? Tsuburaya Productions (TPC) Tsuburaya Productions was founded in 1963 by Eiji Tsuburaya, the world-renowned special effects wizard known for his work on the Godzilla series and other FX films for Toho Studios. In 1966, Tsuburaya Pro launched their Ultra Series with the television shows ULTRA Q and ULTRAMAN; the franchise continues to this day, has been seen in over 100 territories worldwide and has spawned over 3,000 licensed products. Family-run for decades, Tsuburaya Productions was sold to TYO Group in October 2007. Ownership of TPC is now split between the toy and game giant
Bandai Co., Ltd. (49% share acquired from 2008-2009) and the IP company
Fields Corporation (51% stake purchased in 2010).
Key Personnel • Eiji Tsuburaya (1901-1970): Founder, Chairman and CEO of Tsuburaya Productions. • Hajime Tsuburaya (1931-1973): Eiji`s eldest son; President of Tsuburaya Productions from 1970-1973. • Noboru Tsuburaya (1935-1995): Eiji`s second son; President of Tsuburaya Productions from 1973-1995. • Kazuo Tsuburaya: Noboru`s son, President of Tsuburaya Productions from 1995-2003. • Hideaki Tsuburaya: Hajime`s second son; President of Tsuburaya Productions from 2004-2005. • Shigeki Oyama: President of Tsuburaya Productions from 2005-2007. • Tsuneyuki Morishima: President of Tsuburaya Productions from 2007-2008. • Shinichi Oka: President of Tsuburaya Productions since 2008.
? Chaiyo Productions Co., Ltd. Chaiyo Productions is an entertainment company founded by filmmaker and businessman Sompote Saengduenchai. Based in Ayutthaya, Thailand, the company produced its first television show in 1970 and first feature film in 1972. In 1973-1974, Chaiyo entered into a licensing agreement with Tsuburaya Productions for the Thai broadcast rights to the first six Ultra Series plus JAMBORG ACE. During that time, Chaiyo also co-produced two movies in Thailand using Tsuburaya`s characters. Following the death of TPC President Noboru Tsuburaya in 1995, Saengduenchai presented a contract, allegedly issued and signed by Noboru in 1976, granting Chaiyo the exclusive international copyright to all Ultraman properties listed in the 1973-1974 agreement. Tsuburaya Pro declared the contract a forgery, and the two companies have waged a long legal battle over the Ultraman rights.
Key Personnel • Sompote Saengduenchai: Founder and Chairman of Chaiyo Productions. • Perasit Saengduenchai: Sompote’s son; Managing Director of Chaiyo
Productions until 2008.
? ? Ultraman Forever In 2013, Sompote Saengduenchai, Sommai Patamakanthin and a group of business partners made appearances in Los Angeles to announce a new line of American Ultraman products under the "Ultraman Forever" banner. The company name Ultraman 4 International Llc. was registered in Gilbert, AZ. None of the Ultraman Forever products were ever released, and the company`s contract with Saengduenchai expired on April 30, 2015.
Key Personnel • Sommai "Sam" Patamakanthin: President of the Ultraman Forever group. Died March 2015. • Britton K. Lee: President of Koo Media, Inc. in Las Vegas. Signed with Sompote Saengduenchai in 2012 to manufacture and
distribute Ultraman merchandise. • Charles M. Fries: President and CEO of Fries Films. • Len Sherman: Documentary filmmaker who planned to produce a film about Sompote Saengduenchai. Wrote the text for
Saengduenchai`s
Ultraman Forever book. • Aaron Huber: Agent for Ultraman 4 International.
? ? Ultraman USA, Inc. On May 1, 2015, Sompote Saengduenchai and a new group of business partners formed Ultraman USA, Inc., a Los Angeles-based company for Ultraman products and movies. A press conference was held on May 10 in LA to officially announce the launch of the new endeavor.
