Anime has exploded into mainstream U.S. pop culture over the past few years—particularly among Gen Z consumers, 42% of whom now watch anime weekly, according to Vox Media research. That surging popularity is due in part to Gita Rebbapragada, chief operating officer of anime streaming platform Crunchyroll, who has helped the platform cultivate an international audience of more than 15 million paying subscribers and tens of millions of additional viewers. 

Rebbapragada has spearheaded Crunchyroll’s marketing efforts for more than three years, initially serving as chief marketing officer before ascending to her current role in 2023. She now helms the Sony-owned platform’s business strategy and operations in addition to overseeing all of its marketing functions, from audience development to global ad campaigns. Rebbapragada and her team expanded the anime community in India by partnering with Indian actors Tiger Shroff and Rashmika Mandanna and adding more dub languages. 

As COO, Rebbapragada has honed in on expanding Crunchyroll’s other lines of business to further draw in anime fans, from theatrical movie releases to Crunchyroll Games, which is a mobile game library available to Crunchyroll subscribers. She also propelled this year’s “Crunchyroll Anime Awards” to record viewership (the show peaked at a concurrent audience of more than 90,000 viewers across YouTube and Twitch, per streaming analytics platform Streams Charts), by enlisting celebrities such as rapper Megan Thee Stallion and drag queen Aquaria as presenters. 

Crunchyroll will account for 36% of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s total profits by 2028, according to 2023 estimates from Goldman Sachs. With the growing base of subscribers and anime fans Rebbapragada and her team are building across Crunchyroll’s various lines of business around the globe, it’s easy to see why.

Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why?

From a formative age, Muhammad Yunus has been a source of inspiration. While the transformative work he did to revolutionize microlending around the world is very different from my day-to-day, the way he translated a bold and strong vision into practical action for so many is something we can and should take note of.

What’s currently on your bedside reading list?

I love to read autobiographies! Here are a few on my short list: “My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future” by Indra Nooyi, “Rafa” by Rafael Nadal, “The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset That Drives Extraordinary Results” by Andrew McAfee, and “Dear Girls” by Ali Wong.

What is the best career advice you’ve gotten?

Great leadership is the intersection of extreme professional will and extreme humility. Be ambitious for your companies and brands, not for yourself.

Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire.

What a challenge to name just one! Any brand that has a specific and compelling value proposition for its customers and shows up in an incredibly consistent way is worth studying—particularly those that have scaled quickly. Warby Parker is one example of this.

What is your secret weapon for business success?

I have never stopped being a student—a genuine love of solving puzzles has taken me to some interesting places, both professionally and personally. Viewing every person and experience as an opportunity to learn has served me well.