Kayo Washio is the Head of U.S. operations for WOWOW, Japan’s leading premium pay TV broadcaster.

Based in Los Angeles since 2011, Washio re-located from her home country of Japan where, for the last 18 years, she held various senior executive posts at WOWOW since joining the company in 1995.  

As the Head of U.S. operations for WOWOW, Kayo oversees co-production and acquisition deals with studios, networks and independent production companies for TV and film programming.

Washio most recently oversaw negotiations for the upcoming Martin Scorsese documentary The New York Review of Books: A 50 Year Argument. As Executive Producer of the film, Washio spearheaded WOWOW’s efforts to join HBO Documentary Films, BBC Arena and Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions as a co-production partner in the film.

Washio also handled the negotiations for the Robert Redford and Wim Wenders’ six-part TV series documentary Cathedrals of Culture, in which she is credited as co-producer. The film recently made its triumphant World Premiere in the Berlinale Special at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival.

With a background in broadcast production and as a broadcast director, Washio has experience in producing television programs, film acquisition, budget control and contract negotiations.

Previously, Washio was manager for WOWOW’s marketing & promotions department where she managed all publicity efforts for WOWOW programs,generated the company’s largest quarterly subscriber increase, successfully led the company’s first collaboration with network TV shows for the Grammys and the Oscars awards shows, and oversaw the project team for the first WOWOW Festival.

Before becoming manager of the marketing & promotions department, Washio was a producer for WOWOW’s movie department where she was responsible for producing a weekly program covering cinema and interviewing A-list talent. In this role, Washio cemented successful partnerships with various organizations such as CNN and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; produced and directed a Baz Luhrmann documentary titled Remarkable talented Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Tracks of Love’; negotiated licensing deals with major studios for film and TV series; and developed strong and beneficial relationships with A-list creators for special programs.

Prior to producing original programs, Washio was a producer for WOWOW’s foreign animations and TV dramas and was the first executive to successfully implement new animation programs and introducing series like South Park to Japanese audiences.

Speaking on: Luncheon Roundtables