Key Personnel • Prayut Theanthong: President of Ultraman USA. • Nida Theanthong • Philip Mercader: Marketing Consultant. • Suchart Rengpean • Rachanibol Tanaritroj • Somkeat Sauekcharern
? UM Corporation (UMC) The entertainment company UM Corporation was founded by former Tsuburaya Productions employee Moriaki Uematsu in November 2008. The following month, all of Sompote Saengduenchai`s Ultraman rights (as described in the 1976 contract) were assigned to UMC. The company has offices in Minatoku, Tokyo and Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Key Personnel • Moriaki Uematsu: Founder and President • Hiroki Uematsu: Founder • Perasit Saengduenchai: Chairman • Thanisa Tiranasawadi: Director
? TIGA Entertainment Co., Ltd.. Founded in 1997 with offices in Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong, China, TIGA Entertainment is a licensing and marketing company focused on Asian animation and family programming. Initially focused on China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and select European countries, the company now handles worldwide home video, television, event and merchandising rights for a wide range of titles. Previously affiliated with Chaiyo, TIGA is now UMC`s exclusive sales agent for Ultraman.
Key Personnel • Sittichai Rujipasakul: Managing Director • Varistha Techauisitpong: International Licensing
? Golden Media Group, Inc. (GMG) Based in Los Angeles, Golden Media Group was founded in 1996. The company handles distribution, home video and streaming rights for a number of high profile clients, including the major Japanese studios Kadokawa Pictures, Nikkatsu Corporation, Shochiku Co., Ltd., Toei Co., Ltd. and Toho Co., Ltd. GMG specializes in Asian genre movies and programs, and licensed ULTRAMAN from Tiga and ULTRA Q, ULTRA SEVEN and ULTRAMAN TARO from UM Corporation for home video and streaming in North America.
Key Personnel • Roy McAree: Owner • Aki Komine: Owner
2013 ULTRAMAN FOREVER
Len Sherman Interview Q: How did you come to be a part of Ultraman Forever? A: I was hired some 2 1/2 years ago to produce a documentary on Sompote and Ultraman. In the course of doing so, I traveled to Thailand and met Sompote, filming at his house, and was fairly well blown away by his lifelong dedication to Ultraman. Note: Though we shot the documentary, it was never finished as the promised funds were never delivered. I still have the raw footage.
Q: Were you familiar with the Ultraman franchise before joining Ultraman Forever? A: Not by name, but I had seen, back in the Sixties or maybe Seventies when I was rather young, clips of Ultraman`s TV shows, so I was vaguely familiar with the character when reintroduced to him.
Q: You wrote the text for Sompote Saengduenchai’s Ultraman Forever coffee table book. Were you working from notes or interviews with Sompote, or did the assignment require a lot of research? A: I spent a certain amount of time with Sompote, and had asked him many questions in expectation of writing a book. Still, I did have to do some independent research to fill in facts and dates - and other points of view - to round out the tale.
Q: Sompote has promoted himself as a defender of Ultraman, but Ultraman fans overwhelmingly view him as a crook. Since you’ve worked with Sompote, what were your impressions of him? A: I wasn`t aware that Ultraman fans have such a dark view of Sompote. Personally, I think he`s a complex character, clearly tied to Ultraman in some way that goes beyond the mere mercenary. As much as I enjoy Ultraman, meaning the potential of an updated, modern version of Ultraman, I can`t imagine a sane person devoting one`s entire being to a fictional character. I think in some way his financial interest merged with his creative interest and he became, to put it nicely, overly self-identified with Ultraman. Furthermore, the underlying truth about Ultraman`s origins and the subsequent controversies related to ownership and management are virutally guaranteed to be obscured and confused after so many years in the mist of memory and myth.
Q: Ultraman Forever announced several products and projects in 2013. Why were none of them ever produced or released? A: Money, and then legal issues.
Q: While researching the Ultraman rights article I found a 2013 listing for Ultraman 4 International Llc. was registered in AZ. The company isn’t named in any other materials I’ve read, but you mentioned U4I and said that Studio E3 was their successor. Would you explain their role in bringing Ultraman back to America? A: Well, the idea was that a multitude of products would be produced, but events to which I have already alluded are well aware interfered I am part of Studio E3, which is not so much a successor of U4I but a company that is involved in totally different areas but retains a keen interest in Ultraman. Having said that, I don`t think at this time that anyone really has too much to say, given how everything about Ultraman seems to be in legal limbo.
Q: When we spoke before you said that Sompote did “something shady” that ended things. Would you elaborate? A: Simply, our understanding of the status of Ultraman went from his holding rights to do as he wished, to an ongoing legal fracas with the Japanese, to his having in some manner transferred some or all of his rights to his son, with whom he was not on good terms. This ongoing revision of our rights understanding occurred only after we had committed considerable resources to this project. Sompote was far from readily forthcoming with these revisions, attempting to extract maximum personal advantage from our efforts.
