#8: "A Career Isn't A Ladder, It's A Jungle Gym" | Conor Clarance (Crunchyroll)

A few months ago, we sat down with Conor Clarance. Since we spoke - Conor shifted into a new role as the Director of Go-to-Market & Partnership Marketing at Crunchyroll (US, CDA, AUS, NZ). 

Crunchyroll is a one-stop shop for anime fans. They’re best known for being a streamer that is home to the world’s largest collection of anime content. When we chatted with him - Conor was helping the brand grow within Canada by launching everything from new partnerships to experiential activations. 

Prior to his time at Crunchyroll - Conor spent the majority of his career as: the Head of Sports at Twitter Canada (um, we mean X…), a Manager of Global Partnerships at MLSE & an Account Manager at Momentum Worldwide. 

When he isn’t helping Crunchyroll to compete in the streaming race, he can be found racing down the slopes in Whistler ⛷️ 

In this episode, we chat with him about a career-altering revelation he had on the other side of the world, his refreshing advice on how to navigate big decisions, the power of fandom &  his stance on the eternal “subbed vs. dubbed” debate. 

More specifically, Conor shared his thoughts on the following questions: 

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:24)
• What was your marketing moment (9:14)
• Can you highlight your career journey since then? (13:47) 
• How has your view of marketing evolved? (20:02)
• What advice do you have for someone that’s weighing a major decision? (24:13)
• What role has mentorship played in your career? (26:43)
• How do you seek out a mentor & nurture the relationship? (30:08)
• Could you tell us about your role at Crunchyroll? (34:43)
• How do you help a team to rally around a decision? (38:12)
• How is your team set-up in Canada? (42:08)
• How do you think about fandom? (43:41)
• What’s the growth trajectory of anime? (51:25)
• Rapid Fire: We put him in the hot seat! (54:38)