether or not it is on behalf of the SPJA." Perez, whose fiancée resides in San Francisco, stated that when he visits for business purposes, the purchases are approved by the finance department. This statement was corroborated by one of the SPJA members present at the meeting.

Other concerns raised by certain AX staff members also included a comment made by Lattanzio at a November 14 meeting in which he compared volunteers to "flies" that must be "shooed away" if they don't abide by his rules. Responding to this concern, Lattanzio said that the quote was taken out of context, saying "I was making a statement about how the organization is moving and how we are making changes, and that anyone that decides to try to…sabotage the organization, we're going to have to address it accordingly… We're not going to tolerate disrespectful behavior on how we operate… This is not an organization that should be built on drama. It should be about us trying to all work together as a team."

He basically stole large amounts of money for his own personal use and ran the organization (which I believe is a non-profit organization) like an evil executive out of a Hollywood movie. The whole article on the corporate scandal is here:

So....is it party time?

duofangirl wrote:

He basically stole large amounts of money for his own personal use and ran the organization (which I believe is a non-profit organization) like an evil executive out of a Hollywood movie. The whole article on the corporate scandal is here:

Yeah, yeah! And I also know for a fact that he killed kittens, drew naughty tentacles on photos of Miyazaki, and urinated on a Naruto plushie! I have 374 pages of proof!

What-the-f*ck-ever. He's gone now. Declare victory and move on.

Everything's still in a state of utter distress and AX has gone to hell in a handbasket.

Where is this "victory" of which you speak?

TokyoGetter wrote:

Everything's still in a state of utter distress and AX has gone to hell in a handbasket. Where is this "victory" of which you speak?

Perhaps now the con which has gone astray of it's original path can either now die, or be reborn.

I see victory in that.