Steve Alpert recounts his role in bringing PRINCESS MONONOKE and other Hayao Miyazaki films to America in the new book, Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli. Image courtesy of GKIDS and Fathom Events. © 1997 Nibariki - GND

An American’s unique behind-the-scenes look at how the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki were introduced to the world. Source: Stone Bridge Press press release Special Thanks to Michael Palmer and Peter Goodman

Cover art courtesy of Stone Bridge Press.

Stone Bridge Press, the Berkeley, California based publisher of books on Asia with a focus on Japan has released Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli, the memoir of former Studio Ghibli Head of International Sales, Steve Alpert. This highly entertaining business memoir describes what it was like to work for Japan’s premiere animation studio, Studio Ghibli, and its reigning genius Hayao Miyazaki. Steve Alpert, a Japanese-speaking American, was the “resident foreigner” in the offices of Ghibli and its parent Tokuma Shoten and played a central role when Miyazaki’s films were starting to take off in international markets. Alpert describes hauling heavy film canisters of PRINCESS MONONOKE to Russia and California, experiencing a screaming Harvey Weinstein, dealing with Disney marketers, and then triumphantly attending glittering galas celebrating the Oscar-winning SPIRITED AWAY. His one-of-a-kind portraits of Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki, and of sly, gruff, and brilliant businessman Yasuyoshi Tokuma, capture the hard work and artistry that have made Ghibli films synonymous with cinematic excellence. And as the lone gaijin in a demanding company run by some of the most famous and influential people in modern Japan, Steve Alpert tackles his own challenges of language and culture. No one else could have written this book. Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli is now available from Stone Bridge Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers.

Author Steve Alpert, the former Head of International Sales for Studio Ghibli. Photo courtesy of Stone Bridge Press.

About the Author Steve Alpert speaks Japanese and Chinese fluently, having lived in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Taipei for a combined total of over thirty-five years. For fifteen years beginning in 1996, he was a senior executive at Studio Ghibli. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Product Details Publish Date: 6/16/20 Genre: Memoir/Film/Business Print ISBN: 9781611720570 Format: Paperback Dimensions: 5.5" x 8.5" Pages: 296 SRP: $19.95/ $25.99 CAN EISBN: 9781611729412 Format: Ebook SRP: $9.95

The Oscar-winning SPIRITED AWAY. Image courtesy of GKIDS and Fathom Events. © 2001 NIBARIKI • GNDDTM

About Stone Bridge Press

­­Stone Bridge Press was established in Berkeley, California, in 1989. We now have some 150 titles in print, covering such Japan-related areas as language, business, literature, manga, design, and culture. For more information, visit stonebridge.com.