After a year’s absence, SOTA Toys returned to Toy Fair, but not without some change. Gone was Jerry Macaluso, SOTA’s founder and front man, who left SOTA to return to his primary passion in movies. In his place, Guang Yang, formerly SOTA’s factory rep, and in many ways, a sharp contrast to his predecessor. While Jerry is the embodiment of a rockstar persona, Guang is reserved, soft-spoken, and dressed for business. One attribute the new CEO shares with the old – the passion to create great toys.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Guang as we wrapped up the Fwoosh Toy Fair 2007 coverage. In the first of three parts of this interview, we talked with him about Jerry, the gang at SOTA, and how he ended up in the top spot.
[thefwoosh.com] Guang, you’ve stepped into a role that Jerry held for many years – the front man for SOTA. As you get to interact with the fans, how are the fans treating you and what do you think of SOTA fans?
[Guang Yang] One thing that I got immediately when talking to the fans is that SOTA fans are very, very passionate about toys, and extremely passionate about Street Fighter toys. That I can totally understand, because the first time I held a Street Fighter toy, I thought it was the coolest toy ever made. Honestly. At that time, I knew nothing about SOTA, not even doing any work with SOTA. But still, I like toys, and I collect those myself, and Street Fighter is one of the best lines out there.
Talking to the fans, I know they are very passionate, and passionate people are very opinionated.
So, I came into SOTA in what seems like very short notice, but at the time, I was representing SOTA at the factory, and when Jerry went back to pursuing special effects and movies, I had this opportunity presented to me. I always wanted to get more involved in toys, so I took the opportunity.
[fwoosh] What does the job of factory rep entail? What were you doing for SOTA before becoming CEO?
[Guang] Consider me the liason between the factory and the developers. That’s usually what the factory reps are. They are usually well-versed in both cultures, both languages, and the way business is conducted. The factory rep’s job is to make sure communication runs smoothly both ways, make sure the payments are done correctly, and that the products are developed, manufactured, and delivered – on time, and so forth. That’s the role of the factory rep.
[fwoosh] Which SOTA lines did you cover as a factory rep?
[Guang] I started manufacturing for SOTA in late 2005. So pretty much everything that SOTA produced in 2006 – about 80% of the product was done through my factory. We did Street Fighter, we did Now Playing, Land of the Dead, some of the resin statues. Yeah, we did a lot of stuff! [Laughs]
[fwoosh] One thing that Jerry had shared with us in the past was problems with the factory…
[Guang] That’s actually a previous factory. That actually got me the opportunity to start with SOTA. That was because SOTA was having issues with their factory – quality issues, delays, back door issues. That gave Jerry a reason to seek out a new factory, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I spoke with Jerry, and he was said, "Wow, I was just looking for a new factory to produce our products!" We did a test run, and everything ran smoothly. He said our prices were good, and everything worked out fine.
[fwoosh] What was the first thing you produced for SOTA?
[Guang] The first thing we produced was some Now Playing resin statues. There were some hiccups, as it is with any new relationship, some communication issues. I had to literally work out and understand the way Jerry works, and the way SOTA works, and at the same time, SOTA had to understand the way the factory works, particularly our factories. I’d have to say though, the first time around was fairly smooth, compared to many first time relationships, but not without difficulties. But we soon learned from that, and the second round was much, much better.
[fwoosh] So you were SOTA’s factory rep when you learned Jerry wanted to step down – what was it about SOTA that made you want to step into the role of CEO?
[Guang] Well I have to say, to be honest, it was Street Fighter! [Laughs] That was the biggest lure for me, and I bit on that very fast. Because I’m a Street Fighter fan. I played the game when it first came out – probably at the time I was eight years old. I played the game when I was living in China. I played the game when I moved to New York – actually got pretty good at it! And I’ve been in love with the franchise ever since.
We even have the arcade game at SOTA! We say it’s for reference purposes only, but really it’s for all of the guys to play each other after work. [Laughs]
So that was the biggest allure for me to get into SOTA, and also because working with SOTA over the year, I fell in love with all of the work that SOTA does. We have great talent in the creative team. Our sculptor is just incredible. Painters, artists – just an incredible team – so dedicated and so passionate about toys.
I used to work at a toy company when I first started – Toynami – and what I learned there is that you have to have passion for toys if you want to make good toys. You can totally tell when the products come out which ones come from people who love to do it, and which ones come from people who are just doing it for the money.
What I saw in SOTA was overwhelming passion. Everyone at SOTA loves toys, and they love the toys they make. And everyone is very opinionated. So it’s almost like we have our own fan club inside the company. When I saw that, I thought, this is a company that will go places.
Jerry was their leader, and when Jerry stepped down, these guys needed strong leadership, and I thought, "Well, I have to give it a shot. I just can’t let this overwhelming team of talented people go to waste." We’re fans, we make toys for fans – there’s not much else to it.
[fwoosh] Since taking the reins, what have you seen at SOTA that you’d like to change or put a different spin on?
[Guang] I’ve worked in a team before, and I know the value of teamwork. This may seem corny, but there is no "I" in team. [Laughs] The company is not about me. Even though I sit at the helm and I make the decisions. The company is never about me – it’s about the company, meaning, everyone within it. Everyone contributes to the company, and in return, the company will protect and support everyone within it. That’s the philosophy.
Even though I want to insert a lot of my own opinions, into the lines, I have got to do what’s right for the company. Sometimes that means making hard choices, like cutting lines that I really want to see made, or pushing back products that I want out now, but those are the types of decisions that need to be made to make sure that the company does well. And it’s only when the company is doing well and can sustain its growth that it can improve and make even better products in the future.
So I try not to put too much of my personal spin onto things. When we decide what characters to make, we listen to the fans, we have numerous discussions within the office. I always invite everyone to the table, and we talk pros and cons with regards to marketing, finance, distribution, and development and manufacturing. We evaluate all the options available and come to the best conclusion we can draw. It’s no longer like "Well, who should we make? Let’s make this one. Let’s make that one." It’s more professional. It’s more logical in the choices we do make. We value all aspects of this puzzle, and we try to get it done right.
Photos: http://www.thefwoosh.com/picsold/thumbnails.php?album=749
Discussion: http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36973
This wraps up Part One of our interview with Guang.
Stay tuned for Part Two, where we get an update on the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers lines.