Panasonic Corp. chief technology officer of North America Eisuke Tsuyuzaki has been named Home Media Magazine’s 2010 Home Entertainment Visionary for his work promoting the Blu-ray Disc format and 3D in the home.
Tsuyuzaki is credited with developing partnerships with studios such as Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox and MGM to co-promote and market the Blu-ray format, such as the Panasonic-sponsored Disney Magical Blu-ray Tour. He has also been at the forefront of the new Blu-ray 3D format by staging the Panasonic Unwrap 3D Tour just before the 2010 holiday season to showcase Panasonic’s HD 3D plasma TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, eyewear and 3D digital imaging products.
In addition, Tsuyuzaki helped foster a relationship between Panasonic and director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau on their 3D epic “Avatar.”
“Eisuke has proven himself to be someone who is driven by challenges far greater than the tasks at hand,” Landau said. “His innovative vision was what made our partnership with Panasonic for Avatar as successful and rewarding as it was. When others were focused solely on 2D high-def technology, Eisuke saw the potential that 3D high-def represented and went after it.”
Added Home Media Magazine’s publisher Thomas K. Arnold, “Eisuke Tsuyuzaki is being honored… for one simple reason: He’s on a plateau all by himself. The two bright spots on home entertainment’s horizon are Blu-ray Disc and 3D, and Tsuyuzaki is all over both of them.”
Tsuyuzaki has been in his position since July 2009 and with Panasonic since 2005. Prior to that he served in leadership positions within the corporate strategy and business development functions of Sony Corp., Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures. He also is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and is
on the board of DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
Past winners of the award include former Warner Home Video president Warren Lieberfarb, former president of Columbia TriStar Home Video Benjamin Feingold, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Bob Chapek, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment Craig Kornblau, executive director of DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group
Amy Jo Smith and New Line Home Entertainment president Stephen Einhorn and his team. The 2009 award was given to Blu-ray Disc Association’s Global Promotions Committee.